Perdomo 2 Robusto Natural and Phat Abbot Dubbel

Phat Abbot trappist-style ale dubbel
By: Arbor Brewing Company

The Cigar
Wrapper: Nicaragua Natural
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 5 x 50
My Strength Rating: 4.5
Back in the 90’s when Perdomo cigar hit the market they came in some pretty cool boxes. I really enjoyed their cigars and then late 90’s, 98 or 99, the quality seemed to lack and I stopped smoking them all together. The Store that I frequent even stopped carrying them all together. A couple of months back I got a great deal on a five pack of Perdomo 2 naturals so, I had to buy them to give them a new try. The first two seemed pretty good. So I thought it was time to give a short review with a good malted beverage along the way.

The cigar is not all that complex. It has a nice medium roast coffee profile along with some nice earthy notes and some mild spice. This would be a very good stick to smoke with a coffee – medium roast of course! I have to say, I think it is a pleasant smoke. It is not anything to write home about but, then again you probably never write home. The cigar is serviceable – the cigar is a value cigar.

The Ale
The appearance is ok. The ruddy brown look with the light head did not scream, Drink Me! Probably due to the light-fine carbonation the head was thin even with an aggressive pour. The aroma was pleasant, with light spice and fruit.

I do not remember having the Phat Abbot last session but, the year before I really liked this beer. It had a nice complexity and the tropical fruits and spice with the sweet malts danced on the palate. I bought a couple of bottles at the Ypsilanti Michigan Brewery the other week. I opened the first bottle to establish the taste of the ale since it has been awhile since I have had one. Experiencing the first bottle I have to say was uninspiring. The tropical notes were faint, no banana notes at all, the spice was mild and the sweet malts were just there. That did not stop me from moving forward with this pairing. I had the other bottle ready to go and the cigar was ready to light and maybe some magic well happen.

The Pairing
These two do work together but, they do not make a memorable moment. Neither one detracted from the other and that is good – so, it is a serviceable pairing. The taste of the second bottle of ale was pretty much like the first one I had. I did notice the watery edges a little more while I smoked the cigar. The ale did nothing to change anything in the cigar profile. The medium roast coffee notes of the cigar mingled with the sweet malts nicely. The earthy style of the cigar played well with the light tropical fruit and spice. But, the ale is just lacking character.
But, it is the end of March and they are done making this ale. I’ll try it next September when they start the new batch and see if the flavor is better then. As for the cigar, I’ll have to plan on a coffee or a stout pairing.