Partagas Gigante Cigar and Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock 2011: Cigar and Beer Pairing

The Cigar

Partagas Gigante

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Mexico

Filler: Dom. Rep. / Mexico

Size: 6 x 60

I bought this sampler pack of the 60 ring gauges over a year ago.  I still have a couple left so let’s give them a whirl again and pair it up with a spring time beer – Maibock Style. 

Off the Light: smooth and mellow (2 or 3 strength rating), a light nutty taste (almond like), a dainty dusting of earth.  If you like mild and mellow this is a good stick for you.  As the cigar continues there is a mild woody note appearing. 

Mid-point: That woody note is reminding me of ‘alder wood.’  This is a mild sweet wood that is great for smoking salmon.  And, that should be a great pairing with this cigar.  I recommended last year to smoking some shrimp and scallops with some apple wood and pair with this cigar. 

The body of this cigar is still on the mild side (3 at best). That mild nutty and earthy profile is going to be a nice to pairing with the beer that I have selected.  (I hope)

The Partagas Gigante holds a solid grey ash and burns well from start to finish.

Down the Stretch: More of the same.  This cigar did not get bitter or strong during the finish.  It stayed in the mild range the whole way.  Not the most eventful cigar in the world.  But, if you just want to sit back and relax and enjoy a mild smoke and a beverage to boot this could the one for you.

My Strength Scale: 3 at best.  Mellow the whole way through.

The Beer

Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock 2011

6.4% abv

12 oz bottle

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Chico, California, USA

Appearance: an electric golden color with a fine white one finger head and not much on the lacing of the glass.

Aroma: To me this bouquet is too light to tell.  I even changed rooms to smell this beer (worked before on other beers) and the same thing – too light to tell.  Faint bready, maybe a hop note – I give up.  I even poured another one to see if I could pick up any aroma notes – nothing different. 

Flavors: On the front of the sip there are some bready malts, a touch of pecan nuttiness, and grains.  Then, on the finish the green peppercorn spice hits the back of the palate and I also think there is a pine needle like quality playing on the palate. 

Mouthfeel: a moderate hoppy tingle tantalizes the tongue, lemon ring note hanging around, very crisp,

Strength Rating: 4.5 – for some that peppery, pine needle like quality will raise their personal strength rating. 

The Pairing

This cigar seemed to pick up the malty characteristics in this bock, a bit.  The bready and grainy notes mingled a little longer on the palate and the green peppercorn and slight pine needle notes didn’t seem as sharp as before.  This could be because of the woody and light earthy notes of the cigar. 

This is a nice pairing and I wish I had a plate of smoked seafood in front of me. 

This cigar should have a very good range to be paired with most beers.  It will not interfere with the flavor profile of your malted beverage.  May not make the most interesting pairing but, putting it into baseball terms; a walk is better than a strike out.