José Martí India Porter - French Oak - Cigar City Brewing

Dope

Massachusetts

3.69/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

No bottle date that I can see. I got this through the Rare Beer club probably a year ago. I heard it was extremely oaky so I let it sit for a year.

A: Very dark brown pour. Enormous fluffy light brown head. Takes forever to fade away, leaving a nice island behind. Nice swath of lacing everywhere.

S: Smoke, roasted malt with some char and chocolate. Charred oak. Decent amount of anise.

T: Smoky up front with lots of meatiness too. A little char and chocolate. Intense wave of oak in the middle, like chewing a 2x4. Anise and smoked meat in the finish.

M: Medium bodied, smooth.

O: Hmph. Hopefully the oak has faded a bit with age but it's still very woody. It's also quite smoky with lots of meat. I was really reaching to get some roasted malt, it was mainly just smoked meat, oak, then more smoked meat. If you're a fan of beers like this you will probably love it. As for me I'm not a fan of smoked beers or intensely oaky beers either (see, Great Divide anniversary series). This was a little rough for me as a result.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 04:05:49 | More by Dope

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A rocky beige head caps the fudge brown-colored liquid and delivers an impressive lacing performance

Smell: Strong, oaky aromas underpin black bread, coffee, chocolate and vanilla

Taste: Black bread and molasses, up front, with the coffee, chocolate, vanilla and oak flavors building through the middle; after the swallow, however, the oak dominates though pithy hops also enter the profile; rather tannic in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Although the oak is powerful in this beer, there are a lot of other flavors present and I was rather pleased with the outcome

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 00:39:19 | More by brentk56

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from tasting notes.

Poured out a dark brown with two cm of tan head on top that lasts for about a minute and a half, minimal lacing.

Smells of garam masala, dark chocolate, black coffee, charred malt, and a touch of licorice.

Tastes of bitter tannic oak, combined with a splash of acidic soy sauce over the typical porter chocolate /coffee. In some ways, the oak wood is almost like a hopping substitute. In other ways, the oak wood is a completely overwhelming force that drowns out many of the other subtle flavors that probably would have existed if the wood wasn't there.

In summary, this one has a bit TOO much wood. Because it has gotten to the point where it is obvious that the wooden flavor is obscuring some of the more delicate nuances of a beer's flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 21:19:29 | More by WastingFreetime

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

750 mL bottle poured into a pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Black with a big off-white head. Good retention. Great lacing.

Smell - Hops, coffee, and lots of oak. Serious oak.

Taste - Tastes like regular Jose Marti at first. Hoppy, coffee, chocolate. Then the oak hits. Like a train wreck of oak. Strong, ashy, dry oak. Bad.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied. Terrible finish of oak. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Really ruined by the oak. The oak flavor is overpoweringly bad. The beer starts off good and ends up nearly undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 19:38:00 | More by Alieniloquium

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Received in trade from MeadMe, thanks for the opportunity!
Pours a solid dark brown with a huge bubbly tan head that slowly recedes to lots of sticky lace. Smells of chocolate and roast with a hint of licorice, earthy and herbal with some faint woody notes. The flavor comes through with chocolate and roast up front that segue's to a vinous and earthy herbal flavor. The finish is a bit heavy on the woody, but nothing like the cedar aged stuff I've tried. Medium body with a moderate to heavy level of carbonation and a bubbly earthy oaky almost ashy mouthfeel. I've gotta hand it to Cigar City for always surprising my taste buds, this is another wonderfully unique beer that I'm glad I was able to sample.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 01:56:48 | More by johnnnniee

Spider889

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to sendsilk for this bottle. It ranks as one of my top 3-5 CCB beers to date.

Black with a tan head. leaves excellent lacing on my glass.

Wow the aroma is flush with white oak. The French oak is actually distinguishable - it has a new furniture and more floral quality than American oak does. Nice char aroma from the malt with green hoppiness.

The flavor begins with big oaky notes as well. The oak tastes fresh, dry, and grainy. Loads of bitter green hops - the base beer is considered an "India Porter" by the brewery I believe.

Super dry mouthfeel from all that oak.

