Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout - California Brandy Barrel Aged
Aged in California brandy barrels
4.3
155 reviews
Tampa, United States
Community reviews
Bottle @ New Years Tasting. Shared by me. Pours the blackest beer I’ve ever seen with a big brown head on top. Looks stunning. Aroma of cinnamon, brandy booze, molasses, loads of the base beer characters are present here. Great complexity going on in the aroma. Flavor is very sweet with loads of cinnamon, herbal touches, chocolate, malts, brandy and loads of base beer. The barrel ageing tweaked the regular Hunahpu in such a great way, without losing the base beer. This is top notch stuff right here!
bottle in a trade thanks a lot to kyle!! one of my top wants. couldn’t wait anymore to crack this bad boy! poured motor oil black leaving a caramel coloured ring on top. thick lacing on the side. all the hunahpu goodness jumps right in your face. big notice of the brandy! cinnamon, apples, spirit, vanilla, dark bitter chocolate, roasted malts, dark coffe notice, small pepper hint under the tongue. milk chocolate, oak, the barrel adds some more complexity and even more smoothness to the beer. but i think there are some spices left during it.. but the barrel notice is really amazing! apple brandy is top notch for this beer! to bad we never get to try it! wondering how the double barrel is compared to this one.
Bottled 1 pt 9.4 fl oz at rlgk + Aniela tasting, USA comes to Göteborg 2014, on October 18, 2014.
Thanks to _angst_!
Black color, small very dark brown head. Sweet, malty, grainy, cherry scent, also alcohol and wet tobacco. Sweet, dark fruits, bitter, cocoa, chocolate, alcohol taste. Roasted, bitter, cocoa aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium high bitterness.
Sinful dark black color with a thick beige head that soon vanish. Holy Maria what a powerful aroma. Rich oak, rich vanilla, fruity and chocolate. Problems with getting my nose out of the glass. Thick oily body. A bit sweet and a rich bitterness. All night long impy. Oak, rich cocoa, bourbon, vanilla, fruity and some spices. Warming well hidden alcohol.Yes man. Recomendable.
[Bottle at rlgk plaza]
Bottle received in trade. Thank you biggsbowler! Pours viscous oily pitch black with a small dark chocolate brown head that doesn’t leave much trace on the glass while dissipating. Smell is sweet and malty with roasted malts, burnt caramel, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, dark roast coffee, charred wood, apple brandy, toasted coconut and vanilla fudge. Taste is sweet, slightly bitter, salty, slightly sour and malty with roasted malts, burnt caramel, bitter chocolate, dark roast coffee, cinnamon, moist soil, minerals, soy sauce, apple brandy and soot. Mouthfeel is round, velvety, slightly roasted astringent and full bodied. Finish is sweet, bitter and malty with roasted malts, burnt caramel, charred wood, caramelized apples, toasted coconut, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, soot, minerals and hay. Really really good but I suspect it’s slightly past its prime with a roasty sourness having developed in the bottle. This actually suits the beer in some ways adding some balance to the sweetness but at this point it’s slightly too prominent and I suspect it’ll get even more prominent with time so drink your bottles now!
Cinnamon raisin smell. Taste is cinnamon raisin dough covered in chocolate.
Heavy darkness of motor oil pour. Little to no head, nose is booze and heavy, lots of caramel graham crackers and sweet chocolate. Flavor is heavy booze again, more caramel but little to no spice. Smooth chocolate and bitterness. Caramel and sweetness added from brandy. Wow, it’s worth it completely.
750 ml bottle, thanks Huhzubendah for setting this up! Pours a nearly still dark black with light barely passing. A dark tan layer of bubbles lines the glass at the rim. Aroma is bitter roasted malts and sweet brandy with coconut notes, also cinnamon and slight muted pepper heat. Flavor is complex - in no particular order: vanilla, oak, pepper, spice, coconut, malt, chocolate, cacao. Quite possibly, its own food group. This is an amazing beer with all flavor characteristics upfront and aggressive. Wow.
