Moat Water - Cigar City Brewing

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.34/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into HF stemmed glass. Thanks Don for sharing this.

A- Pours a jet black with about a quarter finger of mocha brown head that recedes at a moderate pace leaving some spotty lacing.

S- Chocolate, maple, vanilla, espresso. Very aromatic and lots of chocolate.

T- Creamy chocolate, roasted espresso beans, finishes with maple, vanilla and sweet smooth milk chocolate that has an extremely nice lingering milk chocolate aftertaste. Overall lots of chocolate with a nice maple balance.

M- Very smooth and creamy, nice carbonation, a little bit on the thicker side, extremely easy to drink.

O- This was a fantastic imperial stout from CCB. The combination of maple and chocolate paired very well together and worked to exactly how CCB wanted it to in making a beer that would taste as much as chocolate chip pancakes as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this beer and I would love to have it again. If you like chocolate you will definitely like this beer and I highly recommend checking it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 03:13:53 | More by jaasen64

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.21/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Huge thanks to egrace84 for the bottle share! Thanks elliot!

poured into tulip glass.

reviewwed from notes taken 1/8/13.

Appearance: black bodied beer with 1 finger of light to medium brown bodied beer.

Smell: Coffee, brown sugar, maple oatmeal.

Taste: Coffee and dark chocolates. Lite oak note. Roasty almost a char note from the coffee. Really sweet vanilla aftertaste that has a touch of artificial flavor to it.

Mouthfeel: medium body with low end of moderate carbonation. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. A beer milkshake. Not a hint of booze.

Overall: I really enjoy the nose and mouthfeel of this beer. CCB does a great job with dark beers, but the vanilla comes accross as artificial which is my biggest draw back of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 13:34:46 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Duff27

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Mid deep mocha head. Craptastic lacing, legs. Relatively good head retention.

Dark chocolate mixed with rich coffee. Whiffs of sweet vanilla, yum.

Tastebud stunning bitter coffee upfront. Chocolate chips on the tail end. "Oak." Because of the abundance of flavor makes me wanna believe this is higher in alcohol.

Smooth medium-thick mouthfeel. Lower end of carbonation.

Cheers to CCB for packing the flavor in! Fairly unique even within the coffee stout realm. Thanks for the share egrace84!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 00:40:44 | More by Duff27

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Sweetwater mini-snifter.

Not sure what difference water from a skatepark moat makes (or, for that matter, what skatepark has a moat), but I'm game to find out. This stuff pours a deep, dark black-brown topped by a finger of brown-ish foam. The nose comprises coffee, mild roasted malts, and a general sense of cocoa. The taste brings in more of the same, with some sweeter cocoa, lighter coffee, light vanilla bean, and a twinge of heavy cream. The body is a stolid medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a smooth feel. Overall, a very nice stout, one that may or may not prove that moat water is indeed somehow superior to other sources.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 22:36:17 | More by TMoney2591

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Jeff for this bottle!
Poured in to Cigar City snifter.

A - Thick ink-black in colour with a thin layer of medium brown head.

S -A huge hit of sweet vanilla up front followed by espresso, brown sugar and a hint of maple. Not getting the wood notes at all.

T - Sweet vanilla and chocolate chip flavours up front that immediately give way to bitter espresso and roast. A hint of maple syrup in the background and a very light woody presence in the finish. The flavours all come together beautifully.

M - Medium, almost full body. Creamy. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 01:46:26 | More by TheSevenDuffs

Danny1217

Florida

4.9/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Pours black with a tan head. Nice lacing and good retention.
Smells very sweet with a slight roast to it. Chocolate, vanilla, roasted coffee, and some maple.
The taste follows with the sweetness. Vanilla, chocolate, and coffee flavors are prominent. The maple is very obvious too, but not overpowering. The flavors balance out perfectly and create an incredibly complex sweet stout.
Thick, creamy feel. Pretty smooth going down.

Incredible beer. I had my mind blown while drinking this. Just wow.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 00:02:44 | More by Danny1217

Florida9

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Dark, dark brown. Virtually black. Forms a smallish deep tan colored head. Very little lacing. Great aroma: coffee, vanilla, char, dark malts. Taste is similar: slight, viscous sweetness. Vanilla, chocolate, brownie, and fudge. Then coffee and dark malts a little molasses. Very complex. Very nice. Mouth is thick, viscous and full bodied. Mild bitterness. This is a very nice beer. Quite impressive

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 00:57:05 | More by Florida9

homebrew311

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is oily black with very dark brown head. Spotty lacing left behind. Nose is fantastic with robust coffee beans and light waves of vanilla beans and light maple and oak. Taste is amazing. Rich chocolate and coffee up front, plenty of malt sweetness, and heavy cream and subtle maple. Each flavor takes a turn and layers on top of each other. Delicious. Mouthfeel is thick and lightly carbonated. Definitely a stand out brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 00:48:57 | More by homebrew311

GallowsThief

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip. 750 ml.

