Check out the video if you don't feel like reading! :) My apologies for my "camera presence". I'll definitely try to get better at this.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador - Regios vs. Black IPA (Homebrew)
I knew when I put these two items in the ring together that it was going to be a knockdown drag out, punch me in the teeth until I cried "Mama" type of smackdown. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. Of course, three-days later, I'm still recovering.
All kidding aside, I was really looking forward to this pairing. The Black IPA is one of my favorite brews. I brew it every chance I get and I drink it every chance I get, too. To put it bluntly, it's a good damn beer and it deserves to be paired up with a good damn cigar. Well ladies and gents, the Tatuaje Regios is the perfect match up. From its dark habano wrapper to it's big strength in a small package attitude, this Tatuaje stands its ground with ease.
I also want to give a huge thanks to our good friend Ron aka "Shuckins" over at Puff.com, who was kind enough to send me my very first bomb. A bomb, which included this little maduro mouth grenade. And one thing I want to say about Shuckins before we get into this review is that he is an incredibly generous person and when I told him about one particular aspect of the cigar that really surprised me, he laughed and said, "Now you know why I bomb people with cigars."
Brew Background: The Black IPA is assuredly a U.S. concoction. According to NorthernBrewer.com, the Black IPA's roots are firmly planted in West Coast craft breweries. It's a hugely hoppy beer with a great malt finish. When you're drinking this brew, it's truly a passive-aggressive experience. On the one hand, it's kicking you in the teeth with its hoppiness, but when it finishes, it soothes you with it's gentle caramel-coffee malt caress across your tongue.
The ingredients come in either an all-grain or kit brew. For this brew, I used the kit. Price ranges from $36.99 - $48.23 depending on what yeast you use.
The Kit Includes:
.25 lbs Dehusked Carafa III
.25 lbs Chocolate Malt
.5 lbs Briess Caramel 80
3.15 lbs Dark Malt Syrup (60 min.)
6 lbs Dark Malt Syrup (15 min.)
1 lb Corn Sugar (Flameout)
1 oz. Summit (60 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (15 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (10 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (5 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (Flameout)
1 oz. Cascade (Dry Hop)
Wyeast 1272 American Ale Yeast II
Safale US-05
I used the Safale US-05. It's a clean-fermenting dry yeast that gives reasonable attenuation, even on big beers like this one. And yes, you read that right: There are SIX hop additions to this brew. Can you say pump up my IBUs?
My O.G. was about 1.078, which is a bit higher than the kit sheet predicts (1.075), however, I'm using five-gallon carboys, so I can only put about 4.75 Gallons of wort in without worrying a lot about blow-off. My final gravity was 1.018, which gives an ABV of about 8%.
This is NOT a session beer.
And the Tatuaje is not a session cigar. It's a cigar that makes no bones about wanting to kick your ass. But guess what? Remember how our Black IPA has this passive-aggressive thing goin' on? Tatuaje has the same type of issue as you'll see.
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador - Regios Background: Tatuaje is Spanish for Tattoo. Regios means regal, magnificent, kingly, etc. So yeah, it's like a king with a tattoo and an attitude. The Tatuaje brand was originally developed by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin. The cigars are manufactured at the El Rey de los Habanos factory in Miami, Florida and at Tabacalera Cubana S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua.
Tatuaje Regios Facts:
Country of Origin: Miami, FL
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5.5 in.
Ring: 50
Box Count: 25
The price of this cigar is between FREE (thanks to Shuckins!) and about $9.00 for a single at AtlanticCigar.com or maybe just a bit higher at your local B&M. 5-packs from Atlantic are $42.95 and boxes are roughly $230.00 for a box of 25 (at the time of this review).
The Review:
Pint
The appearance of this beer is amazing. It's like an oil slick in a pint glass. The beer is tar black with a gorgeous tan head that tickles the top edge of the glass. For a kit brew, the head is nice, but it dissipates too quickly for my taste. If I saw this beer without knowing what it was, I would guess Imperial Stout or possibly a Bourbon Barrel Porter.
Puff
The Tatuaje is a gorgeous cigar in its own right. It does have a few veins, but they don't detract from the cigar. I mean, think about it, this cigar was named Tatuaje because of Pete Johnson's tattoos. I look at this cigar and I actually enjoy the idea of the veins being similar to tattoos. The seams are nicely disguised. I did have an issue with my guillotine, so I ended up with a minor tear at the shoulder of the stick. I love the simplicity of the band. In my mind, I'm thinking, okay, this cigar doesn't have any pretense. It says, I'll let the smoke speak for itself. And it does.
