Imperial Sweet Stout - Cognac Barrel Aged - Cigar City Brewing

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

On-tap at Hunahpu Day 2013.

A- Pours black, thick and viscous, produces a thin mocha head that leaves no lacing.

S- Lots of sugar, dark fruit and raisins, as well as a sweet liquor aroma. The aroma has some nice elements and a lot of complexity, but the sweetness in the aroma is a bit cloying.

T- Fortunately, the excessive sweetness in the aroma doesn't come across nearly as much in the flavor. The beer has a really delicious barrel character, with notes of vanilla and cognac. There's also a big dark fruit flavor with lots of chocolate and a mild roastiness, although it's the barrel, chocolate and fruit that dominate.

M- Full-bodied, low carbonation with a rich and sticky feel.

O- This was a really tasty beer, but, not surprisingly, is very, very sweet. They served this in a 4 ounce pour, which was definitely enough for me, if I had a bottle of this I would split it with a few friends. But as a beer to sip at it's very flavorful, complex and worth seeking out.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2013 01:07:21 | More by WillCarrera

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

on tap at hawthornes, served in large Duvel tulip - part of the EBF kegs that came to Philly after the blizzard fiasco

Inky, dark pour with heavy legs and a collar of darkly tanned film. Little head, spotty lacing and wispy film.

Rich and full scents of chocolate, roasted malts, lactose and smoke. Heavy alcohol warmth from the cognac with vanilla and oak. Burnt sugar sweetness and caramel.

Creamy, slick notes of milk chocolate, cognac and toasted oak up front. Robust and sweet from residual caramel, toffee and vanilla flavors. Boozy throughout, yet incredibly delicious, driven by a thick malt backbone with roasted warmth and a dash of smoke from the cognac. Finishes boozy and sweet.

Full body, milder carbonation, creamy, chewy and silky on the tongue. If I had a criticism for this beer it'd be the sweetness level, although that seems a ridiculous considering "sweet" is in the beer's name. A wonderfully produced barrel aged stout with emphasis on milk chocolate and cognac.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2013 14:01:57 | More by xnicknj

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

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

On-tap, served in a tulip

An ink black pour with some thick legs. The small dark tan cap faded to a thin collar pretty quickly. Little to no lacing left inside the glass.

The cognac notes are pretty well incorporated. You would think a cognac barrel would completely overwhelm the base beer, but that is not the case. Lactic sugar, mild roast, and some cocoa powder lay a nice base for the sweet cognac notes to take over.

Mild roast, chocolate and lactic sugar poke through up front before a sweep of cognac and oak takes you through the finish. A little bit of vanilla pokes through with some burnt sugar. The base beer holds its own and is nicely complemented by the flavor of the cognac. A real winner.

Smooth, lush, and just plan delicious. Coats the mouth and slides off with no troubles. A touch of lingering sweet cognac booziness and some mild chocolate notes.

They pretty much nailed this one. The cognac is strong, as you would expect, but it complements the sweetness of the base beer extremely well.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2013 14:03:23 | More by ColForbinBC

AltBock

Ohio

4.48/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Imperial Sweet Stout

On tap at the Cigar City Tasting Room on 8 Oct 2012. It was the release date for this beer. They served it to me in a snifter.

It's yet another pitch black beer. The mighty sun couldn't shine through this beer. On top was a small 1/4 of an inch dark mocha head of foam. This head of foam quickly dissipated into a tiny string of rings along the side of the beer and a few streaks of lace.

The aroma was sweet, but not rot your teeth sugar sweet. Up front was brown sugar and molasses. Directly behind the sweetness was the dark fruits like raisins, plums, and cherry. Rounding out the aroma was roasted malt, a pinch of coffee, a drop of vanilla, a little oak, and a splash of Cognac. I liked how the aroma controlled the oak and Cognac. It didn't let them get out of control.

