Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2014 Review - Part 2

Tonight, I'm continuing my journey through Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp for 2014. So far I'm fairly intrigued with some of the entries I've seen this far and it'll be interesting to see where we go from here.

Torpedo Pilsner Hoppy Pilsner (5.2% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Firestone Walker Brewing. The flavor is very bitter hop forward with some lemon zest, pilsner-pale & biscuit malts, and some yeastiness. The bitter resin hop taste lingers on the back of the palate. Pretty light bodied and easy to drink. Pilsners have never been known to me as being of the hoppy variety but this one works quite well and it's rather flavorful. I would definitely have this again if given the chance!

Verdict - 8.5/10

Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock (7.7% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing. The flavor has the typical caramel maltiness and honey sweetness that I'm used to. However what sets this apart is the strong tropical mango and agave fruitness at the front of the palate as well as some floral hoppiness. This is unlike any other Maibock I've had before and I love just how robust and vibrant the flavor is. It's too bad that this is a one time beer because I would definitely be keeping this in my fridge on a regular basis.

Verdict - 9.25/10

Chico King Pale Ale (6.5% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with 3 Floyds Brewing. Pours a surpringly dark orange color. The flavor opens up with some caramel malt sweetness followed by some floral hops, mild grapefruits and resin hop bitterness. The aftertaste is pretty dry as well but it's very easy to drink. It's a slightly different take on Sierra Nevada's original American Pale Ale and it works out quite well. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say I prefer this over Sierra Nevada's normal Pale Ale.

Verdict - 8.5/10

Maillard's Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale (8.5% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Bell's Brewery. A pitch black colored beer with a very foamy khaki colored head. Very roasty flavor with roasted barley at the front of the palate with some chocolate malts, bitter hops and a roasty dark chocolate and slightly earthy aftertaste. Nothing too spectacular, it's just a good tasting Black Ale that anyone whom enjoys the style will certainly find something to like about this.

Verdict 8.25/10

I like the variety that I'm getting from this, more so than when I first started looking at this 12 pack. I still have 4 more beers left to go before concluding this series. If my schedule permits I should have the rest of the series done by Sunday. I hope you are enjoying reading my thoughts and comments on these beers. 

Cheers

- Nick

Cigar City José Martí American Porter Review

Name: Cigar City José Martí American Porter
Style: Porter
ABV: 8%

Continuing on with some beer I got in the mail for an exchange, I'm now going to look at a beer from Cigar City Brewing based out of Tampa, Florida. Believe it or not, I've actually gotten some Cigar City in a beer trade about 3 years ago when I was still in college and found them to be quite good.

For this review, it's something which I've never had before and it's their José Martí American Porter. José Martí was a Cuban poet & political activist back when Cuba was fighting for independence from Spain in the late 1800's. Through his writings and activism for democracy, he became a national symbol for an independent Cuba after he was killed in battle in 1895. He is still, to this day, considered a national hero in Cuba. It's an interesting inspiration for a beer name, but it makes sense when you consider that Tampa, FL and Florida in general has a very high Cuban-American population.

Jose Marti pours a pitch black color with a very brown-khaki colored head. It's also worth pointing out the lacing is quite abundant and very sticky.

The nose is very hop forward and I mean very. Even by Porter standards, I am taken aback by how aggressively hoppy this smells; After all, the label does say "robustly hopped" on it. Once you get passed that, there's a very nice roasted barley bill and hints of chocolate malts, caoco and coffee.

The flavor is also extremely hoppy upfront but the strong roasted barley and chocolate maltiness help balance out the flavor from being too hop-centric The aftertaste is mainly roasted barley and coffee beans. One thing I notice about the flavor is that it's quite smooth and every part of the flavor seems to go together seamlessly. Speaking of smooth....

The body itself is quite heavy with some mild-to-moderate thickness. The carbonation is also very mild and the overall texture is very smooth.

I know this may be a bit of a stretch to say, but this is, without a doubt, one of the best porters I have ever had. The flavor is very robust yet well-balanced and on top of that, the palate and texture as a whole as so incredibly smooth. If you happen to come across this beer, you absolutely need to check this out.

Cigar City José Martí American Porter - 9.5/10