Capricho Oscuro - Batch 4
Cigar City Brewing

 

Maybe because I have been wanting to try it for so long it had extra appeal to me, thanks for sharing Paul! I really enjoyed this beer!

 

Living on the edge that separates barleywine from Flemish-style red ale, Capricho Oscuro, Batch #4 highlights what's best about both of these styles, equipped with dark fruit, savory alcohol and wood spice.

As the dark burgundy ale blooms, it tantilizes the nose with high vinous notes while simultaneously seeps into the tastebuds with viscous molasses and toasted malt flavor. Its acute balance is evident even in its very first sip.

Unfolding flavors are rapid-fire upon the middle palate. Toffee and maple in one sip, then sherry and soy the next. Balsamic acidity wraps around rum-soaked black cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and red grape for a tangy and savory interplay.

Its strong brandy finish is spicy as flavors of fresh-cracked peppercorn, grapeseed and plumb skins offer a winey tannin-like balance to the persistent sweetness as the taste is slow to dissolve. Powerful, complex and elegant all at once.

Ideally suited for a stinging blue cheese- this strong ale could be grouped in with sour ale, barleywine, merlot, olde ale and a host of others. Its complexity builds in waves, pleasing the senses with new adventure in each sip. It's an incredible and unique ale, not built for the timid in taste.

12oz brown-waxed bottle poured into a 18oz Funky Buddha snifter. Bottled about 3.5 years ago from this point. Thanks Michael (black13) for the hookup.

A- Cap comes off with a very nice hiss, pours a dark brown with a very thick 4-finger light mocha brown head, plenty of carbonation almost borderline over-carbonated.

S- Hints of lightly sweet baker's chocolate, sourdough bread, a bit of yeast in the background, touch of fruits, light rye, and a bit of oxidation. Not overly aromatic, lightly sweet, no one flavor dominates too much, not the best aroma in the world.

T- Baker's chocolate with a bit of bitterness, dark fruits, lightly spicy rye, hint of oak, brandy, and rum. Finishes with slightly tangy dark fruits, light rye, and creamy dark malts. The dark fruits clash with the beer and definitely taste a little bit off, thinking this may have become slightly infected at some point (definitely had much worse infected beers though).

M- Way over-carbonated accentuating the possible "infected" aspect of the beer, a bit on the light side.

O- This beer was a little bit of a let down, although I was kind of expecting it based on other reviews and it's age. Between the dark fruits and over-carbonation there is definitely what appears to be a slight infection going on, not sure if this was present when it was first bottled or developed over time. Whatever it is it definitely isn't worth seeking out at this point.

Edit- as it warmed up the "infection" aspect started going away, however it was still a mediocre beer at best.

 

 

 

 

 

A murky brown color with minimal head formation. Sweet vanilla and booze with dark fruit, a touch of wood and whiskey, and lots of caramel. Might even be a slight spiciness of nutmeg and/or cinnamon in there. The flavor is boozy and sweet, quite sticky and sugary, but enjoyable. Lots of vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar to go with a fair amount of dark fruit.

 

 

Bottle shared by Rhettroactive. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tasting glass. It poured dark brown in color with a thin tan head. It was a little murky looking as well.

The aroma immediately shows some funky and sour dark fruits to it. It's pretty apparent that something isn't right here. A little brown sugar and caramel malts are detectable, but it's mostly hidden behind the dominant infected sourness. Sour plums is what I keep thinking.

Taste isn't that bad, there is some slightly sour dark fruits to it but the maltiness comes through a little more with some caramel and toffee. The Sourness doesn't really seem to ruin the flavors as it has with other CC infections for me.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with high carbonation. Overall, it wasn't that bad for being infected. The taste had a decent balance of malty and funky actually. While not awful, it still wasn't a very good beer overall.

From 12oz gold wax dipped bottle to Portsmouth glass on 3/24/12
*From notes

A: American Porter brown in color. A generous pour yields a .5 finger off-white, almost tan head.

S: Infection.

T: A bit better - caramel, liquid corn syrup and lightly toasted malt. It's all wrapped in a thick layer of tang, making this rather off-putting.

M: As per most CCB brews, this is actually pretty thick stuff.

O: This beer is infected, and will only get more unpleasant with time. I recommend avoiding this.

Appearance: Dark brown mahogany pour, enormous head that sticks around in a bad way
Smell: Slightly sour with chocolate, booze coffee and molasses
Taste: Slightly off, chocolate, booze, coffee, oak, bourbon and molasses
Mouthfeel: Very thick
Overall: Mine had a slight sour twang to it, and the glass, which I didn't finish, had about 1.5 inches of sediment in it the next day. Slightly sour or infected or something.

 

One in a series of thanks to moose3285, who has sent me virtually every great beer to come out of Florida, including several I've never heard of. 12 oz. bottle rescued from the back of the fridge & lined up against batch #3.

Golden wax parts reluctantly with the bottle; at least three feet thick, it resists various tools vigorously for a long, long, long time. Pours darker than the others, no red in this black stallion. Good-sized head. Figgy, sweet, prunish, along with a stomping of slightly sour cherry. Seems out of place?

Capricho Oscuro #4 seems ever-so-slightly touched in the head. Not quite right. Prunes are strong in this one, & the fruitiness carries a niggle of sour. Minimal vanilla, barrel in the carry-through. Big sweetness on the ending, almost syrupy. Thick. Not something I'd want much of, could have split this three or four ways.

Well, not in the same class as the others in the series. There's something a touch off in this one, & our experience isn't lining up with the better reviews. Not bad, but odd. Decent enough.