A Cigar and Beer Review: AVO Heritage Toro and Maracaibo Especial

The Beer

Maracaibo Especial By Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales

Special Brown Ale Brewed with Cacao and Spices

Belgian Strong Dark Ale
7.5% abv
1 pt. 9.4 oz bottle
$13.00 a bottle
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Dexter, Michigan, USA
Jollypumpkin.com
My Strength Rating: 5

Caution: get this bottle near a sink when you open it! Foam was flying out of the bottle and I didn’t even open it all the way. Needless to say, the kitchen counter and floor was a mess. Clean-up isle 3.

Murky dark amber color with plenty and I mean plenty of foam and then more foam. That bottle has been open for 45 minutes now and the beer is halfway down the bottle but the foam is still bubbling around the cork I had to put in the bottle. Oh yeah, the color of the foam is beige.

The overall bouquet has some character to it with notes of tart apple, spices, and some fresh apple. I think the amount of effervescence in this ale keeps the aroma up.

On the taste there is a moderate level of tartness. The spices are pleasing to my palate along with some earthy yeast and dried dark fruits. There seems to be a good balance between the malts and hops for it is not too sweet nor is it too bitter. I would call this a Brown Mild Sour Ale or Tart Ale.

Now, on the bottle they have written sweet orange peel, cinnamon, and cacao. I don’t feel any of these flavors standout all by themselves but, they add to the spices, earthy notes, and overall taste. The one I notice more of is the sweet orange peel and that is as an undertone on the aftertaste.

Speaking of aftertaste, it is pleasing overall. The tartness does not have a pucker effect but leaves a settle lingering twang on the palate. The fine carbonation has a nice cleansing effect.

The carbonation puts on a show coming from the bottle and when it is poured into the glass. I wish I ran the video I was afraid to drink it. I thought it was going to just explode in the mouth. The texture was a fine fizzy feel on the mouth. Like a Belgian ale.

I give this ale a 5 on my strength rating because I think the actual body weight is just below medium but, the tartness kicks it up just a smidge.

The Cigar
AVO Heritage Toro
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican San Vincente
Fillers: Dominican Ligero, Dominican Seco, Peruvian Seco
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
AVO.com
My Strength Rating: 6

I really like the Heritage for its spice profile, earthy, and cedar wood taste.

The spices: It is not quite black pepper like so I’ll call it green peppercorn spice and white pepper mustiness.

Earthy notes: moss, mushroom like, soft soil.

Wood: a mix of cedar and sweet cedar swirl on the palate.

I have never been a big AVO fan. I like to have one once in a while because of its unique flavor but, this Heritage is a winner in my book. I have smoked several of these and have enjoyed every single one. I think the Heritage will win a place in my humidor.

The Pairing

Soon as I got a chance to taste this ale, after the foam attack, I think I noticed the nice mellow earthy tones and that made me think of the AVO Heritage right away. Off to the humidor and I grab that AVO stick. But, that was after I cleaned the kitchen counter tops and doors and the kitchen floor.

This is a perfect pairing. The earthy notes of the cigar add a nice touch to the ale. The tart profile of the ale mingles with the spices of the cigar for a pleasing experience. The only thing that I found different during this pairing is that I thought I was picking up an oaky undertone in the ale.

Pair these up and enjoy the experience.