Humidor Double American Black Ale - Cigar City Brewing

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.09/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at the CC Tasting room. Big smoke aroma, a medium mouthfeel. Tons of flavour, interplay between the smoke, roast and hops. Lacey on a black body. Its like a shwartzbier on steroids, and good hops. Possibly best beer of my FL trip. A very good CC beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2013 03:03:37 | More by northyorksammy

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Wowcoolman for sharing this one at drewone's place.

Bottled 1/4/13.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, herbal hops, and wood. Taste is much the same with a cedar wood flavor that lingers on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice woody presence in the aroma and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 05:34:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

kylehay2004

Florida

4.04/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: two finger tan head with excellent lacing on a jet black head.

S: excellent hops and malt balance with earthy hops, peat, roasted malts, cream and milk chocolate.

T: very sweet for what I was expected. Molasses, syrup, milk chocolate, roasted malts, earthy hops, cedar, with espresso bitterness in the finish.

M: creamy with light to moderate carbonation, thick body.

Overall: this one was just too sweet for me. Otherwise the balance between the black malts and hops is excellent. The cedar is well applied, excited to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 02:45:37 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A - Pours with a two finger head of tan foam on top of an opaque, black body. The head fades at an average pace and leaves thick lace on the glass.

S - Pungent, fruity, pine hops with notes of resin, mango, and sweat.

T - Spicy chocolate up front with caramel and some pepper. Lots of mango and pineapple hops in the middle with a transition to pine in the finish. Black pepper, pineapple, smoke, and resinous pine that lingers on the palate.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a moderately sweet finish.

D - Wow, this is a really intense beer. Fruity, spicy, really hoppy with a lot of dark malt but oddly the hops push both the alcohol and the roast to the side. The cedar comes out more that it ever has for me in one of CC's Humidor beers and I like the way it works with both the hops and the dark malt. Get one if you can, it is well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 02:52:35 | More by nickfl

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

On tap at Cigar City Tampa FL for 6$

Appearance - Dark brown colour with an average size fizzy/frothy beige coloured head. It's hard to make out the amount of carbonation and there is some fantastic lacing. The head lasted for 5-6 minutes.

Smell - Malts, hops, coffee/chocolate, light woody notes

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops and malts mixed with coffee and chocolate. There is also a slight woodiness but not as much as I expected. It ends with a roasted malt aftertaste with some lingering hops.

Overall - One of the better Cigar City beers I've had.. although this is also one of my favourite styles of beer. I think the 750ml bottles cost somewhere around 15$ so I was glad I got to try it on tap for 6$.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2013 19:32:23 | More by spinrsx

harrymel

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled 04JAN13
ABV listed as 11.0%

Pours black with little foam, maybe a rim of light tan foam. Smells like leather, maduro tobacco and dank hops, some roasted malts, and a touch of vinyl. Taste is tobacco like a mutha. It really does remind me of a humidor - I'm uncertain of my feelings, yet, I keep drinking it quickly. I must like it....Full bodied with moderate carb and a wet finish. I'm really blown away by this beer, and I am torn as to if it's in the good way. WTF. Fuck it, I like it.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 06:18:59 | More by harrymel

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet.

A: Black indeed, with sticky lace and sparse but stubborn tan head.

S: Holy shit. Incredibly powerful. Herbal, spicy hops that are rich and ensorcelling. Hash, tobacco, cedar (obviously), and hugely resiny citrus hops.

T: Super-woody, with boatloads of hops (yup, citrus and pine), and an intriguingly chocolatey finish.

O: I enjoyed this immensely, and would highly recommend this to everyone. WOW so good.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 08:26:01 | More by AgentMunky

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Bx Beer Depot. Poured into a plastic cup.

Appearance - Jet black, inky, and glass-staining. Well, plastic-staining. Looks as thick and viscous as anything black that CCB makes.

Smell - Cedar and tons of it. Gives it a grapefruit aroma that is difficult to discern from hops.

