José Martí American Porter - Cigar City Brewing

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle consumed on 10.20.2010. Received fresh today.

Hard pour yields a single finger of thick light tan form with plenty of large carbonation bubbles visible on tap. It fades somewhat quickly, but lacing is already apparent. Damn, Cigar City really knows how to make a beer look good. The body is near black, although it was merely a darker shade of caramel coming out of the bottle. Nearly opaque.

After a good swirl of my tulip, I dive in for a whiff and am rewarded with some really nice semi-dark chocolate notes as well as some lightly-roasted malt and fine-tuned coffee grinds. A slight amount of piney hops linger in the background and round out the edges of an already delicious-smelling brew.

The flavor really draws back a good deal from the hugely-intense nose. It retains a good deal of the roasted malt character, but the chocolate has faded quite a bit, although at the same time the dark nature of it melds well with some nice hop bitterness. A bit of coffee exists as well.

Mouthfeel is a bit lighter than I would expect with moderate carbonation levels. Slightly dry in the finish. Overall, a really nice darker beer coming from CCB and I enjoyed it a bit more than their brown ales. However, their stouts are still king.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 00:56:46 | More by Thorpe429

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a perfect pint.

A- pours an absolutely positively PITCH BLACK with a one finger tan colored head. When I say pitch black, I mean PITCH BLACK. No hints of brown...straight black. The head is solid and sticks around for awhile too. Looks perfect

S- coffee, chocolate, and...citrus hops? Yeah, citrus hops. Nice combination of IPA and porter flavors in this...its labeled as an "India Porter", so I assume that means its hoppy as well as roasty. Loving the combination, though the scents could be a little stronger

T- quite a bunch of interesting flavors...the main one being bitterness, but in several different forms. Chocolate, coffee, and some hoppiness...all bitter. The finish is actually citric and a tad bit sweet. Its like a party in my mouth...and everyone's invited!

M- I'd like it to be a little thicker. Getting more of the IPA body from it as opposed to a porter body

D- only real letdown was the body. Fantastic beer. I wish I was closer to Philly and could get Cigar City easier, because this is fantastic

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 21:56:51 | More by bigfnjoe

womencantsail

California

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Mike for sending me this one in a recent trade.

A: The pour is a very dark brown color with a big tan head and some nice rings of lacing.

S: A big roast aroma starts things off. Some bitter coffee and chocolate notes are close behind. There are some strong hop aromas here too, quite earthy and faintly citrusy.

T: Like the nose, we've got a ton of roast character on the palate. The coffee is almost as intense as the roast with some bitter dark chocolate to a lesser extent. The hop notes are more citrus than the nose lets on, but still quite earthy. Moderately bitter, which was pleasant.

M: The body is medium with a medium level of carbonation.

D: I found this one to be really quite enjoyable. Great roast character that's not overpowering and overly bitter, and the hops really kept things interesting.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 21:46:34 | More by womencantsail

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - The big and beautiful brown-bordering-black body is capped by a cumulus-cloud crown of cappuccino-colored cover, leaving linked levels of layered lavish lathery lace.

S - The aroma is hoppy and slightly oaty, with roasty notes in third place. There are also faint notes of cocoa and chicory.

T - Though the taste is prominently hoppy, it doesn't seem to strike me as particularly bitter; instead it seems rather well-balanced between hop, roast, oat, and a general creaminess. It is notable that oat is the only strongly discernible malt flavor, excepting of course the roasted character imparted by some type(s) of roasted barley. The hop is generally piney and grassy and adds a light freshness to the otherwise robust profile.

M - Medium-bodied, creamy, and softly carbonated.

D - This is another solid brew to add to the CCB canon.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 20:47:30 | More by ktrillionaire

shand

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Dark brown bordering on black. You know, just like ...

Smell: Coffee! I smell coffee! There's some roasted malts and chocolate in here, but coffee dominates.

Taste: Coffee! I taste coffee! This is like alcoholic coffee, but better, because it's beer. The rich roasted malts come in, and then it finishes with a hop blast that reminds me that I'm not drinking cold coffee, but beer! This is just a blast to taste.

