Kapittel Tasting Day #2 - Prior Ale

Padilla Achilles Corojo Salomon & Kapittel Prior Ale
{Reposted from CigarPostings2 blog: dated 2-27-10}

The Pairing
I still have half the cigar to go so I planned to enjoy the Kapittel Prior Ale on the second half of the cigar. The Prior is a 9% abv with a bitter sweet profile. This ale is a little more complex than the Pater Ale. The aroma is not very eventful and the taste is sweeter than it smells. It is dark brown with some reddish hues when held to the light. This bottle did not have any sediment at all.

The taste to me is vanilla and toffee giving it a candy sugar taste. It also has some dark fruit (fancy raisan) with a little bit of complexity to the taste. Probably from the mossy hop bitterness that helps to balance that sweetness. Good thing because, without the bitter bite I would be pouring this on the grass. The mouthfeel has low carbonation, a smooth creamy style. The port wine character is due to the 9% abv. I am going to give it a 5.5 strength rating because of the bitter notes that fight off the candy sweetness and the lack of a linger note on my palate. There is a short sweet and slight bitter bite on the palate.

I believe the cigar does help this ale for me. The other night I drank a bottle while playing cards and I have to say I was not looking forward to having it again. I said it was sweet and the wife said it was bitter but, she likes raspberry flavored beers.

The cigar does tame some of the sweetness for me and that is good. As for the cigar, I had burning issues along the way. If I left the cigar for a couple of minutes it called for a relight. I have to admit that the cigar and Pater Ale pairing was better. Maybe this Prior needs a more complex and robust cigar to be paired with it to maximize its potential.

The results of Kapittel Tasting DayIn the four pack that they package these four Belgian ales in you get: Prior Red, Pater Brown, Blond Golden and Abt Amber. The Prior and Pater are not my style for enjoyment. But, I did like the Pater with the Padilla cigar. The Abt Amber is terrific and the Blond is close behind it. I hope they start selling the Abt and Blond separate from the other two so I could buy more. If you like the sweet ales of Belgium then the other two are for you to enjoy.

Kapittel Tasting Day and A Butera Cigar

Kapittel Tasting Day
{Reposted from CigarPostings2 blog: dated 2-20-10}

Yesterday I did a tasting on the Kapittel Blond Ale and it reminded me of the Abt for some reason. So, change of cigars and beers that I lined up for today. I am going to pair these two up to kill my curiosity. I am at my place up north Michigan and I don’t have another Oliva G Cameroon with me. But, this Butera Dorado should do just fine. I didn’t want to get another Cameroon wrapped cigar for I want to see how another type of cigar will do with the blond ale.

The Cigar
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Brazil and Dominican
Size: 6 x 52
My strength rating is a 2.5. This is not a complex cigar. Just as I describe the Hemingway’s as an elegant cigar, so too is the Butera line-up. Most of the Buteras have nice creamy style but, I really don’t get that from the Dorado. I have always thought of it as a smooth classic tobacco taste with a solid cedar flavor. Let’s see how the cedar flavor of this cigar affects the blond ale compared to the nutty Cameroon.

The Kapittel Blond
The Kapittel Blond Ale still has an attractive light burnt orange look. The sediment must give it that burnt look for the initial pour because as it settles the haze disappears a little. Paired up with the Butera Cigar things are a little different. The sweet honey dipped fruit is not as noticeable. Little more play with the mild spice but, it is still silky smooth. I do like the pairing but, if I am looking to maximize my pleasure I am going with the Oliva ‘G’ Cameroon and the Blond Ale. I think that nutty characteristic of the Cameroon makes the pairing so good with the fruity style of the ale.

The Kapittel Alt Ale
The Alt pours an attractive hazy amber-orange with plenty sediment that floats to the bottom of the glass. The ale has a wonderful spice and citrus zip. I think the sweet orange taste is in the front for now. A good medium body complexity that is pleasing to the palate. This is delicious; every sip I take it gets even better. The sweet orange taste is not your regular grocery store orange. I will have to go to the specialty grocery store to find the orange that I am thinking of but, it sure is damn good.

