Who doesn't like to kick back, knock the top off or pull a pint of tasty homebrew, settle in and let the worries of the world slide off your back? Sounds good right but what if I told you that you can take that to the next level by adding a fine, well-made cigar to the equation? For me, that is next level of relaxation.
Either one in is a fine way to unwind their own right, but when you find the right combination of beer and cigar everything else seems to fade away. The tricky part is finding that pair.
Beer and cigars can both be very assertive, so finding a balance, and deciding what you what to showcase can take a few attempts, but the search and experimentation is well worth it. What follows is my take on how I approach building a pairing.
The Beer: This may shock some of you, but there is more to beer than B.M.C. (LOL) so as brewers we know that beer is wide open and varied, comes in almost every conceivable style and taste and ranges from simple to complex flavor profiles.
There is no way I could ever break it down to all the major styles, let alone the amazing creations we can come up with, so to keep it simple if I am basing my cigar in relation to the beer (the beer is the showcase element) then I look at bitterness, maltiness and texture to decide on what type of cigar I will go with. Seeing as how this is a beer centered forum, we will focus on the beer as the star of the show.
Bitterness: IPA/DIPA and any other really hop-forward beer will kill a robust earthy cigar. I tend to look for cigars with grassy/hay notes as the main flavor component, lots of Cuban cigars fit this profile and one of my favorites to pair with hoppy beer is the Cohiba Siglo VI.
Malt: Malt-forward beers, and deep dark Porters and Stouts have a sweet, heavy, and roasted flavor profile, finding cigars to pair with them means you need to step up into some of the heavy hitters.
For me, there are 2 ways to go you can balance the sweetness and pair with a nice Maduro cigar. I am a huge fan of the MUWAT or the Arturo Fuente Anejo Reserva No. 77 (Shark). The other way to go is pair with the roasted nature of some of the darker/fuller beers. For this, I think you need to find a good strong cigar that packs a punch and carries lots of earth tobacco flavors, for example almost anything from Litto Gomez, or from the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero line up.
Texture: Beers with a big creamy mouth feel need a creamy cigar to go with it. Taste can be all over the place when you are only looking at mouth feel, so for me I just try to pair the sensations. Almost any cigar profile can be paired if all you are looking at is the texture of the beer so long as you look for the same texture in the smoke of the cigar. My absolute favorite is the Magnum R from Arturo Fuente, the Rosado wrapper is like smoking velvet. I also tend to smoke anything I like with a toothy Cameroon wrapper.
So there is a short explanation of how one guy goes about putting a beer and cigar together. Now for a few more pairings that I find work pretty well together.
Original Release Rocky Patel Edge Sumatra and a Chocolate Porter or Stout - Both carry some nice deep bold flavors. The hint of sweetness from the Sumatra wrapper and the strength of the Edge line match well with most all Porters or Stouts, but finding a beer with the chocolate kick makes it that much better.
Hefeweizen / AVO Connecticut or Ashton Cabinet. - Never been a huge fan of the Connie wrapper, but when you pair the creamy smoke and subtle spice with the phenol/clove and body of the Hefe, something just seems to click.
Right now, I think my favorite pairing is Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout with a Liga Privada #9. I wish I had a picture or the words to get across how amazing this pair is. The heavy oak and bourbon of the beer tries hard to out-compete the deep Oscuro wrapper and full tobacco of the LP#9 but they just seem to meet in the sweet spot.
Cheers!
Tim
