Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Tampa, Florida USA

wetherel "growler", just some other bomber filled up i believe? odd growler laws in FL. score seems low as this was near 5.0 to start, the ancho peppers add a cool smokey flavor to start, they end up adding quite a bit of heat that i personally don’t enjoy, where others might give this ++ points for. still, super complex nose, add the "stuff" they threw in this beer all made for a super complex, delicious and unique beer. dasilky tasting, could of been best of the nite but the hot from the peppers knocked this down. give me a scoop of vanilla ice cream and my score might change. again a rate treat and thanks for byo.

DaSilky1 tasting (thanks for hosting, Todd!). December 13th 2009. 22oz Biercraft handbottle from who else: Daknole! Thanks Dakine! Two years of driving, traveling, trading, waiting in lines, and finally! I’ve tried all top 50 beers. I never thought it was possible, but thanks to the new rating system, and the insanely awesome rare-beer producing brewers of San Diego, and WeeHeavySD’s beer prowess, I’ve been able to try all top 50 beers. (3 more to all top 100). Now it’s time to take a rest. Anywho, on to the beer: Smells great. What is this about the beer that smells great. Some weird adjunct. I’m not sure. Tons of chocolate. Kind of reminds me of a malted milk ball. The taste has some throat burn that lingers. Originally, I thought it was alcohol burn, but now I think it’s more likely from the peppers. Very, very good. Very easy to drink. One of my favorites of the night. Excellent.

Pours a dark brown with a wispy yet thin brown head. Nose is subtle with cocoa, raisin, and subtly smokey from the chilis. The cocoa and the chilis combine in a very mole sort of way...but the super aggressive hopping keeps them from really coming together as the bitterness distracts a bit. The cocoa flavors are pretty vivid though... the capsicum heat is a bit of a creeper as it at first is just a subtle scratchiness but after a while you can feel the heat throughout your mouth and throat. The vanilla notes are nicely complimenting....and I’m really digging the influence of the chilis, the chocolate, and the vanilla...almost a kin to a nice mole. Other than the out of place bitterness here, this is a pretty nice beer.

Big thanks to Will for this! Aroma is intensely chocolate. Vanilla and alcohol also make their presence known, leading to an extract essence. Taste has a ton of ancho making it very astringent- distractingly so. Cocoa, bitter roasted malt, and hoppy pine round out the flavors. Finish is bitter cocoa, ancho chalkiness, and slightly cloying. Good, and different, but not a huge success for me.

Rating #1300!!! Bottle, thanks to JW77 and Daknole. Pours black, with a brown head. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, and chili’s. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, chili peppers, caramel, cinnamon, and licorice. Heavy body. The heat (a nice amount, not overpowering), hits after swallowing at the back of the tongue and in the throat. Amazing flavors going on here. The only thing I can think of to improve it would be to make it a little sweeter.

Huge thanks to tpd975 for sharing this during his recent trip to Philly. I’ve wanted to try this one for a while and I’m very thankful for the chance. Pours pitch black and completely opaque with a frothy dark mocha/ chocolate brown head with good retention that slowly settles into a lasting ring which leaves sporadic spots of lacing behind. Bitter sweet dark chocolate aroma with some slight earthiness, caramel and chocolate malt, licorice, subtle dark fruit, vanilla and a strong chili pepper presence. This adds a bit of spicy cinnamon/peppery character to the nose. Chewy viscous medium body with lots of silky chocolate malt, toffee, coffee, vanilla, and slight hazelnut notes. There is an amazing spicy peppery chili presence in the finish which adds extra complexity to this unique beer. The chilies add a nice bit of heat but it is pleasant and not gimmicky at all like that Cave Creek beer or that peppercorn beer from Dieu du Ciel. It’s more like an artisan chocolate bar in beer form. The chili heat flavor could have easily ruined the beer but it provides an excellent balance to the sweetness and roasted malt notes and lingers long after the finish making me crave another sip. The high ABV is excellently masked and the only heat is from the peppers making it pretty drinkable considering it’s strength. Highly recommended.

Multiple drafts at EDAs post Thanksgiving bash. Pours a super slick oily pitch black body with a small mocha brown head, a little more head and this one is a 5 on appearance. The aroma is very sweet overall for an impy thanks to the vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa nibs. The dark roasted malts combine with the other ingredients to form an anise aroma. Also detected was cocoa, espresso, vanilla, chocolate and pepper. The flavor is great with lots of pepper coming in on the aftertaste and sweetness in the begining with some espresso and roastiness in the middle. Full bodied with soft carbonation and an oily slick feel overall. Very nice overall and I love the addition of the peppers to add that heat that really sets this one apart from the others.

22oz counterpressure-filled bottle, courtesy of spacecoyote. Thanks, Carl! This beer... man. Pitch-black core; slight oiliness and viscosity; dark, dark cocoa head with excellent retention and persistent fine-bubbled lacing; this is not a light beer; as dark as I remember Expedition being, maybe darker; a perfect pour. Gorgeous, beautifully presented aroma: plenty of cocoa, leather, and cinnamon; minimal hop presence, but this is anything but overtly sweet: hints of tootsie roll?; dense, perfectly balanced chocolate and cocoa presence mixed with a cinnamon character that is just lovely here; touch of vanilla; touch of peppery heat, sure, but not as much as the mouth; whereas some imperial stouts seem cluttered, this is clear in the notes it strikes: cinnamon, cocoa, light roast and char; just a gorgeous presentation; so close to perfect. Full mouthfeel: oily, creamy, viscous presence on the palate without coming off as heavy; it’s hard for me to put something above Expedition, but this is wonderful: oily, good amounts of nuttiness and chocolate and charred notes, and the peppery notes and cinnamon mix in beautifully; dense and layered flavor without coming off as heavy; intensely drinkable; everything melded so well by the perimeter of heat, the suggestion of a cinnamon latte; I’m getting hints of eggnog, cocoa, peppers without any vegetal character; wow. Just, wow. After the few other Cigar City offerings I’ve tried, I was expecting to be, maybe?, underwhelmed... Layers upon layers of perfectly presented spice, cocoa, chocolate, cinnamon, and creaminess. Lasting finish: here, the cocoa notes really shine, along with an oily peanut character, light roast, and lasting chocolate. This is the most beautiful beer I have ever tasted. Even Ryan, dear god, would like this beer.