Taste - Bright and cedary up front. Chocolate malts push it out of the way, but the cedar comes back in the finish. Sweet in the back too with a boozy bite

Mouthfeel - Very thick. Low carbonation. Still doesn't drink as heavy as my description would indicate.

Overall - It's pretty much a stout. Similar to Humidor Zhukov. Less viscous, hoppier, and less chocolatey. I guess that's what they're going for.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 00:47:14 | More by Alieniloquium

shand

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Honestly have no idea to expect from this one, other than something big. A dark, wood-treated CCB that probably has a boatload of hops? Sign me up! Humidor Double ABA pours a very deep brown color. The aroma is great, there's a big cedar up front hanging out with an equally big roasted malt presence and some citrus hops. The citrus hops pop right away on the tongue, along with some more piney flavors that mingle with the cedar that shortly rushes in. Malty flavors linger on the tongue. A big, brash, and complex brute of a beer. The mouthfeel, like all high-ABV CCBs, is absolutely spot-on. It's got a low level of carbonation over a thick body that goes down very smoothly. The drinkability is good considering the high ABV. This isn't the most jaw-dropping CCB beer by any means, but it's still a big, bold, and tasty beer. Pick it up if you're in the Tampa area, but I wouldn't go trading for it.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 06:33:09 | More by shand

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a dark syrupy color with some cocoa foam at the edges. Leaves lacing on the glass.

S: Aroma of sweet malt, dark roast and Citrus all over. Cedar chip aging also present and slightly dry smelling, aroma is very pleasant for a black ale.

T: Flavors of sweet dark malt, chocolate and tons of hops. Clocking in at 11.5% on the bottle, this is quite sweet and flavorful. The cedar chips give the dark roast malts a run for their money and really take over the taste. Hops are mostly citrus, but also some pine mixed in underneath the cedar and black malt bitterness. Mango and grapefruit hop flavors also present as it warms more and rounds out the cedar chip flavors.

M: Light carbonation with a thick body. Flavors are still slick

O: Very good overall. I can really enjoy the flavors and this was great for all of the shoveling that I have been up to today with this blizzard of 2013. Over 33 inches here where I live, these calories will be worked off in no time.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:14:24 | More by alpinebryant

babaracas

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazy dark brown with dense, creamy light brown colored head. Settles slowly leaving a sheet of thin lace down the glass. Smell: hoppy - pine, leafy; cedar spiciness, sweet backing w/ just a bit of molasses. Taste: pine, sweet orange citrus, milk chocolate, same spicy cedar quality. All of which are cranked to 11. Wow. Feel is juicy into syrupy, then the carbonation kicks into a velvety finish. Accumulating alcoholic attribute... I remember Either/Or sort of blurring the line between doubled black ale and imperial stout... this one seems slightly more in line with the developing style, except that it's a huge beer and the cedar brings the awesome. Bottled Jan 04, 2013.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 04:20:52 | More by babaracas

Immortale25

Florida

4.65/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a Dogfish Spiegelau glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a full inch of light brown head that retains very well before eventually making its way down to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a half sheet of bubbly surface foam. Honeycomb-patterned lacing.

S- Oh dear lord. Magnificent nose of fresh cedar, hops and roasted malt. They all converge into a bouquet that's just about perfect IMO. It's peppery, sharp and inviting. There's also some caramel/brown sugar sweetness from the malt that just adds to the enjoyment and complexity.

T- Taste is much of the same. Powerful cedar twang on the palate with the hops and malt complementing. Alcohol is superbly well-hidden, though part of the flavor profile all the same, making this drink comparable to a fine cognac or bourbon that you would pair with a cigar. Also damn near perfect.

M- Sharp and slightly stingy from the alcohol, cedar and hops. I'm sure some age would fix that. Mostly full body and medium carbonation.

O- Thank you Cigar City for coming up with the brilliant concept for the Humidor Series beers. Who would've thought aging beer on cedar would lead to such deliciousness?