Overall the oak is borderline overpowering, and I do feel like half the people i shared this with at Jackie O's felt as much. But for me this was extremely delicious and showcases just how powerfully positive oak can be in the right beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 20:41:59 | More by Spider889

billab914

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Rhettroactive for sharing this one. Poured from a 750ml bottle into a tasting glass. It poured black in color thick foamy head. Pretty nice looking beer of the style.

The aroma has a pretty bold, woody oak presence to it. It mixes with some sweeter cocoa and a little hoppiness as well. The French oak seems to dominate a little too much though making it seem too one dimensional.

The taste also shows a lot of the woody oak to it, especially in the finish. A little more sweeter caramel and chocolate to it along with some hoppy, herbal bitterness. Again, the woody oak just seems to dominate it a little too much.

The mouthfeel feels a little thin for the style with moderate carbonation. Overall, it was a decent but not great beer. It felt one dimensional with the oak being the dominant flavor. The oak just didn't compliment it all that well.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 13:22:18 | More by billab914

Rhettroactive

Virginia

2.95/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

From 750mL bottle to Portsmouth glass on 4/5/12
*From notes

A: God damn dark. Rich brown to black hue gives this the appearance of an RIS, not a Porter. A .5 finger creamy head leads to a good collar and solid lacing.

S: Herbaceous. Freshly shoveled earth. Wood chips. A touch of hops circle my nose too, yet it's all a bit one note and not all that appealing.

T: Way too much wood. There's not enough balance or complexity, as the French oak bludgeons the base beer. Jose's typical hop bill is sorta-kinda there, but muted in a really negative way by the tannic and off-putting wood. They don't marry well in the slightest. Even when I'm finished with each sip, I can't get the char out of my mouth.

M: Plenty thick and rich. CCB has a history of top shelf body, and this is no exception.

O: I can't recommend this beer. It's unbalanced in a way that comes off as lazy and uninspired. Maybe a rum barrel or some type of agave nectar infusion would be cool. But as it is, this is most certainly not very good.

A (somewhat) rare miss for CCB.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 23:36:18 | More by Rhettroactive

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle courtesy of blazer06. Into a Deschutes Snifter.

A: Pours a deep brown with 2 inches of tan colored head that doesn't want to go away. Incredibly dense head. Nice rings of lacing that are left behind as the head slowly recedes.

S: Interesting mix of wood, slightly burnt malts and caramel. Some decent notes of coffee and chocolate. Fresh cut wood really dominates the nose.

T: A lot like the base beer, with a huge charred oak presence. Still fairly hoppy with some citrus thrown in the mix. Decent amount of hop resins in here as well. Chocolatey and slightly roasty. All of this lies under a MASSIVE amount of wood. Oak flavors linger on the tongue forever after the swallow. If the oak was knocked back by about 40% it would be so much better.

M: Nice here, medium body with lower carbonation finish is mostly dry which is probably a result of the oak.

O: Just too oaky for my tastes. I like the oak to impart subtle woody characteristics, this just over does it, even more so than the Odell Woodcut beers. Glad I got to try it though!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 22:51:22 | More by pokesbeerdude

stxSS07

Illinois

2.08/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Reviewed from notes. Split with lookitsmp.

A- Pours a dark brown with a tight finger of head that leaves nice lacing, but recedes to a cap fairly quickly.

S- Huge notes of oak followed by some coffee, sweet milk chocolate, vanilla, and some booze. Extremely wood-forward beer.

T- Huge oak/wood again followed by some roasted notes, but mostly trumped by a plastic taste that permeates the entire beer. If you've ever smelled burning Styrofoam or plastic cups...it tastes like that.

M- Thin and highly carbonated.

O- Strangest porter I've had. Strongest woody/off flavors I've encountered in a brew. Really disappointing since I love Jose Marti so much.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 10:05:51 | More by stxSS07

illidurit

California

3.6/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at the December iteration of the Santa Cruz tasting series. Pours dark brown with a fluffy khaki head. Fresh-cut wood/sawdust aroma, vague lime fruitiness, and dark chocolate. Biter chocolate flavor, well-married to a very prominent woodiness (cigar box/fireplace notes). Too much wood but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 09:55:09 | More by illidurit

comfortablynumb1

California

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Big thanks to Andrew for the hookup on this one. Split with Dave and Casey...

