Cigar City / Mikkeller Life Is Like...
An imperial sweet stout brewed with cherries and cacao nibs, which is then aged in bourbon barrels. This beer is brewed in collaboration with Mikkeller our generous friend from Copenhagen, Denmark. What you have here is a modest attempt to emulate the experience of biting into a chocolate-covered cherry candy. We hope you enjoy it but you never know what you’re gonna get.
4.1
180 reviews
Tampa, United States
Community reviews
Bottle at The El Catador goes to Denmark Tasting. Black body with a small offwhite head. Chocolate, cherries, vanilla, bourbon.
Bottle, El Catador @ HallingHansen. Black. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, cherry, dark fruit, vanilla and bourbon. Heavy sweet with lingering cherry notes, Full and smoothy. A good one
Bottle shared with my El Catadorian friends at El Catador comes to Denmark tasting. It pours jet black with a creamy tan head. The aroma is loads of bourbon and sweet roasted malts with vanilla and chocolate. The flavor is sweet cacao and ripe fruit. Light cherry and chocolates. Somewhat roasted notes. Good balance between sweet roast and the berries.
Bottle. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of dried fruits, slight yeast, barrel, coffee, choko, red berries, fruity, slight wood. Taste is rather sweet, light sour -
note of red berries, fruity, slight dry coffee. Good stuff.
Pours a typical CCB pitch black with the creamiest dark espresso crema head. Aroma is inviting here with the bourbon being most recognisable, then dark dusty chocolate and fairly subtle cherry wine notes. Pretty wow nose. The taste is intensely rich with the full, creamy chocolate, the mild boozy notes from the wood and again the well integrated cherry notes. Kind of rancio cherry wine like actually. The flavours work super nicely but I must say that this is probably not a bottle you finish by yourself. Anyway. Mouthfeel is super creamy and rich, ultra soft suds. Aftertaste has a little cardboard and chocolate action going on and just a hint of port and the high abv. Very pleased with this bottle.
On tap at at Beavertown Extravaganza 2017. Pours black with brownish head. Roasted malts, chocolate, cocoa, some bourbon and sour cherries. Sweet. Warming. Oily texture. Thick and full bodied. Loved the chocolate fruity combination. Fantastic.
September 2017 - Keg at Beavertown Extravaganza. As 'Cigar City / Mikkeller Life is Like ...'. Opaque black, foamy brown head. Aroma is chocolate sauce, earthy, spiced dark chocolate. Body is smooth with tingly carbonation. Taste is chocolate, earthy, quite rich molasses, smooth sugary molasses with a woody earthy vibe offsetting this. Tasty stuff. (8-4-8-4-16=4.0)
On tap. Black colour with tan head. Cherry, chocolate aroma. Cherry, chocolate, sweet, fruit taste. Medium to full body.
750 mL bottle shared with Gus and ebone1988. 2017 vintage. The pour is a nice darker black with a thicker khaki colored head and a couple spots of lace as it falls to a thick ring. The aroma is interesting. The chocolate and bourbon are heavy. There is a hint of cherry, but it's not fruit. It's definitely cherry candy that I don't care for. A maltiness and a hint of molasses work decently well, but I'm not overly blown away with this. The flavor is really sweet. There is a chocolate and bourbon with a strong cherry candy that just works pretty well. The molasses and roasted malt finish it off, and it's a little sharp on the back end. The mouth feel is pretty decent. It's a heavier medium body with a soft carbonation and a lingeringly roasty and sweet finish. The back end of this one is full of milk sugar and it almost a bit too sweet. Meh. 8 4 8 4 16
Bottle shared with koleminer20 and Gus. Aroma is deep roasted malt, barrel, cherry, bourbon, chocolate, coffee, excellent. Appearance is black, brown head, poured thick. Taste is barrel, cherry, roasted malt, dark chocolate, bourbon, lactose, good. Mouthfeel is heavy body, light carbonation, roasted malt cherry woody bourbon aftertaste. Overall, it's pretty tasty.
Tap at GABF 2017 in Denver, CO. Finally got to try this. The Cigar City rep said they re-brewed this one this year. Bourbon, chocolate, and cherry - what's not to love?
Sweet, dark, chocolate and cacao malts, dark fruits, candied berries. Clear, very dark brown, small, frothy, beige head. Medium sweet. More sweet, dark toasted chocolate malts, dark berries, stewed fruit, dark cherries, soft carbonation, full bodied. Beautiful Impy, very rich and intense, complex and yet well-balanced. Keg at Beavertown Extravaganza 2017, Canada Water.
(thanks for sharing!) Sampled draft @ The Beavertown Extravaganza 2017. Day 1. Black. Taste is massively thick syrup, alcoholic, caramel, prune syrup. Taste is chocolate, umami, boozy, alcoholic, sugar & money. Massively thick umami chocolate syrup. Body is so thick. Huge, nice.
On tap at Beavertown extravaganza. Aroma of dark malt, cherries, chocolate, raspberry, slightly tart,some vanilla, cacao . Taste is sweet cocoa, chocolate cherries.Faint bitterness,light sweet aftertaste.