A – Poured out black as night with a finger of milk chocolate colored head that stayed around. Left nice lacing down the glass.

S – Starts off with a big coffee aroma followed quickly by a lightly sweet vanilla.

T – Like the smell it’s an immediate hit of coffee/espresso with a touch of bitterness. Also has a smoky slightly burnt wood flavor. Dark chocolate and vanilla are in the mix. One cancels out the other so you do not get a great deal of sweetness. Nicely balanced. Really gets better as it warms.

M – Thick bodied with medium carbonation. Very creamy mouthfeel. Easy drinker.

O – This was a hit for me. Loved the coffee and vanilla mix. Gets better and better with each sip. Mouthfeel for me was extraordinary. Glad I found a couple of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 23:48:51 | More by GallowsThief

jeonseh

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a snifter. Shared during our NWI tasting group Bourbon county night

A - Dark chocolate brown with light chocolate on the edges. Small mocha colored head sits on top throughout

S - Nice nose on this one as I get coffee, light dark chocolate, hint of vanilla, maple syrup and oak

T - There is sweet vanilla and maple up front before I get coffee and a cigarette / char smokiness. The finish is oak as well as the cigarette/ char smokiness that lingers on. Overall, I really loved this beer on the first sip with the vanilla and maple. However, I'm not a big fan of the char flavor which made this one detract just a bit for me.

MF - Light body with a nice smoothness that comes in near the end. Light oak tingle remains in the finish

O - Overall, this is a solid stout from Cigar City. It has a nice sweetness to it and the vanilla, oak and coffee all make themselves known and add great flavor. What prevented this one from being great for me was the cigarette smokiness/ char flavor which came through. If you like those charred flavors, I'm sure you'll like this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 04:07:19 | More by jeonseh

Bung

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750. A very viscous looking black pour. Thin layer of light brown head, recedes to a ring.

Aroma, nice roast malt and certainly coffee. A woody component. Some vanilla and cocoa.

Taste, the roast malt and rich coffee are strong. Woody/peaty, caramel, cocoa and vanilla. Caramel, vanilla, mocha latte.

About full body, thick and creamy. Abv well hidden, but there is definetely a nice little heat in the throat. Drinks like a champ.

Fantastic. Reminds me a bit of Cafe Royale. The thickness setting this appart. Thanks to CJS for this one. Drank this whole thing myself watching my Spartans in their crap bowl.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 03:39:46 | More by Bung

BAstoutsNsours

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle on Nov 14, served in a Tulip

A: A cloudy dense milk chocolate brown pour with a small amount of head that dies slowly
S: Fresh coffee, toffee, melted brown sugar
T: Yum, very coffee forward (which I like), followed by creamy milk chocolate and condensed milk. Very similar to a Vietnamese coffee with alcohol, very delicious.
M: thickish, but not as thick as I'd prefer. Carb was perfect.
O: Aside from BCBCS, this is my favorite coffee stout to date. Much better than say WnB.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 21:41:11 | More by BAstoutsNsours

fields336

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 bottle

A: dark as night, black, with a 2 finger milk chocolate colored head on top. creamy looking delicious head.; a thick sticky lacing hangs around on the sides of the glass.

S: smells like breakfast. freshly roasted coffee with chocolate chip pancakes, vanilla, black coffee, and roasty malts with a toffee and caramel background

T: chocolate, vanilla, coffee beans, woody undertone from the maple aging. delicious tasting beer

M: thick chewy, creamy, medium carbonation

O: highly recommended. i had high expectations and am not disappointed

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 04:15:09 | More by fields336

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Another awesome stout from CCB. Ridiculous pour; big black body with a thick brown chocolate ice cream head. Average retention but nice sheets of chocolatey looking lacing sliding down the sides of the glass slowly.

Excellent mouthfeel, medium full body, modest carbonation, sticky, creamy, and slightly chewy. Ample sweetness, lots of milk chocolate, lesser notes of vanilla, coffee, cream, burnt and roasty malt, maple, caramel. Just a little bitterness on the finish, with dark chocolate, espresso, and roasted characteristics. Booze is pretty much completely hidden.

Come on.. These guys are working magic with their stouts. Just delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 21:03:18 | More by tobelerone

solo103

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - pourd a deep dark black with a mocha head

Aroma - strong scent of mud and funk followed hints of chocolate

Mouthfeel - thick and slick with a slightly dry finish

Taste -up front I get a tiny amount of maple then strong amount of bitter dark chocolate that finishes a little roasty

Overall- this beer is insainely unique . I have nenevr had a beer with this kind of funk(and I love sours and flanders reds) its strangely amazing .

