Cigar City / Dunedin Auld Alliance - Cigar City Brewing

maximum12

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to moose3285 & his constant underground railroad of southern beer crossing into freedom in the north. Here is another 750 ML escapee. Poured into two big glasses while watching Intervention. #ironic

Pours dark, dark red, with an insane head, which always comes with a concern...the nose is rich Belgian yeasts, banana, sweet malts, & bits of roast. Interesting.

Auld Alliance is a hybrid hydra, & those heads are odd. And likable. The Belgan yeasts are a big, spicy blast, followed closely by the scotch/malts, closely reminiscent of Big Sound at its best. Beautifully sweet. Raisin, banana, roast pops in & out. Alcohol flares. The spicy yeast reasserts itself on the end of the slide. Light & cheery for a wee heavy.

Delicious. Original. This is what a collaboration should be, two brewers teaming up to raise their collective games rather than dumbing it down to a lower common demoninator (which seems like the rule). Excellent beer that tastes like nothing I've had before.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 03:14:35 | More by maximum12

olimpia84

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This Scotch Ale is a collaboration between Cigar City Brewing and Dunedin Brewery. They are two of my favorite breweries so this could only be a good thing! Had this on-tap at Dunedin Brewery on the release date (Sept. 14 2011). Poured into a Chalice.

A: very dark brown coffee colored body with a one finger tanned head that eventually disappeared. No lacing present.

S: lots of malts present in the smell along with notes from coffee and sweetness from caramel. Very pleasant.

T: follows the nose with a predominant roasted malt flavor accompanied by sweet caramel notes, coffee, and dark cherries; everything is well balanced. The alcohol level is felt at the end.

M: this beer leans on the full body side with an excellent smooth feel on the palate. Low carbonation that helps the beer go down even softer.

O: excellent beer, best if enjoyed slowly. The smooth feel along with the good balance in its components makes for a great experience. This collaboration brew had the recipe for success from the very beginning since it's made by CCB and Dunedin, which are two breweries that I love and consistently release quality products. Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2011 16:29:52 | More by olimpia84

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a murky brown with a bit of mahogany around the edges and a finger of thick frothy tan-brown head. The head fades down very slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet toasted caramel and toffee malts with some raisin and dark fruits with a bit of yeast and booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet toasted caramel and toffee malts with some plum, raisin, and other dark fruit sweetness. Through the middle, some yeast flavor comes through with some caramelized flavor. The finish is a mix of caramelized malts, with some dark fruit and yeast flavor, and a bit of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and a touch syrupy with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice scotch ale. Good rich and bold malt profile with good body and balance.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:50:02 | More by ngeunit1

GallowsThief

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured out of a bomber into my Duvel tulip.

A – Black as night with no light to see. Big frothy 2 fingers of head that settles to half a finger and stays around. Tiny bit of lacing.

S – Has a tamer smell but same category as a funky Belgian. Sweet malts. Caramel.

T – Follows the nose with a burst of that funky yeast to start. Next up is some banana and it quickly moves to a nice roasty taste. Seems to finish off with some caramel and mocha that leaves just a bit of sweetness on the palate. Wild ride.

M – Medium to full bodied. Low carbonation. Very smooth.

O – Interesting and good brew here. Smells and initially taste like a saison and moves over to finish like a scotch ale. Nice job and very cool offering. Will be picking up some more assuming I can find them.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 23:50:56 | More by GallowsThief

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-black with a large tan head. nice to look at.

S-caramel and butterscotch with a belgian/saison funk to it. smells interesting and tasty! good strength

T-comes in with a good dry taste of dark belgian malts with hints of toffee and then it quickly becomes very bitter and creamy. the after-taste is made of dark fruits and toffee. this is quite unique.

M-heavy carbonation that is oddly dry with a creamy finish

O-very pleased with this one. CCB never fails to bring something unique to the table. I really hope to get this again some day. First brew I've had from Dunedin...I'll have to search for more of their beers!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 02:45:25 | More by AdamBear

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I think this may have been Dan. Thanks!

Beer is amber / hazy, with a tan head of wispy tiny bubbles, some lacing, low carbonation.

