Beer: 12 ounce can- Cigar: 6” x 48 ring gauge, box pressed
- $11.99 per cigar, $11.99 per six-pack of beer
- Cigar purchased at Embassy Cigars, Brea, CA
- Beer purchased at Richland Wine & Spirits, Dayton, TN
Background
Today’s pairing is a coast-to-coast affair. While in California in early October, I found one of my favorite shops, Embassy Cigars in Brea, had some Espinosa La Bomba Warhead IVs in stock. Always loving the rich Nicaraguan blend wrapped in Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro, I picked one up. I should have bought more!
These came out in 2018, as part of the ongoing series, each one having a different vitola. We used to carry the line at Burns, but we had to give up on Espinosa in the last couple years as they just weren’t selling well for us. Sadly, not every brand plays well in every market…at least not long-term.
Moon Pie Stout is brewed by Naked River Brewing Company in Chattanooga (okay, not quite all the way to the east coast…but at least in the eastern time zone!). It weighs in at 8.5% ABV and is made with Moon Pies, another delicacy out of Chattanooga. For the uninitiated, Moon Pies are vanilla cookie wafers with marshmallow squeezed in between, then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate. Even though I grew up in California, my parents—being good Tennesseans—introduced me to these at a young age. I don’t eat them very much anymore, but it sounded like a wonderful thing to put in beer!
Notes
The Moon Pie Stout poured dark brown…both not as dark as many stouts I’m accustomed to and not nearly as thick, either. The creamy head on it went away fairly quickly, too. There was a rich chocolate and marshmallow aroma to it, with just the faintest beer note underneath. First sip was a delight…very chocolatey and rich, with the vanilla sweetness coming from underneath, then there was the expected stout beer finish.
The 601 La Bomba Warhead IV as dark and veiny, like many a Broadleaf wrapped cigar I’ve had before. I love the detail of the fuse on it and the way it looks with the relatively thin ring gauge. The wrapper was earthy smelling and oily to touch. The cold draw was very good and tasted of earth, coffee bean and natural tobacco with just a touch of sweetness. Pro tip: remove the fuse after you clip the head…the feel of it along your lip is not comfortable.
Once lit, the cigar had the full-bodied sweetness that I have come to expect from the Warhead line, with notes of wood and earth and espresso bean playing around. Notes of black pepper accented the profile on the retrohale. Sipping the beer added another layer of sweetness, although I found myself wishing for it to be more viscous.
Ultimately a nice pairing, although I have to say neither cigar nor beer overperformed what was expected of them. The Moon Pie Stout has just the right amount of sweetness, but seems to be brewed to be more palatable to a wider audience, giving up just a little nuance. And despite the favorable vitola, this particular Warhead release was not my favorite. I would do either of them again, but I’m not sure I would seek them out.