Poured from a bomber into a RR snifter...

A - Pours black with a one finger light brown head. Head retention is decent and there is a good amount of sticky lacing to be had...

S - Wow, this one is definitely oak foward. Strong oak notes with a little vanilla in the background...

T - Like the nose, oak dominates here. Vanilla and a little chocolate also make an appearance, but oak comes through very strong, and is a little overwhelming. Not a bad tasting beer per se, but kind of one dimensional...

M - Mdium bodied with a moderate amount of carboantion, and an incredibly dry finish...

O - Way to much oak to be had here. Overpowers the base beer, and makes for a one dimensional oak bomb. First CC beer that has let me down...

Cheers...

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 21:35:37 | More by comfortablynumb1

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to chefmonty for sharing. Poured into an Overlord approved Cigar City snifter.

Pours pitch black with faint mahogany edges and a half finger beige head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Huge toasted oak aroma with a dominating charred wood presence with some roasted dark malts underneath. As the beer warms the maltnotes become more evident.

Medium bodied with a bery prominent dry oak presence that dominates the flavor, lingering into a bone dry finish. As the beer warms and the palate adjusts to all of the oak flavor, there is a nice roasts malt haracter hidden underneath. Hints of dark chocolate, roasted coffee bean, toast and oatmeal. ABV is well masked but this could be tough to drink for those who aren't into virgin oak beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 21:58:36 | More by corby112

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2.88/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

750ml bottle into a goblet

A: Pours a dark brown with a finger of tan head. Head retention is quite good.

S: Fairly significant floral hop aroma with some roast aroma. Tons of oak - almost like I'm sniffing a log.

T: Very similar to smell. I feel like I'm drinking a piece of wood. It's interesting and certainly not terrible, but it's not one of the better porters I've had. I've never had a beer with this much wood flavor in it.

M: A bit thin, but carbonation is good.

O: I'm a bit disappointed. This is the first time I've been disappointed by CCB. Not worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 00:32:44 | More by coreyfmcdonald

maximum12

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Like a broken record (that's really good), this is a long-distance dedication (thanks) to moose3285 (in my best Casey Kasem voice).

Poured into a pair of lovely Cigar City glasses we picked up at the brewery two winters ago. Dark brown that may as well be black, with plenty of bubbles. Smell is a dwarven warhammer of oak to the sinuses; like walking through the doors of an oak desk factory. Bits of malt & smoke peek through the raw wood.

Jose Marti Aged on Oak Spirals is more oak than beer. Wow. Oak strips the taste buds, drying them out in a single motion, leaving splinters in my tongue. After shaking off the two-by-four blow, there's chocolate underneath, good amount of bitterness (seems like hops?) married to hard roast. Tannic! Drier than an oak bonfire. Weirdly appealing, I'm drinking mine at a rather rapid rate. I've always liked wood. Living, dead, drinking it, whatever.

Certainly unique, I can't recall another beer with this much oak in it; I can see how it would be overwhelming. Ultimately, a very good beer, but the split decision is completely understandable.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 02:41:18 | More by maximum12

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Kevin for sharing this one.

Pours a tan head. Color is a caramel brown.

Aroma: A lot of oak. French oak to be specific. It is very dominate. A little chocolate and caramel. Warming.

Taste: Very unique. The French oak dominates this beer. A little bit of roast. Caramel and coffee.

Mouthfeel: Slight warming and a little roasty. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends dry.

Overall, good stuff, but a little overdose on the oak. Still, pretty drinkable and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 23:39:45 | More by mothman

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Bell's stemmed tulip. Poured a massively dark brown with a one finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, sawdust, Lowes, and cedar. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, and alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I can honestly tell you to go to the Lowe's/Home Depot lumber section and get a good smell so you can remember. Then go smell this beer. They smelled the exact same to me and I was not the only other person who thought this either. CCB definitely made sure that you knew this brew had seen some wood action in its making. Luckily it did not taste like Lowe's/Home Depot. The wood flavor was definitely present, but not overwhelming as it was in the flavor. The nice roastiness going on in this one really seemed to help carry the brew to a new level. A definite must try if you get the chance or just like the smell of lumber.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 19:19:20 | More by thagr81us

aasher

Indiana

1.4/5  rDev -59.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer is courtesy of Sean, thanks man! I love trying CC that is new to me.

