Dos Costas Oeste - Grapefruit Wood Aged - Cigar City Brewing

rudzud

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Shared this with JLindros and BPK59...pains me to review this and the other 2 Dos Costas as they clearly had an issue with them either in storage before being traded to me, or in the bottling line. Poured into a standard tulip.

A - Yeah, to hell with this beer. I'd barely touched the bottle opener to the cap when this thing launched a 4 foot geyser of beer ala coke and mentos. I lost 80% of the beer, wearing 40% of it and getting to see JLindros dodge the other 40%. What little was left did pour a hazy golden hue with a thin white blanket for a head.

S - Funk, grapefruit rind. Ehhh

T - Taste is funk, alot of it. Theres minimal grapefruit quality with a very weird, lingering aftertaste that I cant figure out.

M - Flat and ethanol.

O - Lost 80% of the beer, hooray. Seriously, to hell with this one. It appears this beer is erupting for EVERYONE, I'm baffled as to why people give this a good number when they lose atleast half their beer. Just insane.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 02:33:53 | More by rudzud

haazer

Pennsylvania

2.4/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 1 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Shame on me for not reading earlier reviews. Worst experience with a beer ever. 750 ml bottle and lucky if I saves 200 ml. Not to mention a pissed off gf as this got all over her laptop. Anyway, is this even worth a review?

A- Murky, turbid orange brew. Fairly well carbed, uh, yea. Head big but fizzes away quick. Whatever.

S- All kinda of stuff in the nose. Coriander, orange peels, a little lemon and you deff pick up the grapefruit. Has a saison yeast quality that is typical of the style. Maybe a little funk but not much.

T- Taste is like the nose. Coriander, ginger, but a nasty artificial taste. Almost like lemon pledge. There is some grapefruit taste partially behind the table cleaner spray. Also the booze isn't masked as well as it could be from CC and the Breury.

M- Mouth is light to medium bodied. Surprisingly it feels low carbed. Probably because it all left my bottle upon opening.

O- Obviously I'm pretty bitter about this beer because of the absurd gushing, the 6-7 ounces I was able to save, and the 17$ I paid for it. But it mostly wasn't enjoyable either. The nose was decent but that's all. Epic fail. Horrible, horrible FAIL.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 02:52:32 | More by haazer

nlmartin

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer was served in a wide mouthed goblet.

Ap- The body of the beer is a clear orange coloration. The head was white and resolved far too quickly.

S- A musty yeasty sweet orange citrus and pith aroma, gentle pepperyness and a hint of vanilla.

T- The flavors of the beer are on the sweet side to begin things. Sweet orange and citrus zest, peppery corriander, and musty yeast. The beer finishes on the dry side but seems far too sweet to begin.

M- The body is light and the carbonation is lazy and frankly needs to be kicked up about 4 notches.

O- Not a bad stab at a saison. The beers abit too sweet and the carbonation needs to be steeped up a little.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 15:12:43 | More by nlmartin

ehammond1

California

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for sending me this one, DSho!

A gusher. I lost almost half of the bottle upon opening.

Hazy, cloudy dark orange with a large, persistent, thick and creamy head. Very high carbonation makes this one tough to pour, eventually leaving thick ribbons and chunks of lacing down the glass.

Sweet and complicated aroma, though nothing here is particularly pleasant. Lots of herbaceous notes, honey, artificial vanilla sweetness, and black pepper don't combine particularly well here.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with unfortunate amounts of artificial vanilla, honey, medicinal notes, and harsh booze.

Medium bodied with high carbonation.

I didn't care for this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 05:24:59 | More by ehammond1

macrosmatic

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from 750 mL bottle into a TBBC pint glass.

Or at least the remnants of the bottle. Wish I had read reviews first. This one was an immediate gusher, at least 8 inches of frothy funky volcano as soon as opened. Lost at least 2/3 of the bottle onto the counter & sink.

