Hot Blooded Foreign Stout - Cigar City Brewing

AltBock

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hot Blooded Foreign Stout

On nitro tap at Cigar City on 8 October. Served in an American pint glass.

This sucker was a pitch black. I could put a flashlight to this thick black beer and the light would bounce right back into my eye. On top was a 1/2 an inch dark tan almost coffee brown like color head of foam. It decent retention that left behind a string of foamy rings along the edge and numerous streaks of lace around the glass.

The aroma was on the dark and roasted side of things. The aroma contained roasted malt, dark roasted coffee beans, a subtle splash of sweet caramel, raisins, a spatter of roasted hops.

The taste was heavily roasted with roastec malt, dark roasted coffee beans, a subtle taste of raisins and figs, and then it finishes up with a pinch of roasted hops. I couldn't detect any sweetness like caramel or molasses in the taste. It could have used it, but it wasn't needed.

It wasn't as dry as Death Valley during the summer. It was medium bodied with a decent level of carbonation, and a dry roasted aftertaste of roasted malt and roastec coffee beans. No sweetness in here either. The sweetness in this beer was only found in the aroma.

Overall it was a nice medium bodied dry roasted beer. Would I drink it again? I probably would if there wasn't anything on tap that I haven't had before.

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-21-2012 23:18:48 | More by AltBock

Lare453

Florida

4.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft into a snifter

A dark black, nigh thick rich foamy head, nice lacing, long lasting head

S bitter cocoa, a little rotated coffee, a little oak, vanilla

T starts off with a toasty caramel than moves Ito a dry bitter chocolate middle. The end is a little bit sweet but a lot of cocoa and coffee come through. The after the has a small amount of heat behind it and lingers for a while. Is great.

M viscus, a little thick but on a good way, creamy, smooth

O fantastic stout. A little high in alcohol Tom,ale a session beer, but something you could drink often. I loved it.

Had th is at the taste of west shore event in Tampa. Best part was that is was free!

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2012 18:06:26 | More by Lare453

AgentZero

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Cigar City tap room.

A - A dark brown beer, in the dark light of the tasting room it looked appropriately black. There is a decent tan head that left some stuff on the sides. Pretty nice looking.

S - Coffee, cocoa, something that gives a little bit of heat, perhaps some sort of spice. Good roast.

T - Actually a pretty nice beer, manages to be roasty without that being overbearing. Has a little sweetness, but not a ton of it.

M - Smooth with lower carbonation and a clean finish.

O - Pretty good beer. I liked it enough to bring a growler back to share. Don't drink a ton of these style of beer, but it's a nice experience to have every once in a while.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2012 03:54:12 | More by AgentZero

PorterLambic

Florida

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours, for all real purposes, black. The big, fluffy head, after pouring right down the middle of the pint glass, was over 2" thick. Smooth and somewhat creamy looking, retention is decent. Color of hot cocoa. A little lace left behind.
Smell is weak with wet cardboard dominant, followed by a wood note and faint cocoa and a whiff of indeterminate spice.
Taste is better with toasted malt, cocoa, a rum/whiskey note and a hint of leather. Very nice and a god balance to boot.
Full-bodied and rich with a light effervescence. Slight drying aspect at the finish.
Went great with an awesome Gethsemani Bros. fruitcake.

Serving type: growler

01-24-2012 03:37:23 | More by PorterLambic

JayS2629

Alabama

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a deep black with a two finger tan head that fades slowly and leaves sticky lacing behind.

The aroma is of char, coffee and cocoa with earthy elements, some grassy notes, and licorice.

Earthy background balances nicely to a chocolate and coffee dominated flavor with a touch of licorice and burnt sugar edges.

Thick and chewy

Overall, enjoyable sipper.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 17:11:33 | More by JayS2629

Sean9689

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, Mike! Growler into Darkness tulip.

A - Pours black, tan-colored head, thin ring, wisps.

S - Chocolate, roast, slight coffee, maybe some earthy tobacco in there as well. All very solid and enjoyable.

T - Chocolate, roasted malts, slight burnt sugar sweetness, tobacco and a nice dose of light hops. Very well-rounded...the sweetness and hops are really well-balanced.

M - Medium to full body, good carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Another solid brew from CCB. I'm a fan of this style to begin with, so I have no complaints about this beer at all. Great balance, enjoyable, and a glass or two won't destroy you.

Serving type: growler

12-19-2011 19:58:21 | More by Sean9689

MasterSki

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by Mike (AgentZero). Served in a Hill Farmstead glass.

A - A finger of tan foam settles to some wisps, a thick collar, and splotches of lace. Very dark brown, with lighter glints at the edges of the glass.

S - Nice collection of caramel, anise, milk chocolate, toffee, and cocoa powder. Captures the intensified sweetness and roast of the style well.

T - Taste is roasted malts, nuts, yeasty bread, and light char. Not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests, with more dry and toasty malt character to it.