Aroma is complex. Nutty, sweet, mild roast, mild chocolate, low bitterness, overall nice.

Beer is sweet and thinner than expected, easy drinking nice finish, sweet dark fruits and raisins on the palate, sweet throughout, not too dry on the back end, a sweet little beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 21:24:02 | More by drabmuh

hoptualBrew

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml to the snifta. Huge fluffy light tan head sets the tone for this one. Pretty much black as night with really faded red hues on the edges, but only when held to the light. Head is just sexy as can be. Microfine bubbles leaving lacing all over.

Smells like a malty saison - funky, malty, faint alcohol aroma, chocolate & caramel malts, toffee, and I get a touch of vanilla. On the tongue is funky tart up front, smooth sweet chocolate caramel malt, with a slight alcohol burn out back. Spices on the back end too with a mild drying bitterness. I know this isnt such a big beer @ 8.5%, but damn that little alcohol burn in the chest feels so good. A lot going on in this brew, but it really does all come together well in the end.

Picked up for $11.99 at Total Wine & More, where I get all my goods.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 23:35:13 | More by hoptualBrew

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

hazy and murky looking dark hazelnut brown with a small amount of sediment floating around in the bottle of the glass. Just a small touch of light peaking through the sides and the bottom,

big deep malty notes dominated over everything else insight giving it a very sugary and earthy overall presence. Lots of bready tones in the background and a deep sense of caramel right up in front. There was a slight touch of some residual hoppiness in there, maybe some grass or a light smattering of fruit trying to lighten it up tingly sensation of spiciness. Some caramel, nutmeg, or cinnamon with a hint of vanilla, all very raw and earthy though with lots of grain mixed in as well. The overall taste was very raw, and unfinished, but in a good way. Lots of sugary notes coming onto it now as it really get going.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 03:21:53 | More by mikesgroove

shand

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a chalice.

If nothing else, this beer will be interesting. It pours out a very deep brown with a large, mocha head. The aroma is strange, but not all-together offputting. There's some sweetness, roastiness, toffee, and some Belgian yeast. Strange, but not awful. This follows over to the taste, that does some sort of strange tightrope walk between the sweet and roasty Scotch ale and the yeast and dark fruit flavors of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The mouthfeel? Again, strange. There's a very, very high level of carbonation for the kind of flavors this beer has, which gives everything a very airy quality. In a beer packed with flavor strangeness and contradiction, I wouldn't expect anything less. This is really a unique and interesting beer. It's not fantastic by any means, but it's a perfectly good beer and a nice novelty.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 01:49:40 | More by shand

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

Bottle shared by mdfb79. Thanks Dan.

The beer is a dark, chestnut brown hue with an inch of dense, beige head that leaves a nice sheet of lacing on the snifter. The aroma brings a light smokiness, toffee, malt, dark fruits. Some raisin notes in the flavor with hints of chocolate. Smoky notes balance the sweetness from dark fruit and chocolate. Medium bodied. Lingering aftertaste of sweet malt and dark fruits. A bit sweet to drink more than a snifter. A great beer for sharing with a few folks.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 21:30:31 | More by Huhzubendah

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Big thanks goes out to my boy Jefe73 for sending me this one! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured a massively dark red brown with a two finger tan head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, dark chocolate, caramel, wood, and banana. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark chocolate, wood, coffee, banana, and fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I found this one to be quite nice for the style. The fruit/banana aspect I picked up on worked quite well with the flavor backbone going on here. Also, the coffee was quite good with this combination as well. It really kept me on my toes as far as what to expect when I took my next sip. A definite must try if you have the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 19:07:16 | More by thagr81us

dcloeren

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very masculine tobacco brown with a touch of beige head.

The aroma on this brew is classic scotch ale. Great toffee and caramel sweetness with a little booze. Sweet and warming... Very inviting.

The taste follows suite. Sweet sticky toffee costs my mouth with caramel malty undertones.

This is where the beer gets extremely unique. Bier de garde yeast takes the syrupy scotch ale to an extreme carbonation overload. It doesn't ruin the beer but it is a little off putting... Makes the beer a little airy on the tongue and takes a little flavor profile odd it.