Served alongside Hunahpu’s 2014.
The beer appears dark brown, near black, with a thin, oily beige collar. The aroma brings typical Hunahpu’s quality: cinnamon, chilis, roast, chocolate. The aroma of the standard Hunahpu’s is a bit more forward and edgy. Chili heat, booze, chocolate. Delicious. A bit smoother than the standard version, but perhaps lacking the aggressive onslaught of flavor found in the original. Splitting hairs. This is world class.
Bottle share in Orland Park. Pour is black with a small brown head. Aroma of roasted coffee, spice, dark chocolate, and booze. Flavor is similar with added notes of chili pepper, molasses, oak, and vanilla. Finish is well balanced and not too spicy or sweet. Medium carbonation.
Dark black pour with a reddish tinted head. Aroma of cinnamon, apples, vanilla, and spices. Taste is apple brandy, cinnamon, vanilla, and a nice warming heat from the peppers. Better than the original, not as good as double barrel hunah. It’s still killer.
Bottle - pour thick dark black. The nose is some spice, dark chocolate, and brandy. Rich chocolate taste, cinnamon, a tad sweet, and nice blend of the ancho chillies. Quite good!
Thanks for sharing Bytemesis, this is a fantastic beer. Nice cinnamon chocolate aroma, with an even better flavour!! Cinnamon flavour, with a small amount of chilli, and a bit of sweetness...really fantastic beer.
Draft at Bainbridge last year and Resurrection this year. I mistakenly rated this one again under the apple brandy original but Bainbridge was also the Cali version. Nice but nowhere near the original. Ultra fucking sticky body with lots of cinnamon like recent batches od regular hunah, dark fruit, chocolate, roast, and more cinnamon. Not as balanced as the old jawn. Still nice
draft offering at resurrection for PBW..this easily kicked first and seemed to be what the masses wanted first..black color..mocha head..nose is barrel aged goodness with obvious spiced french toast spiked cinnamon easily detected..mouthfeel is medium bodied with a fruit warming sensation that one gets from brandy if letting this sit a bit.excellent lacing all around and hides the 11 percent well on the initial sip but lets you know on the back end.this was a great start to the day and highly enjoyable but the sweet apple and rum cinnamon kind of seemed a bit odd for the imperial stout style..happy to get a crack at any hunahpu in these parts..probably would have enjoyed this more if able to let linger for a while..after talking with some CCB guys at the bar they confirmed this was the california brandy barrel not the apple brandy barrel as many thought...
Bottle with thanks to Cleg! Pours inky black with a small creamy dark dark brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves nice lacing and a cool wispy bit of retention on the beer. Aroma is dark roasted malts, chocolate, cinnamon, some spirit, but not necessarily brandy. Flavor is medium sweet, lots of mocha cinnamon, just a touch of chili flavor and heat, light bitterness; not a lot of barrel influence apparent in the flavor profile. Full body, creamy mouthfeel, delicious.
Bottle shared with bytemesis, thanks! Black with slight brown head. Chocolate and cinnamon aroma. Awesome flavor: chocolate, cinnamon, a winey sweetness that is perhaps due to the brandy aging, coffee, ash/cigarette. Ah, so good.
Bottle @ 10K + OT. Bottle from Dr. Owl, thanks. Black without much in the way of a head. Spicy, earthy ancho chile pepper all the way on this one. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and a touch of marshmallow. Slight brandy fruitiness. Sweet dark chocolate, vanilla, and graham cracker on the palate. A decent note of brandy, lots of smokey, earthy, spicy chile pepper. Slight bitterness. Good coffee note as well. Not as good as the double barrel, but well done.
> A smokey, savory version of this cult classic
[ Bottle ][ brokensail ][ Size ][ 10K+OT Tasting ][ Stemless Wine Taster ][ 5/3/14 ]
>> Pours ink with red foam. Nose is marmite, steak, smoke, cjaun spice rub. Quite savory. Taste is lemon (albeit less than previous Hunahpu variants), cinnamon, ancho chili, dark cherry pith, mild chili pepper heat is more akin to previous Hunahpu’s. Palate is denser, still lightly tart, bitter. Finish is much too dry. A major step down from the newer DB Hunahpu that incorporates a complete recipe change.