Pint
The overall taste of this Black IPA is amazing. The hops nail your tongue to the bottom of your mouth and don't let it up for a full five-seconds. However, shortly after that initial hops smackdown, the caramel of the malt soothes your wounds and lets your tongue back up for another round. Which is a good thing, because one drink is never enough.
Puff
The cold draw on the Tatuaje is perfect. Not too loose and not too tight. Nice taste of tobacco and just a hint of pepper. Just wait, though, this is only the beginning. When you first toast the Tatuaje Regios, you're met with oak and tobacco. The foot toasts quickly and the cigar lights up easily. There's just a slight aroma of catnip after the initial purge. It's actually a nice smell when it's combined with the oak and tobacco. My first retrohale made me wonder if I'd made a mistake. There's a definite hit of hot pepper. The secondary smoke smells delicious, but it definitely lets you know that there's some serious tobacco in this cigar. It says, "Hey, I'm not hiding anything, are you?" Of course, later on, we'll find out that it was indeed hiding something.
Pint
The mouthfeel on this beer is light and smooth. No chewing necessary. The libation goes down smooth once the hops have cleared the way. Each drink has that beautiful caramel finish with just an aftertaste of hops that makes you smile. What's interesting about this beer is how well it matches up with the Tatuaje.
Puff
This cigar really never lets you forget that it's a cigar. The smoke is so thick you can chew it. It's almost like silk in your mouth. The second-third begins with nutmeg. The pepper and spice are gone and the ash is dense and razor sharp. The smoke really billows out of this thing. Despite its size, this cigar is not a morning smoke. It's a sit back and enjoy the buzz type of cigar. I can almost hear it speaking, "Yeah, y'all best eat before ya' smoke me, bitchezzzz...." And yes, I think it is definitely trying to make me into its bitch.
Pint
My overall impression of the NorthernBrewer Black IPA is face-punching hops and rich caramel finish. To be honest, I'd never serve this beer to my buddies. Why? Because I'm a selfish bastard and I want it all for myself. The pint finishes smooth and silky with a bitter punch in the mouth. I like it.
Puff
So, I'm sitting enjoying a slight nicotine buzz and I lose about an inch and a half of ash. However, I'm not too upset, because a cool front just went through and I know it's going to rain and after 105-degrees for several days straight, I'm good with that. I've got an even burn going and now leather has joined the party. So far, I'm roughly 45-minutes into the cigar and I'm enjoying it.
So, I'm sitting and minding my own business and my thoughts revolve around the idea that this cigar is like a prize fight. It starts off wanting to kick your ass. Roundhouses and uppercuts of pepper, spice, and oak. Then, it sits back and rests a bit. The spice and pepper leave and it takes a few jabs here and there as the smoke progresses over several rounds. It's almost as if it's building up energy for the later rounds. To be honest, I was a bit concerned that it was going to knock me on my ass during the last third.
Nearly 2/3 through and there are no issues with relights or touch-ups. This is a strong-bodied cigar. However, when it finally hits you with that knock-out punch, it's so unexpected that it's like Micky Ward in the 12th round. You think you've gotten him beaten back and all of the sudden, out of nowhere...
Chocolate.
Yes, you read right. Beginning that last third, the chocolate was so strong. There was just a hint of pepper around the edges, but the chocolate was predominant. It was like finally getting to the center of the tootsie pop. Oddly enough, this blend just really works. And when I mentioned this to Shuckins, that was when he posted back to me that this was the reason that he cigar bombs people. It's that first-time smoking something and getting surprised by it.
The cigar loses its ash about every 1 1/2 inch, but it recovers nicely and the smoke is never harsh. The finish is great. You can nub this cigar with no regrets and no bitter harshness.
Final thoughts: I can't imagine pairing this cigar with anything but my Black IPA or a Bourbon Barrel Porter. It has to be something that will stand up to the stick and vice versa, the stick has to stand up to the brew. I like this combination a lot. The Tatuaje is well worth nubbing (and yes, I did). Getting through the first 2/3 of the cigar is so worth it to get to that amazing chocolate.