Now, the sweetness is only coming from the nice orange notes that I get. This ale is only slightly sweet in profile and I like that. The real complexity is the nice mild-medium spice, mingling with the citrus mixture and the mouthfeel that lingers is yours to enjoy. The creamy texture of the ale hides that 10% abv so, be careful. With that 10% abv – globalbeer.com says, “it’s a triple by strength.”

I really like this Butera Dorado with this ale. The ale really makes the Butera feel a little fuller in body. I think the strong cedar taste clings to the palate due to the lingering notes left from the ale.

Now, I am left wondering how this Alt pairs up with the Oliva ‘G’. I am sure I will give it a try as soon as I can because; I think this Kapittel Alt is a new favorite. I also see in my notes that I want to pair the Alt with the Hoyo Excalibur #1.
This is a winner, too. I want to buy a case of the Kapittel Alt Ale.

Kapittel Blond and Troubadour Blond vs. Oliva Serie 'G' Cameroon

Oliva Serie ‘G’ vs The Belgian Blonds
{Reposted from cigarpostings2 blog: dated 2-19-10}

The Cameroon wrapped Oliva is a wonderful nutty and woodsy smoke. The Nicaraguan Habano filler gives it a rich, slightly spicy, medium body profile. I give this cigar a straight up 5 on my strength scale.

The Kapittal Blond Ale is the first one up to tangle with the 7 x 50 woodsy Oliva Cameroon. (the Tiger Woods story is not influencing me to use the word – “woodsy” and blond in the same sentence) The ale has an attractive light burnt orange look. The beer has some sediment floating in this one and that probably helps to make it a little hazier looking as well. The Kapittal has a slight spice and fruitiness galore taste. I think I even taste a little orange at times . The nice sweet honey dipped fruits fills the mouth with the taste of summer time. A good mild-medium body complexity rounds off the edges. This is a nice tasting blond ale; every sip I take it gets even better.

I selected the Oliva to go with this ale because of the flavor profile. The nutty and sweet cedar smoke should pair up well with the sweet fruits and mild spices of the ale. The cigar lights up well and has a perfect draw. I have not had a bad one yet. The burn is even and holds a decent ash.
The sediment is resting on the bottom of the glass as I enjoy this silky smooth blond ale.
Just as I thought, the sweet fruit from the blond ale goes extremely well with the nutty and woodsy cigar. These two can tango. The variety of fruit that I taste from the ale, while I smoke the cigar, is wonderful. Now, I detect a little lemon twist on the tongue as the ale opens up. This cigar has a great nutty flavor and it is even better while I sip on this blond. The nice dry spice profile of the cigar mingles with the delicate spice of the blond for a perfect match.

This is a winner. I want to buy a 12 pack of the Kapittel Blond Ale and a handful of the Oliva Serie ‘G’ cigars and I have the chair ready for that summer day.
I am going to have to taste this Kapittel Blond with the Kapittel Alt tomorrow. From what I remember about the Alt - the tastes are very close but, I think the Alt maybe better. Maybe, it is just the 10% abv!!!
Troubadour Blond
The 6.5% abv Troubadour Blond Ale is next to tangle with the nutty flavor of the Oliva Cameroon Cigar. The nice thing about a Churchill size cigar is that you usually will have time for two beers so, that brings us to the next pairing.

The Troubadour Blond is a mild-medium bodied ale that is not overpowering in taste. It has a pleasing citrus bitterness with a light malt spice profile. As the ale warms, so does the complexity, it is like the hops are starting to wake up. With each sip I enjoy a nice hoppy smell.

The Oliva ‘G’ is a winner with these Belgian Blonds. The ‘G’ brings out some of the light hoppy notes in this ale and a nice creamy yeasty aroma with those slight hops on the nose. I am really enjoying the nutty and light spice flavor from the cigar, making this a great experience.

If you want to get your ‘G’ spot on with a Belgian Blond, I would recommend these pairings. The nuttiness of the cigar goes great with the citrus notes of these blonds. And, the best part is you won’t get hit in the head with a 9 iron.
Maximize your pleasures!

Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel: Beer Review

9% abv
1 pt. 9.4 oz / 75cl
Brewed by: Brasserie d’Achouffe
Achouffe, Belgium
Achouffe.be

This ale is brewed with three different types of hops: Amarillo, Tomahawk, and Saaz hops. Chouffe is the little gnome on the bottle. And, this smart little guy is in the hops field. Houblon Chouffe has only been brewed since 2006. 