M - Smooth medium body with a lower level of carbonation. Dry and surprisingly clean finish, without any obvious alcohol presence.

D - Good stuff. An enjoyable take on a style that doesn't get a ton of attention in the US. I'd gladly order this if it were on-tap in Florida, and I enjoyed it significantly more than Puppy's Breath Porter.

Serving type: growler

12-18-2011 22:07:09 | More by MasterSki

Lerxst

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at CCB

A-Pours black with a 1/2" coffee colored head that has good retention and settles down a thin ring around the glass. Looks very good.

S-Roasted malt, dark roast coffee, a whiff of earthy hops. Smells good.

T-Dark roasted malt that is slightly rich balanced with a bitter bite of dark roast coffee, a slight earthiness that I assume comes from the hops, hints of chocolate.

M-On the heavy side of medium bodied, not quite full. Creamy, slick and coating.

O-This is definitely worth a shot, though CCB does brew better stouts. Still, I enjoyed this one from top to bottom.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2011 01:45:29 | More by Lerxst

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark dark brown. A beautiful colours with a nice touch of off-white head. Joey.... You were right, this one is definitely worth trying.
Smells rich and malty. Nce bitter roast on the nose and the tongue. A touch thinner than I'd like but very nice roast profile. This one is veery tasty. The carbonation is a bit high and the mouthfeel a bit weak but overall a solid beer and a great representation of the style

Serving type: growler

12-02-2011 22:58:09 | More by Urbancaver

jcartamdg

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark black color with a thick mocha three finger head that sticks around for a while, crazy head retention. Aroma of strong roasted malts, coffee, bitterness from the hops sweetness from the malts and licorice in the back. Taste follows the nose just intensified. Slightly dry but not dry stout level. Moderate mouthfeel. This is a great middle of the road stout.

Serving type: growler

11-14-2011 04:26:36 | More by jcartamdg

Cheesemoose

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Kickbacks Gastropub.

Nice, dark, black pour. Mocha/khaki head, pillowy with a solid 2 fingers of head.

Coffee, licorice and roasted nose with a pleasant dryness towards the finish.

Licorice, roasted coffee beans and a bit of chocolate in the finish. A strange character to the mid body, almost...funked. Sigh...

Prickly mouthfeel. Some signs of souring.

Overall, great beer, but I feel this is another soured beer from Cigar City. Shame.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2011 02:48:04 | More by Cheesemoose

One2Remeber

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Filled my growler a couple hours ago, pouring into a pint glass. FYI, I kicked my IPA habit about a month or two ago and now am extremely hooked on rich stouts and sour Belgians.

A: Wow, Hot blooded has a eye-popping, rich dark espresso color head, really thick, texture like whip cream topping:) Settles down to leave a filmy ring around the edges. Body is pitch black but almost looks extremely dark, dark brown.

S: Creamy oatmeal right off the bat with some explosive notes of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, lightly roasted malts and undertones of coffee/espresso. Does not smell burnt or smoked so I am really looking forward to this one.

T: I'm in paradise. Smooth, rich, higher alcohol without the dominant or lingering characteristic, creamy, warm and inviting. Very complex taste but way to enjoyable to savor, like eating a snickers (a lot of rich ingredients but it goes down in one bite, all taste the same). Oatmeal gives the beer a sturdy backbone throughout, it calms down the acrid taste of dark chocolate in the beginning while softening the big punch of espresso at the end.

M: Every characteristic I'm picking up is light, a lot going on but nothing really is over the top dominant which is making the beer a lot more enjoyable compared to a porter with a heavy smoked presence or a stout with a over bearing roasty taste. Mouth feel is more like frosty from Wendy's then a beer.

O: To be honest one could take my review as a little bias because Cigar City is by far my favorite brewery. They consistently deliver choices within styles to meet anyone's taste buds. This is a perfect desert beer. I would compare it to Rogue's Chocolate Stout (which is one of the world's best) but I can enjoy Hot Blooded to the fullest extent because it is lighter, more like a bit size candy bar compared to a whole birthday cake. Love the beer, love the brewery!

Serving type: growler

09-21-2011 05:22:29 | More by One2Remeber

CampusCrew

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | 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. nice stout, I liek this better than patio o tools. more body, richer. would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2011 16:42:58 | More by CampusCrew

adam42381

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes at Cigar City's taproom on 9/9/11 for Firkin Friday.

Draft poured into a 4 oz. sampler glass.

Appearance: Poured a coffee black with a light tan head. Nice lacing.

Smell: Coffee, roasted malt, chocolate and a touch of black licorice.

Taste: Coffee and licorice up front followed by roast malt and dark chocolate in the middle before ending with a touch of hops at the finish. Aftertaste is roasted and bitter.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with a decent amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: Good drinkability. Goes down smooth.

Overall: Very good beer overall. This would be great on a cold winter evening.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2011 22:01:45 | More by adam42381