CAO MX2 & Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5” x 52 ring gauge
Today’s pairings begin with another class CAO blend, the MX2, along with one of the strangest beers I’ve ever heard of, Flying Dog’s Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout. The MX2 takes the “Maduro” concept and doubles it, using a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper along with a Brazilian Maduro binder, all wrapped around fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Peru. The Oyster Stout is brewed with a variety of specialty hops and a special ingredient: Rappahannock River Oysters. Wait…what? A beer brewed using oysters? This ought to be different, to say the least.
Dark and dry is the name of this pairing’s game with MX2’s rich notes of earth and Pearl Necklace’s dry, roast, and slightly bitter character.
On the surface, a bitter stout should provide a good balance for the sweeter notes of a Broadleaf wrapper that’s been bolstered by an additional Maduro binder. Let’s see…
The MX2’s wrapper leaf is dark chocolate brown in color and very oily to the touch. It had a slightly sweet earthy aroma to it, while the foot had more earth and a touch of chocolate.
I sipped a little of the stout. As with most stouts, the Pearl Necklace was quite bitter on the front of the tongue, with some deeper malt notes immediately following. The oyster note really came up on the finish as something a little briny and just plain odd. I can say that I probably would not drink this beer just to have a beer, but let’s see how it paired with the MX2.
The cold draw on the MX2 was a little tight, just as I remembered it, but the flavor was undeniably sweet and chocolatey. Once fired up, the chocolate remained strong, but it got other notes of dried fruit, earth and a touch of anise. Take a puff, take a sip, take another puff…and the pairing turns out to be someone very special. The very sweet notes of the MX2 really helped balance out the extreme bitterness of the stout, rendering it smooth and very enjoyable. Also of note, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the MX2.
CAO OSA Sol & Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
Vitola: Lot 50
Size: 5” x 50 ring gauge
The OSA Sol was the first new cigar produced under the CAO banner after General Cigar took over the reins. Right up front I’ll say that in the right size, this blend wasn’t bad, but in the size they sent to bloggers for review, it was lackluster to say the least. I haven’t had one since about the time they were released so I’m interested to try it again and see how time has treated it. They used Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and a special wrapper from Olancha, San Agustin (OSA) in Honduras. The powers that be paired this with Snake Dog IPA.
The zesty spice of OSA Sol meets its match with the citrus and resinous hop aromas and flavors of Snake Dog.
The OSA wrapper was a beautiful reddish brown color with lots of oils. The aroma from it was a mix of earth and wood, while the foot had a stronger earthiness. The cold draw was good and had vegetal and leather notes to it. I sipped at the Snake Dog and it was pretty much as described: an India Pale Ale. It was fairly light, with a lot of hoppiness and faint citrus notes and effervescence. Similar to the Raging Bitch from last week’s reviews but not as overpowering with grapefruit.
Out of the gate, the OSA Sol was a better cigar than I remembered. It had a solid mix of earth, natural tobacco, cedar and leather on the palate, along with a peppery finish and retrohale. The citrus in the beer definitely played well with the medium-bodied smoke of OSA Sol, doing what every good pairing should: make both items taste better together than they do on their own.
One last note from the marketing materials:
The CAO “Art of Craft” cigar pack will be available alongside each corresponding beer exclusively at 36 Total Wine stores throughout Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and California beginning July 1.
If you don’t live in one of those states, I guess you get to figure out how to pair all these by yourself. Enjoy!
Nice.. will have to see if The Freakin Frog here in Vegas has these Flying Dog beers. They have almost 1,200 different beers.. bettin they do.. Thanks
I have an MX2 resting in the humi. This review makes me want to try it soon.
The second choice sounds good. I had the OSA SOL a while back in a sampler and enjoyed it. Sounds like it will go really well with this beer. Might have to head to Total Wine and pick this sampler up to give it a go.