Minaret Extra Special Bitter - Cigar City Brewing

olimpia84

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this one on-tap at CCB, served into a pint glass.

A: dark amber color. Literally no head present on this one. Good lacing.

S: a bit mute but I was able to get some malts and herbal hints.

T: bitter taste that had some herbal components. Nothing really stood out...not bad though.

M: medium body, high carbonation feel.

O: this is the first 'weak' beer I've tried from Cigar City. It's not bad, but compared to the other offerings, it's lacking some character. Unless you are fan of the style, pass this one out and try their other choices.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 04:56:11 | More by olimpia84

JayS2629

Alabama

3.35/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours an amber hue with a good light tan head of two fingers that fades slow and leaves nice lacing.

Aroma is of orange, pine, and grapefruit. Malty underbelly of caramel and light notes of toffee.

Caramel covered oranges and grapefruit zest. Most bitter ESB I've had.

Smooth, easy drinking.

Overall an interesting and easy drinking beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 05:42:26 | More by JayS2629

Gtreid

Florida

3.4/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Growler poured into a tulip.

A: Clear copper color. Nice two finger cream head that retained well, and left some sickey lace.

A: Caramel and grassy notes, followed by a sweet malt backbone. I get a slight metallic note that was a little unexpected.

T: Great balance between the sweet malt and the bitter hops. But there is a distinct metallic taste in the middle of the brew that really brings down my impression of the beer. It finishes very dry and bitter.

M: Pretty spot on here. Medium body good levels of carbonation delivers the flavors nicely.

O: I think could've better. The metal characteristics in the middle are the beer's downfall. It had the potential to be good, just fell short. Skal.

Serving type: growler

05-29-2011 20:53:41 | More by Gtreid

Gehrig

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on tap at The Independent in Tampa, FL.

Nice looking beer, with a clear, dark golden body with yellow trim and a robust cap of white foam; nice lacing on the CC pint glass. Lightly hopped aromas, with some grapefruit and orange, with a nod toward caramel malt. Nice balance between hop bitterness and some citrusy sweetness. This could almost stand to be a bit more bitter. The mouthfeel is nice and hopped up, but the taste ought to be more hop forward.

Nice ESB, but not my favorite CC offering. Admittedly, ESB isn't my favorite style. Not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2011 17:10:11 | More by Gehrig

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap at the Cigar City Brewing tasting room in Tampa. The beer was served in a pint glass, and it poured a light copper-auburn color with no head. Slight smokey and malt smells, like caramel. The flavor is a roasted caramel, with some slightly bitter hopping. It almost has some coffee notes, as well. Sour and bitter aftertaste, with syrupy qualities. The finish is a bit dry and slick at the same time. Tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2011 18:52:24 | More by GarthDanielson

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

huge thanks to gtreid for the growler, i am always thrilled to try new and interesting beers

dark amber color with a nice amount of clarity to it. A good two inches of white foam coming up over the top settled down nicely into a thin layer of white crown that capped it and brought down tons of side glass lacing.

Nice light hop profile was highlighted by hints of grapefruit and fresh grass. As it warmed it got tremendously more balanced, with a light bready malt character coming through and a light herbal like quality to it. Smooth flavor here, though the hops did seem a touch off to me. Light, with a grapefruit, peach, lemon like tartness coming through in the front and an almost green tea leave like flavor in the mid palate. Intresting mix of flavors here, some biscuit and a touch of light grain coming through now. Smooth, mellow, and consistent carbonation never failed and allowd this very sessionable lager to really be a smooth and easy drinker.

Serving type: growler

07-03-2011 21:00:34 | More by mikesgroove

brystmar

New York

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nitro at Barcade.

Beautiful pour: copious white head and lace above the cloudy amber body. Malty, slightly earthy aroma. Dry, yeasty, smells like most lagers. Bleh.

I don't usually like ESBs, so it took Al's recommendation for me to order this. Surprisingly balanced as the malted barley meets earthy yeast and tangy fruit. Creamy as hell, thanks to the nitro. I enjoyed this, but gimme my pour of Huna back!