The taste was thick and roasted, but not sweet like the aroma. Up front was the roasted elements, the roasted malt and roasted coffee beans. Behind the roasted tastes was a brief taste of sweetness. I got some brown sugar, a dash of vanilla, a drop of molasses, and a few dark fruits like raisins, cherries, and plums. This beer then finishes up with a nice medium not overpowered taste of oak and cognac. When the taste warmed up, the cognac and oak became more pronounced. Even though it became stronger, it never became a cognac aged in a sweet imperial stout barrel.

The mouthfeel was full bodied with a nice aftertaste of oak, malt, coffee, roasted  hops, dark fruits, and cognac. I could taste the cognac, but it was a controlled taste. Not overpowered!

I don't care that much for sweet stouts, but this one was different. The barrel aging was a very nice touch. I would love to drink this beer again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2012 18:17:34 | More by AltBock

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.51/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to David for this bottle! Dated 19 SEP 12.
Poured in to cigar city snifter.

A - Poured ink black with a thin layer of dark brown head that immediately reduced to a ring around the edges of the glass.

S - Sweet cognac, charred oak, chocolate covered cherries, roast and a hint of smoke. Very complex.

T - A big cognac presence at first that immediately gives way to charred oak, roast and an amazing chocolate covered cherry flavour. Sweet molasses ans sugary notes throughout. Very sweet overall, as expected. But not too sweet...

M - Medium body; light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:42:44 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.45/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from urwithdave. I just can't get enough. Cheers!

From a 750ml into a snifter
Bottled 19 September 2012
Stout on cognac barrels

APPEARANCE: Thick black pour yields a one finger, medium looking, creamy, dark mocha head with very good retention. Very dark and mocha colored head. Looks nice. Thick black body with higher levels of carbonation. Head slowly fades to a splotchy wisp and ring. Touches of wisp and a ring remain leaving no real lacing down the glass. Nice head with a thick, black, Cigar City black body. Nice.

SMELL: Big cognac nose with lots of roasted and chocolaty base stout. Roasted malts, dark, pure chocolate, baker's chocolate, with cognac, vanilla, milk chocolate and toffee. Chocolate covered cherries as well. Really decadent with piles of roasty, chocolaty base stout under a well-integrated cognac barrel. Increadibly complex and lovely. Bold and outstanding.

TASTE: Cognac, lots of roasted and burnt malts with dark, pure baker's chocolate at the swallow. Huge, flavorful aftertaste of charred malts, dark bitter chocolate, coffee, cognac and some sweet vanilla, toffee and milk chocolate. A touch of booze, but well measured. Sweet and bitter, roasted finish lingers with some chocolate covered cherries and vanilla cognac. This is lovely and follows the nose perfectly. The touch high carbonation keeps this from possible perfection.

PALATE: Medium body with higher levels of carbonation. A little light and airy, goes down smooth enough and finishes slightly sticky on the palate. A little burn lingers. Definitely needs to be thicker, fuller and heavier with less carbonation. Too bad, but this is otherwise fantastic. Average at best.

OVERALL: Phenomenal stuff! Everything works so well except the the slightly thin and airy feel on this one. If the feel was fuller and creamier, this would be the best cognac barrel aged beer in the world, and perhaps the best barrel aged stout in the world. Cigar City never ceases to impress the crap out of me. Love this beer. Thanks a lot urwithdave. I could drink these guys and not miss a thing.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 19:19:22 | More by Jeffo

beerpirates

Belgium

4.4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

75 cl bottle poured into my tastingglass

Very thick, dark black pour with caramel colored head,
aroma brought notes of milk chocolate, caramel, toffee, hints of nice booze with cognac, touch of spice but restrained,
Taste is a nice mix of caramel, toffe, milk chocolate, nice coffee beans, hints of cognac, finishing fairly sweet, bitter, dry, with a slight booze warming note but not bad.
This is a realy good stout , i could drink this every day :)

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 12:02:56 | More by beerpirates

claspada

New Jersey

4.34/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours the same super dark, viscous black oily color (as you get from Hunahpu or Zhukov) with the darkest brown head you will ever see on a beer. The lacing is also super dark brown and oily looking.

Aromas begin with a ton of roasted dark espresso and dark gritty bakers chocolate. Then soon after comes the vinous, slightly boozy fruity cognac and some slightly charred oak.

