Tag Archives: cigar city brewing

Guayabera Citra Pale Ale – Cigar City Brewing

by Mike

From Cigar City Brewing in Tampa Bay Florida comes their “Guayabera Citra Pale Ale”.  The beer pours a cloudy golden colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of citrus, herbal and floral hops and a sweetness.  The flavour is of citrus, melon, herbal, resin, hint of dank hops, bitterness and some bready malts.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 50.  This Pale Ale is absolutely a great example of what I like in a beer of the style.

Commercial Description:  Traditional throughout Latin America, the guayabera shirt combines style, functionality, form and tradition in it’s four-pocketed design.  We at Cigar City feel the same reverence and appreciation for the guayabera that we do for the Citra hop varietal, an ingredient that imparts notes of tangerine, lime and berries to this traditional American Pale Ale.  The exclusive use of Citra hops in this beer creates a flavor that’s at once unique and recognizable, while it’s dry, crisp character and moderate alcohol make it as refreshing and functional as a crisp linen guayabera.

Jai Alai IPA – Cigar City Brewing

by Mike

From Cigar City Brewing in Tampa Bay Florida comes their “Jai Alai IPA”.  The beer pours a golden colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of tropical fruit, citrus and floral hops.  The flavour is of tropical fruit, pineapple juice, caramel, resin and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 7.5% with an IBU of 70.  This beer falls under the I wish I brought back more than one can category.  This stuff was really good!

Commercial Description:  Jai Alai, a game native to the Basque region of Spain, is played on a court called a fronton. Jai Alai players attempt to catch a ball using a curved mitt whilst the ball travels at speeds up to 188mph! Proving they have a sense of humor the Spanish dubbed this game, with its ball traveling at racecar speeds, “the merry game.” Tampa was once home to a bustling Jai Alai fronton but sadly all that remains of Jai Alai in the Tampa Bay area is this India Pale Ale that we brew in tribute to the merry game. The India Pale Ale style of beer has its roots in the ales sent from England to thirsty British troops in India during the 18th century. Pair Jai Alai India Pale Ale with beef empanadas, deviled crabs and other spicy dishes.

Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout 2017 – Cigar City Brewing

by Mike

From Cigar City Brewing in Tampa Bay Florida comes their “Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout” 2017 Vingate.  The beer pours a jet black colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, molasses, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, chocolate and some alcohol.  The flavour is of roasted malts, burnt coffee, ash, molasses, caramel, toffee, dark chocolate, anise, dark fruit, maybe some umami, alcohol and a bitterness in the finish. The alcohol content comes in at 11.2% with an IBU of 70.  This is a seriously big beer and right up my alley.  I wish I could have brought more of this beer back or visited the brewery while in Florida but there is only so much room in your luggage and we had to leave Florida in a hurry to avoid Hurricane Irma.

Commercial Description:  This Russian Imperial Stout is dedicated to Georgy Zhukov, arguably one of the finest generals of World War II. Opaque black in color, with notes of espresso, chocolate, dark toffee and hints of blackstrap molasses. The English hop varietals provide a subtle herbal dryness, and the beer finishes with a hearty slap of roasty espresso. Pair Marshal Zhukov’s with mushroom solyanka, dark chocolate, cherries and ground wars in Russia.