110K+OT Batch #4 - Imperial Red Ale - Cigar City Brewing

nhindian

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Had at a Pittsburgh tasting a bit ago.

750ml bottle split and poured into a Stone taster. Thanks to pghlee for bringing this!

A - Pours a dark, crimson red and slowly grows a 1-finger head, light tan in color, with okay retention. Despite the smallish head, it still laces like a champ, thoroughly coating the glass.

S - The aroma brings very hoppy notes, bursting with tropical fruit and mango. There's a bit of malt, but the focus of this nose is all hop.

T - The hoppiness continues into the taste, with a nice, clean composition which are full of tropical hops that last for a long time afterward. A decent amount of caramel malt surfaces here with a clean finish that gives no indication of the 10.2%.

M - Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with somewhat low carbonation. Still full-bodied with a smooth, creamy finish. The hops linger on the palate.

D/O - Drinkability is high. This was sort of a surprise for me. Being an amber ale, I was expecting something a little more maltier, but it's surprisingly hoppy while still maintaining a clean, smooth balance.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:09:27 | More by nhindian

bbadger

Texas

3/5  rDev -17.6%

05-11-2013 23:14:48 | More by bbadger

Syracuse12

New Jersey

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%

04-28-2013 00:29:43 | More by Syracuse12

Lare453

Florida

4/5  rDev +9.9%

04-03-2013 20:22:56 | More by Lare453

ManLoveBeer

Florida

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-11-2013 18:27:40 | More by ManLoveBeer

FLBeerGuy

Florida

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-09-2013 02:53:48 | More by FLBeerGuy

Steven91

Arizona

4/5  rDev +9.9%

01-23-2013 23:04:18 | More by Steven91

marvin213

North Carolina

2/5  rDev -45.1%

01-05-2013 18:47:36 | More by marvin213

Schwantz

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

12-16-2012 16:47:20 | More by Schwantz

sendbeer

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%

10-27-2012 15:38:30 | More by sendbeer

AleApostle

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.9%

10-24-2012 15:50:21 | More by AleApostle

OUBrewer

Oklahoma

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

10-22-2012 21:43:31 | More by OUBrewer

jivex5k

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

09-11-2012 15:25:36 | More by jivex5k

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

09-10-2012 03:23:04 | More by t0rin0

IpeeA

Missouri

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%

09-02-2012 02:44:25 | More by IpeeA

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.98/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours deep amber almost brown with a two finger creamy beige head with good retention.

Tons of toffee sweetness. Maybe a bit of fig and just a slight earthy bitterness.

Incredibly sweet. Maybe a modicum of piney bitterness, but toffee is the biggest and really about only flavor. Very one note.

A bit thick and chewy. Probably the best aspect of this beer.

Too malty for my taste and at that not very complex either. Maybe I waited too long.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 21:06:29 | More by jmarsh123

ohtheguilt

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

08-09-2012 19:49:33 | More by ohtheguilt

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a dark chestnut brown color that's completely opaque with a 1.5 finger frothy beige head that very slowly settles into a lasting ring.  Soapy lacing left behind.

Earthy hop aroma with a balance of grassy pine, citrus and tropical fruit notes.  This is countered by a sweet malt presence with subtle booze.  Hints of caramel, dark fruit and toffee.  Smells like a subtle American barleywine.

Medium bodied with some crisp carbonation and a balance of dry, earthy hops and sweet malt notes.  Not as hoppy as the nose suggests with dominant malt sweetness.  There's some dry, earthy bitterness but it becomes slightly muted by the strong malt presence.  Resinous with an earthy/soily quality.   Lots of sweetness from the malt profile with hints of toffee, dark fruit, cocoa and caramel.  There's also a lot of boozy sweetness with a decent amount of heat.  Hops are muted so it tastes more like a boozy barleywine.  Kind of underwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 02:31:29 | More by corby112

jda007

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

07-20-2012 01:43:37 | More by jda007

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

2.13/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a Dogfish tulip

A- pours an extremely dark cherry red (nearly black) with a very puffy, two finger light tan head. Beer is extremely dark (for a red...), but the head looks nice at least

S- very dank aroma....light spiciness from the hops. But yes, very dank...probably not the freshest bottle in the world from looking at reviews

T- this beer is....strange. Extremely, excessively malty, with a lot of sweetness in the back. Very...undesirable qualities

M- very, very thick. No bueno

O- made it through about half of my snifter before I had to dump the rest. Just not doing it for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 00:23:02 | More by bigfnjoe

JohnQVD

New York

5/5  rDev +37.4%

06-02-2012 16:36:34 | More by JohnQVD

AleWatcher

Illinois

2.6/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 5 | overall: 2

Bottle into my dimpled mug.
This came courtesy of my good friend 2dogbrew-- thanks Russ!

Deep malt notes abound. Sweet and roasty with notes of caramel, tobacco, even slight coffee and bitter cocoa... Some earthiness hides in here, perhaps a result of the hopping? Floral and spicy hops hit the finish, with the spiciness blending into the overall heat of the high ABV.
I feel I should have not tackled this journey solo, but the wheel weaves what the wheel wills, and I find myself with a lowdown, hangdog expression upon my face like that of an Englishman about to speak French.

This has a thick, full body with a perfect carbonation level.

The beer is dark plum-colored and murky, like a prune juice smoothie before mixing in the anchovy paste and ice cream. Thick tan head sits haughtily perched atop the beer like a crown. Despite the wording of that last bit, I actually really like the color a lot-- if only it weren't so murky...

Overall-- I will admit I'm a fan of Cigar City, but I must in the same breath mention that these 110k+OT beers have been going downhill. Batch 3 was ok fresh, but fell off rapidly. Batch 2 was pretty double plus ungood both times I've suckled from a pour.
This one follows suit-- tobacco flavor here is rough. In ombunation withthe spicy hops and the ABV, it's a downright lethal combination.

I'm not going to lie, it will be a great struggle to finish the bottle. Way harder than simply walking into Mordor.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 02:04:34 | More by AleWatcher

eawolff99

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.9%

05-22-2012 13:26:04 | More by eawolff99

jtmartino

California

4.33/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into my Bruery snifter after being cellared for 11 months.

Deep brown hue with tinges of red. Two fingers of light tan head with thick lacing on the glass.

Smells very sweet with some dark, rich fruit, raisins, molasses with hints of chocolate and roasted malts.

Taste is very rich and sweet, like a bold barleywine. Age has really mellowed the hops on this beer, and left me with a really nice after-dinner sipper. Deep, dark fruit, really complex malt base. This is a thick, malty beer and it's quite nice. Very mild bitterness from the hops...almost reminiscent of a ruby port wine.

Thick, creamy mouthfeel. Syrupy consistency that works well with this beer (but a little thick for my liking), and a tannic dry aftertaste.

This is a great beer. Definitely more of a dark barleywine than a red ale, especially with some age. I'm a big fan.

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 05:20:59 | More by jtmartino

blmar311

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -31.3%

05-21-2012 02:29:01 | More by blmar311