Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars — Beer, Bikes and Butts

Temperatures in Southern California are back in the 80s.  The motorcycle is back on the road and the Lido Deck was singing its siren’s song.  Time for a pairing of beer and cigar.

Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet, Magnum (6.0″ x 50)

I went to my humidor with no particular stick or style in mind, but was drawn to the A.J. Fernandez Sol Cubano, primarily due to the look of it.  It’s a beefy stick, dark and oily, with a metallic band that practically glows.  A punch turned out to be the perfect cutting tool, leaving a nice opening with no stragglers due to the triple cap.

The cigar is constructed with Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos, wrapped in an oily wrapper grown in Ecuador, yielding a complex, medium to full-body taste of pepper, spice and a hint of chocolate.  The burn was perfect, with no relights.  My initial thought was that I would be characterizing this cigar as a fine, everyday cigar, perfect for the golf course where it would provide little distraction, but it grew more and more complex as I smoked it.  The Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet deserves your attention so it can be properly savored.  A great smoke, rating it a 9.1, and a real bargain at less than $5 a stick.

Tire Bite Golden Ale

The Flying Dog Brewery in Denver Colorado is fast becoming one of my favorite breweries.  Its In Heat Wheat took the honors against seven other contenders in our recent hefeweizen shoot-out, and tonight its Tire Bite Golden Ale was a great surprise.

Tire Bite Golden Ale is brewed as a Kölsch-style beer.  Technically, Kölsch is a German beer specialty, brewed in Cologne, Germany. It is a clear beer with a bright straw-yellow hue, and it has a prominent, but not extreme, hoppiness. It is less bitter than the standard German lager beer, Pilsner.  Kölsch beers are top-fermented at a relatively warm temperature (55 to 70°F) and then cold-conditioned, or lagered. This manner of fermentation links Kölsch with some other beer styles of central northern Europe, such as the Altbiers of northern Germany and the Netherlands.  (Thank you Wikipedia.)

Kölsch beers are meant to be crisp and light, with a slight hop edge.  That may be why they sometimes lack respect because they are not particularly complex.  Instead, drinking a Tire Bite Golden Ale is akin to biting into a green apple, with a crisp, dry not sweet presentation.  Reviewing this beer as a true Kölsch, it fares very well, with a deserved 8.7 on The Morris Scale.  The beer has tremendous drinkability.  The next time you think you are in the mood for something like a Coors light to pair up with burgers or hot dogs, reach for one of these instead.

P.S.  I bid a very sad farewell to Paul Chappron, a friend of some 30 years.  He lived his life serving his country, first in the military and then for 20 years as a police officer in Tucson, Arizona.  His big, loving heart gave out on him at way too young an age.  You will be missed brother.

Posted on March 16th, 2010 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Bargains, Beer, Beer Facts, Cigars, News, Reviews