Mouthfeel: It's heavy and dense for sure, but not quite too dense. Great for the style, and it's not too carbonated which could be a major turn-off with the coffee flavor.

Drinakbility: Dangerously drinkable for 8%. A wonderful beer for after dinner, perhaps to enjoy with some biscotti.

This was my first Cigar City experience, and I'm looking forward to many more!

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 05:31:42 | More by shand

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

India Porter... hmm unique style.

Poured into ccb snifter.

Pours 1/2 finger of tan head. Color is a copper brown.

Aroma: A lot of earthy, piney hops with a massive amount of roast. It has some chocolate malt and some light citrus showing. Very odd aroma.

Taste: Wow, this thing is hoppy. So much pine mixed with roasted malts. Chocolate malt, some citrus. I just can't believe how hoppy it is. It is too roasted for me. It almost has a smoked nut flavor to it.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and robust. Very roasty. Medium body with a medium amount of carbonation. A bit of booze shows. Ends sticky and dry.

Overall, it was a unique concept, and the more I drank the more I like it. However, it was too roasted for me which took a lot away from the beer. Somewhat drinkable for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 00:56:38 | More by mothman

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of beerlando. Pours a nice rich dark brown with a fluffy 1 finger tan head with a mix of tiny and big bubbles. Head settles rather slowly and clings to the side of the glass. Good lace. Nice rich aroma of roast, dark chocolate, tobacco, and leather. Some sweetness in the nose as well. Rich mouthfeel, medium. The taste has several nice transitions starting with a sweet chocolate taste that moves to bitter leather and dark chocolate. Lingering bitterness. I like the taste but would rather not have the lingering bitterness. I guess it is suppose to be aggressively hopped though. Much hoppier than most porters I have had. I'm glad the hop taste was on purpose because I definitely would have knocked it for that had I not known. Pretty good but I do rather enjoy my porters a tad less hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 23:18:05 | More by kbutler1

Bmoyer0301

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance:

The first thing I wanted to mention was that this is the first twelve ounce bottle from Cigar City that I have personally ever seen and it is decorated with an ornate black and white portrait of Jose Marti himself. As I popped the cap of this bottle there really want not much of a hiss coming from the neck which gave me a bad feeling at first. Appropriately I am using my Cigar City pint glass for this special ale and as I went for the pour I decided to go at it straight on to entice a thick creamy head. As my glass filled up with the thick brown chocolate colored ale the head began to come up quite nicely leaving me with a one finger thick mocha colored head that floated ever so gracefully. In my usual routine I swirled the glass and there was a noticeable amount of lacing still hanging on the pint walls.

Smell:

Loads of dry cocoa powder and coffee grinds are swirling around my nostrils. I really can't pull any hop presence from this so called "India styled" porter which leads me to believe that it should be pretty darn hoppy. In the finish there is just a slight amount of the heat alcohol coming through but over all just a nice roasty nutty porter is all I can get....well maybe there is some brown sugar thrown in there as well.

Taste:

This is almost like dessert in a glass! Molasses, toffee and burnt caramel take center stage with some faint chocolate undertones to just pull the complete package all together. But let me not forget the hops because not like in the aroma there is a beautiful bouquet of floral and earthy hops that just mingle with the roast so well. For the style this is a little bit hoppier than normal porters but it really is enjoyable. If you let the ale sit in your mouth for a few extra seconds there is something that reminds me of licorice and maybe some sweet pipe tobacco. (irony?) As I swallow this slick a creamy ale the hops come back for one more tiny appearance that gives a quick burst of citrus and mango before it goes down the hatch.