It looks like a nasty, opaque beer soup. Smells of funk, barnyard, horse blanket, with a touch of some citrus. Taste follows, but the infected funk overwhelms any other flavors that may or may not be in there.

I'm always torn about reviewing an obviously infected beer. But after reading the high number of reviews here that reflect bottles with issues, I doubt that I will be buying another.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 23:29:00 | More by macrosmatic

MarcatGSB

Michigan

3.3/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Collin for yet another enjoyable CCB brew. This one was a violent gusher, and I lost a good 1/4 of the bottle upon cracking it up. Poured into Lost Abbey "Sinners and Saints" tulip.

Appearance: Pours a hazy orange color with a very nice and consistent white frothy head. Good lacing as the beer settles.

Nose: Bright citrus shines quite well upon first whiff. It continues to be a big part. Some smells of funk, but not much "horse blanket". More on the spicy/citrus side of the Saison scale. A good amount of Belgian like sweetness and spice support the biting grapefruit/lemon.

Taste: Has quite the healthy pale malt base, but the sharpness of the grapefruit character cuts through that well. Decent balance, but this beer comes off kind of awkward and clunky. Doesn't have a whole lot of subtle notes, just big in your face flavors that wrestle for attention. Spice coming through, with some mild hop bitterness, and quite dry.

Mouth: Like I mentioned in the taste section, this beer isn't as subtle as I was hoping it would be. Carbonation is there, but it's failing to support too big a burden.

Drink and overall: Interesting beer, not easy to drink. I struggled to drink the 3/4 of a bottle I had, would have been nice to share with someone. I like the idea of the three different treatments on this beer, and the grapefruit expression was 10x better than cedar.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 02:31:34 | More by MarcatGSB

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a CCB snifter

A- pours orange with a one finger white head. I expected the carbonation to be a lot more considering the style

S- aroma is loaded with grapefruit, with hints of the orange peel and coriander it was brewed with

T- the ginger in this is almost overwhelming, and it dominates all of the other flavors. The grapefruit comes through a little bit, but the coriander and orange peel are totally hidden

M- medium bodied

O- too ginger heavy for me, but if that got dialed back, this could be pretty good

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 00:10:12 | More by bigfnjoe

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-cloudy dirty gold with a nice cream colored head

S-musk, orange peel. belgian spices. some ginger

T-comes in with a biting taste of orange peel and some belgian spices. definitely has somewhat of a subtle saison funk to it, though very light. it has a bite of ginger. its complex, though not too balanced. this is unique for sure.

M-medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-extremely disappointed with these two breweries. it tastes like an american version of a strong belgian pale ale. really, this was OK, i enjoyed it...but i don't want it again. not a good saison. i think they tried way too hard and added too many ingredients...it is what i call the Dogfish effect. i won't get this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 16:06:03 | More by AdamBear

bierguru

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A-
POURS A DEEP ORANGE WITH A THICK FLUFFY HEAD.

S -
YEAST RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE. FOLLOWED BY A REAL POTENT SWEET ORANGE SCENT. SCENT IS ROUNDED OUT BY A CORIANDER GINGER COMBO

T-
REALLY SWEET ORANGE UP FRONT AND I FIND THIS TASTES TAKES OVER MOST OF THE TASTE. SLIGHT SPICY TANGY NOTES TOWARDS THE END

M -
LIGHT BODY NOT VERY BUBBLY, AND THERE IS A TINGLY SENSATION ON THE TONGUE

O -
BEER HAS POTENTIAL IF AGED. HAD THE BOTTLE FOR 3 MONTHS BEFORE I POPPED IT PROABLY WOULD BE BETTER IN ANOTHER 5 MONTHS. IF THE SWEET ORANGE PEEL TASTE FADES.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 03:37:58 | More by bierguru

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml purchased at Cigar City.