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-13-2012 21:45:56 | More by brystmar

bierguru

Florida

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - the body is a dark amber color which you can see almost see through. Pours a fair amount of head but thins out rather quick to a light lacing

S - The brew has a nice light hop profile. Followrf up with some strong fruit esters. Such as grapefruit. The beer also carries some fresh grass scent. The more the the beer warmed the more the flavors in the brew balanced. From there you got a light biscuity malt character.

T - Up front you got a strong bitterness. Through the hops you can taste grapefruit, peach, lemon like tartness. The taste finishes with some biscuit and a touch of light grain.

M - Smooth, mellow, and mild carbonation the bitterness hangs around but nothing annoying about it

0 - was very pleased like how the bitterness did not ruin the fruitiness of the beer

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2011 20:46:13 | More by bierguru

jgagne

Kentucky

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into cigar city pint on draft at Gainesville house of beer

A- nice burnt orange hue with a white foamy head

S-very prevalent orange hints at the nose. With a nice undertone of caramel malt.

T-very mild hop flavor with a nice bitter malt taste. Good balance.

M-mild heaviness and carbonation

O-the best esb I have had so far. Grant it Im not the biggest fan of the style but this is a very enjoyable beer. Flavorful and an easy drinker. Highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2012 21:48:01 | More by jgagne

merc7186

New York

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured on nitro tap at the brewery into a pint glass.

A: Deep Amber Hue, Passes Little Light, Thick Creamy White Head, Great Lacing

S: Floral, Caramel, Mild Grainy Malts

T: Grainy, Caramel, Floral

M: Great Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter, Mildly Drying

Overall, a nice semi mild bitter ale with minimal caramel to overpower...good but not great

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-25-2012 19:55:32 | More by merc7186

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On nitro, at Pingleheads. Dark coloured, tasty stuff. The hops, and of course the caramel and chocolate malts survived fine on nitro. A little creamy. Fun stuff that still hit the spot after a long day and night and day of drinking beer. I could drink this for two days.

Serving type: nitro-tap

01-22-2013 03:42:08 | More by northyorksammy

jsanford

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler split with some friends thanks to David. Poured into a Cigar City Snifter.

Pours a lovely dark copper with a foamy white head. Nice aromas of roasted caramel malt and bitter orange peel hops. Taste follows the nose nicely, lots of toasted malt, caramel, and bitter citrus hops that linger on the palate for some time. Mouthfeel is quite smooth and creamy, with a medium body and pleasant carbonation. Overall a very nice Bitter, and exceptionally drinkable.

Serving type: growler

09-04-2011 22:00:43 | More by jsanford

nickfl

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a small head of white foam on a clear, amber-brown body. Good retention and lace.

S - Light, fruity notes and some toasted malt.

T - Toasted malt with some red apple up front. Strong bitterness in the middle and a dry, toasty finish.

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

D - Not bad, a bit too dry for my taste and the bitterness is slightly soapy. Still a much more authentic bitter than one usually finds at an American brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 18:57:12 | More by nickfl

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a clear brown amber with small lacing and a thin layer of head on top when it got to me. Tiny bubbles stayed throughout.

S: malt, bitterness dominate the smell here.

T: simple yet delicious. Caramel malt, pale malt, bitter hops all round out the taste with a slight sweetness.

M: this beer has the carbonation and medium body to make it delicious.

O: solid beer, I'm impressed to find a gem like this in the heart of Florida. Buy it if you find it and you like ESBs.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 00:54:56 | More by Holland

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this one on tap at Cigar City. Some of the beer peeps around me were urging me not to order this one. Boy were they wrong.

A: Pretty much completely see-through (obviously filtered) amber color, with a slight, understated white head.

S: not much, but I did manage to get a slight sour dough bead-like yeastiness.

T: Crisp, golden, and with a mild honey-exams flair. Nothing to groundbreaking here, but tasty nonetheless.

M: Prickly carbonation, tempered sweetness, mild bitter notes, and with a highly gulp able disposition.

O: Sure, the style of this one doesn't exactly appeal to the masses, but it was still tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2011 22:13:23 | More by Chaney

kylehay2004

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Clear, amber. quarter finger rapidly dissipating head.

S: Slight metallic aroma with mostly toasted malt.