Drinkability:

This stuff goes down easy with minimal burn and high drinkability. Just about every dark beer that I have ever had from Cigar City was a knockout and I hope they keep pumping them out like this. I really enjoyed this different style of beer and would say that if you can get some go for it, because I know that I will be trying to trade for more soon. This is what I would call a perfect fall beer and easy enough to drink more than one unlike some of those belly busters out there now. Thumbs up in my book,

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 23:21:05 | More by Bmoyer0301

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

thrilled to be able to try another gem from ccb, my man todes sent me this one to knock off my list of ccb greats. poured cool and into a pint glass, this one was enjoyed on 10/01/2010.

what a big pour on this one. rich ark brown in color with a nice two finger head of creamy tan that stays on top for what seems like forever and leaves a ton of lacing on the sides of the glass.

aroma is to die for. rich roasted malts, warm cocoa and coffee, mixes with a deep resinous hop note and capped with a smooth dose of vanilla, wth is this thing? i am getting a bit confused now as i sip on it and pick up flavors that should not be blended together, but are and it works. rich dark chocolate and roasted coffee are mere accents to a wonderful citrus bouguet and warming roasted notes. really just sublime. hints of tobacco and leather come through as it hits room temp, and the long, smooth, rich and sweet finish defies any expectation of what was coming next.

overall i am unsure of what to make of this one, but for some damn reason i am in love with it. a wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 01:41:58 | More by mikesgroove

kkipple

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Righteous tip o' the cap to Todes & Bobby8405 for hooking me up with this one. Cracked before dinner at my favorite German joint... I might have refrained if I had noticed the 8% on the bottle sooner. What are those kids at CCB smoking anyway?

A. Pours a fine looking deep walnut brown with a very dark tan head that has some staying power and leaves a bit of lace to boot. Purty.

S. Wow, this is lush. Big roast notes here, espresso / coffee, and more than usual hops in the nose. There's a hefty sweetness here; rich sugars and swirls of nuts and tobacco. Strong, lively, and solid. Robust, for sure. I like it a great deal.

T. Huge immediate roast-sweet hit, followed by a big bag of citrus hops that *almost* tip the whole thing over. Sweet coffee, grapefruit, dark, roasted, almost-burnt chocolate malts and a little bit of licorice are all here, held together by some warming booze heat. Hop and roasty bitterness compete and eventually settle into an uneasy truce. Long finish. Hmm... basically a super-robust porter with a ton of hop presence that somehow manages to work. Not sure how, but it does.

M / D. Goes down easy 'nuff, but the booze is there and the sheer flavorfulness of this means you won't drink more than a couple. Maybe. Slick, dense mouthfeel and the carbonation is spot on, keeping it from being overwhelmingly heavy. This is good.

Cigar City has my vote for one of the most interesting breweries in the country right now. Jose Marti isn't really a go-to porter, but it IS unique, tasty and another feather in the cap of the the white-hot guys from Tampa.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 22:09:53 | More by kkipple

cbak999

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a dark brown, almost black and almost opaque. A nice 2-finger tan head sits atop the beer, and hangs around until the end of the session.

S - coffee and hops. This beer smells wonderful! I also smell a bit of molasses and brown sugar.

T - Yummy! A nice balance of alcohol, coffee, malts, and hops. The high ABV is very nicely hidden. This could be one of the best strong porter's I've had...hands down!

D - well, it's almost perfect for the style. I don't give many 5s, but this one is close! Very drinkable....

You definitely want to give this beer a try if you are into the dark, strong beers. You won't be let down!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 13:59:06 | More by cbak999

nickfl

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with one and a half fingers of light brown foam on top of a black body with no light showing through. The head settles slowly and leaves very nice, thick lace.

S - A nice, dark malt aroma with notes of chocolate and spiced coffee. Chicory and cardamom with a hint of cinnamon and some pine hops in the background.

T - Sweet malt come up first with notes of molasses and light coffee bitterness. Some hop bitterness and pine character comes out in the middle with increasing coffee/chocolate malt character. Finishes with espresso notes and some spicy characteristics of allspice and clove balanced by moderately sweet molasses flavors. Lingering spiced coffee and pipe tobacco flavors with moderate pine/herbal hops.

M - Thick body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - This is a really excellent porter. The malt character is both complex and smooth while the significant hop presence balances things out and also provides an unusual character for a beer of this style. I am especially enjoying the lingering spicy coffee flavor that comes in the aftertaste as it shows the best of the beer's smooth, but robust character. More nice work from Cigar City, this is the best of several porters that they have put out recently.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 06:07:38 | More by nickfl

TKEbeerman

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my pint glass, this porter pours a very very dark brown, almost black, with ruby highlights when held to the light. The head is about 2 inches thick and is a peanut shell tan.