This beer is a bit of a gusher but nowhere near as bad as some of the reviews here indicate. Pours a dark golden orange color with tangerine edges and a one finger frothy white head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Heavily spiced aroma with a stronger citrus presence and less barrel character than the cedar version. Lots of pepper, ginger, coriander and clove followed by orange peel, grapefruit and pineapple. Subtle earthy wood presence but it's really overpowered by the spice a citrus.

Medium bodied with tight carbonation and a prominent zesty spice presence up front that lingers over the sweet citrus, bready yeast, pale malt and earthy wood notes into a dry finish. Lots of ginger, white pepper and coriander countered by orange peel, grapefruit and mango before the wood spirals come on strong in the finish. Very dry and earthy at the end of the palate with damp wood and toothpick flavor overtaking the citrus sweetness. Pretty good with some nice grapefruit character but not as well balanced as the other treatments with the heavy spice and wood notes overpowering the other flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 08:51:47 | More by corby112

Immortale25

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Southern Tier tulip-style glass. No freshness date.

A- We've got a gusher! Foam almost immediately overflows out of the bottle once it's popped. Once poured, the beer has a dark amber color that's slightly hazy with a full inch of head that settles into a 1/2 inch head. Fluffy, slippery lacy.

S- Strong smell of green olive laid over some soapiness. Traces of tropical fruit.

T- The green olives come through almost as much in the taste. Hard to taste any grapefruit when there's so much of that going around. Even the aftertaste is like I'm drinking olive juice. It's not to the point where I don't feel like I'm drinking beer, but comes close. I know that it's just the wild bacteria causing this flavor, I'm just not a fan of this particular approach. A tiny bit of citrus surfaces once the palate gets acclimated but still doesn't pull things together.

M- Oily and soft with high carbonation. Semi-light body.

O- Almost as big of a letdown as the cedar aged variation. The lemon wood aged is the only one of the series that's impressive, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 00:36:25 | More by Immortale25

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Heatwave33 for the bottle

Pours cloudy orange with a 2 finger white head that fades into a thin layer and good lacing.

Classic saison yeasty aromas but a nice punch of citrus and some wood cut through some of the pepper that I usually find unpleasant. Bright lemon rind throughout too.

Taste isn't quite as bright. The underlying typical saison funk and some pepper and floral flavors are present. There's a little bit of an edge from the wood with lemon. A little coriander on the finish which I don't find particular pleasant. Where's the grapefruit? Got considerably worse as it warmed as the pepper overtook any hints of fruit. Drink this one before it hits room temperature.

Light with medium carbonation levels.

This one has good things going, but it's not quite there. If it tasted as good and well balanced as it smells, this would be great. As it is, the citrus flavors are subdued and the profile gets just a touch muddy especially as it warmed.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 20:47:59 | More by jmarsh123

mdfb79

New York

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 06/08/12 notes. Had at Churchkey in DC. Sampled next to the grapefruit version.

a - Pours a hazy yellow color with a few white bubbles and low carbonationi evident.

s - Smells of wood, spices, wheat, grapefruit, bread, light citrus and fruit. Light citrus and grapefruit but no where near as good or as strong as the lemon version.

t - Tastes of grapefruits, citrus hops, cedar, wood, fruity malts, spices, coriander. Again, not as strong as the lemon.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Doesn't feel like 9% ABV.

o - Overall a nice saison, though I preferred the lemon version. I felt the lemon version was stronger and showcased the lemon more than this did for the grapefruit, and I also tend to prefer lemon. Worth cehcking out and cool to do side by side, but I'd go with the lemon.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 19:01:59 | More by mdfb79

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a Hill Farmstead tulip. Bottle dated 12/8/2011.

Appearance - Loud fizz as I open the bottle and it gushes. I was quite startled and almost broke my glass. Pours a mostly clear orange body with a huge head that fades to a decent surface foam. Lacing clings to the glass, but it isn't heavy.