The tastes bring more of the same with dark malts, more sweet than roasted. Then there is a good dose of cocoa beans, tannic oak and a strong flavor of vinious cognac, luckily, lacking an intense alcohol heat.

The mouthfeel is heavy bodied with moderate carbonation. The finish is relatively dry thanks to the copious oak and vinious cognac notes yet by no means do you not appreciate the sweetness and heft of this beast.

Overall this is a great beer but definitely one that warrants sharing amounts friends. 4-8 ounces of this beer is plenty to enjoy the complexity and more would just destroy your palate for the remainder of the evening. Don't hoard, share.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 12:15:26 | More by claspada

bonkers

New Jersey

4.44/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was lucky enough to recieve this in a stout bif, thanks beernads!! I split it into 2 snifters, viscous, jet black pour, thin tan head. Boozey aroma, notes of vanilla. Well balanced brew, sweet, nice cognac notes, vanilla is in there too. Finishes boozey. The beer is thick, light carbonation, sipper. A great beer that I never thought I would be able to try.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 00:07:22 | More by bonkers

jeonseh

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at NWI tasting group.

A - Dark chocolate stout with dark chocolate foam on top and the slides 3.75

S - Good chocolate presence with lots of caramely cognac barrel to it. There is also slight dates at well

T - Caramely chocolate beer with good cognac presence that gives it a nice sweetness. Lots of fudge presence with a slight booziness to it and oak to it.

M - Medium body with light oak presence to it. Low carbonation with velvety smoothness

O - Another great cognac BA beer from Cigar City. I love how well they are using these barrels. They created a beer that benefits well from the sweetness from the cognac.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 00:20:22 | More by jeonseh

maximum12

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to the best traders in the country, beerisheaven & moose3285, for each sending me a bottle of this brew. The other one went down a while back; this is the lone survivor. And the clock is ticking. Big 750 ML glass split with my wife. 55/45. Shhhh.

Pour is dead black, with a modicum of life to it. Close to zero penetration, even along the edges. Even colder, the cognac announces its presence with authority. Dark chocolate, dark malts, dark thoughts round it out. My mouth is watering. That merits a good score.

Imperial Sweet Stout - Cognac Barrel Aged flaunts the barrel. Tidal wave of cognac floods the palate, then warms the belly, almost like the real thing, going all...the...way...down. Wow. Alcohol is smooth but noticeable. Trademark CC thickness to the stout, you could stand a ladder up in this thing. Plenty of roast, edge of sour raisins which detracts a touch, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, very light lactose, wow, it's like somebody through the kitchen cabinet in this thing. But it hangs together very well, & I'm sipping it rapidly.

Just the thickness of Cigar City stouts is enough to bring a stupid grin to my face. Mix in a heavy barrel, tons of complexity, easy drinking, & this is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 02:29:03 | More by maximum12

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.34/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a deep, deep brown nearly black with a rocky dirty white cap providing some good head retention, collar and spotty lacing

S: Big milky sweetness, chocolate cake, vanilla and cocoa beans with cognac but it was still rather tame.

T: A big, sweet dairy goodness woth some old wood, Earthiness and a dose of cognac. Nothing Earth-shateering here.

M: Full bodied, sweet, lingering, some heat

O: While it was a nice drink I still cannot get past the bloated rating of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 13:56:10 | More by barleywinefiend

thegoon55

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

A- pitch black, small tan head

S- sweet cognac, chocolate, roast, figs.

T- follows the nose, cognac at first followed by chocolate roast. Yummy

M- near perfect. Fluffy yet full bodied

0- not my favorite offering from ccb, with that said, still very good

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 20:35:09 | More by thegoon55

tectactoe

Michigan

4.34/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Mike for sharing this one with me, never thought I'd get the chance to try it. Pours out super dark and thick, like old, sludgy motor oil. A dark-ass, burnt tan head forms on top and quickly dissipates before you even have time to appreciated it - it can be brought back to life nicely with a little swirl, however. The beer sloshes quite a bit, too - this is some viscous stuff.

