Cigar City Jai Alai White Oak

Jai Alai White Oak
Cigar City Brewing
Tampa, FL
7.5% ABV
Style: IPA

C: Cloudy
H: Golden Amber
N: Pine Needles, Sweet Oak, Hints of Citrus, Dill

KirkDiggler;
A: Poured golden amber with a thin off white head w/ no persistance / lacing.
A: Fruity maple sweetness with piney and sweet oak aromatics. The wood really stands out and is really complimentary with the piney hops. Imagine an oak tree, a maple tree, and a hop plant got busy one night...this is their offspring in regards to aroma.
F: Piney hops and oak stands out all the way through. The malts are sweet (maple, caramel) and give great body. The finish is lightly bitter with hints of remnant oak.
M: Medium across the board (Mouthfeel, body, and carbonation), no alcohol warmth.
O: One of the more complex and enjoyable noses of an IPA I've ever had. The taste is equally enjoyable. My only issue with this one is appearance and mouthfeel. I like my IPA's to have a creamy kick and some nice head retention. Other than that this smells and tastes great. Hopheads will enjoy a change of pace with this beer.
Score 4.20

Phil: Had this beer before at the Double Barrel Aged Zhukov release, but I did not get a real good try of it. I expected something similar to the Humidor Jai Alai, which is aged on Spanish Cedar. The nose of the beer was dominated by piney and oak notes that carried over to the taste of the beer. One thing that was just a bit off was a hint of dill that showed up in the nose, once it was pin-pointed it kept re-appearing in the taste as well. While I felt it was an odd flavor, it worked really well. Better than Humidor IPA????? NOPE, but still a very good beer.
Score: 4.21

Overall: 4.205

PS HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THE CERVEZA CHICA! 2 YEARS OF PUTTING UP WITH ME! LOVE YOU BABE!