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Cigar City Brewing – Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2016)

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Location Tampa, FL
Style Imperial Stout with Spices
 ABV 11.5%
 IBUs n/a

 

Best Quote During Tasting

LL Cool J? Oh, he's the guy that does lip sync battle, right?

Justin:

Aroma - The first thing is some greenness from the pepper followed by slight cinnamon and chocolate. The vanilla brings up the rear but you can find it.  It smells like the ingredient list says it should.
Score: 10/12
Appearance - This one is a very viscous, opaque black with a thin, brown head made up of small bubbles that never leaves.
Score: 3/3
Flavor - The spice is very present and the chocolate is big on the finish. The vanilla is there mostly as a sweetness and the cinnamon is a little harder to find on the nose and there are still some green flavors from the pepper.
Score: 17/20
Mouthfeel - The body is above medium and the carbonation is medium for a nice, creamy mouthfeel with a bit of a bite.
Score: 4/5
Overall Impression - Time to crucify me: I don't see what all the fuss is about.  Maybe we're spoiled with having Abraxas right down the street but I can't imagine Huna winning a blind taste test against it.  The peppers brought a slight vegetal aroma and flavor that I didn't like and the cinnamon was just missing too much.  Was it worth the 42 points I awarded it?  Damn straight.  But from all the talk before I tried it, I expected it to get a lot higher.
Score: 8/10

 

Blake:

Aroma - Everyone at the tasting got a weird vegetal aroma that we could only assume was from the peppers. Chocolate and vanilla come through behind the vegetal aroma, and the last scent to leave is the cinammon.
Score: 9/12
Appearance - Hunahpu pours deep dark motor oil black. A small tightly formed mocha head sits on top.
Score: 3/3
Flavor - As just a stout, the base beer in this one is great. Really great roast and chocolate from the malts. I only wish the vanilla and cinnamon had been a bit more pronounced.  The peppers give a bit of spice, but they also bring that vegetal flavor that isn't very appealing when mixed with the other sweet flavors in Hunahpu.
Score: 16/20
Mouthfeel - Just above medium for the body, and the carbonation is smooth. The body could be a bit thicker.
Score: 4/5
Overall Impression - It's a good beer, and maybe I'd appreciate it more if I hadn't already had Abraxas. I don't even think it is hometown favoritism, Abraxas blows Huna out of the water. I'd really love to do a blind tasting with all of these Mexican chocolate style beers to see which ones perform the best.  Maybe in the future we'll try to land a bunch of them and put our thoughts to the test.
Score: 8/10

 

Hunahpu's Imperial Stout (2016) Final Score
  • Aroma
  • Appearance
  • Flavor
  • Mouthfeel
  • Overall
4.2
User Rating: 0.0 (3 votes)
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Justin Phelps

Justin Phelps

Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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