Or - Cigar City Brewing

Florida9

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Much like Either, this one is unsurprisingly black in color. Forms a large dark khaki colored brown head on an aggressive pour. Great retention, though it eventually reduces down to a flat black surface with a ring around the edge. Very light lacing.

S: Molasses, roasted malts, chocolate and a faint bit of aromatic wood.

T: Sweet dark malts. molasses, brown sugar and dark fruit. Some citrus on the back end that subsides as the beer warms. Very faint bitterness.

M: On the heavier side with appropriate carbonation and sweetness that becomes cloying as the beer warms.

D: Another good, but not great, beer from CCB. Much like Either, this one is packed full of flavor from start to finish, though the weight of this beer seemed wear on me a bit more than Either.

- - -

Tasted this alongside Either. Both beers look identical. There is no difference there. Or's nose is mores roasty. Either is a bit sweeter, with more of a "Black IPA" character to it, while Or has a bit more a citrus and seems to push more towards the stout side of the spectrum. However, at the end of the day, both are very similar.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 01:34:42 | More by Florida9

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-16-2013 21:16:42 | More by InspectorBob

MatthewPlus

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-15-2013 14:40:47 | More by MatthewPlus

cyrushire

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-26-2013 06:48:18 | More by cyrushire

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

01-14-2013 05:34:43 | More by spycow

iemailjack

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-07-2013 23:30:10 | More by iemailjack

sendbeer

Georgia

5/5  rDev +22%

10-27-2012 15:55:26 | More by sendbeer

ncaudle

Virginia

4/5  rDev -2.4%

10-15-2012 15:11:04 | More by ncaudle

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased at Domus Birrae in Rome, Italy of all places. No freshness information was apparent.

A - Thick motor oil black with a small layer of light brown head.

S - Roast, sweet honey, cedar, a touch of coffee. A slight bitterness is present but it is muted. I assume this bottle to not be fresh so I will take that in to account.

T - Big roast up front that immediately gives way to the cedar that is present without overwhelming as it sometimes can be in cedar aged beers. Some coffee and oatmeal notes are also present along with a decent bitterness and some grassy notes from the hops. The finish is sweet honey, espresso and a lingering bitterness. The hops are not as prominent as they would be in a fresh Black IPA, but are still very much a part of the palate.

M - Medium, almost full body. Creamy and viscous. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 16:02:46 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

09-19-2012 23:17:11 | More by Molson2000

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.55/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Kuhnhenn snifter. No bottle date.

Appearance - Jet black. Inky. Small flutter of a khaki head then it fades to a collar.

Smell - Tons of cedar coming through on this one. Molasses, dark chocolate, and cedar. Whoah. This is a lot stronger than I remember the cedar in Either.

Taste - Molasses taste is prominent here at first, but the cedar takes over and gives it a sweetness and bitterness at the same time. The cedar seems much stronger here than it did in Either. Maybe the hops masked the cedar in Either. The dark malt base seems to be holding up nicely. Just a touch of hop bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Not as boozy as Either. Stronger cedar, which I can handle. Less bitter. Much more like Humidor Zhukov without being cloyingly sweet. Interesting and rather nice.

Overall - I feel that age has treated this one better, if only because it was less hoppy to begin with. The booze is much mellower. The cedar is still pretty strong. The cedar adds a dimension that I'm not sure I love, but it keeps me interested.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 01:12:45 | More by Alieniloquium

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

09-15-2012 21:49:23 | More by t0rin0

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one is a bit spicy. I don't get the boozy edge on this one like I got on Either, but I think the hop spices help on that. A firm example of the style. Glad I was able to pick this one up when I was in Florida. Too bad it won't be a regular release.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 16:15:54 | More by RblWthACoz

david131

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

08-17-2012 19:34:15 | More by david131

GRG1313

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

08-15-2012 03:16:25 | More by GRG1313

qchic

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

08-14-2012 00:28:28 | More by qchic

wesley14

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

07-03-2012 03:37:04 | More by wesley14

CliffBrake

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

06-09-2012 13:23:18 | More by CliffBrake

polishkaz

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

06-06-2012 01:46:07 | More by polishkaz

JohnQVD

New York

4/5  rDev -2.4%

06-02-2012 17:16:28 | More by JohnQVD

kylehay2004

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this one right after the "Either". This one is also a single finger tan head on a jet black body, not much different. Aroma is much less sweet and full but not as strong with vanilla, oak, bourbon, roasted malt and chocolate all again present. The malt is more obvious as is the coffee acounting for the more semi dry mouthfeel. Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate again are well represented. The body is less full bodied, smooth and moderate carbonation. As with the Either, the hops are also fairly mild and almost noncontributory to the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 01:51:14 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with half a finger of medium brown foam on top of an opaque, black body. The head settles rapidly and leaves light lace on the glass.

S - A spicy, smoky aroma of dark sugar with elements of chocolate, licorice, cinnamon, and a bit of pine.

T - Dark caramel and cola up front with a bit of vanilla. Brown, spicy notes in the middle with licorice, molasses, and cinnamon. Finishes with nutmeg, chicory, and coco as well as pine and moderate bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a fairly dry finish.

D - An interesting contrast to its twin brew, this one has a less sweet malt character. This helps to accentuate the spicy character and perhaps makes for a more drinkable brew. These beers have a stronger malt profile than most black IPAs and as a result seem to have held up well after over a year and a half in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 01:50:07 | More by nickfl

RomaniIteDomum

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

03-14-2012 04:00:44 | More by RomaniIteDomum

TheSamsquanch

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

03-09-2012 21:11:46 | More by TheSamsquanch

EagleRare

Maine

5/5  rDev +22%

01-31-2012 05:15:53 | More by EagleRare