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 21:14:03 | More by Immortale25

scottyshades

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at BX Beer Depot's CCB Tap Takeover

Big time cedar in the nose and flavor - very aggressive. Chocolate, cocoa and tons of hops make this a very robust beer. Balanced with a restrained bitterness. Chocolatey cedar finish. One of the more interesting beers CCB has put out

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2013 18:52:20 | More by scottyshades

macrosmatic

Florida

4.21/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Reviewed from notes. Had on-tap at CCB tasting room. Poured into a CCB snifter.
EDIT: Updated review from a recent (2/27/13) bottle drinking

A: Dark brown to black, not quote opaque, with a moderate size tan head and minimal visible carbonation.

S: Cedar, dark malt with a bit of roastiness, and some pine. BOTTLE EDIT: I get some more chocolate notes here.

T: Dark, maybe burnt, coffee with pine and citrus hops. Touch of tropical fruit. Cedar dryness throughout. Pine bitterness in the hang. BOTTLE EDIT: Again, more chocolate than on tap, but it blends well with the coffee malt flavors.

M: Medium body, sticky mouthfeel, alcohol well-hidden for the ABV.

O: Good, although not the best of the Humidor series. But I would certainly have another.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2013 02:15:40 | More by macrosmatic

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.39/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750mL bottle from Lueken's Liquors online. 11.99. Bottled 1/4/13. Served in a Cigar City snifter.

Pours black with cola edges under the light and a dense half finger of vanilla head that leaves dark sheets of lace galore.

Smells of pine, roast, citrus and cedar.

Taste is big and bold with bitter hoppy pine, grapefruit rind, French roast coffee, cream, cedar,dark chocolate, oranges, vanilla, smoke, tobacco and a little pepper. A bit of alcohol burn on the back end but it blends in with the coplex, sweet roasty, hoppy bitterness. Really interesting and quite tasty.

Smooth, velvety, oily medium heavy body with moderate-to-mild carbonation. Cedar, pine and roast aftertaste with a tinge of boozey cooling.

The cedar adds a very distinctive element to a well done base American black ale. Far superior to the Humidor Jai Alai for my tastes. An intricate dichotomy of hops and roast that is made that much more facinating by aging on cedar spirals. One of the best ABAs I've tried and another strong entry from the beer wizards at Cigar City.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 05:14:17 | More by ThickNStout

AlexFields

Tennessee

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours near-black brown with an impressive foamy coffee brown head, leaves lots of thick lacing. Looks great.

Smells of citrusy hops, orange and peach and also lots of chocolate and coffee. More hop forward than malt. Smells great too.

Taste is not quite what I expected. Tons of chocolate, some grassy bitter hops, much less citrus than the nose. Some floral notes too. Aftertaste is bitter, both hop bitterness and dark malt bitterness like unsweetened chocolate. Good stuff.

Mouthfeel is excellent, very thick and creamy, almost like a milkshake. One of the thickest examples of the style I've had.

Overall a very good beer. Would like more citrus and less grass in the flavor but it's great regardless. I love hoppy black ales and this is a great example.

7.9/10

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 04:43:31 | More by AlexFields

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

4.16/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750mL bottle, courtesy of lionssoccer13. Poured into a CCB snifter. I think this was a January release.

A - Pours a light engulfing black with about a finger of dense mocha head. Lacing clings to the walls in a hierarchy of rings.

S - Smells of whoppers candy, molasses, and a distinct pine bitterness. There is a sweet herbal, almost menthol, character to this beer as well. A smooth vanilla-toffee nuttiness rounds this one out. Highly complex and impressive.

T - Chocolate, citrus, and bitter pine hops on the forefront. Very sweet midplalate, full of brown sugar, vanilla, and milk chocolate. Sweetness continues through the finish with a subtle cedar aftertaste.

M - Chewy, thick, viscous. Mellow carbonation. The mouthfeel suits this beer well.

