Jai Ali IPA - Humidor Series - Cigar City Brewing

Jai Ali IPA - Humidor Series

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Overall: 7.65/10 by 3 dudes

Standard Deviation: 1 or 13.09%

Trend: 7.65/10 over past 5 reviews

Style: American India Pale Ale

ABV: 7.50%

Season: Year Round

Have Another: 100%

370 beers rated with a 7.94 average
  • 6.30/10 have another
  • A: 7.0 | T: 6.0 | L: 7.0 | M: 6.0 | O: 6.0
  • sDev: 17.65% Color: Medium Amber
  • A: Medium amber, slight orange tint and some haze. Thick merange like, tan color head.

    S: Unique aroma, though at first it was a sour (didn't make sense as an IPA), then realized it might be the cedar. Other scents are light citrus, floral, and bready.

    T: Taste is kind of all over the place. A tad thin, then some medium bitterness, and the cedar overlays it all. Ok in the carbonation and mouthfeel department. There is the approriate hop fruitness and malt sweetness.

    D: Not horrible, but I couldn't get past the cedar taste. It seem almost perfumey every so often. I drank my entire pint but think it just strayed too far from an APA.
  • 641 characters
  • Reviewed: Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 21:41:34
  • Tasted: Thursday, January 13, 2011
  • $0.00 for 750 ml bottle
113 beers rated with a 8.19 average
  • 7.94/10 have another
  • A: 9.0 | T: 8.0 | L: 8.0 | M: 7.0 | O: 7.0
  • sDev: 3.79% Color: 9
  • Heavy lingering white head. Clinging head. Orange haze. Woodish aroma, cedar? Intrigueing aroma. Taste: Wow. Never had cedar before, but that has to be the cedar! Very upfront. Sharp upfront flavor then quickly changes to hops and spice??? Lingering bitterness in the background. Very interesting. Not a session beer at all. Drinkable, but not often.

    This beer makes me think about cedar and what is it's place in beer? Certainly you can do it. But should you do it? When? Is the the best cedar beer? I like unique beers, but sometimes unique beers lead to the question, why and when? I'm not sure why and when for Cedar. Which doesn't mean I'm against it. On the topic of cedar and I'm agnostic and curious.

    Very different from a typical beer. Enjoyable?
  • 779 characters
  • Reviewed: Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 21:36:47
  • Tasted: Thursday, January 13, 2011
  • $0.00 for 750 ml bottle
1,467 beers rated with a 7.84 average
  • 8.70/10 have another
  • A: 9.0 | T: 9.0 | L: 9.0 | M: 8.0 | O: 8.0
  • sDev: 13.73% Color: Gold
  • Poured slightly cloudy with a half glass of foam that was off-white and frothy. Retention is nice, leaving a spotted almost web like, thin, sticky lacing behind.

    Aroma is very fruity hops with some citrus. Sweet, toffee, and a bit of earth malt (maybe in hind site this is the aroma cedar lends to the beer?) round out the beer. Definite cedar scents that a pleasant scent.

    Taste is a quick hit of the sweet side and toffee but that gives way to hops: mainly citrus that then finishes with some earthy and wood flavors and a heaping spoonful of bitterness that isn't over the top but ebbs to that point.

    Some hop resin shows through this low end of medium body with lightly carbonated beer. Really a dry beer.

    This is probably the third or fourth beer I have had from Cigar City. Huge hype. That's all it is to me: hype. None of the beers I have had have lived up to it. Outside of the bottle Hunapu I have in the cellar, I think I am done with Cigar City.

    This beer isn't horrible, above average at best, not making it worth the trouble or $ to get it. There are a lot of other IPAs out there that are much better, cheaper, and easier to get a hold of. Enjoy!

    Edit: Had this beer on 2011-07-05 while in Florida - much better fresh. Maybe my bottle was old. Solid beer that I will keep coming back for. Original rating: 8, 7, 9, 7.
  • 1,352 characters
  • Reviewed: Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 14:02:53
  • Tasted: Sunday, May 30, 2010
  • $8.99 for 750 ml bottle
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  • (3.955)
    over 11 ratings
Cost Breakdown
  • $8.99, 1 serving(s), 750 ml bottles
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