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 21:51:18 | More by solo103

babaracas

Florida

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

CCB destroys impy sweet stouts and this is not an exception to that rule. Pours an opaque very very dark brown with two fingers of dense brown foam, settling slowly to a thin layer with a spray of lace down the glass. Smell: now I wish I hadn't read the label, because all I can think of is syrup soaked pancakes... intense. Also... pastry cream w/ vanilla. Earthy coffee and dark chocolate in the back. Taste: syrup drenched pancakes, vanilla, coffee - earthy, toffee, and midly citric, borderline raisin towards the end of the sip. Delicious... dessert, or breakfast, accompaniment. Creamy feel. Sweet, as intended. 25 Oct 2012.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 06:15:43 | More by babaracas

maximum12

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to beerisheaven for this bottle of Cigar City, an imprint I'm always happy to see show up on the front stoop. This bottle was picked up in FL, brought to PA, shipped to MN, & driven to WI for consumption. It has frequent flyer miles to burn. 750ML bottle split with my wife.

Pour is dead-on dark black. Nose if rife with chocolate sweentess, the latter of which could either be the malt or the vanilla or both. Either way. Rich.

Moat Water: I'd have happily lapped this up during the seige of Constantinople. The senses are assaulted without quarter: maple, vanilla, & roast/coffee vie for attention at the top of their lungs. WTF? Usually when you read blah blah blah is in this beer there's one dominant commando & the others are riding shotgun. Here, these three are as blatant as a string bikini on a fifty-year old, strong as Ahnold. Seriously. All three blast simultaneously, leaving me befuddled but impressed. Nothing else evident. Nothing else could puncture that triumvirate. Why would it try? Terrifically sweet & easy to glug for a sweet-tooth.

Excellent beer that's like a trebuchet shot to the palate; almost the definition of a modern 'extreme' beer. Yum.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 04:41:26 | More by maximum12

mdfb79

New York

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From 12/01/12 notes.

a - Pours a dark brown, almost black color, with one inch of dark tan head and low carbonation evident. Looks really nice.

s - Smells of coffee, roasted malts, toasted malts, coffee espresso, vanilla, milk choolate, and some cream. Really awesome nose; I love the mix of fresh coffee, chocolate, and vanilla here.

t - Tastes of milk chocolate, coffee, espresso, cream, vanilla, roasted malts, bitter chocolate, toasted malts, burnt malts. Nice and sweet and close to the nose, with just a little less coffee. Really nice.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall a great coffee stout from CC. Awesome mix of coffee and chocolate with more fresh coffee in the taste, and more sweet chocolate in the taste. I had this right by HF Twilight of the Idols and found it very similar, and would probably give TofI a very very small nod. Easy to drink and great, would love to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 17:42:10 | More by mdfb79

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pour was black, cocoa, medium body.

Vanilla and coffee, light chocolate

Flavors were a bit all over but in a good way. French vanilla coffee,black coffee, sweet chocolate.

Mild to moderate carbonation. Medium body. Kind of slick like.

Pretty good, enoyable. Easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 15:27:54 | More by hooliganlife

cosmicevan

New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Humongous thank you to brewbetter for hitting me with this as an extra!!!!

enjoyed from my humidor series ccb tulip (thanks again brewbetter!!!!).

a - brew pours a deep dark shiny mudslide with a massive two fingers plus of dark tan head. as the head vanished, the glass was coated in lacing. i throw around the phrase "milkshake like lacing" but this is IT. i've had milkshakes that don't leave lacing this thick. ccb makes an attractive stout!

s - roast heavy, but plenty of chocolate and black malts to keep it real. some sweetness giving it a milk chocolate hershey undertone and vanilla and a hint of maple syrup.

t - wow, this is a beautiful beer. rich and roasted with great chocolate notes. some bitter bakers chocolate and coffee. some maple notes and vanilla round things out.

m - thick and rich and full bodied, but very easy to throw back.

o - overall, WOW. what a beer. i can't believe you don't hear more about this one. supremely delicious. like a slightly lighter and more roasty version of zhukov. the maple syrup and vanilla really lighten things up and give it a great sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:53:03 | More by cosmicevan

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle, much thanks to djmichaelk for the hookup. It was allowed to warm a little bit before being poured into my Duvel tulip

Moat Water pours solid black, with about three fingers of whipped tan foam capping the beer. Head retention is great, and most of the glass is covered in sticky lacing. The nose is phenomenal, with aromas of maple syrup, vanilla, coffee, and just a hint of chocolate all swimming together in the glass. The taste is comprised of a similar set of flavors, highlighted by a remarkably pure maple character and a bit of vanilla sweetness. Coffee and chocolate provide the finish, but there's just a little bit of astringency here from the roast. The mouthfeel is wonderful, full bodied and with just a bit of a silky quality to it. The carbontion is muted, allowing the malt and sweetness of the beer to fully take over. I think Moat Water is flying under the radar a little bit given some of Cigar City's other recent releases (Leon, Cognac Barrel Imperial Sweet Stout), and that's a shame, because it's a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 06:33:30 | More by axeman9182

ehammond1

California

4.25/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, VaTechHopHead!

