ABV: 11.5%
Purchased at: I traded for it, but can’t even remember who I got it from?
What makes this beer different: The touch of chile really cuts through the sweetness.
Will I be drinking this again: Would love to get my hands on another bottle.
Grade: A+
11/8/2010: So here I am, at the finish line. It is kind of bittersweet… I feel a sense of accomplishment that I made it through an entire year of this, but I am also a bit sad that this is ending. Well technically this is not ending, I’m just going to take a week or so away from drinking beer all together then I am going to update 2-3 new beers a week. Sometime in the next few days I am going to post up an entire recap of my experience, as well as my personal top 10. So keep reading because I am still going to keep updating the site, just not quite as often.
Figured I would dip into my big stouts in the basement for my last beer. I was at a big stout tasting over the summer, and this was the hands down favorite for the group out of 25-30 other imperial stouts. The nose is a lot of sweet chocolate, and you do get a little bit of a chili powder smell. The first thing you notice after sipping the beer is its mouthfeel, most creamy and perfect mouthfeel of any beer I have ever had. Even though it is creamy, its not super heavy/gloopy for an Imperial Stout which made polishing off this whole bottle by myself a lot easier than I thought. The flavor of sweet chocolate and a bit of heat from the chili is really a great combo, they both keep each other in check. While chocolate/chili are the main flavors, there is also a bit of dark fruit, smoke, vanilla, and a tobacco kick (maybe a play on the name Cigar City?). Excellent combination of flavors. This beer is without a doubt in my top 3 beers for the year. Now its time to round up all my A+ beers and decide which ones were my favorite. Again I am going to keep updating the site, but only 2-3 times per week instead of every day. Stay tuned!!
Picture of the day: A map of the world as it really is.