Cigar City OTH Launch Party Amber

Brewed by Cigar City Brewing
Style: Amber Ale
Tampa, Florida USA

ON tap at OTH CCB launch party. Murky amber, thin white head. Sweet malt nose. Caramel. Bready, slightly woody. Earthy flavor. Some hop presence and bitter tea notes. Overall, nice beer.

Draft @ OTH, CCB launch party. Hazy deep amber, thin ring of head around the edge. Nose of cedar, sweet malt, some grassy hops. Tons of tobacco in the flavor, very sweet, iced tea and some caramel malt. Though sweet, quite tannic and astringent, light carbonation, ends dry.

On draft at Oldsmar Tap House (Tampa, FL) Cigar City Launch Party. Pours a hazy dark brown to black with thin off-white head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of caramel, honey, wood, hints of spice and fresh ripe fruit. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of caramel, fresh fruit, molasses, maple syrup, some hints of dry roast. Generally medium with sweet malt finish.

On draft at the Oldsmar Taphouse for the CCB launch party. Pours a dark amber color with a small, foamy tan head that leaves some lacing behind. The aroma shows citrus and floral hops on top of a sweet caramel malt base with some hints of cedar wood. The flavor follows with some sweet caramel, toasted biscuit, and citrus hops add bitterness. The cedar shows up adding some spicyness. As it warms the malts turn a bit syrupy with the sweetness. I didn’t get a whole lot of the cedar flavor in this. Medium bodied and touch syrupy on the mouthfeel with a long, dry and bitterfinish. Well crafted, but wasn’t my favorite beer of the day.

On tap at the OTH launch party pouring dirty brown with gold – copper like edges and micro thin white head. The aroma initially reminds me of bubbling caramel malty wort. I get lots of caramel and roasty malts and then moving into fruity notes like dark grape juice mixing with mild citrus sweet tangelo and molasses. The taste initially seems like cold wort as well with sweet malts, roasted malts, molasses and caramel. To midway the flavor slowly moves into mild dry roasty malt astringency mixing with a light amount of pine, grassy hops, a hint of sweet grape juice and then a touch of grainy malts and molasses. The caramel runs from the front to the back of the flavor. I got very little, if any, cedar notes.

Cask... Cigar City Brewing "Launch Party"... Hazy burnt orange ale with a small, creamy, white head. Big time black tea aroma with hints of cedar and tobacco. Medium-bodied with gentle carbonation. The flavor is initially sweet with lots of black tea and a dab of chocolate; moderate bitterness on the backside. Finishes bitter, a touch abrasive and very dry.

On tap. Slightly hazy amber, very little head. Quite mild aroma, light sweetish malts, earthy hops. Iced tea flavor, very mild presence, don’t get much wood flavor. Basic, but well done.

Rating #900. Fitting that I’d choose a beer for this special occasion brewed specifically for the best beer bar in the country. On draft at Cigar City’s Launch Party at, get this, Oldsmar Tap House. Hazy amber pour, creamy white head and thin lacing. Nose is spicy, some creamy sweet malts, brown sugar, and a very interesting element of pumpkin and dry cinnamon. It’s probably the cedar speaking to me. Dry flavors of pumpkin pie, some buttery caramel, some cedar, and sweet brown sugar. Probably the most complex amber I’ve had. Unique blend and very interesting. Glad I got to try it.