Cigar City Or Black Ale
High gravity black ale brewed with Ty Ty honey, copious amounts of hops and aged on toasted Spanish Cedar.
Part 2 of a 4 beer collaboration between Cigar City, Hill Farmstead, and Grassroots.
A note from Joey Redner: "The beers are basically black IPA’s brewed with lots of Citra, Mt. Rainier and Simcoe along with Ty Ty honey from North Florida aged on medium toast Spanish Cedar. There are different hop additions in the Hill Farmstead/Grassroots version (Or) and the 2-row base malt in the CCB version (Either) is replaced with Pilsner malt in the Vermont/Denmark version (Or). There are also some process differences which is one of the purposes of a collaboration; allowing breweries to learn from each other.
The goal was to make two beers that were alike, but slightly different due to preferences in regional approach and access to ingredients. The four beers in this collaborative series will be named:
Either, Or, Neither and Nor. Either and Or will release first and the other two will follow. Both Either and Or were brewed at CCB, but Neither and Nor will be brewed as single batches in both Vermont and Denmark.
Part 2 of a 4 beer collaboration between Cigar City, Hill Farmstead, and Grassroots.
A note from Joey Redner: "The beers are basically black IPA’s brewed with lots of Citra, Mt. Rainier and Simcoe along with Ty Ty honey from North Florida aged on medium toast Spanish Cedar. There are different hop additions in the Hill Farmstead/Grassroots version (Or) and the 2-row base malt in the CCB version (Either) is replaced with Pilsner malt in the Vermont/Denmark version (Or). There are also some process differences which is one of the purposes of a collaboration; allowing breweries to learn from each other.
The goal was to make two beers that were alike, but slightly different due to preferences in regional approach and access to ingredients. The four beers in this collaborative series will be named:
Either, Or, Neither and Nor. Either and Or will release first and the other two will follow. Both Either and Or were brewed at CCB, but Neither and Nor will be brewed as single batches in both Vermont and Denmark.
3.9
303 reviews
Tampa, United States
Community reviews
Bottle. Dark brown with a minimal light brown head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma is chocolate, citrus, bready, honey, light coffee, roasted malt, bark, caramel. Taste is medium sweet and medium+ bitter. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation. Light roast and caramel with a light alcohol burn in the finish.
from Erzboerschof - black beer with no head retention; the nose is woody and piney; aroma of black chocolate and honey; pretty roasted; full-bodied and very tasty; some astringency, hugely bitter, pretty dry and long hoppy, chocolatey and woody finish - huge stuff !
pours dark black with a off white head. Aroma of bitter hops, alcohol and roasted malt. Taste follows, quite boozy, hops are there so i the roast but the booze takes over. Either is much better
pours black with thin mocha head. aroma of hops, woods, chocolate. Taste is chocolate, espresso, honey, cedar, hops bitter in finsh
Pours a dark black color with a creamy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, wood, and hops. Oily finish with chocolate, roasted malt, honey flavor with a slight hop bite. Great beer!
Tannin, deep raisin, bitter, mossy, bit of an edge, moist soil, burnt sugar, molasses. I really wanted a cigar with this.
Bottle shared at Delirium Hoppy Loft, side by side with Either. Pours black with a medium thick tan head. Aroma of chocolate, honey and roasted malt. Flavour is heavy sweet and moderate to heavy bitter. Thick oily mouthfeel, but not quite as thick as the Either. Full bodied with soft carbonation. An excellent beer in its own right, but slightly toned down compared to the Either.
Bottle at CCB Day, Sätila 2012-07-07. Black beer with a small brown head. Dried dark fruits, malty aroma and flavour. Nice beer :-)
Bottle at Mikkeller Bar, july 19th 2012.
Black colored with a medium tanned head.
Roasty aroma with smoke, grapefruit, cocoa. Taste of roasted malt, grapefruit, peach, coffee. Good dry bitterness, and a lasting aftertaste of roast, cocoa and hops.
12 oz. bottle via normyk. Pours very dark brown to black with a small tan head. The nose has quite a bit of porter character with roasted malts, chocolate, raisin and other dark fruit, and adds the nice touch of cedar (mild) and more hops than Either. The flavor has roasted malt, chocolate, raisin, cedar, dark fruit and more hops throughout. Mouth feel is medium to medium plus and there is less honey sweetness. This is closer to a Black IPA than Either. I enjoyed both for what they are and can’t really favor one over the other.
Slightly better then either. The taste is very similar but I thought this had slightly more blended flavors and was less muddled. Roasty and citrusy with once again great drinkability.
Thanks to Palme !
Head: medium, espresso
Colour: black
Smell: chocolat, coffee, bit of anise, some fudge, hebral , ashy
Taste: start is quite smokey, then ashy with a bit of anise. bit irony, some herbs, some alcohol, bit of coffee, actually more coffee bitter, end is grassy with again herbal notes and a slight touch of lime to my surprise ... nice one !
Bottle shared @ Timo’s/tkrjukoff’s CCB Day tasting on July 7, 2012.
Dark brown color, brown head. Grainy, malty, sweet scent. Sweet,a lcohol, malty taste. Grainy aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium high bitterness.
355 bottle shared @ tkrjukoffs CCB Day tasting. Pours Hazy very dark brown, almost black, with a small brownish white head that quickly dissipates without leaving much trace. Smell is sweet and hoppy with dark rye bread, lemon zest, black pepper, grapefruit juice, lemon zest, salty liquorice, bitter chocolate, coffee, alcohol, toffee, golden syrup, grass and hints of dry soil. Taste is sweet and bitter with roasted malts, liquorice fudge, sweetened coffee, dark rye bread, bitter chocolate, grapefruit juice, honey, orange zest, lemon zest, dry soil, alcohol, pine and hints of resinous wood and black pepper. Mouthfeel is harsh, oily bitter, tiny tart and medium to full bodied. Finish is tiny sweet and bitter with burnt caramel, liquorice fudge, honey, grapefruit juice, grass, lemon zest, orange zest, coffee and pine.