The aroma on this beer is THICK. Big bouts of oak soaked in vanilla and booze. Very creamy and milky smelling, quite sweet but not explosively so. Cocoa, brandy, and slight licorice-like sweetness join the mix. This baby gets more and more complex as the time goes on, but it always retains its solid structure of booze, oak, and sweetness. Malts are obvious present, too, but not quite a roasty as you might think. Coffee aromas start to grow upon warming up - this stuff is all over the place. So many smells just floating in and out, it's almost too hard to get a handle on everything.

A nice, bitter and roasted cocoa bean flavor engulfs the palate upon taking the first sip. It's soon joined by an intense sweetness that crescendos a bit before peaking halfway through and sticking around until the end - little notes of black licorice, currants, dates, figs, burnt brown sugar, and milky caramel & chocolate. Beyond all of these flavors lies that cognac, which added a flavor similar to that of a brandy; definitely a bit different than the typical bourbon flavor. The cognac added a bit of heat but wasn't too powerful as the sweetness from the beer kept it in check. Oak flavors are surprisingly absent or at least muted substantially. Espresso beans show their face heavily in the aftertaste, along with some fading, milky sweetness and mellow brandy. There's also a few charred notes that I really didn't pick up on until the beer warmed up. Not sure if these are from the malts or possibly from the hops? But aside from that, hops didn't contribute much flavor-wise. Very creamy and thick body, chewy, low carbonation.

Wow, this beer was some serious shit. Very complex, layered, and overall very different. My gripe is that it may be overly sweet, and any sample of this over 8 oz could be walking the line between delectably sweet and cloying. Other than that, the beer was excellent, with a very nice mouth feel and an intense flavor and aroma profile. Thanks again to Mike for hooking it up!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 18:04:07 | More by tectactoe

standardcherry

Massachusetts

4.66/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

750 ml bottle.

A: Pours completely black with about 1 inch of mocha-colored head. It receded immediately though. Looks very thick as I poured it.
S: Lots of fruity sweetness, chocolate and dark malts. It has almost a slight "wine" scent.
T: Dark chocolate bitterness balances with fruity sweetness. Oak, chocolate, vanilla. A warm boozy in the finish. Very well balanced though, booze is well hidden.
M: Extremely thick and viscous. Full bodied with low carbonation. Very smooth.
O: Excellent beer, can't wait for CCB to make more.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 04:44:11 | More by standardcherry

Etan

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle.

A: Pours out a viscous black body with a thick chocolate-colored head. Petrol consistency.

S: Sweet vinous cognac notes from the barrel jump out first, followed by aromas of roast and fudge and a bit of lactose.

T: Grapey glucose, oak, vanilla, baker's chocolate, raisins, boozy warmth, lightly charred grain in the finish. The barrel lends a lot of sweetness, but there's also some balancing bitterness and roast from the base beer.

M: Very thick-bodied with light carbonation. Chewy, to say the least.

O: Very good beer. It's nice to see brewers experimenting with barrel treatments besides the usual bourbon, and it's especially nice when the beer is so successful.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 02:33:10 | More by Etan

Brew33

Ohio

4.01/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to Urbancaver for scooping this one up for me.

The beer ours jet black with a very dark brown, bubbly head that dissapates quickly. A really unique head.

The aroma is sweet to say the least. Burnt sugars, roasted malt, chocolate syrup, a little bit of wood and char. Man, this is pretty tasty. Sweet on the front end, but a smoky, charred character and some dry wood run right through the middle. The finish is long with a some fusel alcohol and cognac. A nice beer. Complex, sweet, smoky, charred, rich, and somewhat taxing on the palate after about 12 oz.

The body is heavy, damn near perfect actually. Low carbonation makes the beer coating in the mouth but never too much. Overall a tasty beer. I'd like to try more Cognac barrel aged beers and I enjoyed this one a lot. Thanks Cam.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 14:49:21 | More by Brew33

ehammond1

California

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, VaTechHopHead!

Black throughout, thick in body, with the darkest of brown edges, and a very small dark brown head, though with good retention. Leaves the glass oily and spotted with stick.