S: The aroma is lacking a level of roastiness that I love in porters, but is good none-the-less. The is a floral fruity hoppyness that I have found in other Cigar City beers, such as Jai Alai IPA. I swear its almost a banana smell.

T: The roastiness pokes it's head out in the flavor. Still the are some fruity floral notes that aren't characteristic of a porter in this brew. These notes are definitely coming from the Hops, cuz this thing is definitely hopped up.

MF: Mouthfeel is a little light, but thickens as the beer warms of course.

D: Drinkability is great. 8%? No problem!

Overall, I'm excited to see CCB bottling more brews in 6 packs. Seems like Jose Marti might need a little work to achieve greatness, but this really is a solid porter with an interesting twist. Wait and watch for my review of the Maduro Brown they put out. That brew blew me away.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 22:13:02 | More by TKEbeerman

MasterSki

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to tpd975 for sending me a few bottles of this one. Served in my trusty Surly pint glass.

A - Pours with two fingers of tan foam that slowly settles to a medium cap and leaves some solid lacing. Body is a very dark brown that reveals some transparency and red highlights under illumination.

S - Big roast character, caramel, baker's chocolate, coffee, some floral hops. As it warms, maybe the faintest bit of the 8% ABV makes itself known.

T - Taste is much more bitter, with notes of char, smoke, burnt malt, and espresso. Finish has some citrus hop bitterness mixed with a roast bitterness that lingers well into a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. This could use a bit more sweetness to keep things in balance, and seemed like a complete 180° from the nose. This is probably a 3.75 for me, but I suppose I'm a "homer by proxy" thanks to my positive experiences with the Florida crew.

M - Medium-low carbonation, medium body that seems a touch watery and undersized for 8%. Otherwise pretty smooth and pleasant.

D - I finished my 12oz bottle fairly quickly, but the char aftertaste got a little bit off-putting by the end. Still, it was pretty easy to finish for a strong, dark brew. Can't wait for the barrel-aged version.

NOTE - More orange citrus hop flavor comes out as it warms up - weird.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 03:55:32 | More by MasterSki

rmolledo

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Solid Dark Brown with a small 1 inch tan head. Nice tan lacing.

S: Amazing Caramels, Roasted Malts, Chocolate. Toasted Malts. Pleasant Citrusy Hop Aroma.

T: Amazing Depth of flavor. Bitter Chocolate. Burnt Cookies. Cocoa Powder. Very Hoppy. Chocolate Covered Orange Peels.

MF: Slick with a moderately heavy body. Moderate Carbonation.

D: Another amazing beer from Cigar City. This beer in many ways is similar to Stone's Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale but with more of a malty body and thicker mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 22:30:43 | More by rmolledo

AgentZero

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A black pour with a light, tan head. Not a ton on it, no lacing, not much retention.

S - Smells very sweet, I get a lot of sweet chocolate and some sort of dark fruit. It's sweet enough that it almost seems like berries.

T - A very sweet porter. Chocolate and dark fruit, quite sweet, not really what I was anticipating when I saw it was a porter. Good roasted malts.

M - A nicely bodied porter with good depth.

D - Pretty solid beer, I liked it, and the alcohol is well hidden. Not a world beater, but a pretty good one.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 03:47:46 | More by AgentZero

aepb1

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Black with little to no head, some white lacing on the edge

S- Roasted coffee (fair trade certified Cafe Estima my girlfriend tells me!), sweet malts and some alcohol too

T- Roasted coffee again, earth (green tasting) hops finish, seems to be a lot going on here!

M- Medium bodied with a nice smoothness and good carbonation

D- Very interesting take on the American Porter, the hoppy finish really entices me back. Wish it were not a limited release!

