Family Reunion Angry Chair
Cigar City Brewing

Picked up a 500 ml bottle from the Cigar City brewpub in Tampa on 1-30-24 for $18.99. Bottled i think in November 2023, consumed 6-13-25.

Beer poured burgundy-brown with a pretty good off-white head.

Nose is very nice with tons of dark fruit and a touch of vanilla.

Taste brings me a touch of brown sugar, toffee, and prunes while the barrels give me raisins, vanilla, and a trace of wood. Finishes a touch sweet which is appropriate for an English BW.

Mouthfeel is medium to large body with a nice viscosity.

Overall, this was worthy of the splurge!

It’s not a bad example of the style, but it’s a bit syrupy while somehow being thin. Tang of dark fruit, sweet vanilla and molasses. Vanilla, wooden barrel notes. Just seems to be missing an edge I expect with these types of beers

Poured from a 500 ml bottle bought at the brewery.

L - Medium to dark brown beer is hazy/cloudy, but shows red highlights when held up to the light. A dusting of bubbles on the surface on initial pour, but it fades very quickly. Those characteristics are typical for a strong, barrel-aged beer, and I don't mind that here.

S - The base beer does not display itself in the aroma. I get wood, whiskey, and a savory note similar to soy sauce. I can tell from the nose this was heavily aged in interesting barrels and it invites me to sip.

T - Delicious, luscious flavors that you would expect for an aged barleywine. Sweet malt, brown sugar, dried fruits, port wine, rye whiskey, soy sauce.

F - Thick, silky body. Very light carbonation is expected for a barrel-aged beer. Moderate hops bitterness partially offsets the sweet malt. Warm alcohol, but I wouldn't call it boozy.

O - This beer was obviously heavily influenced by the barrels it aged in. I enjoy the dominance of whiskey and barrel notes, but not everyone may be as appreciative as me.

From a 500ml bottle, released November 2023. Served in a tulip.

Pours a rich, tawny caramel colour with no head formation - no cap, no collar, no lacing, nothing. It’s a pretty colour in the sunlight but, other than that, it appears lifeless.

Nose is mildly sweet and more than a little boozy - although I’d be hard pressed to say what booze, exactly. I guess more like rye whiskey than anything else.

Taste is sweet and savory with hints of smoke. Honestly, it reminds me of an Asian barbecue sauce so, yeah, a bit of soy sauce, too.

Feel is moderately thick and syrupy with no carbonation at all. Dead.

Overall, not sure what was intended here unless it was just Angry Chair expressing contempt for Cigar City. It’s not a beer that’s likely to ever be brewed again and, if it were, I hope I can remember not to buy it.