Secret Rendezvous
Cigar City Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed from notes. Had on nitro-tap at CCB tasting room. Poured into a CCB snifter.

A: Extremely dark brown with a light tan head of very fine bubbles. No visible carbonation after the nitro waterfall effect dissipates.

S: Scotch/bourbon, roasted malt, oaky wood, vanilla, and bits of tobacco and dark sweet fruits. Absolutely an amazing smelling beer!

T: Roasty toasty malts, a bit of coffee and cacao; then bourbon, vanilla, and the wood sweetness & dryness simultaneously. Dry finish, with maybe a bit of hop bitterness.

M: Smooth mouthfeel (nitro), creamy heavy body. Only moderate alcohol for a BBA beer - the barrel aging is not overdone.

O: This was very, very good. Highly recommended, and very pleasant on nitro.

 

 

 

 

 

First had: on nitro at Cigar City, Tampa, FL (growler fill area)

Dark brown-black pour, opaque, with a dense, creamy, mocha head that retained well and left a few streaks on the glass after every sip. Roasty malts in the nose, dark chocolate, woody booze. Taste was pretty roasty, all things dark--dark malts, dark chocolate, dark coffee--a boozy kick that was more harsh, less smooth, more fusel, less bourbony, subtle cherry and/or plum undertones. For an 8% beer, there was definitely some heat coming off this one. That combined with a somewhat thinned-out, medium body indicated that this beer was a little bit too green and needed more time to mellow. It was tasty enough, but it hadn't reached its sweet spot, and considering it was on nitro too, it was definitely lacking in the mouthfeel department, but not to the point where it wasn't enjoyable.

Arrives a severely dark brown (call it black) with the creamiest head I've ever seen. Nearly an inch high and dark tan in color, it receded at near glacial speed.
Smell is uber-rich, malty, sweet with alcohol soaked dark fruits and caramel. My nose is in love.
Taste is a clone of the smell with malt, caramel sweetness, dark fruits and a rum-like infusion. Very rich and amazingly delicious. After sitting for 30 minutes (I had another beer while waiting) notes of bittersweet chocolate and bourbon appear with more dark fruits and, if possible, even better balance. Complexity is phenomenal.
Full bodied with a whisper of effervescence. Warming and smooth as liquid silk. This needs to be a seasonal instead of a one time brew. Memories of Dirac are swirling through my cranium. Top of the chart beer. And it only gets better as it warms. I cannot recommend this beer too much. Get one, or six, while you can.

Being from New England (w/ lots of great micro-brews), my brother proudly took me to Cigar City Brewing in Tampa Florida. And I must say I was very impressed with both the quality and the number of excellent craft-brews on tap. The organization is very well run, and I fully expect to find their beers in the New England region in the near future ( I can see them expanding nationally).

I started with a taster rack of Jai Alai (IPA), Resonator Double Bock, El Lector English Style Dark Ale, and the Puppy Breath Porter. All were excellent.

But this is about their new beer: Secret Resonator. Which I believe to be World Class. There is only 1 beer I know of that compares: Kate the Great from the Portsmouth Brewery.

I believe it only became available mid Dec 2012. On the competitive review site, it was listed as a "Foreign Stout', with an ABV of 8.0%. Although I added this beer as an Imperial Stout (which I believe to be an accurate assessment), I am also concerned that I expect that the ABV is significantly higher than 8 (I'm guessing 10 to 12%).

Believe it was served from a nitro-tap.

Served in a brandy snifter glass

Also aged in a bourbon barrel

Appearance:
Very heavy dark brown, with a wonderful creamy head

Smell:
Strong chocolate notes

Taste:
Very complex taste. Found the sublte bourbon note quite appealing. I find a lot of times that barrel aging detracts from the beer; but not for this beer. Perfect addition. There was a sense I was drinking something with significant alcoholic kick ... hence my concerns about only 8% ABV.

MF:
full bodied beer. very creamy, similar to that of drinking a milk shake.

Overall:
Exceptional beer. This should be an award winner. Surprised I could find nothing on the Cigar City website about this beer. If in the Tampa area, definitely seek this beer out.