Spiritual Needs
Cigar City Brewing

I was hesitant to open this one but every good beer deserves to be enjoyed.
Poured beautiful- black as shadow and sported a light brown 15mm head that dissipated to a ring but never goes away.
The aroma on the nose is BA stout, whiskey leads with roasted malts, an interesting nuttiness and dark fruit. Then as you breathe it in which taking a sip, the whiskey really hits.
The taste is good, very good. The whiskey that was so prominent in the olfactory sense is noticeable in the swallow but little before then. Nutty something, guessing the buckwheat, is found in concert with the chocolate and fruit and earthiness. Very nice, just hard to define.
The feel is good, maybe a little thin but I can’t complain.
This is really good, thanks Andrew!

 

 

 

 

 

Very impressive head production, and good retention, considering the ABV and barrel aging.

The rye whiskey is prominent on the nose, lending depth and sweetness to an already clearly rich malt base. Notes of espresso, molasses, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, red grape, chocolate, and nuts round out the delectable and inviting profile.

It's not quite as rich on the palate, as the rye and rye whiskey add a certain sharpness, even a touch of sourness, as well as a lightly peppery bite. It's still rich and quite flavorful, but not quite as deep, and as it warms the whiskey becomes more and more potent. Quite nutty but with very light char, rye (I'm not sure what buckwheat tastes like in a beer), toast, bitter chocolate, and coffee. Thinner on the palate than expected, but really easy to drink given the high ABV.

For a whiskey fan, this may well be a home run. I'd prefer a thicker, sweeter, creamier malt base more in line with the promise of the aroma.

Another parchment-and-golden-wax-covered 500ML bottle from one of the best breweries in the world. Taken by myself in a strangely empty house.

The pour is dark black with no head even when all the liquid comes out in .6 seconds. Aroma isn’t at all expected: damp earth, slight rye, hazelnut. Odd start.

Spiritual Needs confounds expectations. Perhaps I need remedial reading lessons, but the stuff in my mouth doesn’t taste like the words I read. The buckwheat is on this like a brand on cattle. Big hit of nuttiness, spring dirt, drying oak, warm booze, gentle, soft rye pushed way into the background. I like my rye full frontal. Not thick for the ABV & I will definitely share the second bottle with my wife.

As any follower of mine will know I’m a massive rye fan & the rye is butchered & buried by the buckwheat. Possibly the weakest El Cat beer ever & very disappointing. Mediocre.