Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale - Cigar City Brewing

macrosmatic

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes. Had on tap at CCB tasting room. Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a medium brown in color, some haziness. There is a good amount of visible carbonation, leading to a cream-colored head.

S: Amazing. Blueberry, cinnamon, and somewhat grainy or bready. This is exactly what one would expect from a beer with this name.

T: Taste follows the nose, with maybe a bit less sweetness than I expected. Biscuity malt flavor (or maybe muffin malts?), and the cinnamon and spice flavors really come through well. The blueberry flavor, while present up front, does not seem overly artificial.

M: Decent mouthfeel, although thinner than I expected. The cinnamon hangs after the swallow, but it's a nice aftertaste.

O: I think this was really good, and is easily my favorite blueberry beer I've ever had. The blueberry flavor wasn't too sweet or cloying, which is a wonderful improvement over most others I've had. I don't think I would drink it every day, but given the right mood (or for brunch) it really excels.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2012 03:29:10 | More by macrosmatic

velcrogrip

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-22-2013 03:56:50 | More by velcrogrip

aLenwell

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-14-2013 00:46:40 | More by aLenwell

Lare453

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

05-10-2013 02:16:32 | More by Lare453

Circleo12

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%

05-06-2013 10:57:14 | More by Circleo12

Beerisheaven

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Big props to The Florida Guv of Fine Beer, J Loomis, for graciously extending a growler of this to Philadelphia. Cracked open at the end of another 40 hours of work hell completed.

This Loomis guy obviously was the curve buster when it comes to packaging. After about 10 mins or so, I released the vessel from its dry dock of bubble wrap, tape, and giant condoms streched around the growler to protect it from the elements.

A - Pretty standard for brown ales with a cola tinted hue with a small head that dials back to a ring around the glass. Some always wonder about carb and the impact of growlers filled at the brewery. When I opened this one after sitting what a week from being filled, it popped with a devilish sound so this growler was still in tip top shape. I have found this to generally be the case with CCB growlers anyway, they do growler filling well so I feel the appearance was not compromised by the time it spent in the glass and the beer is finely presented.

S - Very nice profile. As you would expect the second glass served at a warmer temp was a bit more blueberry forward but the beer showcases blueberry aromoa and some biscuity characteristics as well. A slight touch of nutmeg or (I hate to use the word) muffin spice is also there as well.

T - Spot on for what they wanted I believe. I think it really does taste like a blueberry muffin in that the blueberry is there, the bread or biscuit is there, and some pie or muffin spices are there as well. I like when Cigar City does this stuff as I have always been a fan of their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie beer as well.

M - It is a brown ale so it is slightly quaffable, not very thick, and I would say a tad on the thinner side which should be expected. Not bad in any way, but you know, it is a brown ale.

O - Very enjoyable. A growler split was about right for this beer. Enjoyable and it woudl make a nice breakfast treatin the fall for football tailgates.

Bravo to another fine CCB beer and a more than polite golf clap to JLoomis for the hook-up. Thanks much my friend for sharing.

Serving type: growler

05-03-2013 23:48:54 | More by Beerisheaven

markgugs

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

05-02-2013 02:36:07 | More by markgugs

TKEbeerman

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-30-2013 01:41:08 | More by TKEbeerman

AltBock

Ohio

4.06/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Cigar City put this in growlers for one of their Growler Tuesday events. I had a pint glass, but I poured this into a Cigar City Snifter instead.

This Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale poured a really weird murky bran muffin brown color. On top of this muffin was a tiny and fizzy off white head of foam. This short lived head of foam didn't bother to stick around for very long. And in a flash, the head of foam was gone. The only trace it left behind was a few super tiny rings along the side.

To me it didn't smell like a blueberry muffin. It smelled more like a blueberry scone. A fresh blueberry scone I might add. Behind the rich scent of blueberry was a little vanilla and a subtle whiff of cinnamon. Pretty much a one dimensional aroma, but that one aroma was pretty damn good.

The aroma was more blueberry muffin (scone) than the taste was. The taste started off with some chocolate. Not a rich chocolate taste. More like a milk chocolate taste. Following the chocolate was some wheat bread, a pinch of vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Right after the spices is when the taste came in with some blueberries. Not a strong taste of blueberries. More like a subtle taste of blueberries.

This was a light to medium bodied Brown Ale with a good level of carbonation and a chocolate based aftertaste. There was a taste of blueberries, but it was very minimal. The chocolate reigned supreme in the aftertaste.

Cigar City is not Willy Wonka so you don't have to worry about turning into a blueberry after you drink this beer. The aroma was blueberry muffin (scone) first and Brown Ale second. The taste was Brown Ale first and blueberry muffin (scone) second. A very interesting and good treatment to their Maduro Brown Ale.

Serving type: growler

04-29-2013 16:29:39 | More by AltBock

Erice78

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

04-17-2013 01:11:20 | More by Erice78

Arsenal0328

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

04-10-2013 19:34:27 | More by Arsenal0328

CGMLS3

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

03-20-2013 00:10:15 | More by CGMLS3

SPRichard

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.8%

03-12-2013 13:58:02 | More by SPRichard

johntfox

Florida

5/5  rDev +20.2%

03-11-2013 16:26:27 | More by johntfox

TrickkyGangsta

Florida

5/5  rDev +20.2%

03-10-2013 18:14:07 | More by TrickkyGangsta

mctizzz

New York

4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

03-10-2013 00:43:04 | More by mctizzz

kylehay2004

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

03-09-2013 16:24:23 | More by kylehay2004

lionssoccer13

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

02-26-2013 15:57:10 | More by lionssoccer13

beernads

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -21.9%

02-07-2013 08:22:31 | More by beernads

RandyKemka

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +20.2%

10-01-2012 20:38:08 | More by RandyKemka

mendvicdog

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

10-01-2012 00:10:29 | More by mendvicdog

st9647v3

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

09-30-2012 21:19:23 | More by st9647v3

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a chalky looking brown color, there was a nice nice white head on top that doesn't leave much behind on the glass. The smell of the beer was packed with the aroma of fresh blueberry with some cinnamon. There wasn't too much else on the nose. The taste of the beer gives off a tart fresh blueberry flavor with a big amount of cinnamon in there too. The mouthfeel is drinkable and finishes dry. Overall I wasn't as impressed with this beer as I was expecting to be. I found that the amount of spice in this beer was way too high. All in all I was happy to try it but left disappointed.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2012 16:35:54 | More by Knapp85

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Blue Dog Tavern, Chalfont, PA

Served in a tulip glass, a cloudy cola brown liquid, with a small beige head that receded to a small ring; dabs of soapy lacing left behind. Great aroma, malty sweetness, and really just pure cakey blueberry muffin, plain and simple. Taste wasn't quite as great as the smell, but it was still good in its own right. Malty sweetness, brown sugar, allspice, chewy blueberry notes are more distant, but still obvious...just not quite as much as the nose promised. Lower carbonation and about medium bodied, very nice overall.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2012 01:13:58 | More by Rifugium

iL0VEbeer

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

09-29-2012 19:57:40 | More by iL0VEbeer