The aroma of this ale is very nice. It’s filled with citrus, floral, and grainy notes. The taste is just wonderful. This IPA has a very pleasing citrus quality that mixes with some floral, herbal, grassy, and grainy notes. Besides the citrus bitter bite (to me not overwhelming) this citrus also shows off a mild black peppercorn taste. The sweet malts do mix it up a bit here and at times I think I get a pink peppercorn taste. There are some good undertones to pay attention to here. The yeast, tropical fruits, and a little kiss of malty sweetness help to make this one tasty IPA in my opinion.

Not only is the taste complex and wonderful, the mouthfeel is really nice. This ale delivers the hops with a smooth style and crispness that leaves my palate satisfied and not ravaged. With each sip I want more.

A must buy for IPA fans. Leave a comment if you have tried this before.

Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury Ale: Beer Review

7.5% abv
12 oz bottle
Bell’s
Comstock, Michigan, USA

Appearance: Very dark almost black body with a very thin creamy tan head.

Aroma: sweet malts, toasted toffee

Taste: Layers of toasted malts: sweet toffee and caramel. Roasted coffee bean and a low % dark chocolate – 60% dark chocolate type.

Mouthfeel: Thick, almost creamy texture just short of syrupy. Low carbonation. Roasted sweet caramel coffee notes linger on the palate.

This is a sipper! Take your time to enjoy the variety of flavors.

Worth a try.

Motor City Brewing Works Nut Brown Ale: Beer Review

4.2% abv
12 oz bottle
Motor City Brewing Works

Detroit, Michigan, USA
Motorcitybeer.com

Right off I can see tons of carbonation. With a light pour I get a half a glass of foam. The tan head has some staying power. Ok, this Nut Brown has to be old – it taste like Nut Brown Vinegar beer. This could be good to cook with or maybe pour a little over your salad. The bottle has the month and year notching system to give you the expiration date but, nothing is notched. If I ever buy this again I’ll repost.

Just went to beeradvocate to do a little reading on this and there are a few others with the same experience.

Update: January 18, 2013 - I finally got brave to try this again.  Click Here to read

Dogfish Indian Brown Ale: Beer Review

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware, USA
Dogfish.com

This 7.2% abv ale pours a dark drown body with a one finger tan head. The aroma is pleasing with a nice toasted malt nose. It reads on the bottle, “A clean, well-hopped brown ale with aromatic barley, caramelized brown sugar and whole-leaf liberty & Goldings hops.”

It must be the aromatic barley giving me the dark fruit taste. It tastes like fresh dried dark raisins and fig. I also like the mild coffee note and cola like character.

The caramelized brown sugar is tasty but, the sweetness is tempered by the hops. The hops supply a nice bitter quality to the taste profile.

The mouthfeel is smooth and the carbonation level is moderate. There is a good roasted malt taste on the palate but, the aftertaste and lingering notes are settle.

This pleasing brown ale is easy to drink. I have never had this one before but, I am sure glad I bought a six pack. Might be a new brown ale favorite in the making.

See cigar pairing with Man O War Ruination

Reindeer’s Revolt - Beer Review

By: Ridgeway Brewing
English Christmas Ale
6% abv
1 pt 9 fl oz
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
My Strength Rating: 4

A dainty sweet biscuit nose floats over the light amber body and white one finger head. This has an English Ale like quality that I like. The tea like hoppy profile is leading this sleigh ride. Then, there is this slight toffee taste that blends into this mixture. The delicate sweet note is just scrumptious. The low to moderate carbonation level is just right to help cleans the palate. The texture is smooth and light. It is not a big English Ale but an elegant one.

If you can find this ale pick it up it’s worth the 5 bucks.

A Beer Review: Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale

The Beer
5% abv
550ml bottle
Sam’l Smith’s Old Brewery
North Yorks, England
My Strength Rating: 4

Appearance: amber in color with an off-white head.
Aroma: sweet with a touch of fruit
Taste: Uhm?... Pale ale? ... Muted fruitiness that is slightly sweet with some mild hop bitterness. There is a biscuit like quality that mingles with a grainy texture and a light earthy feel. Not what I expected but, I think I do like the ale.
Mouthfeel: the fine carbonation tingles the tongue and to me it is a mild to medium bodied ale.