O - I haven't had a subpar beer from Cigar City yet, and this did not buck the trend. It is certainly on the sweet side for the style, but I was impressed with the cohesive variety of flavors. Pine and citrus hops are not dominant, although they do act to discriminate this from a stout. The alochol is well hidden. The immense body makes this beer more enjoyable; it also makes me feel satisfied after just one glass. Gets sweeter and thicker as it warms. I recommend trying it if you are into the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 02:39:06 | More by NoLeafClover44

patre_tim

China

4.59/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Dark brown, almost black. Any hue is slight red but really opaque. 1.5 finger chocolate milk colour head fades to a foam in a couple minutes.

S: Pine, citrus, chocolate, licorice, tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple. Tar, slight woody smell in the after scent, definite cedar.

T: Nothing like it. At first I get all the thickness, sweetness, resinous, syrup with pine, then the cedar shines through along with the chocolate, tar, and licorice qualities. Smooth finnish without the long bitter hop burn that many doubles have. Black pepper in the back comes out after several sips.

M: Thick, in a really thick way, syrupy, resinous, oily, very low carbonation.

O: A masterpiece. The cedar scent and taste lingers and draws me back. Definite sipper, hides the alcohol in a very real way. Syrupy, sweet but not destructively so, quick finnish making it a desirable beer to keep drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 02:11:12 | More by patre_tim

jucifer1818

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: Surprise, Surprise, its actually black
5/5

s: Fresh fruity american hops, and brilliant ones to boot. It smells like a pound of freshly shipped glacier hops <3
4.5/5

t: Very citricy and grapefruity. It tastes like freshly sliced grapefruit, but with a excellent sweet malty backbone.
4.5/5

M: Prickley and syrup like
4/5

O: A Excellent brew from cigar city. A perfect example of what a black IPA should be, and one of the most balanced hoppy brews I've ever had and one of Cigar cities best
4.5/5

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2013 02:34:27 | More by jucifer1818

Greenplastic615

Pennsylvania

4.74/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

So, I've had this one a few times and really, really love it. This review based on a bottle I had last night, split with a few friends over board games (nerds!) :)

A - Pours black with a two finger khaki head. Looks like a black IPA should.

S - HUGE cedar notes, with some piney hops, and some roasty malt. The cedar is almost unbalanced in the smell, in a good way. I love cedar though, so I'm biased.

T - If you took a brewed a big double black IPA and transferred it into a giant cigar humidor for secondary fermentation, then bottled it, it would taste like this. Big wood notes that are right in line with the aroma. No way I'd peg this at 11%, there's no booze at all in the taste.

M - Appropriate for an 11% black IPA. Not really sure what else to say.

O - I wish this was available all the time, or at least made into a seasonal release. Black IPAs are a tricky style to execute well in my opinion, and Cigar City really nailed it. Would gladly drink again (and again).

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 20:23:33 | More by Greenplastic615

nesarebad

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

750 oz. bottle date January 2013. Might be a little too old for the style but think it should hold up quite well.

A - Pours almost bitch black with a voluminous two finger tan head. This beer looks great, delicate lacing lingers throughout my glass as I drink.

S - Faint hints of cedar, citrus-y hops and a faint touch of dark chocolat-y and roasted malts. Nothing here is overpowering, shows some good balance.

T - Sweet and hoppy on the front-end. Roasted malts and alcoholic bite in the middle. Finishes with a touch of cedar on the tongue, which is quite pleasant on the palate and is actually the most pleasant experience of tasting this beer.

M - If having a 'balanced' mouth-feel exists, I think this beer hits it. I think the flavor profile could stand for a little more malt-backbone, but that is not detracting from this beer. The cedar notes on the back-end round out the uniqueness.

Overall, this is a wonderfully crafted beer. In the limited experience I have had with cedar aged beers, Cigar City really knows what flavor profiles work. Would have again and would be interested in seeing what some age could to (with the hoppyness muted).

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 03:53:24 | More by nesarebad