Ave Maria Holy Grail Cigar and Allagash Dubbel Reserve: Review

The Cigar

Ave Maria Holy Grail Cigar

Wrapper: Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 7.1 x 58 Salomon

My Strength Rating: 5

Off the Light: dry earthy notes with a little smack of oak greet the palate.  The cigar seems to have a mild green peppercorn spice dancing on the tongue here off the light.

As the cigar continues, into the first third, the earthy note reminds me of mossy earth. This is mixed with a meaty walnut quality and I am liking this oaky note that is present.  That touch of spice seems to fade during the first third.

The burn made it around the foot just fine.  Sometimes on these big salomons there can be a burn issue.  The cigar holds a gray ash.  Not the strongest ash in the world – I had about an inch ash and it fell off with no problem. 

Mid-point: Plenty of smoke fills the air from this tasty cigar.  I am loving the oak wood like quality of this cigar.  The walnut note is still present and the dry earthy feature is agreeable to my taste buds. 

Time to just sit back and enjoy but, I’ll have to be careful with that ash – I have dropped two of them already – one on the table before getting it to the ashtray and the other on me.  Neither one of them longer than an inch. 

Down the Stretch: The body weight picks up a bit.  The oak and earthy notes are a tad stronger.  Overall, this is a good medium bodied smoke. 

The Ale

Allagash Dubbel Reserve

Belgian Style Ale Batch # 67

7% abv

1pt 9.4oz bottle

$9.00 a bottle

Allagash Brewing

Portland, Maine, USA

My Strength Rating: 4.5

Here is an interesting note: The 750 ml bottle is labeled as Dubbel Reserve and the smaller bottles are labeled as Dubbel Ale.

Appearance: a ruddy brown body with a fine light tan head that leaves a little bit of lacing on the chalice. 

Aroma: a light nose of dark dried fruits.

Flavors: Not an overly sweet dubbel.  A nice golden raisin and herbal tea like character is the main profile.  There is a touch of sweet malts and a touch of bitter hops providing some good balance.  I do not see this as a complex ale but, it is tasty all the same. 

Mouthfeel: Smooth and pleasing to the palate. Very drinkable.

Recommendation: I think this could be a good introductory Belgian Dubbel. 

The Pairing

This is a very pleasing pairing.  The oak and walnut notes of the cigar mingle well with the golden raisin and herbal tea like quality of the ale.  These two complement each other well, making a good match. 

The ale clearly cleans the palate after each puff of the cigar and this just makes me want more of each.