This cigar, like the Black IPA, is a full-bodied stick. Neither of these are for the faint of heart and you definitely should eat before you smoke it.
Rating:
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador - Regios - Excellent. I give this cigar a resounding 5 out of 5-puffs.
NorthernBrewer Black IPA - Easily one of my favorite beers and easily 5 out of 5-pints.
That's all for now...
All kidding aside, I was really looking forward to this pairing. The Black IPA is one of my favorite brews. I brew it every chance I get and I drink it every chance I get, too. To put it bluntly, it's a good damn beer and it deserves to be paired up with a good damn cigar. Well ladies and gents, the Tatuaje Regios is the perfect match up. From its dark habano wrapper to it's big strength in a small package attitude, this Tatuaje stands its ground with ease.I also want to give a huge thanks to our good friend Ron aka "Shuckins" over at Puff.com, who was kind enough to send me my very first bomb. A bomb, which included this little maduro mouth grenade. And one thing I want to say about Shuckins before we get into this review is that he is an incredibly generous person and when I told him about one particular aspect of the cigar that really surprised me, he laughed and said, "Now you know why I bomb people with cigars."
The ingredients come in either an all-grain or kit brew. For this brew, I used the kit. Price ranges from $36.99 - $48.23 depending on what yeast you use.
The Kit Includes:
.25 lbs Dehusked Carafa III
.25 lbs Chocolate Malt
.5 lbs Briess Caramel 80
3.15 lbs Dark Malt Syrup (60 min.)
6 lbs Dark Malt Syrup (15 min.)
1 lb Corn Sugar (Flameout)
1 oz. Summit (60 min.)
1 oz. Chinook (15 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (10 min.)
1 oz. Cascade (5 min.)
1 oz. Centennial (Flameout)
1 oz. Cascade (Dry Hop)
Wyeast 1272 American Ale Yeast II
Safale US-05
I used the Safale US-05. It's a clean-fermenting dry yeast that gives reasonable attenuation, even on big beers like this one. And yes, you read that right: There are SIX hop additions to this brew. Can you say pump up my IBUs?
My O.G. was about 1.078, which is a bit higher than the kit sheet predicts (1.075), however, I'm using five-gallon carboys, so I can only put about 4.75 Gallons of wort in without worrying a lot about blow-off. My final gravity was 1.018, which gives an ABV of about 8%.
This is NOT a session beer.
And the Tatuaje is not a session cigar. It's a cigar that makes no bones about wanting to kick your ass. But guess what? Remember how our Black IPA has this passive-aggressive thing goin' on? Tatuaje has the same type of issue as you'll see.
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador - Regios Background: Tatuaje is Spanish for Tattoo. Regios means regal, magnificent, kingly, etc. So yeah, it's like a king with a tattoo and an attitude. The Tatuaje brand was originally developed by Pete Johnson and Don Pepin. The cigars are manufactured at the El Rey de los Habanos factory in Miami, Florida and at Tabacalera Cubana S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua.Tatuaje Regios Facts:
Country of Origin: Miami, FL
Wrapper: Habano Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5.5 in.
Ring: 50
Box Count: 25
The price of this cigar is between FREE (thanks to Shuckins!) and about $9.00 for a single at AtlanticCigar.com or maybe just a bit higher at your local B&M. 5-packs from Atlantic are $42.95 and boxes are roughly $230.00 for a box of 25 (at the time of this review).
The Review:
Pint
The appearance of this beer is amazing. It's like an oil slick in a pint glass. The beer is tar black with a gorgeous tan head that tickles the top edge of the glass. For a kit brew, the head is nice, but it dissipates too quickly for my taste. If I saw this beer without knowing what it was, I would guess Imperial Stout or possibly a Bourbon Barrel Porter.
Puff
The Tatuaje is a gorgeous cigar in its own right. It does have a few veins, but they don't detract from the cigar. I mean, think about it, this cigar was named Tatuaje because of Pete Johnson's tattoos. I look at this cigar and I actually enjoy the idea of the veins being similar to tattoos. The seams are nicely disguised. I did have an issue with my guillotine, so I ended up with a minor tear at the shoulder of the stick. I love the simplicity of the band. In my mind, I'm thinking, okay, this cigar doesn't have any pretense. It says, I'll let the smoke speak for itself. And it does.