An amazing aroma and taste were offset with the yeast in this brew. Not bad by any means but Te yeast takes over the brew for sure...

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 23:03:46 | More by dcloeren

hdelavega

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Just picked up a bottle at the Dunedin brewery open mic night. 
 
Pours a deep brownish black, with a two finger tan head that receded and leaves no lacing. 
The aroma is full sweet toasty malt full of Carmel, a little dark fruit and black licorice.  
Flavor mimics the nose. Lots of big sweet flavors I get a bunch of caramel with the sweet bitterness of black licorice.  
The mouth feel is very smooth. Nice big open flavors really spread across the palate, very smooth, the finish is nice and warming. 
Overall it was pretty nice, don't know they will be brewing this one again but I'm glad I ran across it this time.  

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 22:15:38 | More by hdelavega

jcartamdg

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown almost black with a two finger mocha head that disapates into a solid ring around my glass with decent lacing. Aroma is dominated by Belgian yeast, banana aroma with a bourbon, malted aroma in the back. Taste follows the nose, still dominated by the yeast. As it warms it becomes more balanced with the malt. Drinks smooth and hides alcohol well. It's not outstanding but its good and interesting. I'm glad to have tried it!

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 03:08:04 | More by jcartamdg

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Looks good, black and lacey. Smoke in aroma. Yeasty taste,with well roasted body, using saison yeast. Hop bitterness right there. A big beer, interesting to drink, Also above average carbonation that is very filling.how much can I drink of it? OK for style.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 21:05:15 | More by northyorksammy

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Snuck a bottle of this on the cruise ship which gave a nice break to the standard crap typically served on the boats. The beer had huge fluffy light tan head sets the tone for this one. Pretty much black as night with really faded red hues on the edges, but only when held to the light. Head is just sexy as can be. Microfine bubbles leaving lacing all over. Smells like a malty saison - funky, malty, faint alcohol aroma, chocolate & caramel malts, toffee, and I get a touch of vanilla. On the tongue is funky tart up front, smooth sweet chocolate caramel malt, with a slight alcohol burn out back. Spices on the back end too with a mild drying bitterness. I know this isnt such a big beer @ 8.5%, but damn that little alcohol burn in the chest feels so good. A lot going on in this brew, but it really does all come together well in the end.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 14:09:27 | More by WoodBrew

merc7186

New York

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into pint glass.

A: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes No Light, Thick Brown Head, Great Lacing

S: Raisins, Mild Toffee

T: Raisins, Brown Sugar, Mild Plum

M: GRAND carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Sweet, SemI Drying

Overall, a decent scotch ale with a belgian flair to it...drinkable but somewhat mild too and heavy carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 02:38:01 | More by merc7186

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 11/05/11 notes. Brought to Geist's birthday tasting. Poured from a 750ml bottle into my Cigar City snifter because I can (I can finally say that).

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with one inch of dark tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of booze, caramel malts, dark fruits, raisins, bourbon, light wood, sugar, and light vanilla. Alcohol is prominent here, but with the bourbon and sweet vanilla/fruitit works and I enjoy it.

t - Tastes of bourbon, alcohol, caramel malts, toffee, dark fruits, light wood, raisins, figs, sugar. Again alcohol is very prominent but this time it hurts the taste a bit as it is a bit too boozey. A step down from the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. A bit hot.

o - Overall this is a good scotch ale, but it is a bit hot right now. I normally tend to like beers even when they are a bit hot, but this one was even too hot for me right now. Would recommend sitting on this one for a few months, as I bet once the alcohol fades a little bit it could be much better. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 16:25:45 | More by mdfb79

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Steve, 750ml into a tulip.