Black throughout, moderately thick in body, with minimal visible carbonation. A small dark brown crown atop that leaves an oily sheen and small dots of stick down the glass.

Lots of both dark and bittersweet chocolate in the aroma, along with some complementary maple sweetness, a bit of earthiness, and some roasted coffee notes. Complete, though perhaps a bit too sweet and not as complex as I'd hoped.

The flavor is rich, decadent, and full of (high quality) bittersweet chocolate flavors. Along with the earthy and mildly bitter chocolate, is some maple syrup, mild roast, and a little bit of vanilla. Incredibly drinkable for a rich, sweet imperial stout.

Medium bodied with low-moderate carbonation.

I was surprised at just how incredibly delicious this stout was.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 21:16:38 | More by ehammond1

VaTechHopHead

California

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Black as a stout but looked a little thin coming out of the bottle, hard to get some carbonation but could be because I was re-using a glass.

S - One of the most chocolate forward (in a good way) beers I have smelled in a while. Reeks of sweet baking chocolate, a hint of maple syrup and dark malts. Not a lot of coffee on the nose but noticeable if you know it's there.

T - Chocolate brownies (or pancakes as the label says) with definite coffee notes but not overly bitter due to the chocolate and maple. The veneers lend a soft touch of wood flavors but this one is majorly chocolate and light sweet maple. Just fantastic.

M- Thin on the palate but nice carbonation. The chocolate flavor lasts in the aftertaste and an excellent sipper. Finishes sweet and zero hint of booze.

O - Short and sweet: Rivals CBS for best breakfast stout in the beer scene IMO. Don't know if it was intended to be but it just is.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 17:43:56 | More by VaTechHopHead

sweemzander

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a snifter. Thanks for sharing Matt!

(A)- Pours a pitch black color that produced some tan to dark brown froth.

(S)- A deep rich aroma of chocolate, coffee, and slightly sweet roasted bread bits.

(T)- Close to how the smell was, only a far more pronounced chocolate profile. Still some coffee tidbits in there, but well behind how chocolate forward this is. Hints at raisins too at the end.

(M)- A good carbonation level and balance. I like the richness that it has without being too boozy or cloyingly sweet.

(O)- Overall, I quite like this one. A well made stout that has a superb balance to make it a home run for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 16:45:55 | More by sweemzander

BeerTheater

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Moat Water is a good beer. It looks(without the cream), tastes and feels like a good ol cup of joe. What you initially see is murky black lagoon and when held up to the light you can see the brown hue coming off the top; it's the darkest brown Crayola could conjure up. The head is nice, creating a one to two finger top that dissipates soon thereafter . There is nice lacing, but not long lasting.

The smell is a wake up call and the cock goes cock-a-doodle-doo. It's coffee, straight up. There is a sweetness I guess one can discern from smell that lingers, but it doesn't register as maple or vanilla definitively to me. I think it's there but I need to go through another bottle to be sure because I drank this one rather easily and fast. The coffee is strong with this one and tasty.

Taste follows the nose but leads to a much better place than a Toucan in the morning. It's that cup of coffee again that is well roasted with a touch of semi sweet chocolate with milk and sugar. I'm not sure I get anything from the maple wood whether distinctly maple or woody. This beer is delicious with barely a hint of alcohol present if not for the warming feeling in your belly. There's that dry, semi bitter aftertaste you get from coffee yet it's also sweet from the vanilla bean/chocolate malt notes and lactose. I like my sugar with coffee and cream. A nice balance on the rails of Tampa's skate park.

Mouth feel is good and what I want from a stout. Smooth with a medium to full body that you can feel fill your mouth up and journey downward. I would say there is room for more body. It's more medium bodied than what I would want, but that's a small complaint barely worth mentioning.

If I were to sum up drinkability I guess I could say I went through my 750ML bottle faster than a bottled water on an August afternoon in Florida. Perhaps a bit too fast, as I should have waited for it to warm a bit. I will need another bottle or case to truly evaluate this good beer. I say good again because for some reason I want to say great but hesitate as it does seem to be more coffee than anything else. The chocolate chip pancakes mentioned on the bottle are there but not as substantial as it sounds. The vanilla and maple wood are minimal and add sweetness along with the lactose but not a distinct flavor. Again, I need more of this beer to conclude my thoughts. However, this beer leaves you with the jingle, the best part of waking up is beer in your cup. (i'm sure this was an awesome beer despite my quibbles about the beer.)

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 04:45:42 | More by BeerTheater