35,5 cl bottle @ home. Rated on 12.03.2010
Aroma is rather hoppy with exotic fruits, some roastiness and resin. Flavour is hoppy too with exotic fruits, some mango, resin, roastiness, coffee and licorice. Less roasted than Either and worse.
355 ml bottle.
Pours a black colour with a beige brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, raisins and hops. Flavour of roasted malts, raisins, toffee, very bitter hops, stinging wood, leather and dark chocolate. Some mellow honey-like sweetness as well. Full bodied, thick mouthfeel and a long, bitter and roasty finish with warming alcohol. A heavy Black IPA, smooth and very enjoyable.
bottle. pours light black with gorgeous white head. aroma of sweet hops. taste is slight roasty with lots of sweet honey
355ml bottle @ Craft Beer Co., London
Pours pitch black with a tiny light brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, smoke, wood, fruits, honey and syrup. Lovely taste starts out slightly sweet and fruity but finishes roasty with wooden notes. Hints of bitterness, honey and smoke as well. Extremely well balanced and tasty.
Bottle. Extremely dark and viscous pour with a brown head. Big nose of oak, roast, honey, and resin hop. Taste is similar, palate is full. Spectacular brew!
50 cl bottle.
Rated on 20110312.
Pours black color with small head. Aroma of hoppy fruits, caramel, malts and grass. Flavor of caramel malts, fruists and mild chocolate notes.
5425
12oz bottle.
Pours black, with an offwhite head.
Smells of malt, honey, and citrus hops. Flavors include soy, honey, coffee
Tastes excessively sweet, salty, and contains a medium bitterness -- an imperfect blend of the two that has my palate reeling, but ultimately is still pleasant.
Medium bodied, oily texture. Finishes somewhat dry, and peppery.
Bottled 355ml. Pitch black with a creamy deep beige head. Faint boletus in the nose. Niaouli, soy sauce, wood, caramel, strong coffee, alcohol and resinous hops throughout. Great balance. Smooth and complex. Full bodied. Strong bitterness. Impressive malt back. Peppery and warming on the swallow. The finish is very bitter, reminiscent of caramel, wood, nasturcium and citrusy hops. Interesting and quite delicious. I enjoyed this beer a little more than the either version perhaps.
From notes.
lack with a tan edge and a decenty retaining tan creamy head.
More roasted malt, dark chocolate, and espresso than ‘Either,’ with a little less milk creaminess in the nose.
The flavor starts with a light milk creaminess and sweetness, then it gets progressively darker and more bitter. Roasted malt and chocolate wander in, with some a bit of pine in the back. More malty than Either for sure.
The body is full, as is Either. The high ABV also hides.
A little bit better than Either I think.
Pours black with a minimal tan head. Aroma in more of raisins than EITHER. Also has aromas of molasses, honey, and cedar. Taste is tobacco, thick roasted malt, and leather. In my opinion - not as good as EITHER.
My bottle [12oz] shared with garthicus & HogTownHarry -- c/o Glouglouburp. Dec. 13, 2011. Pours a very dark brown with a small frothy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, resiny hops, chocolate and dark fruit. Flavour of roasted malt, lots of resiny hops, some dark fruit,a touch of alcohol and a nice bitter finish. Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. I loved both this and the "Either", great stuff.
Black with a diminished head. Powerful coffee aroma with hints of cocoa, dark chocolate and roasted malts. The flavour is superb: dominated by sweet malts and a hint of citric bitterness. It’s suprisingly balanced for such a heavy weighter.
Bottle. Looks the same as either. Black with small brown cap. Almost a purplish tinge. Aroma seems a little fruitier than Either. Rich fruits like Mamey, and it’s skins, drenched in rum. Not as oxidized or toasty in the aroma as Either, too. Tastes great, very smooth. Palate creamy. Leaves very long, lingering tasty espresso bean grinds on the tongue. Has almost a deMolen quality. The extra sweetness is a wonderful addition here, adding balance whereas either has more acidity. But there is balancing acidity here, in perfect proportion. Still a whole lotta roast, deep, and bittersweet cocoa. Strong but does not taste or smell hot at all. Smooth, balanced even though intense, and moreish. I believe I like this one a smidgen better than Either, overall.
Danish beer enthusiasts Aarhus south, dark IPA tasting: Is almost identical with Either model. Beautiful black colour with fine brown head. Roasted malty aroma. Very rich dark beer with an intense hop flavor. Not so alcohol strong in taste as the ether model..
Bottle from Ølbutikken, Copenhagen, shared with BBGTC. Oily black body, small off-white head. Aroma is licorice, piney tones of grass and dark malts. Hints of salmiac, milk chocolate and heather flowers. Wonderful. Taste is licorice, leather, cocoa, pine, grass and hints of dark chocolate and deep malts. Very nice. Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety. This one is almost up there with it’s "brother" Either, but lacks the little X-factor (the cedar, which is not as present?) to take it all the way to the Olympian heights. Close, though. :-)
12 fl. oz bottle, kindly shared by GrOve. Jet black. Low tanned head. Resinous and citrus fruity hop aroma. Tarry, wooden and heavily roasted malt aroma. Big malt body. Well roasted, lots of coffee/cocoa. Tones of ash/smoke. Nice fruity hop flavor. Bold resiny bitterness. Thick in the mouth. Linger bitterness and well roasted malts in a lasting finish. Very tasty, very powerfull.