Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars — Beer, Bikes and Butts

A beautiful day on the Lido deck cried out for a tasting, and I was in a mild mood, so I went with a Perdomo cigar with a light wrapper (although admittedly it looks pretty dark in the photo) and a seasonal beer from Samuel Adams.

Perdomo Patriarch Connecticut (6″ x 50)

Perdomo’s Patriarch cigar comes in three wrappers – Corojo, Maduro and Connecticut. According to the company’s website, it was created by Nick Perdomo, Jr. as a tribute to his late father, Nicholas Perdomo, Sr. That bodes well, because I would think if you are going to create that back story for a cigar, you’d want it to be good. These cigars are made with core tobaccos from Nicaragua’s fertile Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa valleys, rolled in an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

The construction and burn were flawless, and I was very impressed by this unassuming cigar. It had a nice flavor from the first puff, with a touch of sweetness. Although I had grabbed this thinking it would be a mild smoke, it turned out to be medium-bodied, with a nice palette of spice and coffee flavors. The street price appears to be around $9 for this stick, and that makes it a great bargain. A solid 91 on the Morris Scale.

Samuel Adams Alpine Spring

I’m not a Sam Adams hater, but of the million beers out there this is probably not one I would have ever purchased. However, I got a six-pack of these in my Easter basket (man, the Easter bunny has really changed with the times), so I thought it was time to give one a try.

Give Samuel Adams its due, for what many now view as a mass producer, it still experiments with some styles and ingredients certainly not seen from the big breweries. In the case of Alpine Spring, that’s not just a name chosen to make the beer sound German. Alpine Spring is an unfiltered lager brewed in the German Kellerbier style, yielding a 5.5 ABV with a rich mouthfeel, while keeping the crispness and citrusyness (yes, I made that up) of a lager.

This is a good beer, and was a great choice for tonight’s pairing. The Perdomo turned out to be a little stronger than I had anticipated, but this rich, malty lager stood up to it nicely, while still providing the drinkability I was looking for. On a hot day, this would be a great choice. I give it an 89. Here is how Samuel Adams describes the Alpine Spring:

This unfiltered lager is the perfect brew for spring – flavorful enough for cooler weather but with a balance of bright citrus & crisp maltiness that herald the warmer months to come. A single hop brew with Noble Tettnang hops from the foothills of the Alps, its smooth, refreshing & unique.

Posted on April 9th, 2013 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Beer, Beer Facts, Beer History, Cigar Facts, Cigars, Micro-Breweries, Reviews