One Cigar, Two IPAs

A four day weekend. How shall I start? I decided to ease in to the mini-vacation with couple of beers and a smoke on the deck. I was rummaging through the humidor and saw a couple Perdomo 20th Anniversary Connecticut, that have been sitting there for a couple years. It's been a while since I enjoyed one of those. I grabbed one of the beers sent by Tröegs Brewing last month, piped some B.B. King to the speaker, and settled in for a relaxing evening. 

Perdomo 20th Anniversary Connecticut is a well-constructed Toro with a smooth Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper, around Cuban seed Nicaraguan binder and filler. The medium bodied smoke has a mix of nuttiness, cream, and coffee notes. I also get some sweet bready hints. There's a touch of pepper to be found. 

Perpetual IPA is a year-round beer from Tröegs Brewing. From the can it pours a dark amber color with a pure white head. The aroma is dank pine and citrus. Sipping brings on more of the same, with strong flavors of citrus rind, pine, and grain. The finish is long and bitter, with a hint of sweetness. The mouthfeel is resinous and sticky. At first I wondered if the beer would overpower the cigar. However the 20th Anniversary is a bit more full bodied than the average Connecticut shade wrapped cigar and held its own, the touch of pepper in the finish stepping in to meet the strong flavor of the beer.

The 6" x 56 stick provides a long smoke, so with about half the cigar left I grabbed another Tröegs IPA. Field Study IPA is a summer release from the brewery. Pouring a hazy straw color. It's topped by a frothy white head. With the beer sitting on the table next to my chair, and the cigar smoking next it, I could smell the delightful grapefruit aromas hitting my nose. The flavor profile features juicy citrus, especially grapefruit and melon. The finish is clean and short-lived, with some lingering grapefruit tartness. The mouthfeel is light and carbonated. I thought the Field Study IPA went with the cigar even better than the first beer. There's just enough sweetness in the smoke to match the citrus of the beer, and the pepper in the cigar fades in the last third as to not interfere.

Interestingly, the two Tröegs beers fall at opposite ends of the IPA spectrum. The first is a darker beer, featuring citrus rind and a pleasing bitterness. The latter features a juicy, citrus fruit sweetness. Both are excellent beers, but I know many folks prefer one profile over the other. I always hesitate when someone asks for "an IPA." There's a wide range of flavor profiles included in that term. 

The cigar was smoked down to the nub. It provided nearly two hours of enjoyment. And the long weekend was just getting started.

Interested in more cigar content? Follow me on Instagram at VA_SIGFan.

The beer mentioned in the post was an unsolicited gift from the brewery. The review represents my opinion and is provided without compensation.