Irish
XXXL
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
- Messages
- 545
I enjoyed a really nice cigar & beer pairing today and thought I’d share. I was asked to get a couple of boxes of cigars for my sister’s wedding, and luckily a bundle of Johnny-O surfaced just as I started looking. While I always have a bundle of John’s cigars resting and in rotation, I also really enjoy a “fresh off the truck” stick and thought they’d make a nice smoke to pass around to the aficionados that wanted to try something different. Anyways, I had an hour to kill before the rehearsal tonight & wanted to test one before the wedding tomorrow, just make sure the cigars haven’t entered into their sick/resting period.
So the cigar of choice this evening was a Johnny-O Belicoso (5 1/2 X 52) with a dark wrapper, freshly packed/wrapped within the past few weeks. And paired with this lovely cigar were a couple of Fixed Gear American Red Ales from Lakefront Brewery. The cigar clipped cleanly and being fresh and moist, had a slightly tight pre-light draw. It lit evenly and after a few minutes, the tobacco warms and the draw opens up perfectly. The initial draws are earthy with a very prominent toasted nut flavor, balanced slightly with a tad of oak. The cigar starts on the light side, but begins to deepen and starts to build in strength. As the cigar progresses, it becomes richer and seems to leave a very smooth and creamy finish on the palate. At this time I cracked open the Fixed Gear, and man what an awesome pair these two made. While dubbed a Red Ale, this beer has a very strong and malty tone with a good deal of grapefruit and hops. The malty sweetness of the brew brings out and lightens the toasted nutty character of the stick. The freshness of these cigars comes through with a slight twang between the toasted nut flavor and creamy mouth feel – which is perfectly counterbalanced with the clean aftertaste of citrus, mild pine & hops from the red IPAish ale. Towards the middle of the cigar, the strength picks up even more, and more spice starts to build up in the aftertaste. The draw remained great after the first few minutes, and the burn was razor sharp the whole way through. I had initially planned on making this a quick one beer / 15 minute smoke, but it turned into nearly an hour of creamy, toasty, malty goodness highlighted with refreshing splashes of grapefruity hoppiness. I don’t pair cigars & drinks too often (usually its water), but this one was absolutely heaven.
I’ll be cranking up another one of these tomorrow at the wedding, definitely looking forward to it!
So the cigar of choice this evening was a Johnny-O Belicoso (5 1/2 X 52) with a dark wrapper, freshly packed/wrapped within the past few weeks. And paired with this lovely cigar were a couple of Fixed Gear American Red Ales from Lakefront Brewery. The cigar clipped cleanly and being fresh and moist, had a slightly tight pre-light draw. It lit evenly and after a few minutes, the tobacco warms and the draw opens up perfectly. The initial draws are earthy with a very prominent toasted nut flavor, balanced slightly with a tad of oak. The cigar starts on the light side, but begins to deepen and starts to build in strength. As the cigar progresses, it becomes richer and seems to leave a very smooth and creamy finish on the palate. At this time I cracked open the Fixed Gear, and man what an awesome pair these two made. While dubbed a Red Ale, this beer has a very strong and malty tone with a good deal of grapefruit and hops. The malty sweetness of the brew brings out and lightens the toasted nutty character of the stick. The freshness of these cigars comes through with a slight twang between the toasted nut flavor and creamy mouth feel – which is perfectly counterbalanced with the clean aftertaste of citrus, mild pine & hops from the red IPAish ale. Towards the middle of the cigar, the strength picks up even more, and more spice starts to build up in the aftertaste. The draw remained great after the first few minutes, and the burn was razor sharp the whole way through. I had initially planned on making this a quick one beer / 15 minute smoke, but it turned into nearly an hour of creamy, toasty, malty goodness highlighted with refreshing splashes of grapefruity hoppiness. I don’t pair cigars & drinks too often (usually its water), but this one was absolutely heaven.
I’ll be cranking up another one of these tomorrow at the wedding, definitely looking forward to it!
