5-Vegas Series ‘A’ Atomic and Celebrator Doppelbock

The Cigar
Wrapper: Costa Rican Maduro
Filler: It must be a secrete because, all I can find on it right now is it is a ‘three country blend’
Size: 4.5 x 54
My Strength Rating: during this pairing 6
This is a nice robust flavored cigar. Solid spice with some black pepper type notes just tingle the tongue. With that Costa Rican wrapper of course you are going to get some good chocolate and full bodied coffee flavors. There are also some dry earthy tones to the smoke. This would be a great cigar with a full bodied coffee like a French Roast in the afternoon. I’ll have to try that one day.

The Beer
A 6.7% abv beverage by Ayinger Brewery. “Finest Bavarian Double Bock Beer” as it says on the label. It is pretty damn good. I have always liked the big malty caramel nose and taste on this fine Doppelbock. I reviewed this beer back on January 31 of this year. This is what I had to say then – “The beer has a great sweet malty taste and creamy style. It is light in carbonation and rich in complexities.” The caramel notes and mild coffee along with some nice 70% chocolate type notes makes this a very tasty treat to me. In a matter of fact I’ll bet that a good piece of dark chocolate would be great with this beer.

The Pairing
The beer needs a solid medium-full bodied cigar to duel with the malty sweetness of this beer. When I puff the cigar and drink this yummy beer the coffee and chocolate profile blend together oohhh so well. I also think the strong malty characteristics help to maintain the solid spicy notes of the cigar. From what I remember, when I have smoked this cigar before, is that it can get a bit dry and harsh when it is smoked alone.

This is a super pairing – If you are looking for a maduro to go with this beer remember you need one with a good coffee and/or chocolate profile. I don’t think a maduro with just an earthy and spice quality will do the job to maximize your pleasure.