Samuel Adams Cream Stout: Review

 

Roasty and Toasty

When sitting by the campfire, this fall or winter, get yourself a good chocolate treat – and I am not talking about a s’more – pour yourself a glass a Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

This 4.9% abv stout pours a black body with a fine looking tan head. There are layers of roasted malts on the nose. The taste is a wonderful sensation of roasted caramel coffee and toasted dark chocolate notes. The hops kick in to add a good bitter quality which, help to add to the dark chocolate style.

The texture has a nice creamy style due to the low carbonation. The toasted and roasted notes mingle in for a thick aftertaste that lingers.

And to complete this fireside delight a cigar with its own chocolate and coffee profile: Indian Tabac Maduro. There two were perfect while I sat by my fire here in Grindstone City, Michigan.

Sprecher Black Bavarian

The Black Lager
Yes, it is black and a 2 finger fine tan head that dissipates fairly quick. The head leaves some nice lacing on the glass. As I continue to drink the lager there is little lacing on the glass.
Aroma is roasted and sweet malt.
First sip is caramelized malt for sure. There is a definite dark chocolate taste that swirls around the palate. This is a fine black lager that is complex with the malty notes. To me there are roasted undertones that make me think of roasted coffee beans, there are caramelized malts, up front, giving me that sweetness and the dark chocolate that swirl around the edges that gives me that little bitterness.

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.

Perdomo 2 Natural and Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout

Perdomo 2

The CigarWrapper: Nicaragua Natural

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 5 x 50

My Strength Rating: 4.5

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. Let’s see how it serves up some taste with a stout.

The ale that I have selected is Bell’s Special Double Cream Stout. This ale is complex. The other day I sampled a bottle to see what this beer is all about. I was not sure what I thought; do I like it, do I not? So, tonight I am going to have one before dinner to establish what these flavors are all about. Then, I’ll do the pairing after dinner.

The ale like I said is complex – a candy like sweetness is quickly interrupted by some really nice roasted, almost burnt quality, malts. Then, just in a blink of the eye there is a sourness that is interrupted by a little bitterness and an earthiness or maybe a grainy coffee. The chocolate is hard to notice in the background because all that other stuff going on inside the mouth. Then, I start to think ‘sour’ – what was that – ‘sour’- was it sour lemon rinds or sour milk, I don’t think it was sour vinegar. After several sips I just came to the conclusion, whatever sour it is, I don’t like it in the ale. And as the ale warmed up I really didn’t like the sour note. But, I really liked those roasted malts and some of the sweetness. I think the hop bitterness was nice but, the hoppy lemon rind was a distraction for me in this ale. I just can’t call it sour milk taste because that sounds really unappealing. Double cream? I don't even know if it was there, too much going on with this beer. I would recommend trying this beer and drinking it slowly to get all the flavors that are going on.

When I paired this ale up with the Perdomo cigar I liked how the earthiness of the cigar managed the malts and the hops of this ale. The sweetness was not as intense and that sour note was managed a bit. I also liked how the bitterness was a little more pronounced and then the roasted malts were still solid. But, this gave me the opportunity to say, where is the cream! The creamy profile is on the front of the taste, right when it passed over my lips. And then, to me it is lost with all the intense flavors going on in the mouth. I would like this more if the creaminess had a chance to play a role in the mouthfeel.

This was the right cigar to pair with this very complex beer. The cigar is not complex and pretty straight forward with its earthy, medium coffee and light spice profile. Come to think of it I never noticed any of the light spice from the cigar, probably because of the complexity of the ale. I wonder what will happen when I pair this ale up with a stronger cigar with some solid coffee, chocolate and solid spice. Will it be taste bud overload or, will it be the matching that will maximize my pleasure?

Cranberry Maple Pecan Encrusted Veal Chops

In a small frying pan melt about three tablespoons of unsalted butter and add Cranberry Maple rub

then toss in the chopped pecans

Once the pecans are glazed well with the rub cover the veal chops with the pecans. Bake in the oven till ready.