Pint
The overall taste of this Black IPA is amazing. The hops nail your tongue to the bottom of your mouth and don't let it up for a full five-seconds. However, shortly after that initial hops smackdown, the caramel of the malt soothes your wounds and lets your tongue back up for another round. Which is a good thing, because one drink is never enough.
Puff
The cold draw on the Tatuaje is perfect. Not too loose and not too tight. Nice taste of tobacco and just a hint of pepper. Just wait, though, this is only the beginning. When you first toast the Tatuaje Regios, you're met with oak and tobacco. The foot toasts quickly and the cigar lights up easily. There's just a slight aroma of catnip after the initial purge. It's actually a nice smell when it's combined with the oak and tobacco. My first retrohale made me wonder if I'd made a mistake. There's a definite hit of hot pepper. The secondary smoke smells delicious, but it definitely lets you know that there's some serious tobacco in this cigar. It says, "Hey, I'm not hiding anything, are you?" Of course, later on, we'll find out that it was indeed hiding something.
Pint
The mouthfeel on this beer is light and smooth. No chewing necessary. The libation goes down smooth once the hops have cleared the way. Each drink has that beautiful caramel finish with just an aftertaste of hops that makes you smile. What's interesting about this beer is how well it matches up with the Tatuaje.
Puff
This cigar really never lets you forget that it's a cigar. The smoke is so thick you can chew it. It's almost like silk in your mouth. The second-third begins with nutmeg. The pepper and spice are gone and the ash is dense and razor sharp. The smoke really billows out of this thing. Despite its size, this cigar is not a morning smoke. It's a sit back and enjoy the buzz type of cigar. I can almost hear it speaking, "Yeah, y'all best eat before ya' smoke me, bitchezzzz...." And yes, I think it is definitely trying to make me into its bitch.Pint
My overall impression of the NorthernBrewer Black IPA is face-punching hops and rich caramel finish. To be honest, I'd never serve this beer to my buddies. Why? Because I'm a selfish bastard and I want it all for myself. The pint finishes smooth and silky with a bitter punch in the mouth. I like it.
Puff
So, I'm sitting enjoying a slight nicotine buzz and I lose about an inch and a half of ash. However, I'm not too upset, because a cool front just went through and I know it's going to rain and after 105-degrees for several days straight, I'm good with that. I've got an even burn going and now leather has joined the party. So far, I'm roughly 45-minutes into the cigar and I'm enjoying it.
So, I'm sitting and minding my own business and my thoughts revolve around the idea that this cigar is like a prize fight. It starts off wanting to kick your ass. Roundhouses and uppercuts of pepper, spice, and oak. Then, it sits back and rests a bit. The spice and pepper leave and it takes a few jabs here and there as the smoke progresses over several rounds. It's almost as if it's building up energy for the later rounds. To be honest, I was a bit concerned that it was going to knock me on my ass during the last third.
Chocolate.
Yes, you read right. Beginning that last third, the chocolate was so strong. There was just a hint of pepper around the edges, but the chocolate was predominant. It was like finally getting to the center of the tootsie pop. Oddly enough, this blend just really works. And when I mentioned this to Shuckins, that was when he posted back to me that this was the reason that he cigar bombs people. It's that first-time smoking something and getting surprised by it.
The cigar loses its ash about every 1 1/2 inch, but it recovers nicely and the smoke is never harsh. The finish is great. You can nub this cigar with no regrets and no bitter harshness.
Final thoughts: I can't imagine pairing this cigar with anything but my Black IPA or a Bourbon Barrel Porter. It has to be something that will stand up to the stick and vice versa, the stick has to stand up to the brew. I like this combination a lot. The Tatuaje is well worth nubbing (and yes, I did). Getting through the first 2/3 of the cigar is so worth it to get to that amazing chocolate.
Rating:
Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador - Regios - Excellent. I give this cigar a resounding 5 out of 5-puffs.
NorthernBrewer Black IPA - Easily one of my favorite beers and easily 5 out of 5-pints.
That's all for now...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Chinook IPA (Homebrew) vs. Nub Habano 464 Torpedo
Today we'll take a look at a homebrew that I brewed back in March of 2011 called the Chinook IPA and a cigar created by Sam Leccia when he was with Oliva called the Nub Habano 464 Torpedo.