Dark brown colour, with a huge beige head. Several fingers retain. Malty, some spicing, interesting yeast notes (French saison yeast the label indicates...). A bit of dark bread too. Again, malty in flavour as expected but the saison yeast adds an interesting twist, perhaps a bit tart/funk as a result. Yeast adds a good degree of effervescence on the palate as well, and really drives this into a grey area between a scotch ale/saison hybrid. Caramel and some mild bready notes in the background as well. High carbonation that doesn't subside throughout the glass, and a medium light body. Hard to judge this as a scotch ale or a saison as it's quite unique in my eyes, but interesting for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 16:05:34 | More by liamt07

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to cyrusthepup, who sent this to me ages ago.

a - brew poured a deep purple that when held to the light looked dark as anything with very faint ruby tints on the edge of the glass. generous 3 fingers plus of big creamy beige head that hung out forever.

s - spicy plums. lots of seasoning...all spice...some nuts and ripe fruits. smells like candy. cherry grape candy.

t - hmmm...interesting. very belgian dark ale flavorings. plums and dark fruit with candied sweetness. big nut presence. hint of heat. toasted caramel malts.

m - fairly carbonated. prickly. a touch oxidized.

o - overall, not the greatest scotch ale, but by no means a bad beer. fairly spicy for the style and very reminiscent of a belgian dark as opposed to a scotch.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 04:41:13 | More by cosmicevan

Florida9

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Very dark brown, almost black, in color. Forms a thick, light tan head that has quite good retention. Some light lacing.

S: Smells of raisin and spice, particularly coriander. Caramel and toffee as well.

T: This is a bold and aggressively flavored beer. Starts with a mild malty sweetness. Some spice: coriander and pepper. Caramel. An astringent, woody bitterness on the back end and some alcohol on the finish. Not very scotch-ale-like at all.

M: On the heavier side of medium. Peppery spice. Appropriate carbonation. Strong bitterness.

O: The label notes: "Auld Alliance is a Scotch Ale reflecting the Scottish contribution to the Alliance fermented with a Saison yeast strain thats origin is traced back to France." That probably sums it up pretty well. Decent and drinkable, but also a very different take on the style resulting in a beer that does not resemble a Scotch ale in the least.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 01:48:35 | More by Florida9

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brownish color with an off-white head. Sweet malt aromas with plenty of caramel, toffee, and dark fruits. There’s a light smokiness to it, maybe a bit of peat. Some toasted bread and a hint of roast, as well. The flavor is a blend of sweet malt and fruit with a noticeable smokiness in the background. Lightly nutty with some toasted bread, maybe a touch of alcohol as well.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 21:13:35 | More by womencantsail

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: very dark brown with a gigantic tan head that gives way to a very large and creamy layer on top. Bit too much head on a soft pour at 50*F.

S: fruits from apple to raisin come with some spicy smell. Yeast is a big part of this beer, but the beer also has some roasted malt and earthy smell.

T: knocking it down because it was abrasive at first with the smokey and earthy tones. Great malt character takes control while the raisin takes a back seat.

M: overcarbonation is an issue, but it's such fine carbonation that it almost makes sense. Body is medium to medium-heavy.

O: decent, interesting beer. Might be best when paired with some food other than the pesto parma chicken I just had.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 22:54:14 | More by Holland

headbucket

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Highly carbonated,could tell just from popping the top. Smokey, light peat, toffee flavor, and some yeastiness round out the taste Not the most pleasant aftertaste. Nice looking head of small bubbles over a dark cola color, and nice clumps of lacing on the glass.
Overall, an interesting experiment. Not exactly up my alley since I'm not the biggest scocth ale fan. As it warmed the flavors melded together more and it became more enjoyable. Abv wasn't too noticable.
Was given as a present and I am always happy to try a new CCB beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:37:30 | More by headbucket

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750 mL bottle poured into a Kate the Great snifter. Bottled 9/8/2011.

Appearance - Pours a deep brown with red flecks and a huge creamy head. Excellent retention and nice lacing.

Smell - Malty and a bit buttery. Toffee aromas with huge banana notes. Strange ester-y aromas throwing me off. Slight tang to the aroma.

Taste - Not as malty as the aroma. More esters and yeasty bi-products. A more pronounced tang to it than the aroma, as well. Still malty as a scotch ale should be, but so many other flavors that diminish the entire experience.

Mouthfeel - Highly carbonated and lots of acidic flavors going on that make it rough to drink. Unpleasant feel.

Overall - It's interesting, but that's it. Not really what I wanted out of this. I like the banana flavors with the scotch ale as a concept, but too much else working against this beer for it to work.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 00:47:38 | More by Alieniloquium