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 04:12:52 | More by aepb1

CampusCrew

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

appearance: Pitch black low head but nice streaking lace down the glass.

smell: heavy coffee

taste: Wow, another gem. nice big porter, lots of coffee flavor backed up by a heavy bitter hop dosage. Might be better than black butte

mouthfeel: heavy body

drinkability: Probably the best porter Ive had and one of the best CC's too.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 01:34:29 | More by CampusCrew

Sean9689

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle thanks to Kan.

A - Pours black, light tan head, no lacing, no retention.

S - Dark chocolate, oak, big bitter notes, vanilla.

T - Chocolate and hops, pretty straight forward. I'm digging this beer. If you're looking for an as-advertised beer, this is it. A hoppy porter.

M - Light to medium, subtle carbonation, creamh finish.

D - I like this offering. A nice straight forward hoppy porter. Recommend.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 15:15:17 | More by Sean9689

jrallen34

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a Bells tulip...Medium brown pour, light tan, not much to note...SUPER sweet aroma, what is going on here? Tons of chocolate and cocoa powder...Taste is a complete 180 from the aroma, all the sweet chocolate is gone replaced by coffee, roasty, bitter coffee, light chalk finish, distracting end.

Interesting because its not at all what you expect, give it a shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 06:33:21 | More by jrallen34

thetomG

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark brown color - nice tan ring of foam but very little lacing left on the glass. Aroma is very strong roasty malts with a nice hint of baking chocolate. Flavor is insanely more robust. Just massive flavors of roasted malts dominate through and through.

Well carbonated and very drinkable, especially considering the relatively high ABV.

I'd definitely drink more of this, but probably only one at a time due to the intense flavors present.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 04:49:56 | More by thetomG

blivingston1985

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Streaming a DVD quality version of Iron Man 2 online while drinking this little surprise I found 2 the store tonight. Dark, rich and the lightest bitter on the back of the tongue Well crafted American Porter from Cigar City. Even my girlfriend liked it. Coffee in the nose and makes up much of the taste, but is very well balanced between the 8% ABV and the rich malts. Yum. And a reasonable price for CCB. Just over $10 with tax.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 05:12:09 | More by blivingston1985

tpd975

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Consumed this one numerous times both on draft and from the bottle.

A: Pours a nice rich deep black. Nice tall espresso like head that lasts and lasts. Nice thick lace all the way down the glass.

S: Wonderful roasted malt aromas with loads of chocolate and light coffee. The hops are there in a big way as well.

T: Wonderful rich roasted flavors. Wonderful chocolate balanced by equal amounts of bitter coffee. The roast is bold just shy of what I would call smokey. The hops are very earthy and green with a light citric undertone.

M: Medium in body, smooth, drinkable, with a bit of hoppy bite in the finish.

D: Great, I love this beer. Will miss it when it's gone.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2010 23:05:34 | More by tpd975

jpmclaug

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into my pint glass. Thank you Todes for trading me this.

A - Dark brown body, almost black with a circle of white head on top

S - Very chocolaty with a hint of roast also maybe a bit salty?

T - Chocolaty flavor matches the nose, Also some light roasted notes. Not much going on with the hops in this one but I wasn't expecting it. All the flavor is up front in this one with a little bit of coffee flavor in the finish but not much. Really gives more of a chocolate flavor as it warms and an overall bigger flavor.

M - light carbonation, medium to heavy body

D - Pretty drinkable. A nice porter but nothing that blows me away. Provides a lot more chocolate flavor than most with a mix of milk and dark chocolate notes. I enjoyed this and would drink it again but doubt I'd seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 01:29:58 | More by jpmclaug

adkirkish

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured dark brown with a thin light tan head w/ quick dissipation.

A: Roasted and dark malts, medium coffee aroma, no hop aromatics.

F: Roasted cubano coffee flavor from start to finish with some residual malt sweetness and backing. This is a breakfast beer for sure. I didn't get any hop bitterness. The coffee was the dominating flavor to me.

M: Medium body and mouthfeel w/ light carbonation, no warmth. No creaminess.

O: I enjoyed this beer. Well brewed with no major defects. I would have liked some more smoothness / carbonation. I would pair this beer with my morning eggs and bacon.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 22:34:15 | More by adkirkish