Boston Brewing Co. - Sam Adams New World trippel (United States)

I came across today's beer at Costco. I knew in the back of my head that Sam Adams released special, experimental brews, but I had not seen one in the wild until I found this three-pack special. It's called the "Barrel Room Collection" and features three bomber-sized beers in cool bottles. There are three: the Tetravis, the Thirteenth Hour, and the New World. Today I'll be reviewing the New World, a trippel.

The New World is Sam Adams' take on a Belgian trippel. I can't resist a good, spiced, unfiltered Belgian, so this was of particular interest to me (as is the Tetravis.) I also really like the bottle, it reminds me of some Old World-style drinking goblet. Something you'd find on a shelf in a rustic French hamlet pub or something.

Nice pop from the muselet-topped bottle. The pour was swift and formed a nice, frothy head. There were serious aromas of spices and an interesting, tangy smell I couldn't immediately identify.

The beer is a cloudy orange, as it should be. There are lots of little bubbles in there.

It was tasty! The taste is on par with spiced Belgian ales, providing lots of floral notes, honey, sourness, and strong alcohol tastes. I'm having a hard time nailing down the right word for it, but there's a taste that's common to most Belgian beers. Yeast, maybe? Anyways, this has it. And it's pretty good. The finish is clean, which is nice, and full of floral tastes. There's no burn at all, just a pleasant aftertaste of honey and spices and alcohol.

Judging by this, Sam Adams has done a good job venturing into the spiced Belgian ale market. This beer is a pretty solid example of what a Belgian beer should be. My overall opinion of Sam Adams is that they make good beer, but are rarely innovative or unique. I enjoy their beers, and have only had a few that I haven't enjoyed, but they don't push the envelope like Southern Tier, or Boulevard, or Great Divide does. And I don't expect it to. Those breweries are constantly coming out with new and crazy beers, while Sam Adams sticks with good, drinkable session ales. The New World was a serviceable take on Belgian beers, but wasn't anything out of the ordinary. That doesn't mean you should turn it down if you see it, especially at the Costco price.

Now all I need is some Chimay-washed cheese, fig jam, and some unsalted butter-laden baguette rounds to complete this pairing!

Beer Flash: DC Brau - Penn Quarter Porter

Last night I tried DC Brau's seasonal porter, the Penn Quarter Porter. Nice and thick with spice notes.

Pretty tasty - seek it out if you can!

Habanos S.A. - Fonseca Antiguo Puro la Habana (Cuba)

Happy New Year, readers!

Today's review, the first of the 2014, is something special. Today I'll be reviewing a genuine Cuban cigar made by Havana-based Habanos, S.A., under the label "Fonseca." Habanos S.A. is the Cuban state-run cigar manufactory that produces all of the Cuban cigar labels. All cigar commerce out of Cuba is handled by Habanos S.A. The cigar is a mid-strength corona-sized cigar wrapped in Japanese tissue paper - a tradition started by cigar baron Don Francisco Fonseca in the 19th century and continues to this day.

I'm not going to get into the weeds of embargo policy, or issue any statement about the actions of the current Cuban government (that's not the point of this blog) but it bears mentioning that I hold a philosophical opposition to the United States' current trade embargo with Cuba. I feel we should move past the archaic Cold War-era mentality and encourage free trade between nations. Cuba does not pose a threat to the United States and we should not continue to punish American citizens and Cuban citizens by denying them potential lucrative trading opportunities.

The United States is one of the only nations in the world NOT to benefit from the Cuban cigar trade. And while I understand the politics of this - and the interests of competing tobacco-producing nations like the Dominican Republic and Honduras - it's still a shame that we are missing out on some good tobacco (and rum and tourism.)

Let's talk about the cigar itself. This is my third Cuban cigar, my first one being a Cienfuegos torpedo maduro a few years back. That one was super strong, oily, and gave me a headache. The other was a genuine Cuban Montecristo, but in a small format. Today's cigar I got as a gift for my birthday last year, and I've been saving it for a special occasion. It was my first cigar of 2014.

The cigar was wrapped a little tightly, as you can see:

I wrapped it in a hot, moist paper towel for a few minutes to soften it up and that seemed to work OK. The cigar lit up easily enough, but it didn't draw like some I've had - probably as a result of the tight rolling. I finally got it going with liberal application of a match (since unless you want to taste butane, don't use a lighter for a cigar.)

The smoke itself was grey/white, with the cigar's ash a deep grey. The ash held on well, which some say is a sign of a well-made cigar.

As you can see, it was burning a bit unevenly but didn't unravel or anything. Which was nice.

The flavor is the real treasure of this cigar. While previous exposure to Cuban tobacco was a little overwhelming, I'm pleased to say the Fonseca Antiguo delivered delicious, mellow and subdued flavors of leather, tobacco (yes, it's a flavor, and no, not every cigar tastes like it.) The finish was dominated by notes of cinnamon and vanilla. The aftertaste was one of hickory flavors, which was kind of interesting since I haven't come across many cigars that have that flavor.

I was able to smoke it down to ~2" long, and took me about 45 minutes to finish it. It didn't get bitter towards the end, which a lot of smokes do, but instead unraveled and went out. I re-lit it once (which is OK) but after the second time going out, I decided to put it down.

All told, I'd say this is one of the nicest cigars I've had in a long time. What I liked most about it was the solid flavor throughout and the mellow-yet-flavorful taste profile. One thing I look for in a cigar is it's ability to maintain the taste all throughout and not burn off quickly. Some cigars don't hold up well, either, and unravel or crack mid-smoke, causing it to burn harshly or unevenly. Or, as noted above, the cigars can't stay lit. This cigar didn't seriously do any of those things.

My opinion on Cuban cigars is this: they're tasty, and fun to have as a treat, but they're not spectacularly better than Dominican cigars, or Connecticut cigars, or Honduran. Good Cuban tobacco is just as good as good Dominican tobacco. What's fun about smoking a Cuban cigar is that you get a different taste - the tobacco grown in Cuban tastes different from Honduran, or Cameroonian, or Nicaraguan.  The soil is different. The tobacco is a different strain. So having a taste of Cuban tobacco introduces you to a different flavor profile that you might get commercially, and that's really neat.

When it boils down to it, a lot of the mystique surrounding Cuban cigars is due to the fact they are prohibited in the United States. Since they are rare and unavailable, they hold a special coveted place in a cigar smoker's humidor. I was pleased to have one, and I hope to have more in the future.