Beer and a Cigar anyone?

[permo]

Romeo Y Julieta Reserver Maduro...in the churchill size..... pair that with a strong, dark beer like RIS or Robust Porter.

 

[DanVSTL]

Yesterday i had left hand milk stout with a Padron 3000 and an Olivia serie V. Couldnt have been better.

 

[oceanselv]

cubans and ipas are nice (poor americans no cubans for you)

Poor cannucks who don't know they are part of the America's and therefore are also Americans.

 

[smakudwn]

I just had a Perdomo lot 23 and an IPA i have on tap (ranger clone). That was NOT a good combo

 

[ZehBaron]

Sorry for the minor threadomancy/hijacking, but I figure posting here is better than starting a new thread.

Has anyone ever brewed a batch with the express intent of pairing it with cigars? Personally, I find that the only beers that can stand up to a medium-to full-bodied cigar are barleywines and imperial stouts; in my experience, the cigar smoke kills my ability to really appreciate anything other than bold malt flavors. And that includes hops, which I think are something of a flavor antithesis to tobacco.

Thus began my quest to brew a beer perfectly suited to cigar pairing. Because I'd rather have a beer that that complements the tobacco rather than just mimics it, I decided not to go for a big rauchbier. Instead, I'm thinking that a modified wee heavy Scotch ale might do the trick. Currently, the recipe stands at:

11# pale 2-row
1# brown malt
1# 60L
.5# brown sugar
.35# peated malt
.15# roasted barley
1 oz Northdown pellets

I'll then age it over toasted oak cubes that I've soaked in Scotch...and I'll probably end up dumping the majority of a bottle of Scotch into the secondary as well.

So whaddaya think? I'm hoping it'll come out nice and malty with a significant, but not overwhelming, smoky and earthy edge. Should I up the peated malt? I've never used it before.

Cheers!

 

[wild]

Has anyone ever brewed a batch with the express intent of pairing it with cigars?

All the time. I do tastings at a local B&M. They let me know what cigars they want to exhibit and I try to come up with three beers to enjoy along with them.

 

[jonbomb]

Cigars ruin the taste of beer

I have gotten into this discussion with my brother an advocate cigar smoker. He says beer ruins the taste of cigars. I think they go amazingly together. Especially if you like them both equally. I drink my hefe i brewed with a La Flor daminicana.

My brother says the carbonation in the beer ruins the cigar. Remember everyone has different taste buds and people like different things. Just how I don't like my beer to hoppy so I dislike a lot of huge IPA's. I absolutly love esb's, porters, and english pale ales.

It all depends on the person. If that person loves cigars. Then im pretty sure hes gonna hate drinking beer with it.

 

[hal2814]

I have some La Aurora 100 Anos that I drink Dunkel with. IMHO, La Aurora has perfected that art of being mild and smooth yet still having flavor. I used to not be a believer, but lately I've been on a Nub kick. The Connecticut wrapper Nub goes well with my pilsner and Vienna lagers. I'm not fond of stouts, porters, or IPAs with cigars. Then again, I'm also not fond of Maduros and beer. I like to keep the two from overpowering each other without getting into an arms race.

 

[jonbomb]

I have some La Aurora 100 Anos that I drink Dunkel with. IMHO, La Aurora has perfected that art of being mild and smooth yet still having flavor. I used to not be a believer, but lately I've been on a Nub kick. The Connecticut wrapper Nub goes well with my pilsner and Vienna lagers. I'm not fond of stouts, porters, or IPAs with cigars. Then again, I'm also not fond of Maduros and beer. I like to keep the two from overpowering each other without getting into an arms race.

La aurora makes the le jimenes series... very good cigar.

 

[JOHN51277]

Had a T52 Toro, and a Moylans Hopsicle last night. Great combo right there!!!

 

[Salanis]

As for cigars (or pipes) and beer ruining each others' taste...

I find it works well if you start them at the same time. After smoking a full pipe, I tried a beer, and needed to brush my teeth, gargle mouth wash, and drink a couple glasses of water to cleanse my pallet for the beer to be good.

When I do both at the same time, the beer washes down the smoke, and doesn't give it time to cling in my mouth. Also, the moisture seems to capture the smoke, so the flavor spreads around my mouth. A sip of beer reignites the flavors of the smoke, and the smoke brings the beer forward again.

I also find that smoking works best with full-bodied malty beers. RIS, Belgian Dubbles and Quads, barleywine, etc.

 

[yogensha]

I'll then age it over toasted oak cubes that I've soaked in Scotch...and I'll probably end up dumping the majority of a bottle of Scotch into the secondary as well.

So whaddaya think?

I think that sounds like a huge waste of scotch. I've been known to enjoy a hot scotchy with whatever I'm smoking on brewday, but the thought of using a bottle for soaking oak chips and fortifying a whole batch sounds scary to me.

 

[ballzac]

I'm really new to cigars. I had heaps of cheap and nasty ones when I was younger, but my experience with cubans amounts to having had a couple of Romeo y Julietas. The last one I really sat there contemplating while I smoked it, and the enjoyment I got from it made me realise I should get into cigars. I'll still only have the occasional one (for health reasons)...

Anyway, my birthday's coming up soon, and I plan on getting a cigar and a beer to go with it. I was looking at the Partagas Serie P No. 2 and will be the one I go with unless they're out of stock. I was thinking maybe a Liefman's Goudenband would be a good beer to have with a cigar, and it's a beer I enjoy in and of itself anyway. Anyone know this particular cigar and know what it would go well with?

 

[JLW]

Anyway, my birthday's coming up soon, and I plan on getting a cigar and a beer to go with it. I was looking at the Partagas Serie P No. 2 and will be the one I go with unless they're out of stock. I was thinking maybe a Liefman's Goudenband would be a good beer to have with a cigar, and it's a beer I enjoy in and of itself anyway. Anyone know this particular cigar and know what it would go well with?

For me personally I like a full bodied strong cigar maybe a Joya de Nicaragua paired with an IPA or a Imperial IPA. If I have one on hand I really enjoy the Avery Maharaja.

 

[Richabt]

I like any of the Fuente Hemingway Series (especially the Short Story) with a good beer. Robust Porter always seems to go well.

I don't have a cigar very often, but always keep my humidor full just in case.

 

[JOHN51277]

I am starting to NOT like to pair a cigar with IPAs. The hops kill the subtle flavors from the cigar and just overpower it.

 

[smakudwn]

I am starting to NOT like to pair a cigar with IPAs. The hops kill the subtle flavors from the cigar and just overpower it.

I agree with this. I tried the other night and ended up switching to the American Hefe to finish out the cigar.

 

[hamiltont]

I let my son decide on the cigars we enjoy. So far he's done good in my book. I take care of the homebrew part. I'll agree with other posts above. Start enjoying them at the same time & you're good. Smoked Porter, Strong Scotch Ale & RIS work well four our tastes... YMMV...

 

[Strave19]

I have not smoked tobacco in a while, either cigar or from the briar. I'm thinking that a nice belgian dark strong ale or dubbel would go really well with a slightly aromatic, leathery, earthy pipe tobacco. Ladies and gentleman... I think I found a perfect capstone to turn my horrible week into something good.

The thought of an IPA or IIPA and a cigar/pipe does not sound good to me... kinda gross actually but to each his/her own. Scotch ale, Stouts, Porters, Bitters, Old Ale, and dark belgians seem like they would be very nicely complimented by good tobacco... more dark beers that are malt/yeast forward come to mind... I've got research to do!

 

[jmkratt]

I really enjoy my Oatmeal Stout with a nice habana Monte Cristo #2. Mmmm