>!< similar to previous lemony Hunahpu’s
This one poured a dark dark brown with a tan head. Aroma was if cinnamon, light barrel and fudge. Flavor was pretty much the same heat is pretty much gone but some good cinnamon and fudge still there. Still some barrel. Side by side with the double barrel, it lacked a bit.
This is an awesome friggin beer. There is so much good going on with this beer that its hard to describe. If u get the opportinity drink it. All i can say.
Pours a dark brown black like thick motor oil. Medium dark brown head. Aroma of slight pennies and cinammon. Soma alcohol. Sweet cinammon taste with alcohol heat. Some pepper heat but mostly faded. Thick mouth feel.
Bottle shared thanks to beerman6686. Poured black with thinning dark tan head. Aroma of pretzel and brandy oak. Very light carb med bod. Light spice creamy choc barrel taste.
Bottle shared at the 2014 tasting in the Cellar of Moeder Lambic Saint-Gilles. Pours near black with a ring beige head. Aroma of vanilla, veggy chilli peppers, big roast, dark chocolate and molasses. Flavour is heavy sweet and light heavy bitter. Fairly thick mouthfeel with the chillis warming but not overpowering as you drink. Full bodied with soft carbonation.
28/III/14 - 75cl bottle @ De Hopduvel (Gent) - BB: n/a (2014-317) Thanks to Bobochamp for sharing the bottle!
Very dark brown to black beer, no head. Aroma: rich molasses, sugary, caramel, bit bready, cinnamon, spices, chocolate coated speculoos and Dinosaurus cookies (yes, those are Belgian taste references). MF: soft carbon, full body. Taste: sour start, lots of caramel, fruity, dried fruits, molasses, spices, sugary, cinnamon, dark chocolate. Aftertaste: soft chillies, chocolate, little bitter, spicy, caramel, mocha, cocoa powder.
75cl bottle, shared by BoBoChamp. Many thanks for all the beers shared today! Yellow wax.
APPEARANCE: pitch black beer, no foam.
NOSE: alcohol, what I think is brandy (don’t think I ever drank pure brandy), some faint hops there, quite sweet and already smells ’sticky’ in a way.
TASTE: Smooth, alcohol, oh, this is brandy. Subtle coffee taste, almost like real coffee beans being there, love it! Coffee aftertaste with hints of vanilla, keeps on lasting. This is beer!
But where are the spices? Maybe very subtle, but didn’t notice them too much. Unfortunately, brandy is somewhat too strong for me.
At Stephen’s house, it is pronounced Steven though, during GABF 2013. Pours Black with grey coffee colored cream head. Aroma is a big fuck yeah, fine brandy, big smooth roasted malt, booze, dark caramelized apple, apple pie, cinnamon, vanilla. Taste is amazing, silky smooth, incredible caramelized dark fruits, caramelized apples, dehydrated plum, burnt marshmallow. Finish is long, beautiful and savory.
75cl, Vintage 2013 (yellow wax), no mention of ABV, as Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (aged in Brandy Barrels), new exclusive American brew, with cinnamon and chili peppers, from De Hopduvel Gent, very complex Stout, roasted/woody/spicy and slightly alcoholic/fruity, yet not too heavy, very balanced, cloudy, small head, top class!, yet very expensive!
Bottle thanks to GodofThunder: Poured a pitch black thick sludge with a light brown head. Aroma was dark malts, chocolate, light vanilla, and woodsy. Taste is sweet with rich dark chocolate and malt, very faint chili unlike the original; however the heat followed all the way down. There was light vanilla in the finish.
Bottle as shown thanks to Will. Pours a very dark brown with beige head that lasts leaving spotty lacing. The aroma is roast, peppers, chocolate, and oak. Medium mouthfeel with strong roast, chocolate, and booze. Very good.