Fresh off the relative win of a 3.5 rating for their Belgian white, Cigar City returns with a double IPA. For a while, I had quite the romance with the entire type of beer that a DIPA represents. I still think that they are very good beers, but I'm not sure I'm still as enamored with them as I had been. Maybe it's just that the first few I had were better than the last few I've had. Well, let's dive into this one and see what comes out the other side.
The beer looks only vaguely hazy at the bottom, but the center of the beer is pretty darn thick. The orange-gold color is vibrant and attractive as the minuscule white bubbles descend to an incomplete layer on top of the beer with just a trace of lacing left on the sides. The aroma is tropical and citrus fruits, and I assume that there's a malt underneath them, but, as is not unusual, the fruit is overwhelming the nose. This is why we sip.First sip is a good, solid beverage. I was initially afraid that the carbonation was going to swell too much toward the end of the sip, but it seemed to peter out just as the trail off started. Overall, the oranges and grapefruit are mixing with papaya and a little nectarine to give a nice, fruity flavor to the weighty texture of the malt. I am struck by the fact that fruit husks are remaining in the nose long after the sip is gone. This is a pretty tasty beverage to sip.
Tip-in is mild carbonation sizzle under thick, sweet fruit meat of oranges and tangerines. The middle cranks up the carbonation to a raucous din above the mellow and thick fruits that are joined by their peels as the solid malt gives a base to it without giving much of a flavor. The finish is a sudden dryness where all of the fruits turn to rind, and eventually those husks are left to mellow in the nose.
Bottom Line: Florida man is usually a bad thing. It's not with this beer.
4.25/5