Ave Maria Barbarossa Churchill and Flying Horse Royal Lager Beer: Pairing

The Beer

Flying Horse Royal Lager Beer

Bombay Breweries

Bangalore, India

1pt 6oz bottle

$3.69

4.7% abv

Appearance: light-bright golden lager body with a very thin white head

Aroma: grainy malts, bread like, crisp and clean

Flavors and Mouthfeel: crisp and clean in feel, sweet grains, bready, mild hops must be doing their job to keep the sweetness in check, light body, mild carbonation

To the Point: an average to slightly above average lager, easy to drink,

The Cigar

Ave Maria Barbarossa Churchill

Size: 7 x 48

Flavor and Mouthfeel Profile: forest floor mossy like tone with a dusting of white pepper off the light.  As the smoke continues the oak starts to show up and add some strength to the earthy tones.  There is a slight nutty note that swirls around the other flavors.  The cigar has a dry smooth leathery texture.  This cigar is pretty consistent throughout the smoking experience.

To the Point: I have to admit that I like a cigar with a good oaky presence.  I guess that is why I like the Ave Maria line-up.  I have not found a size in their line-up that I don’t like.   

My Strength Rating: 5.5 – the oak and the dry smooth leathery texture

The Pairing

The Flying Horse Lager does not add much to the tasting experience.  It does help with the overall mouthfeel while smoking this cigar.  Well, the light sweet grains of the Lager seem to manage the medium oaky note of the cigar.  The Lager refreshes the palate after puffing on the cigar.  One could call this a boring pairing or let me call it … an easy experience.  Not all pairings are wow.  You have to have experiences like this to know what a wow experience is like.