Hunahpu's Imperial Stout - Whiskey Barrel Aged - Cigar City Brewing

ahalloin

Virginia

4.58/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Brad for sharing this at an epic tasting of all the Hunahpu's variants.

Pours super black with dark brown highlights. Super viscous but no head present.

The aroma shows a heavy influence of burning alcohol from the whiskey. The herbal quality for the peppers still exists with slight hints of vanilla.

Super complex flavor with whiskey influenced chocolate and roasty qualities. A slight burn exists from the alcohol and perhaps the chiles.

Mouthfeel is nice and full like the standard Hunahpu's.

Overall a great variation that shows some great complexity.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 22:43:48 | More by ahalloin

Florida9

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled shared at the Brass Tap bottle share...

Beer itself is super viscous and pours with a visible "glug." Forms a very minimal head that barely sticks around for a few seconds. On second thought, it just looks flat. Color is black; it is fully opaque. Aroma is sweet and syrupy with notes of chocolate. There is a faint whiskey aroma as well, but it does not dominate. Taste is similar. Moderate sweetness, molasses, chocolate, and some very mild ancho spice. Not getting much whiskey in the flavor at all. Full bodied; there is no confusion on this one - its a heavy beer, slightly spicy mouthfeel. Very low carbonation, not quite flat, but pretty close to it.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 18:13:32 | More by Florida9

rodkin

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%

03-09-2013 23:00:45 | More by rodkin

madnismo

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%

03-09-2013 04:47:11 | More by madnismo

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

750 ml bottle, another very generous share at the Peg's bottle share on 3/8/13.

A- Pours black and thick with a quickly dissipating mocha head, leaves little lacing.

S- Incredible aroma, lots of whiskey barrel, oak and vanilla, the whiskey flavors are rich and sweet. The barrel aromas mix with a really nice dark chocolate cake aroma,

T- Just as good as the aroma, lots of rich dark chocolate, roasted malt, whiskey/vanilla/oak, and a very mild chili and cinnamon flavor. The spices have faded but I think they're at just the right level to work with the barrel flavors really well.

M- Full-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth, rich, thick feel.

O- Another excellent beer, all of the BA Hunas have been amazing so far. This is a very delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 00:18:10 | More by WillCarrera

danoeltico

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +12.1%

03-06-2013 19:11:55 | More by danoeltico

GOGRANDE

Colorado

5/5  rDev +12.1%

02-17-2013 18:10:26 | More by GOGRANDE

jeonseh

Indiana

4.76/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Bottle shared by nasty31 at NWI tasting group meeting

A - Dark chocolate brown with a thick fudgy body. No carbonation or head on this

S - Lots of bourbon on this one in the nose with lots of whiskey, vanilla, chocolate. Slight alcohol in the nose. This is a strong and complex nose that is great to smell. It makes you want to come back for more and each time the experience is slightly different

T - There is chocolate, dark slightly smoky fudge, a good amount of oak, slight vanilla, and light roasted coffee initially. The finish there is smoke, slight heat from the peppers, light bitter roasted malt and dark chocolate, bourbon, fudge and oak. The dark chocolate from the fudge lingers on in the finish. Really a flavorful and complex beer

MF - Slight syrupy and thick, yet silky smooth, body. The finish has lots of oak and a slight astringency results from that.

O - This is really an amazing beer which I liked much more than regular Huna. There is more chocolate and fudge, tons of vanilla and a strong whiskey nose. The great thing about the BA with this one is that the whiskey makes itself known and has a strong presence but yet you never feel like it is overpowering anything.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 04:34:18 | More by jeonseh

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to beeruser and funkydelic for sharing this one at a recent Random Sunday Tasting! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured pitch black with a half finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, wood, sweet alcohol, and milk chocolate. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, alcohol, wood, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and chilies. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I have to give credit where it is due and Cigar deserves it for the barrel aging program with this beer. I have yet to have a bad version of it. There is so much complexity going on in this one that it is rather crazy. The milk chocolate aspect going on is very delightful and adds a very nice touch to an already solid brew. The whiskey barrel, while present isn’t very invasive. An absolute must try for any craft beer enthusiast out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 11:52:12 | More by thagr81us

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%

01-14-2013 00:01:04 | More by MordorMongo

westcoastbeerlvr

California

4.75/5  rDev +6.5%

01-08-2013 21:11:14 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

lakersfan16

Alaska

5/5  rDev +12.1%

01-04-2013 01:15:57 | More by lakersfan16

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%

09-15-2012 21:31:36 | More by t0rin0

Jammer42

Maryland

4/5  rDev -10.3%

09-13-2012 21:42:33 | More by Jammer42

largadeer

California

4.55/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Shared by jrallen, I think? Thanks, maybe.

Looks very Hunahpu's-like. Inky, oily black body that's completely opaque. Carbonation is low and there's little head formation. The nose is excellent, surprisingly cinnamon forward with a huge fudge-y chocolate malt backbone. There's a good amount of sweet whiskey and vanilla, too, and the faintest trace of peppers. As with other Hunahpu's variants, this is full and silky on the palate, oily even, with big cocoa and vanilla flavors backed by cinnamon, burnt sugar and plenty of sweet barrel notes. The peppers have really dropped out in this version, but the cinnamon seems more prominent. It works nicely in any case, and stands out from the other BA variants of this beer. Really nice stuff, I enjoyed a few pours over the course of a couple hours.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 22:19:38 | More by largadeer

Gobzilla

California

4.4/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: poured a dark as night black in color with a thin dark brown head that left some good frothy lacing sticking to the glass.

s: tons of chocolate coming out on the nose with quite a bit of whiskey boozy barrel character, slight spice to it, hints of brown sugar and a little roastiness as well.

