Cigar City Jai Alai White Oak Aged IPA

madbaldman · Jan 14, 2011

Just showed up in my local beer store. Wow, what a great beer. I lack the vernacular to give it a "pro" review but the difference between the oaked Jai Alai and the regular is profound. The vanilla flavors from the oak really round out the body and balance (bridge?) the hoppiness. I'm going to buy more of this and do a side by side with some of my regular favorites. Cigar City continues to impress.

KowboyTrav · Jan 15, 2011

The only one of their beers I've had is the Maduro Brown, and it is great. I really want to hit up their tasting room, but I hate Tampa.

passedpawn · Jan 15, 2011

They have a great angle. Tampa, home of the hand-rolled cigars (especially inner-city Ybor). So they have a bunch of "humidor" series beers, all wood-aged. Perfect.

cclloyd · Jan 15, 2011

StuporMan said:
the difference between the oaked Jai Alai and the regular is profound. The vanilla flavors from the oak really round out the body and balance (bridge?) the hoppiness.

I have to agree - the white oak really gives it a silky smooth mouthfeel and takes a little bite off the hops. It is fantastic.

cheezydemon3 · Jan 15, 2011

I would have passed on it just because of the ridiculously long and pretentious name. Thanks for sharing! I willtry it if I can find it.

passedpawn · Jan 15, 2011

I read that, traditionally, any wood flavor in an IPA was considered a flaw. Brewer's pitch was used to coat the inside of the barrels just so this flavor wouldn't be imparted on the IPA as it made it's long voyage from England to India.

That's just trivia, though, so no point lambasting me for bringing it up: I look forward to trying this oaked IPA.

BrewInTheFort · Jan 15, 2011

Just picked one up last night. Have had the regular Jai Alai and it's awesome so I'm expecting the best from the oak aged.

ArcaneXor · Jan 15, 2011

I'll pick some up today if I can find it. Will be interesting how the oak compares to the Spanish Cedar they usually use for their wood-aged beers.

Beer_Maker · Jan 15, 2011

It's slap your momma good! Had some last Friday night. The oak aging makes it much better than the non-oaked version.

rsklhm10 · Jan 15, 2011

I'm heading down to Tampa in 2 weeks. Maybe I'll try to get by their tasting room and check it out.

ceweldon · Jan 15, 2011

The beer store informed me yesterday that it should be in this week, now I'm even more excited.

ArcaneXor · Jan 17, 2011

I had some at the tasting room in Tampa today. A very complex and interesting beer; nothing at all like either the base beer or the Humidor version. I wouldn't order more than a pint at a time though.

The Vuja De (Flemish Red) was a very pleasant surprise!

lroog · Jan 18, 2011

It's a top 5 beer for me. An outstanding beer, the oakey flavors at so subtle and really balance with the hops.

Cigar City Jai Alai White Oak Aged IPA

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