Smell - Biscuit malt all over. Sweet aroma with loads of esters and yeast. Citrus fruits dominate the aroma behind the malt. Grapefruit, but maybe just because of the label. A touch of funk from the yeast, but not much.

Taste - Sweet pale malt overload. So much malt that it overwhelms a lot of the fruit flavors. Tropical fruits persist in the taste, but it's less evident than in the aroma. The finish is where the wood dominates. Very woody and bitter in the finish that at least combats the sweetness, but is still too much.

Mouthfeel - After a while, the sweetness becomes too much. Sluggish to drink, especially for a saison. The bitter woody finish is tiring as well. Well carbonated, though!

Overall - Interesting concept, but it's just too big. Maybe just less malt and less wood would really make this a fascinating concept.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 18:22:34 | More by Alieniloquium

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this one, too, Jake.

Probably the best of the three bottled variations, despite spewing beer everywhere. Cloudy orange in color with a white head. Good grapefruit aroma, plenty of wood, grass, and yeast. A little bit of biscuit malt in there, too. The flavor has a nice dryness to it. Biscuit malts, yeast, and plenty of wood and grapefruit. Not quite as peppery as the other versions. Just a bit of grass and bitterness on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 21:20:31 | More by womencantsail

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Hulmeville Inn for a Cigar City/Funky Buddah event.

A big golden look to it with some burnt orange and copper mixing in creating a nice looking mixture. Mostly orange up to the light with a foamy skim of off white cream colored stuff on top. Minimal sticking. Smell is part saison part grapefruit rind bomb and some deep sweet malts. Wood is minimal, grapefruit is high, yet the saison yeast keeps this from smelling like straight juice. Orange and ginger in the nose with warming with pale malt backing. Pretty inviting. Nice burst of grapefruit flavor up front with some orange peel and corriander. The ginger plays a part in killing the beer for me but the bready saison yeast keeps this in check and within style. Not overly malty but not as light as an original Belgian counterparts. The body could use some work. I like the flavor and think this is worthy, but in no way would I attempt to bang a bottle of this to the dome.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 04:35:28 | More by onix1agr

Etan

Illinois

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

750ml shared by Marco.

A: Bright tangerine orange with a good white head.

S: Juicy citrus and coriander dominate in the nose. Some light lemon and vanilla.

T: The coriander is pretty strong, along with some cakey pale malt and lemony esters. Some slight dryness from the wood. Very citrusy, with a very slight acidity to it.

M. Light-bodied with very light carbonation.

O: Somewhat interesting, but a little too heavy on the spices for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 19:16:55 | More by Etan

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lateral tasting from bottles from Lueken Liquours. Grapefruit, a little sweet and subtle spicy. The real show was the greatest gusher in thousands of beer bttles opened.Lighter colour than the cedar

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 14:58:25 | More by northyorksammy

sandiego67

California

3.86/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I received this bottle as an extra in a trade. As others have reported, it was a huge gusher and most of it spilled over my kitchen countertop, I turned a 750 ml bottle into a 12 oz serving.

Interesting beer if you like citrusy belgian-style beers.

Not interested enough to give a full review.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 01:54:27 | More by sandiego67

DCon

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Shared a 750mL bottle of this w/ friends from the Royale in St. Louis, MO. Poured from the Green Labeled bottle w/ both The Bruery & Cigar City's brands on it into a 12oz Snifter Glass. Does not have a freshness date but came straight from Hunahpu's Day.

Aroma- A bit yeasty with light hops and small spices. Malt comes through as well. This is more like it!

Appearance- Pours a .5 finger head that dies quickly. Has a dark orange colored body, almost copper and has average clarity (bit of haze). Leaves light suds behind.

Flavor- Very sweet, belgian like with light sugars and spices. Grapefruit very background but noticeable. No hops evident and not much bitterness as well. Semi-dry on the finish.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, High Carbonation, Effervescent, and stays semi-dry with malts all the way through.