A complex, enveloping, interesting, evolving aroma: chocolate cake, fudge, caramel, and dark fruits abound in the aroma. There's a sticky fudge element to the chocolate character that is really lovely, along with rich caramels and burnt, dessert dark fruits. Lovely.

The flavor is similarly good as the aroma, with layers of charred chocolates, dark fruits, cognac, distinct wood presence, and fudge combining incredibly nicely. There's some distinct alcohol warmth to it, but it's very complementary. Treating this like a lovely dessert at the end of the night is the way to go.

Medium to nearly full in body with low-moderate carbonation.

An incredible ,sweet, cognac-barrel aged chocolate-forward stout.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 00:23:54 | More by ehammond1

mrandypandy

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle picked up for me by a friend from Tampa. Split with by buddy, pullen.

A - Pours a thick, viscous, motor-oil like abyss black. Little or no head, but that's to be expected from an 11% barrel-aged stout.
S - Sweet malt and dark fruits. Smells good.
T - Wow. Chocolate-covered cherries, with a malted-milkshake sweetness. Like Dark Lord, but actually good. A definite roasted quality to the finish. Mutually agreed that this is damn tasty.
M - Best part of this brew. Thick, yet smooth. Luxurious and velvety. Everything you want out of a sweet stout.
O - While I didn't get much or any cognac from this, it's still a phenomenal stout. A bit on the sweet side, but hey, it's a milk/sweet stout. I couldn't finish an entire bottle, but my 375ml serving was perfect. Highly recommended to relax and sip on, especially as an aperitif.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 03:32:14 | More by mrandypandy

dbc5

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml poured into a Southern Tier Pumpking chalice.

A: This beer pours viscous as hell. Moderately aggressive pour yields about a 1 finger, coffee colored head. Held to the light, absolutely nothing shines through.

S: This is a spectacular smelling brew. Can tell this is going to be sweet off the nose. Chocolate syrup, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon sugar, raisins, vanilla, and coffee.

T: While I think the nose is the standout on this beer, the flavor does not disappoint. Starts with dark chocolate/chocolate syrup, then brown sugar and vanilla. Get a hit of fruit sweetness at the end (raisins, plums, grapes). The chocolate syrup flavor lingers along with alight booziness (the booze is not particularly pronounced but present enough to be noticed).

M: Mouthfeel is excellent on this one. Thick and coating. Carbonation is moderate to low.

O: Probably the best sweet stout I've had the pleasure of enjoying. Highly recommend this to anyone who is a stout fan with a sweet tooth. This is my first experience with Cigar City and it lived up to the hype. Thanks go out to BREWSnTATTOOS for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this treat.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 01:23:58 | More by dbc5

cosmicevan

New York

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Notes from a tasting on 12/6. Big thanks to sendsilk for hooking this one up!

Enjoyed from a ccb humidor series tulip.

watery black with a thin dark brown head and great barrel shine. the brew really coats the glass when swirled. sparse lacing. smells chocolate cognac with good roasted chocolate. the cognac is strong on the flavor profile. great dark chocolate notes as well. rich and decadent. smooth. not boozy, but cognac is present. overall really nice, not as great as imperial milk porter on stranahan (but a different animal entirely)...sweet chocolate cognac!

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 01:50:17 | More by cosmicevan

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle courtesy of djmichaelk. It was left out to warm just a little, and poured into my Brooklyn Brewery tulip.

Cognac Barrel Imperial Sweet Stout pours an intimidating black, with noticeably dark, chocolate colored foam crowning the beer. It's about a finger and a half in height, with just a little bit each of head retention and lacing. The nose is great, with lots of aromas coming together and spilling out of the glass. Vanilla, oak, cognac, and dark chocolate all coalesce and greet my nose. The barrel characteristics are what find my palate first, with brown sugar, oak, and lightly boozy cognac all standing out. That alcoholic note is a touch too potent, but it's what balances against the sweetness, before the base beer comes in for the finish. Cocoa powder is joined by anise and molasses, the latter two just a hair too prominent for my taste. The mouthfeel is superb, highlighted by a full body that's just slightly chewy, and a wonderfully subtle carbonation. I've had a few Cigar City beers that I've enjoyed, but this is the first one that's jumped out since Hunahpu's did a while back. Now I'm really looking forward to the bottle of Leon that's in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 06:50:53 | More by axeman9182

MasterSki

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Someone shared this bottle at Zwanze Day. Mike? Served in a Zwanze glass.