T: the chocolate flavor is exceptional, its like biting into a brownie or something. The whiskey barrel boozy character was more apparent on the palate alongside some spice, brown sugar molasses notes, vanilla accents and a bit of roastiness

M: the brew was full in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, whiskey barrel boozy, mild spice, roasty and thick chewy finish.

O: great tasting beer with tons of chocolate. definitely would have more for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 00:16:17 | More by Gobzilla

kevanb

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle shared with good friends at Eagle Rock Brewery

The beer pours a thinner than expected, murky deep brown, nearly black color, extremely opaque with a smaller, yet tightly packed head with a nice mocha color. Disappointing retention, no lacing to speak of, but for a higher ABV stout, this isn't uncommon. The aromas are pleasant, a bit muddled, chocolate, whiskey, charred wood, big tingly heat from both the alcohol and peppers. The peppers do add a bit of vegetal tones that hinder the richness and smoothness and steers it down a bit earthier path. The flavors are really well done, much less vegetal presence but the peppers give a great warming and heat that pairs so well with the chocolate and cinnamon flavors. Charred wood, vanilla, oak and whiskey and bourbon notes are greatly integrated as well. The body is somewhat thin compared to what I was expecting and what I've experienced from other similar BA stouts in the same ABV range. It's definitely sticky, but still feels a bit thin, great smoothness however.

Verdict: This is a really well done stout, great complex flavors and characteristics, however the muddled aroma and thinner body prevents me from really singing the praises. If this was easier to find, I'd be happy to drink it over and over, but I still prefer the Apple Brandy variant to this.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 20:35:37 | More by kevanb

FosterJM

California

4.2/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1488th Review on BA
Bottle to FW Snifter
750ml

2012 Blue Wax Vintage
Thanks to Schmoopsbeer for sharing
Shared with JealousChalice, KevanB & SchmoopsBeer

App- Pours like the base beer and many other BA stouts. Its thick, oily and thick. I get the heaviness but the head and stick is lacking from a quality stout.

Smell- Its a fine smelling beer. The base beer shines through with a bit of chocolate, pepper and smoke. Add the whiskey in with a bit of the boozy and the creme to it.

Taste- I enjoyed this beer. This was another where the sum is better than the singular parts. The base beer isnt really my wheelhouse with the chilis but the treatment from the barrels adds a good depth of flavor.

Mouth- A solid medium body with a solid medium cabonation. A bit of the heat from the chilis remains with a bit of whiskey burn to it.

Drink- Tickers gonna tick. This was a nice beer. A small bottle count with a good amount of flavor. Seems like a BA RIS with a bit of spice. Not really something I would seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 02:35:02 | More by FosterJM

illidurit

California

3.9/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at the RBSG 2012 Grand Tasting. Black as night with a brown head. Aroma is rather mild with boozy notes, a stark letdown compared with the brandy version just a little bit earlier. Flavor is better, with massive roasty notes and plenty of dark chocolate. The whiskey seems to thin it out and kill the flavor somehow.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 05:43:25 | More by illidurit

claaark13

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%

08-11-2012 04:37:57 | More by claaark13

reddfrogg

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -10.3%

08-02-2012 16:22:56 | More by reddfrogg

bsuedekum

Missouri

4/5  rDev -10.3%

07-28-2012 05:29:29 | More by bsuedekum

jda007

Florida

5/5  rDev +12.1%

07-20-2012 01:40:14 | More by jda007

spicelab

Australia

4.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to mulder1010 for honey-badgering. Reviewed from dodgy notes.

Motor oil black with an unnervingly, dark tan head that falls to a minor ring. Serious viscosity on swirling.

Minimal whisky character at first. Roast is the order of the day, with baked liquorice, toffee, burnt toast, assorted dark fruits, scorched choc-fudge, char and ash. The whisky imparts a mild sweetness, but that's about it.

Taste is much better. Whisky notes come through nicely and merge seamlessly with the chilli and chocolate into a whisky-choc-fudge behemoth. Not a complex profile, just beefy and tatsy.

Dense, rich, and intense, drying out a little at the finish thanks to the whisky.

Very satisfying, if not the manifestation of genius one hopes for in a barrel-aged experiment. Doesn't really rise above regular Hunahpu for mine, although that would always be a tall order. More time in the barrel might have altered this conclusion.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 11:49:55 | More by spicelab

mulder1010

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Mikesgroove for the bottle. Much appreciated.
After the mess that was Czar Jack I thought something better was in order.
Shared with Spicelab and Mrkennedy and poured into a tulip.

A-- Pours like Hunahpu does. Thick, sludgy, oily, and black. Just huge. Beautiful reverse cascading head. Went from black leather to a dark mocha colored head. Two finger head that settled to a thick film. Just gorgeous looking. Big oily residue of ABV legs and sediment. Good spotty lacing.

S-- Yikes. Chocolate fudge, marshmallow, cinnamon,an nutmeg. Barrel notes were soft but did get vanilla, oak, and carmel. Really thought the base beer somewhat overshadowed the barrel. Not complaining though.

T-- Thick and rich. Massive array of flavors. Vanilla, chocolate fudge, marshmallow, cinnamon, oak, vanilla and carmel. Like drinking a thick milkshake.

M-- Thick and oily. Big but not overly big or sweet at all. Quite smooth really and still chewable at the same time. Low carbonation. What was really memorable was the chillies really made an impact in this. As in the heat in the mid an back palate. Had heartburn the next day from it. Nice touch.

O-- Outstanding beer in every respect. Would have liked more of the barrel but in this beer it is more about the spices and what it adds. Yeah, I am a Stranahan homer and like the barrel treatments from them. Was quite fun to drink and would love to try again.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 15:14:20 | More by mulder1010