(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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