T: Toasted malt with wood, grass notes. Medium to strong bitterness and dry finish.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: Decent example of a true English ESB. Dryness is too much however.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 22:36:22 | More by kylehay2004

GallowsThief

Florida

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The House of Brews in Jensen Beach.

A – Served in a pint glass. Copper color with a solid finger of light tan/white color that stayed around and left spotty lacing.

M - Fairly light smeller. Hops and citrus in the nose. Tiny bit of sweetness.

T – Fairly flavorable citrus rolls right out of this with grapefruit, orange and a lemon/lime taste. Has a toasted malt in there as well. Bit of caramel sweetness. Some bitterness but not a great deal. Good balance.

M – Medium bodied and medium carbonation. Pretty drying at the end.

O – Nice well balanced brew here that is pretty damn drinkable. Enjoyed this one. Well worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 03:32:54 | More by GallowsThief

Shaw

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a growler I got filled at the brewery yesterday.

A deep ruby in color with a short light brown head.

It smells of malt, a bit of butter and/or caramel, with a hint of hops.

Malty flavors of toast and roasted grain combine with a noticeable hop flavor and bitterness. It's rich, but not cloying.

Smooth body.

Overall this is a fine ESB and another of the recent, approachable "normal" beers from Cigar City. Check it out.

Serving type: growler

06-15-2011 01:14:40 | More by Shaw

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Rattle ‘n Hum, New York, NY

A: The beer is slightly hazy copper in color. It poured with a thin yet dense off white head that died down very slowly but left a collar of bubbles around the edge of the glass and a patch of bubbles in the middle.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of caramel and toasted malts in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of grainy and toasted malts along with some hints of caramel. A very slight amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The finish is a little dry.
O: This is a very flavorful ESB that is also very easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2012 22:08:09 | More by metter98

jcartamdg

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark caramel brown color with a one finger head into my ccb snifter. Caramel malts with a great balance of bitter hops on the nose and the taste is intensified. This is a well crafted easy drinking session able beer. I could drink this all day!

Serving type: growler

11-03-2011 03:50:19 | More by jcartamdg

babaracas

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the CCB tasting room. Copper colored, one finger thick white head with decent retention. Smell: toffee, earthy, mild pine. Taste: toasted grain, caramel, lightly bready, earth + pine, mild citrus. Nice bitterness, slightly mineral feel. Pretty good ESB.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 06:16:28 | More by babaracas

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Nice, amber color with a moderate head and retention, mild lacing. Aroma amazingly reminds me of Topps brand bubble gum like the kind that was in baseball card packs from 25 years ago. Maybe even the specific smell of the gum combining with the cardboard from the cards. Talk about memory lane. Taste is mildly bitter, no alcohol noted, mild sweetness. Nice balance and very pleasant to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2011 03:06:20 | More by KickbacksSteve

PorterLambic

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice woody copper color with a big (my fault) light tan head. Good retention and lacing. Clear and bright.
Smell is invading my nose from a foot away, enticing me. Notes of hops, grass, malt, maybe some wood.
Taste is hoppy, with grass, malt, some alcohol.
Warming with a dry finish. Medium-full bodied with a medium-light effervescence. Some oak notes in the aftertaste are nicely cleansing without removing all remnants of flavor. A decently balanced, flavorful brew that holds fairly true to my recollection of the style. Not overly hoppy but it is the lead guitar in the band.

Serving type: growler

07-26-2011 02:05:01 | More by PorterLambic

CampusCrew

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this at the Kickbacks Cigar City/St Somewhere dinner. I'm reviewing this by memory on this I had this at the Kickbacks Cigar City/St Somewhere dinner. I have had most of CC's regular beers but I have not tried this yet. toasty flavors as style suggests with some nice american citrus hop flavors. worth trying but not there best. want to try again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2011 16:36:03 | More by CampusCrew

hdelavega

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a plain old pint glass at palm harbor house of beer.
Pours an amber red in color with a one inch white head.
The aroma is very well balanced. Kind of hard to describe, alittle sweet yet still hoppy.
A little malty sweetness balanced by bitter hops.
Very smooth mouth feel, medium light body with high carbonation. The finish is fairly bitter.
Very nice beer, I'm pretty sure this was my first ESB, a nice style I will be exploring a little more.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2011 03:47:01 | More by hdelavega