(For a larger version of this photo, click here)
There were a couple of reasons why I paired this beer with this cigar. The first is because I like the idea of an IPA with a cigar that some would consider relatively mild with slight undertones of caramel. The other reason was because I've recently become familiar with Nub cigars and I wanted to try one based off of some recommendations from fellow BOTL at Puff.com.
Brew Background:
The Chinook IPA was brewed from a kit that I obtained at NorthernBrewer.com. It's an American style IPA that enjoys a medium amount of bitterness from the Chinook hops that are its namesake. Chinook hops are generally used for bittering of beer and they were developed by the USDA. They're a hybrid of a USDA-selected male (unknown to this blogger) and Petham Golding. Their alpha is 12.5 to 14.0%.
The overall characteristics of the hops are herbal, floral, somewhat pine and smoke flavored. And in the instance of this IPA, the floral notes were present, which reminded me of Cascade hops.
For more detailed information, you can visit: www.brew-dudes.com/chinook-hops/251
The Chinook IPA from Northern Brewer comes as a kit or as an all-grain brew. As I mentioned, I used the kit. The cost is between $25.99 and $37.23 depending upon the type of yeast you use. The two that are recommended for this kit are the Wyeast 1056 American Ale smack pack or the Safale US-05 dry yeast. I used the S-05 in this batch. It's one of my favorite yeasts. Very good attenuation, ferments very clean and does an overall good job on a lot of different styles of beer.
The kit includes:
.75 lbs of Belgian Caramel Pils
.25 lbs of Briess Caramel 120
6lbs of Pilsen malt syrup
1 lb of Pilsen dry malt extract
1 oz Chinook 60 min.
.5 oz Chinook 10 min.
.5 oz Chinook 1 min.
1 oz Chinook (Dry Hop)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale (60-72°F)
OR
Safale US-05 Ale Yeast (59-75°F)
My O.G. in this brew was 1.052, which is about .002 higher than what the kit specifies. I think this is probably due to the fact that I only brewed a 4.75 gallon batch (I have 5-gallon carboys and if I do a 5-gallon brew, I get blow-off like you wouldn't believe!). My F.G. on the beer when I bottled was 1.012, which gave me an ABV of about 5.24%.
Nub 464 Habano Torpedo Background:
As I mentioned, the Nub line was created by Sam Leccia when he was still with Oliva. This particular cigar is priced between $2.79 (when purchased as part of the Plumpin' Samplers II package from CigarsInternational.com) up to $7.00 per stick from your local B&M.
Nub 464 Habano Torpedo Facts:
Brand - Nub
Vitola - 464 Torpedo
Length - 4-inches
RG - 64
Wrapper - Habano
Binder - Nicaragua
Filler - Nicaragua
Country of Origin - Nicaragua
Here's a great video featuring Sam rolling and chatting about the Nub line: Sam Leccia Rolls a Nub
The Review:
Pint
So, by now, you're wondering, how do they taste? Quick answer? Both are amazingly good.
When I cracked open the Chinook IPA, I poured and had a nice 1.5" head. The beer had a beautiful toasted caramel appearance and nice carbonation.
Puff
The Nub was also beautiful. Well-constructed. Barely visible seams. The cap was gorgeous. I did a Dickman Cut on it (check out the next to last paragraph on this site: http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=jrcu_cutting if you're not familiar). The cigar stayed together perfectly throughout the entire smoke.
Pint
My first sip of the Chinook brought together a great combination of the chinook hops. Like a picture, the hops were definitely prominent, but framed by a tasty caramel flavor from the malt. This beer has a great mouth feel. It's very substantive. "Thicker" than most IPAs and it finishes with that same gorgeous hops bitterness that we're so accustomed to with this style of beer.
Puff
I did a cold draw on the Nub and the tobacco flavor was amazing. There was just a slight hint of leather. As I toasted the foot, the aroma of the cigar overwhelmed me in a good way. It was fantastic. Kind of like that first smell of the woodstove on a cold winter morning, but with roasted nut undertones. My initial draws on the cigar after I purged was so smooth. Full of leather flavors, oak and caramel/molasses rounding out the initial flavor profile. The burn started out nice and even and created nice thick smoke.
Pint
The taste of the Chinook is excellent. Just a great mix of flavors. As it warmed up over the course of 20-minutes or so, it smoothed out very nicely. My overall impression of this beer is that I want to brew it again. I love IPAs and I really appreciate how nicely the flavor complements the Nub cigar. I think the caramel flavor of the malts in this beer are what tie it together nicely with the Nub.