This one pours a solid dark chocolaty brown in color and medium in body. The aromas are of strange woods, bark, dry wood, an Amish furniture showroom, and forest brush. Dear god its woody. The flavor is worse. You get an unbearable amount of dried wood with a boatload of fresh rubber. It's bonafide undrinkable. Awful stuff. This wood is far too strong to use with this base beer. I'd stay away. This is almost as bad as the Humidor Series Jai Alai. Cedar and Virgin Oak just are not suitable for barrel aging.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 02:33:43 | More by aasher

phichifiji00

California

3.88/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Dark brown/black. Pours one finger of tan head which quickly fades. Almost no lacing.

Smell: Oak, spices, cinnamon, cloves, tobacco, vanilla, leather.

Taste: Oak, malty, subtle spices, leather, vanilla, tobacco. A cigar aftertaste that is a bit overpowering, and offputting.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, smooth, moderate carbonation.

Overall: Very complex. The tobacco, oak, leather aromas/flavors work quite well together. A very drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 15:55:39 | More by phichifiji00

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into something at Jackie O's on 8/27/11

Irresponsible Tick #6

Thanks Chris

Dark brown, but that's it. One finger head. Thin retention, but really good lace. Aroma - tangy, roasted coffee with overtones of lively oak; brighter than I'm accustomed to. Nice earthy hops. Ripe dark fruits. Earthy oak with a lot of dry spiciness. Roasted tones and a modest bitterness. Medium-full body. Puffy carbonation; not bad. Tangy roast and oak finish. Commanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 04:31:32 | More by Ryan011235

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Pours a reddish brown color with a tan head. Slight roast in the nose, along with tobacco, dark chocolate, and a slight woodiness that I can only attribute to the french oak spirals. Velvety medium mouthfeel. Nice smooth start that has flavors of oak, roast, dark chocolate, all culminating with a slight oaky bitterness. Medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 01:15:32 | More by kbutler1

byteme94

Florida

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle I picked up from the brewery at the barrel aged hunahpu release. Thinner in viscosity with a finger of light creamy head which disappeared rather quickly. Drank smooth with roasty hops and a burnt carmely malt. Hides the 8 percent alcohol and finishes very oaky.

Doesn't seem like a rather complex beer but reveals more oak than most. Looking for a nice beer with alot of oak on the end this is your beer. Would drink again when wanting something oaky, but not to show off to a friend. Solid B

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 22:18:19 | More by byteme94

gford217

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle.

Pours very dark brown, darker than most potters, almost stout-like, with a big thick tan head which recedes pretty quickly.

Aroma is very good and definitely favors the oak which has some spiciness and a bit of vanilla. The roasted malts and coffee that I love in the regular version are not as prominent.

The taste is even heavier on the oak with a heavy spiciness and lots of oak character. The underlying beer is very tough to detect which is a bad thing for this one. Wish the taste had more porter character.

The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth with good carbonation, though it's definitely prickly with the barrel notes.

All in all, a good beer but definitely not as good as the base beer for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 03:56:38 | More by gford217

SFLpunk

Vermont

2.58/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to cmrillo for this hook-up! 750mL brown glass pry-top.

Pours a deep black with thick fluffy tan head. Nose is dominated by coffee with cream and an odd woody/earthy/dry leaves note. Palate is medium-bodied and pleasantly acidic like a porter should be. Oddly dry and a little burnt tasting. Or like wet charcoal embers.

Notes: I really really enjoy the regular Jose Marti...but I think this was a poor execution. There's burnt flavors and plastic flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 02:37:18 | More by SFLpunk

babaracas

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy very dark brown with two finger thick dense khaki head, settles to a quarter inch leaving a sheet down the glass. Smell: mild roast, a little plum, powdery chocolate, quite oaky, earthy hopping, hint of vanilla. Taste: moderate roast, bitter chocolate, plum skin, earthy and slightly citric hopping (toned down vs. the base beer), vanilla. Very nice but the finish is a bit dry and oaky for me. Stamped July 06 2011.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 02:42:41 | More by babaracas