Written By: Bill Rightnour
Today I consider myself a lucky man. I get to indulge in a Cigar City creation for review. Cigar City has quickly become my favorite brewery over the past year. I owe a debt of gratitude to a carpenter who was only asked to fix the squeaking in my hallway floorboards and instead changed my life as a craft beer lover.
He was a friendly guy who struck up some small talk and, after noticing some empties from the weekend prior, turned the conversation to beer. Not just any beer, craft beer (read: the good stuff). This guy clearly knew what he was talking about and made some nice suggestions. Some I had already been privy to while others I was hearing about for the first time. During our conversation, he suggested that I try the Cigar City Humidor Series IPA. Needless to say, on my next night out on the town, I was seeking the Humidor Series. And I was lucky enough to find it at my favorite watering hole, The Station Taproom in Downingtown, PA. The rest, as they say, is history.
The following spring my wife and I planned an entire vacation around a visit to the Cigar City Brewery in Tampa. We were even fortunate enough to coordinate our trip with the release of Cigar City’s Hunahpu Stout – which is a topic for another time.
Enough back story…let’s dive into the Bolita.
Bolita, according to the story given on the side of the 22oz. bottle, is as follows:
Bolita was a type of lottery popular with the working class citizens of the Ybor City district of Tampa. Bolita means, ‘little ball’ but profits from the illegal (and often rigged) game were anything but little. In the 1920’s Tampa native Charlie Wall was the undisputed kingpin of the Bolita racket.
Guess who dons the Cigar City Bolita label? You guessed it, Mr. Charlie Wall.
Bolita is a Double Nut Brown Ale that is brewed in a Northern English Brown Ale style. This seasonal brew is released in the fall and boasts an ABV of 9%. You can expect to drop about $100 on a case which is quite reasonable for what you get in return.
So what do you get in return?
Well, as you pour this beer, you immediately see the quality of this Brown Ale tumble into your glass. It pours a thick, dark brown and accumulates a light tan head about the width of a finger. You can smell the malt fragrance and, as the brew settles into your glass, the edges clear to a chocolaty brown with reddish hue. The aroma is so fantastic you can literally get lost in it for a few minutes – I know I did.
As you begin to drink the Bolita, it becomes clear you are in for something pretty special. Once it hits your lips, the robust flavor of chocolaty malt is undeniably the primary taste. As the heavy bodied, smooth craft brew washes over your palate, it finishes with a little brown sugar and then, eventually, a toasted nut flavor that then lingers until your next sip.
There is something that I should note to Brown Ale lovers: although this is labeled a Double Nut Brown Ale, don’t expect enormous amounts of nuttiness. Surprisingly it is only a subtle finishing note in the flavor profile but it is a great note to end on.
Overall, I’m in love with this Cigar City creation. Like so many of their offerings, the Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale is fantastic and at the top of the class when it comes to Brown Ales. Normally I like to draw a comparison for our readers. In this case, however, Bolita is so far beyond any other Brown Ale I’ve tasted that I cannot draw a true comparison.
So please do yourself a favor, drop a little extra coin and get yourself a bottle of this amazing brew. I promise it will not disappoint.
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