10.5% ABV/ $5.49 a 22 oz. bottleCorona Doble 7" x 52 ring gauge/ $15.99. Maxamar's
While I know that this isn't exactly what you think of when one thinks of summer beers, I decided to review it because Stone just released this years release at the end of May. Their website describes it as massive and intensely aromatic. The say that the style originated in Czarist Russia in their demand for thicker English stouts.
After pouring the beer into a glass the first thing I noticed was the color. It is the color of heavily used motor oil, an opaque black. The beer also pours very thick and didn't have much head. After I put my nose to the glass I got the aromas of bread, sweetness, and a slight hoppiness. The aromas were very rich. Taking a sip the beer liberally coats the tongue however there isn't much carbonation. The tastes I pick up are of hopps, citrus, malt, chocolate and coffee. This was my second bottle of this year's release and I can definitely say it was enjoyable by itself.
I knew I would need a cigar that could hold it's own to this beer so I decided that a Liga No. 9 would fit the bill. The cigar was dark in color and oily to the touch. After clipping and lighting it and taking a few puffs on it I was able to taste some chocolate, leather, earth all with a sweet finish.
These two were a great paring in my opinion. Their relative strengths didn't overwhelm each other and I was able to taste both of them the whole time. As the beer warmed up a bit the notes of bittersweet chocolate came to the forefront and brought out the same in the cigar.
While I wouldn't exactly want to drink this on an especially hot day, it was in the low 80's on the day I did this, it would be a great pairing for a cool evening.
Comments...questions? Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
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