Nat Sherman - "1930" inmenso (Dominican Republic)

As a birthday gift, my brother Dan got me a Nat Sherman "1930" inmenso, a super-premium cigar from New York, NY-based tobacconist Nat Sherman. I'd been dying to try it, and he and I each smoked our own a few weeks ago.

Nat Sherman himself was an old speakeasy proprietor-turned-tobacco mogul whose namesake shop occupies a rather fancy address on East 42nd Street, right across from the New York Public Library and a few blocks over from Grand Central Station. Ronald Margulis of Cigar Magazine wrote a nice article about Nat Sherman in the Winter 2006 edition of that periodical, where he claims that Nat Sherman's so-called Townhouse served as "neutral ground" for organized crime families. Today, the property is a high-end smokeshop in which I would not mind spending some time (as well as my entire paycheck):

Source: NatSherman.com

For this particular 1930 label, the cigars are manufactured under the Nat Sherman name by Quesada Cigars, the same folks who make the Dominican Fonsecas. This cigar is a 7" x 56 ring gauge Churchill grande size. Every component of this cigar, save for the Nicaraguan long-fillers, is Dominican. The wrapper and binder are all Dominican-grown, and there's some Dominican stuff in the filler as well. I like the leather-brown color to the cigar.

Before smoking the cigar, it's good to roll it between your fingers a bit to see how springy / loose the tobacco is. After doing this, I was initially concerned since the cigar seemed to be wrapped rather tightly. I had to really work the tobacco leaves between my fingers to get it pliable; it took quite a bit of working to get it to draw properly. Sometimes cigars are wrapped too tightly, which may require they be "drawn out," which means you need to run a length of metal down the cigar to essentially cut a channel through the tobacco through which you can draw the delicious flavor. Since I didn't have such a tool, I had to massage it in hopes that it might loosen up.

But it lit up, and after a bit of coaxing, and the flavor began to come out. The leaves opened up a bit as I smoked it, with a nice smooth pepper flavor with some leaf / earth flavors which I thought were rather nice. The flavor was more subtle than some other cigars I've had, which I appreciated for sure. The size of the smoke was nice, as well - a large-format smoke like this one was enough to last me for over an hour of smoking. It finished well, and didn't get acrid or nasty until the very very end.

The verdict is that it's a great cigar, but could be better constructed. I also recall that I had to relight it a few times, which is not great. All of this may be a function of this particular cigar, though - as with anything handcrafted, quality varies from piece to piece. I could have easily just gotten a badly-made smoke.  I'm definitely interested in trying another Nat Sherman in the future, because construction notwithstanding, the quality of the leaf and the taste of the smoke was really nice, and I'd love to see what else they offer.

Stone Brewing Co. - "18th Anniversary" American double imperial IPA

Today's beer review is another spur-of-the-moment purchase...got this at Whole Foods on P Street. It was $9.99.

It's an 8.5% ABV American double imperial IPA released by Stone Brewing Co. in celebration of their 18th anniversary. Dry-hopped with El Dorado hops, it's billed as the "hoppiest golden-brown IPA on the planet."

Well, let's see about that.

It has an amber-colored pour, with a big foamy head. Lots of lacing on the glass. It's still got that amber color, and is a pleasant hazy orange when candled.

I like the aroma coming off the beer - sweet and piquant with a bitter tinge to it.

After trying it, I can confirm it is, indeed, pretty hoppy. It's got that Sierra Nevada Torpedo-style bitterness, with a crisp amber lager-esque finish and very little aftertaste.

But that's it.

I like that it's crisp, straightforward, and is tasty...but it's missing something. It doesn't have the gravitas that a true IPA of this type ought to have. Other super-hoppy IPAs have a stronger, headier feel to them, and I felt this beer was thinner than I would have liked. Sure, the flavor was good, but it didn't seem to have that extra power that I might have expected from an 8.5% ABV beer. I was left feeling a little let down. Well - you win some, you lose some. If you're into thin, crisp IPAs (closer to an IPL) then this is the beer for you. If not - I'd suggest looking at something else to scratch that imperial IPA itch.

Beer Flash: Weyerbacher Brewing Co. - Heresy imperial stout

Today's "Beer Flash" is just a quick word on a beer I tried from Irving Wines and Spirits. It's Weyerbacher's Heresy, an imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels. I've had some similar beers before, but not one from Weyerbacher. The taste, as you'd imagine, is pretty dark and sweet with some roasted malt flavors and an oily texture. This beer is heavy, dark, and sweet.

While it wasn't my favorite, I can still appreciate a good stout when I try one!

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Beer Camp compilation

So last week, I got an email from Jesse, who helps run Irving Wines and Spirits on Mt. Pleasant St. Jesse informed me that they had just received a few boxes of Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp collaboration, and if I wanted some. To be honest, I needed to do a little research to figure out what "Beer Camp" was. A quick internet search determined that it was, in fact, a box of 12 one-time-only collaboration beers, each from a different brewery. Score! I ordered a case and picked it up the following day.

Rather than issue forth a stream of single-beer reviews that will clog your inbox and test your patience, I'm going to fire off some quick, first-blush reviews of the Beer Camp box. As you can see, there's twelve in all, and the first three are reviewed today.

Allagash Brewing Co. - Myron's Walk Belgian-style pale ale (5.3% ABV)

First up we have Allagash's "Myron's Walk," a Belgian-style pale. Fast pour, typical Belgian smells with a twist: picking up some roasted marshmallow smells. Eye is cloudy orange, as usual for Belgians.

The taste is good - nice spice flavors, the coriander definitely comes out. It's light but solid, good flavors throughout,  with a long wheaty finish, and lingering smooth alcohol tastes. I like it! It's not too much different than a lot of other Belgians out there, so it's really nothing terribly new - just tasty beer. Next!

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. - Torpedo pilsner (5.2% ABV) 

It's light yellow, as expected. Mostly clear with very little aroma and a thin head. The taste is thin with a wave of hops. I guess I was expecting a new twist, for this collaboration, but still has the backing of a pilsner, though - watery and thin. Probably a good session beer, something to drink all day at the beach. I'm not a huge pilsner fan - too light for me.


Ninkasi Brewing Co. - Double Latte coffee milk stout (7.5% ABV)

This beer, brewed by Eugene, OR-based Nikasi Brewing Company, is made in collaboration with Sumptown Coffee Roasters, a chain of coffee joints across the US. The beer itself is a milk stout, which is a stout made with lactose. Invented in England and marketed as a "nutritional" beer, the milk stout now has maintained a certain popularity as a smooth, dark beer. My favorite is Lancaster Milk Stout.

The beer has chocolate brown pour with a light aroma. Nice deep brown color, almost black. The taste is interesting -  unlike many coffee beers, this one has a levity to it. It's like ordering an americano, with lots of milk. Interesting! The finish shows the milk sugar coming out - smooth, creamy taste. There are no significant roasted flavors, and very pleasant and deep. I like it! This one is my favorite of the three, and I'd definitely seek it out again for future drinking. Stay tuned for more Beer camp reviews later!

Beer Flash: Flensburger pilsner (Germany)

I saw this bottle at Irving Wines and Spirits and thought it looked neat. For $3, it's 11.2 oz of basic, no-frills pilsner in a really neat bottle. The bottle has a pressure-lock cap, much like Rex the Growler, so it can be refilled and sealed. I'm sorely tempted to bring the clean bottle to D'Vines when I'm filling up Rex and see if they'll top off this little bottle.

EDIT: They will not top-off the bottle because it's too small to fit in the growler tap. :(