Watch That 10 Gallon
Cigar City Brewing

Half liter waxed bottle into a snifter. Pours a hazed mahogany in color with virtually no carbonation. But alas, I have come to terms with these barrel aged beers from CC, though not really. As such the 'look' is limited. Aroma is pretty solid and unique from the stouts of yore. Nose of subtle and sweet ethanol, some candied sugars ala Belgian style, and a prominent malt character. Taste of rich muddled sugars with a subtle undertone of cherry. Offers a nice chewy character as for malt delivery. Rich yet subtle and complex. This is easily the best beer I've had from the Catador sereies. Even though it is not a stout. Keep up the good work.

 

 

Another 500ML bottle, this one with khaki beige wax that’s more rubbery than a big ball of fine Thai rubber. Split with the wife.

The pour is a lovely light Valentine’s Day red (even though it’s not a real holiday, Stan). The nose is a Belgian-adjacent sugar note with a bit of apple-rum. Not bad.

Watch That Ten Gallon tastes more like apple brandy barrel than rum. Apple brandy/rum up front then a stiff shot of coconut before the gentle hand of the mid-palate brings barely any cinnamon (which is the correct amount), toffee, wood, with an ending slope of moderate booziness. In toto this tastes more like a mixes drink than a beer. Best in small quantities, though.

Interesting effort. All the stuff doesn’t play perfectly together, but it meshes well enough to create a very nice brew.

A:Pours clear, very dark copper color, some amber hues. Small fizzy khaki colored head that dissipates quickly. Minimal lacing. 4.5

S: Aromas are caramel and candied sugar, followed by cinnamon, an almost apple brandy type character, boozy fusel ethanol, subtle dark fruits, spiced rum. I wouldn’t have picked up any coconut characters had the label not informed me of the barrels used. Still quite complex and very nice. 4.5

T: Taste is more adjunct heavy than the nose was, or rather perhaps the base beer characters are just more muted. I get lots of booze, apple brandy barrel, dark rum. Cinnamon is pretty prominent, I don’t really get vanilla or coconut. As mentioned i get almost none of the typical ole ale/barleywine/strong ale notes like caramel/toffee/candied sugar/dark fruits/etc. It is quite good but does feel like it’s missing something, it’s almost like the poor man’s version of Caramella but not nearly on the same level. 4

M/D: Surprisingly light body, but not in a bad way. It’s boozy for sure, but doesn’t burn. Drinkability is actually good. It’s almost a bit thin yet still works. 4.25

O: Another nice beer in the El Cat 13 series. Not mind blowing but enjoyable. 4.25