Puff
As I worked my way through the first and second 1/3 of the cigar, I noticed that about 40-minutes into the smoke that the leather flavors had left the building. This left a great mix of what I considered maple/oak and a slight hint of something like maple sugar. These flavors are so close to caramel that I have a hard time distinguishing, so that might be closer to what my palate was experiencing. The smoke is thick enough to be almost "chewy" in my mouth and as it progresses it becomes somewhat creamy, but not cloyingly so.
I did have some slight burn issues and at one point, the Nub tried to go out. However, a few draws brought it back to life and the amazing surprise was that as the smoke warmed up because of the number of draws, the distinct nutty flavor of cashews made an appearance. Despite being warm, the smoke was never harsh or bitter and I really felt like this little "mistake" on my part added another dimension to this smoke.
An hour into the smoke, it was going strong. The cashew flavor is just amazing and at this point, the smoke is always warm. The ash is thick and dense and the "mouth feel" of the smoke is lush, like thick cream, but with smoky overtones.
Nearly an hour and fifteen-minutes into the smoke, the leather came back and all I could say was "Yum." It was like walking into one of those boutique stores that features leather coats, purses, etc. and that awesome aroma just surrounds you. Unfortunately, about three-minutes later, I lost the ash. I think that because I smoked this right from the pack, that it was a bit overly humidified. I have four more of these, so I'll be letting them sit for awhile and hopefully they'll age nicely.
By two-hours, I'm nubbin' it. (Sorry McD's.) The smoke is hot, but not harsh or bitter and we're ready for the Nubulator 3000, otherwise known as the corn on the cob poker.
Overall, the Nub 464 Habano Torpedo is a great smoke. I have no problem at all buying this smoke in the future or recommending this smoke to a fellow BOTL. The point of the Nub is to begin the smoking experience right at the cigar's "sweet spot" and I believe that Sam Leccia has achieved this.
Ratings:
Chinook IPA - 4.5 Pints out of 5
Nub Habano 464 Torpedo - 5 out of 5 Puffs
That's all for now...
(For a larger version of this photo, click here)
There were a couple of reasons why I paired this beer with this cigar. The first is because I like the idea of an IPA with a cigar that some would consider relatively mild with slight undertones of caramel. The other reason was because I've recently become familiar with Nub cigars and I wanted to try one based off of some recommendations from fellow BOTL at Puff.com.
Brew Background:
The Chinook IPA was brewed from a kit that I obtained at NorthernBrewer.com. It's an American style IPA that enjoys a medium amount of bitterness from the Chinook hops that are its namesake. Chinook hops are generally used for bittering of beer and they were developed by the USDA. They're a hybrid of a USDA-selected male (unknown to this blogger) and Petham Golding. Their alpha is 12.5 to 14.0%.
The overall characteristics of the hops are herbal, floral, somewhat pine and smoke flavored. And in the instance of this IPA, the floral notes were present, which reminded me of Cascade hops.
For more detailed information, you can visit: www.brew-dudes.com/chinook-hops/251
The Chinook IPA from Northern Brewer comes as a kit or as an all-grain brew. As I mentioned, I used the kit. The cost is between $25.99 and $37.23 depending upon the type of yeast you use. The two that are recommended for this kit are the Wyeast 1056 American Ale smack pack or the Safale US-05 dry yeast. I used the S-05 in this batch. It's one of my favorite yeasts. Very good attenuation, ferments very clean and does an overall good job on a lot of different styles of beer.
The kit includes:
.75 lbs of Belgian Caramel Pils
.25 lbs of Briess Caramel 120
6lbs of Pilsen malt syrup
1 lb of Pilsen dry malt extract
1 oz Chinook 60 min.
.5 oz Chinook 10 min.
.5 oz Chinook 1 min.
1 oz Chinook (Dry Hop)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale (60-72°F)
OR
Safale US-05 Ale Yeast (59-75°F)
My O.G. in this brew was 1.052, which is about .002 higher than what the kit specifies. I think this is probably due to the fact that I only brewed a 4.75 gallon batch (I have 5-gallon carboys and if I do a 5-gallon brew, I get blow-off like you wouldn't believe!). My F.G. on the beer when I bottled was 1.012, which gave me an ABV of about 5.24%.
