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Big Sound - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Cigar City Brewing
- From:
- Cigar City Brewing
- Florida, United States
- Style:
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- ABV:
- 8.5%
- Score:
- 97
- Avg:
- 4.37 | pDev: 7.78%
- Reviews:
- 102
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 20, 2021
- Added:
- Jun 16, 2009
- Wants:
- 367
- Gots:
- 164
Big Sound Scotch Ale is dedicated to our good buddy Gino, the most Punk Rock Bagpiper you will ever meet, and the rest of the men and women of the Tampa Bay Pipes and Drums. Brown in color, Big Sound has huge notes of dark sweet toffee with underlying mild notes of coffee in the aroma. The flavor starts with a slight note of cherry and then opens into a goliath of malt character with notes of dark sweet toffee, coffee and mild notes of toasted bread in the finish. Big Sound Scotch Ale pairs well with Haggis, Highland Games, Huge Heads, Enormous pillows and of course Bagpipe Music.
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Ratings by duceswild:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.68/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.68/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
2015 bottle opened in December, 2021. Poured at fridge temp, but allowed to warm for a while. Pours a murky dark brown with quickly dissipating head.
Nose is toffee candy, figs, plums, bourbon, chocolate, raisins, and an amazing amount of malty goodness. This one is very inviting, and I don't detect any signs of being too far gone.
Taste is incredible. Super smooth and almost creamy. Reminds me a lot of Backwoods and Wulver. Rich toffee, boozy, bourbon, a bit of maple, figs, prunes, leather, a bit of roasted malts, and a nice layer of raisins. A bit of sherry makes its way in as well. Absolutely marvelous!
Mouthfeel is medium to thick bodied. Alcohol is definitely detectable, but it's not too much. Overall, this is one of the best BA Scotch Ales I have ever tried.
Dec 20, 2021Nose is toffee candy, figs, plums, bourbon, chocolate, raisins, and an amazing amount of malty goodness. This one is very inviting, and I don't detect any signs of being too far gone.
Taste is incredible. Super smooth and almost creamy. Reminds me a lot of Backwoods and Wulver. Rich toffee, boozy, bourbon, a bit of maple, figs, prunes, leather, a bit of roasted malts, and a nice layer of raisins. A bit of sherry makes its way in as well. Absolutely marvelous!
Mouthfeel is medium to thick bodied. Alcohol is definitely detectable, but it's not too much. Overall, this is one of the best BA Scotch Ales I have ever tried.
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina
4.5/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a barrel aged beer glass to a beer which is essentially black. The beer is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of molasses, caramel and oak with some chocolate and vanilla
T: Taste is caramel and molasses with some chocolate, oak, and vanilla. This is one sticky sweet beer with some slight fig notes as well. On the swallow there's more caramel, molasses, oak, wood spice, and vanilla.
M: This beer has a very full body with a silky feel on the palate. Carbonation is there but it struggles to be apparent due to the heft of the base beer while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really tasty beer. Great flavors and a nice amount of complexity make this an interesting beer to drink. Despite me having this since 2017ish it's held up quite well. The flavors are also quite pronounced yet still balanced.
Sep 06, 2021S: Smells of molasses, caramel and oak with some chocolate and vanilla
T: Taste is caramel and molasses with some chocolate, oak, and vanilla. This is one sticky sweet beer with some slight fig notes as well. On the swallow there's more caramel, molasses, oak, wood spice, and vanilla.
M: This beer has a very full body with a silky feel on the palate. Carbonation is there but it struggles to be apparent due to the heft of the base beer while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really tasty beer. Great flavors and a nice amount of complexity make this an interesting beer to drink. Despite me having this since 2017ish it's held up quite well. The flavors are also quite pronounced yet still balanced.
Reviewed by bubseymour from Maryland
4.94/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.94/5 rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
This beer feels alot bigger than 8.5%. More like a 11-12% ABV BA beer. Very sweet and really good all around. Probably the best I've ever had on par with Wulver.
Aug 14, 2018Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia
4.31/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle poured into a snifter
A- pours a deep brown color with a one-finger off-white head that has short retention before settling to a ring around the edge
S- huge barrel aroma, sharp oak & booze soaked vanilla. Undertones of caramel and toffee, chocolate molasses & fig
T- as expected with the nose, plenty of barrel flavor; bourbon, woody oak, vanilla & caramel. Undertones of tobacco, dark cherry & chocolate.
M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and finish
O- bold barrel notes mesh with smooth caramel, toffee and dark fruit, good stuff
Feb 09, 2018A- pours a deep brown color with a one-finger off-white head that has short retention before settling to a ring around the edge
S- huge barrel aroma, sharp oak & booze soaked vanilla. Undertones of caramel and toffee, chocolate molasses & fig
T- as expected with the nose, plenty of barrel flavor; bourbon, woody oak, vanilla & caramel. Undertones of tobacco, dark cherry & chocolate.
M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and finish
O- bold barrel notes mesh with smooth caramel, toffee and dark fruit, good stuff
Rated by PBRmeasap1980 from Indiana
4/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2014... brown sugga
Oct 07, 2017Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois
4.53/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 1/6/16. Got it as a Christmas gift last year from my brother.
Dark, thinning edges, healthy lacing. Smell is boozy barrel and sweet malt. Taste is molasses and bourbon. Feel is a pleasant middle ground between harsh oiliness and smooth cleanliness. Damn good beer.
Sep 08, 2017Dark, thinning edges, healthy lacing. Smell is boozy barrel and sweet malt. Taste is molasses and bourbon. Feel is a pleasant middle ground between harsh oiliness and smooth cleanliness. Damn good beer.
Reviewed by KensWorld from Florida
3.95/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
3.95/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
From cellared 750ml bottle dated 1/6/16.
I remember this being one of my first big Beers i ever had from CCB back when they opened, green wax dipped bottle I think? . I can't say I remember how it tasted but I sure remember it's punch. Like getting slammed by a skinhead at a Cuban Club show back in the late 1980s. This is a sleeper of a beer. Extreamly smooth and silky yet it creeps up on you. Very good example of Scotch style. Only problem is there is hardly any bourbon presence. Slam on!
Jun 07, 2017I remember this being one of my first big Beers i ever had from CCB back when they opened, green wax dipped bottle I think? . I can't say I remember how it tasted but I sure remember it's punch. Like getting slammed by a skinhead at a Cuban Club show back in the late 1980s. This is a sleeper of a beer. Extreamly smooth and silky yet it creeps up on you. Very good example of Scotch style. Only problem is there is hardly any bourbon presence. Slam on!
Big Sound - Bourbon Barrel-Aged from Cigar City Brewing
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
671 ratings
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