Cigars & Beer

stouts, sours, ipas, Belgians. All

 

The cigars we smoke at our tastings are generally as fine as the beer we choose. Nothing like a T52 with a great BA Barleywine or Stout.

 

Mexican cake tasted much better to me with a nice dark cigar as well

 

A nice RIS enhances movie popcorn.

 

I love a cigar with my beer. I don't ever have one with a new beer though.

 

Just like with beer, cigars have a wide range of flavors and characteristics to choose from. I prefer having a smoke with something dark, but was pleasantly surprised last fall to pair a pumpking with a medium body cigar with a mildly sweet vanilla taste. It worked quite well.

 

I prefer a blunt with my beer.

 

I only smoke cigars occasionally, so I'm kind of sensitive to the ashy flavor in my mouth and only enjoy them with a beer strong enough to overcome that. A nice, heavy, coffee stout with a sweet, maduro cigar is just about perfect for me.

 

Really thought about picking up a nice cigar for graduation, but I have a suspicion I'll hate it after a few drags. Any I should pick up?

I also plan on cracking open a Perennial Vermilion and Mikkeller Nelson Sauvigon for graduation as well. So if any cigars compliment those, that'd be a plus!

 

I'm content with just the one expensive hobby.

 

I do not do it often but the last time was a Prairie BOMB! and a Sam Adams Utopia cigar (per the avatar)..It was quite enjoyable I'll have to say..

 

I know a few folks out there, (craft beer fans as well as homebrewers) who really enjoy a cigar and brew combo. I've argued in the past that the cigar basically wipes out any other flavor that might come out of the beer. I've tried this plenty of times myself, with various beers, spirits, etc. I do get the fact that you might enjoy combining two things you really like, and that's totally ok. I just think I would never do this with a beer I really was looking forward to or something special. I would wait to smoke the cigar until after. Just my two cents.

 

Love cigars, love beer. Can definitely pair well together.

 

If you're not a smoker and you're trying to break into it, I would recommend something with a natural Connecicut Shade wrapper and a mild filler - Nicaraguan is probably my favorite tobaccoo, creamy and well balanced with some spice as it heats up, but a lot of stuff from Honduras is a good bet too. Dominican tobacco is also delicious but tends to be much spicier and can seem abrasive for your first cigar, so I would go with something either 100% Nicaraguan/Honduran or with a small amount of Dominican if any.

If you can get Rocky Patel 1999 Connecticut Shade in a robusto or petit corona (i.e. less than 6 inches long and somewhere around a 48-54 ring gauge) that is a great first cigar, imo. A Padron 2000 is also a good choice. Both should cot $5-$7 per stick. If you can find a Joya de Nicaragua Cabinetta Siere 11, that would be another great recommendation and is one of my go-to's. It should also be about $5-$6 each. They use a nice blend of Nicaraguan tobacco and the end cap has a maduro leaf while the bulk of the cigar is natural, so the longer you smoke it the flavor develops really interestingly.

Find a decent local cigar shop and ask for a recommendation there too, most of the time if it's a nice shop they will lead you in a good direction. Also don't spend more than $8-$10 on anything your first time, and stick with a reasonable size - the size I mentioned above is a ~35-45 minute smoke. Churchill's seem like a good idea until you're 2 hours in and still have 1/4 of it left, which will be pretty much completely intolerable you're first time.

Those cigars will compliment many beers because the flavor is light and opens up a bit as the tobacco warms, and it's unlikely to overpower your palate.

 

Oh yes love the combo... usually a mild Churchill-size, 45-50 ring, with a flavorful stout - Founders RIS, Prairie Bomb, BCS here and there.

Preferably next to the grill an hour before sunset with some buddies cookin up something unhealthy.

 

Can't say I've ever really tried it. Other than natty light and a swisher sweet in the college days haha. I would assume a cigar could easily ruin a drinking experience, but a beer could easily enhance a smoking experience. I will have to give it a go sometime soon!

 

I thought cigars diminish your ability to taste?

 

I think the pairing is pretty important if you want to get the most out of it. For me it comes down to knowing the flavors present in the tobacco and in the intended beer.

A medium-full maduro-wrapped Nicaraguan cigar can work very well with a BBA stout, since the dark malt and vanilla, oak, caramel etc from the beer compliment and play off the woody, leather, and spicy caramel vanilla tones from the cigar. The same cigar with a pilsner or even an IIPA would likely blow the beer out of the water and nullify the whole experience.

On the flipside though, pair a really mild cigar with a huge intense beer, and you won't taste the cigar as much - pair a milder cigar with some herbal spice notes with a west coast IIPA, and it can once again work very well.

 

Nothing like a nice Partagas with a barleywine, imperial stout or anything aged in a bourbon barrel.

 

I cannot imagine a worse flavor experience than a cigar with a juicy IPA or wild/sour...awful