Nub 464 Habano Torpedo Background:
As I mentioned, the Nub line was created by Sam Leccia when he was still with Oliva. This particular cigar is priced between $2.79 (when purchased as part of the Plumpin' Samplers II package from CigarsInternational.com) up to $7.00 per stick from your local B&M.
Nub 464 Habano Torpedo Facts:
Brand - Nub
Vitola - 464 Torpedo
Length - 4-inches
RG - 64
Wrapper - Habano
Binder - Nicaragua
Filler - Nicaragua
Country of Origin - Nicaragua
Here's a great video featuring Sam rolling and chatting about the Nub line: Sam Leccia Rolls a Nub
The Review:
Pint
So, by now, you're wondering, how do they taste? Quick answer? Both are amazingly good.
When I cracked open the Chinook IPA, I poured and had a nice 1.5" head. The beer had a beautiful toasted caramel appearance and nice carbonation.
Puff
The Nub was also beautiful. Well-constructed. Barely visible seams. The cap was gorgeous. I did a Dickman Cut on it (check out the next to last paragraph on this site: http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=jrcu_cutting if you're not familiar). The cigar stayed together perfectly throughout the entire smoke.
Pint
My first sip of the Chinook brought together a great combination of the chinook hops. Like a picture, the hops were definitely prominent, but framed by a tasty caramel flavor from the malt. This beer has a great mouth feel. It's very substantive. "Thicker" than most IPAs and it finishes with that same gorgeous hops bitterness that we're so accustomed to with this style of beer.
Puff
I did a cold draw on the Nub and the tobacco flavor was amazing. There was just a slight hint of leather. As I toasted the foot, the aroma of the cigar overwhelmed me in a good way. It was fantastic. Kind of like that first smell of the woodstove on a cold winter morning, but with roasted nut undertones. My initial draws on the cigar after I purged was so smooth. Full of leather flavors, oak and caramel/molasses rounding out the initial flavor profile. The burn started out nice and even and created nice thick smoke.
Pint
The taste of the Chinook is excellent. Just a great mix of flavors. As it warmed up over the course of 20-minutes or so, it smoothed out very nicely. My overall impression of this beer is that I want to brew it again. I love IPAs and I really appreciate how nicely the flavor complements the Nub cigar. I think the caramel flavor of the malts in this beer are what tie it together nicely with the Nub.
Puff
As I worked my way through the first and second 1/3 of the cigar, I noticed that about 40-minutes into the smoke that the leather flavors had left the building. This left a great mix of what I considered maple/oak and a slight hint of something like maple sugar. These flavors are so close to caramel that I have a hard time distinguishing, so that might be closer to what my palate was experiencing. The smoke is thick enough to be almost "chewy" in my mouth and as it progresses it becomes somewhat creamy, but not cloyingly so.
I did have some slight burn issues and at one point, the Nub tried to go out. However, a few draws brought it back to life and the amazing surprise was that as the smoke warmed up because of the number of draws, the distinct nutty flavor of cashews made an appearance. Despite being warm, the smoke was never harsh or bitter and I really felt like this little "mistake" on my part added another dimension to this smoke.
An hour into the smoke, it was going strong. The cashew flavor is just amazing and at this point, the smoke is always warm. The ash is thick and dense and the "mouth feel" of the smoke is lush, like thick cream, but with smoky overtones.
Nearly an hour and fifteen-minutes into the smoke, the leather came back and all I could say was "Yum." It was like walking into one of those boutique stores that features leather coats, purses, etc. and that awesome aroma just surrounds you. Unfortunately, about three-minutes later, I lost the ash. I think that because I smoked this right from the pack, that it was a bit overly humidified. I have four more of these, so I'll be letting them sit for awhile and hopefully they'll age nicely.
By two-hours, I'm nubbin' it. (Sorry McD's.) The smoke is hot, but not harsh or bitter and we're ready for the Nubulator 3000, otherwise known as the corn on the cob poker.
Overall, the Nub 464 Habano Torpedo is a great smoke. I have no problem at all buying this smoke in the future or recommending this smoke to a fellow BOTL. The point of the Nub is to begin the smoking experience right at the cigar's "sweet spot" and I believe that Sam Leccia has achieved this.
Ratings:
Chinook IPA - 4.5 Pints out of 5
Nub Habano 464 Torpedo - 5 out of 5 Puffs
That's all for now...
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