A - Tan foam settles to a collar, wisps, and minimal lace but a bit of a glass-coating film. The body is pitch black, which is unsurprising how dark Cigar City beers tend to be.

S - Vinous and sweet cognac and grape flavors, fudge, dark fruits, some booze, a bit of fruity oxidation. Not a ton of wood flavor, just sweet cognac mixed with sweet stout.

T - The taste is heavy on raisin and dark fruit flavors, with cognac and grape flavors mixed in. In the periphery there are notes of chocolate cake, caramel, and fudge. Not much oak presence, and significantly less booze. I like the flavor significantly more than the aroma.

M - Smooth, medium-full body, lower carbonation, sticky finish. There's a bit of warming alcohol, but nothing excessive for 11%. Again, not much oak presence in the texture, but otherwise spot on for a big stout.

D - A nice beer, but very sweet; I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that considering the name. I had a small glass of this and that was plenty sufficient. I'd drink this again, but I'd much prefer Cognac Church On a Hill or Leon.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 06:09:10 | More by MasterSki

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours absolutely pitch black, opaque even on the pour. A dark brown head forms, but quickly recedes to a small ring.

S: Caramel, dark chocolate, cognac, this beer is extremely sweet. I get a nice amount of coffee in the background to helps balance, but it certainly stays very sweet. As an aroma, though, this is amazing.

T: Again, very sweet caramel melds with strong dark chocolate making a very, very sweet beer. I get some coffee in the background that helps to balance but like the aroma, this beer stays really sweet.

M: Very, very thick with low carbonation.

O: This is a very, very sweet beer. A bit too sweet for me. However, the cognac and coffee help balance the beer. It's very complex and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:01:08 | More by coreyfmcdonald

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A huge amount of gratitude is owed to BA sendsilk for hooking me up with a seemingly endless supply of amazing CCB brews. Poured from a 750ml into a matching Cigar City snifter. The brew appears a solid black color with a dark brown finger of froth across the top. The cap fades leaving some spots of lace sticking to the glass and the head holds around the perimeter of the glass. A light swirl revives a seriously dark brown cap back to the surface that fades leaving a thin film across the top. When held to the light and swirled, hardly any light shines through but what does reveals some dark brown hints around the edges.

The aroma is heavily roasted and almost char and tobacco-like. There is an immediately noticeable amount of fruity cognac quality that comes into play accenting the boozy quality of this. The dark roasted aspects of the aromatics brings out thoughts of coffee and bitter baker's chocolate with almost a hint of earthy leather. As I smell this brew more, a bit of vanilla quality and raw oak emerges. This is a deeply complex and enjoyable smelling brew.

The flavor of this brew is very roasted with a bitterness that is reminiscent of 100% cacao. There are some softer almost milk chocolate notes present that then blend into a fruity booze flavor of cognac. Some roasty earth, leather, tobacco and oak are also there mid palate. This is a very atypical sweet stout in that it is very deceiving in the way the flavors meld together and go between bitter roast, semi-sweet and boozy. The sweet side of this brew really isnt upfront at all, it is actually more bitter upfront and blends into a mild sweetness across the back and into the finsh.

This is a medium to fuller bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. This is a beast of a sweet stout. If you go into this experience expecting a sticky sweet stout, you might be let down as it is quite boozy and bitter. This brew is very reminiscent of the trademark stouts that Cigar City is known for. At times I seemingly forget myself and get reminded of Zhukov with its dark roasty leathery and almost ashy qualities. But the booze reminds me of something more like Hunahpu but without the spices. Dare I say CCB has hit one hell of a homerun with this brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 00:08:49 | More by stakem