Cigar City Brewing Co. Double Barrel Hunahpu B2
What the brewers say
“An imperial stout conditioned on Peruvian cacao nibs, ancho and pasilla chiles, cinnamon, and Madagascar vanilla beans. After brewing, half of the final beer was aged in brandy barrels and the other half was aged in rum barrels before both were blended together and bottled.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Vanilla, booze barrel, bright blueberry and apricot aromas. Strong earthy pepper aroma, molasses, bittersweet chocolate, and a hint of green pepper.”
Flavor: “Strong caramel malt and alcohol sweetness with a strong vegetal note, maybe from the peppers. Significant chile heat, some cherry cola notes along with cinnamon and soy sauce.”
Overall: “Starts out well with the base malt but the vegetal pepper character really takes away from the overall experience of the beer. Nice cinnamon notes—a bit like atomic fireballs with alcohol. Overall, in the context of the other beers we’re reviewing with it, it struggles to provide the same level of enjoyment and pleasure.”
