Piraat Ale and Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend Maduro Toro

{Reposted from CigarPostings2 blog: dated 2-11-10}
Piraat Ale & Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend Maduro

I have had some problems finding a maduro cigar to go with this ale. Some of the big bold smokes that I have in my stash were just kicking up the flavor profile in the ale where I wanted some water to extinguish the overload on the palate.

Remember, this is a sipping ale (10.5 abv). So, I want to take a sip and then enjoy smoking the cigar. This ale is working well with my Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend Maduro Toro (6 x 58).

As I get to the mid-point of the cigar I notice that the ale is giving me a nice complexity of sweet, little sour and bitter notes across the tongue. A nice faint bitter note on the back of the palate from the ale and the earthy quality from the cigar build a fuller mouthfeel experience.

The meaty nut flavor from the cigar reminds me of a mixture of walnut and black walnut. The dark fruit notes in the cigar go well with the tropical notes from the ale. Cocoa is always a good characteristic of a nice maduro, at least to me. This cigar does not give me any sweet notes. It is more of a dry cocoa note that I get. And, the ales sweetness takes care of that so you don’t get a sweetness overload.

The cigar seems to always burn well for me and holds a nice salt and pepper ash.

If you are looking for a fuller mouthfeel, while drinking this ale, this is a good pairing. A little water will help to refresh the palate along the way.

This would be an excellent pairing at the end of a day.

Piraat Ale

Shiver me timbers matey, it’s a Piraat Ale for me!

RRrrrr! This Belgian ale is brewed by: Br. Van Steenberge and is one of my favorite beers. The 10.5% abv warms the palate but, the alcohol does not stand out in the taste profile so, be careful matey. The tropical fruit and faint malty sweetness works with the grassy-hoppy slight bitterness. Sorry hop heads – it’s not your IPA. This ale is called an IPA because of its history.

This delicious ale comes in a 750 ml bottle and in 330 ml bottles. By the way, 330 ml is 11.2 ounces – I want 12 ounces – those Belgians are short changing us – those scallywags. A 750 ml bottle will run about 12 bones matey.

Now, it tastes like nothing at all??? – Oops, the chalice is empty. I always enjoy this ale but, when the chalice is full. One thing about this ale is that, as it gets warmer the taste gets better.

The purpose of this blog is to find the best pairings to maximize your pleasure. This summer I will be pairing this ale up with some different foods to find that perfect match. I’ll be calling this series, “The Treasure Hunt.”

If you enjoy a fine cigar I have several articles written where I paired this ale up with different cigars. There are 7 different posting in the months of January and February. I would recommend a Cameroon wrapped cigar with this ale.