Overall Impression- As the 2nd of the 3 Dos Costas Oestes, this one rang home to the Saison style more than the first. Enjoyed the light spices and sugary base to this one. Would like to enjoy this one again!

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 22:53:09 | More by DCon

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle. Winter/Spring 2012. Poured into Philly Beer Scene chalice.

A: Huge hiss. It's a gusher. Pours out a hazy, cloudy, deep orange color. Initially about a finger of white head. Some alcohol feet. Not leaving a lot of lacing initially, but the second pour did.

S: Not getting a ton of Saison like smells. Some faint barnyard. Getting the coriander and orange peel. Smells like a fruit wit.

T: Up front I get that coriander spice note. Also, ginger. Like a wit without the Belgian yeast note. Then it blends into more fruitiness. I get the orange rind. Maybe some tartness, from the rind or grapefruit wood. Towards the back it's a crispness and dry finish like a Saison.

M: Medium bodied. It's a good mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 18:22:48 | More by inlimbo77

lordofthewiens

Maine

3.89/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Like others have reported, this beer was a gusher. I've never had one to this extent, losing close to half the bottle. I'm just glad I opened it next to the sink.

In a snifter the beer was a hazy orange color. There was a huge white head, but with little staying power.

A spicy aroma, some citrus. Sweet.

A lot more in the taste. Grapefruit, orange, and tangerine. Coriander and pepper. Sweet biscuit.

A little too sweet and spicy for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 19:24:52 | More by lordofthewiens

MasterSki

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to donttazemebro for this extra. After cleaning up the giant mess this made when it erupted all over Edward's floor I managed to get a bit into my wine glass.

A - As I said, it's an explosive gusher. Big white foam settles to a thin cap, thicker collar, and stray splotches of lace. Hazy apricot body.

S - Slightly lactic, with plenty of the advertised ginger and citrus peel. There's a touch of vanilla sweetness, but the yeast profiles more as American than 'farmhouse', as there's not much spicy of phenolic character. Adjuncts rule the day here.

T - The taste is also dominated by ginger, tangy grapefruit citrus, and oaky vanilla, and there's some sweet stone fruit malts to support all the added ingredients. Thankfully, whatever caused the violent eruption of beer doesn't contribute any off-putting infected flavors. Fairly refreshing.

M - Dry, medium body, with refreshing zesty carbonation, and a juicy texture mid-palate. Alcohol is very well-hidden.

D - Easy to drink beer - I wish a third of it hadn't ended up on the floor as it was a nice beer for a hot summer day. Never would have guessed this was 9% either.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 17:16:53 | More by MasterSki

Kromes

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Highly carbonated. This one gushes out of the bottle upon opening. Luckily I was near the sink. Pours a hazy orange color with a thick soda-like head. The aroma is of Belgian funk, wood and citrus. Has a crisp, tart flavor of citrus oil, resin, and Belgian funk. Malt is a little biscuity. Alcohol flavor and burn is present. Medium body, spicy carbonation and a bit acidic. Pretty good overall. Has a nice peppery spice and tart flavor with a little bit of a resiny aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 17:28:09 | More by Kromes

DovaliHops

California

3.95/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Huge Gusher...I love when I lose half of my bottle to gushing...lame. Pours a very hazy golden orange with a large white head that takes some time to go down. Scent is Scent is VERY spicy with some definite wood aroma. A ton of citrus...this beer smells really tasty. Taste is initially tart...definitely the most tart of the three version of this beer. Possibly the most spicy too...tingly ginger and allspice with a bit of cinnamon. Nice citrus flavors. Tangy orange and grapefruit with some spicy pepper and tart lemon in the finish. Lovely wood flavors throughout. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated, crisp, and refreshing. ABV is well-hidden. Drinkability is very high. Overall, I've loved all the styles of this beer, but this one just may be my least favorite of the three. A little less balance than the other ones. Still an awesome beer!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 07:10:52 | More by DovaliHops