On tap. Aroma has rich malt, cherries, chocolate, raspberry, slightly tart with cacao notes. Taste is sweet with chocolate covered cherries, fruit jelly, cacao bitterness on the finish. Really well balanced and easy drinking.
Keg at beaverfest. Pours black, nose is coconut, toffee, vanilla, chocolate, light funk taste is similar.
Tap. Black color with beige head. Aroma is barrel sugar, molasses, so much molten chocolate. Taste is chocolate, molasses, cocoa, sweet. Medium carbonation, oily mouthfeel. Very nice!
Pours black with a low tan head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, cherries, roasted nuts. Taste is chocolatey and roasted with cherries and caramel notes. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a bit dry. Stellar.
Earlier Rating: 5/5/2014 Total Score: 4.6
On tap at Mikkeller Viktoriagade, May 1st. Pours pitch black with a low tan head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, leather, some cherries, muscovado sugar. Could smell this all day. Taste is dark chocolate, muscovado sugar, vanilla, honey, some smoky bacon notes. Mouthfeel is silky smooth and slightly oily with no carbonation. Aftertaste is chocolate, vanilla, muscovado sugar, slight cherry notes. An exceptional imperial stout that is very well balanced.
From keg at Beavertown extravaganza in London: first day, 8th september 2017....
Keg at the BeaverFest 2017 Friday... Dark black... Thin tan lacing.. Soft meaty chocolate roast malts nose. Mdark heavy chocolate roast malts.. Boozy chocolate roast. Mheavy sweet bourbon chocolate is
Pours black with minimal brown oily head
Aromas of bourbon, vanilla, muscavado, chocolate, caramel, dark fruits, dades, alcohol
Taste has notes of soy, vanilla, bourbon, muscavado, chocolate, hints of coffee, dades, raisins, alcohol
Earlier Rating: 5/1/2014 Total Score: 4.6
On tap at Three Floyds Tap takover Mikkeller Bar.
Pours black with low brown head
Aromas and Taste is a fuckin explosion of fig, dades, muscavado, chocolate, coffee
Perfect mouthfeel with long warming alcohol finish. Brilliant!
Pours black with low tan head. Aroma of coffee, cedar wood, light ancho chillis. Taste is sweet, boozy, bourbon sweet. Rich and creamy body with soft carbonation.
Earlier Rating: 5/1/2014 Total Score: 4.5
Pours black with low tan head. Aroma of muscovado, prunes, dates, molasses, cherry barrel. Taste is big, bold sweet with strong barrel notes, long sweet and lightly boozy finish. Delicious! Thick, creamy body with soft carbonation.
01.05.2014, tap @ Mikkeller Bar:
Small slightly fizzy shortlasting head. Aroma is sweet oaky, dark malts, dark sugar, vanilla, oak, cocoa, mild sweet bourbon, grass, caramel. Taste is sweet and slightly sour-ish, dark malts, sour dark fruits, dark sugar, oak, citrus, vanilla, cocoa, grass, caramel, burnt coffee, sweet mild bourbon. Medium bitterness, slightly dry oaky mouthfeel. Nice.
Bottle thanks to Mikkel. Pours pitch black with a medium mocha head. Pretty oily. Aroma has a shitload of sweet cherries, cocoa, vanilla, sweet milky chocolate. Holy shit, this is liquid candyyyyy in da noze fam. Taste is more roasty, still a lot of sweet cherries, bourbon, vanilla, sweet milky chocolate, roast in the end with some darker dry notes. Overall a tad too sweet for me but damn this is still delizh.
Bottle shared in the line for Mikkeller bar Aarhus grand opening, courtesy of Mikkel, thanks! Pours black with a dark brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, some fruit, tart cherries, bourbon, wood. Flavor is rather sweet, rich malty, coffee, caramel, dark chocoolate, cherries, some dried fruit, raisins, wood, mild bourbon, vanilla, wood, alcohol. Medium to full body, soft carbonation, sweet finish woth warming alcohol. 271115
Bottle. Been sitting on this one a while and finally brought it out for a share. Pours opaque black with minimal head, what there is is dark brown with some lacing. Aroma is chocolate, cherry, coffee, vanilla and light bourbon. Flavor is REALLY sweet, chocolate covered cherries in a caramelized vanilla bourbon glaze. Full body, creamy mouthfeel but truly diabetes in a bottle.
Bottle at all killer no filler. Pours pitch black with a modest brown head which soon disappears. Aroma is cherries, cocoa and slight cinnamon. Taste is mild sweet cherries, cocoa, cookie dough, vanilla and a hint of leather. Full bodied with a rich mouthfeel.
Bottle - Pour dark black w/ brown head. Nose is bourbon, cherries, chocolate, oak. Taste is fudgy chocolate with cherries, oak, vanilla, and bourbon. It is sweet and decadent.
Much less sweet than I imagined it would be. Nicely balanced beer with a good chocolate character. Not incredible but very good.
Bottle, Pours a pitch black with a low tan head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, leather, some cherries, Taste is dark chocolate, vanilla, honey and is silky smooth and a little oily with chocolate, vanilla, cherry notes. An exceptional imperial stout that is very well balanced,CHEERS!