The pairing of craft beer with cigars has become as popular as pairing a spirit like whiskey or rum or a fine wine with a cigar. Craft beers come in many dimensions and include various infusion of fruits, coffee, mocha, etc. These beers are not your standard lager or ales. Instead they are flavor filled brews that entice the palate even without a cigar. When you add the flavor sensations of a quality smoke to the experience, you get an enhanced cigar smoking journey.
Omar de Frias from Fratello Cigars understands this well, and now he has partnered with a Androit Theory Brewery, a Virginia based, nano craft beer house that makes ‘esoteric beers with an emphasis on barrel aging’. The new Imperial Stout coming out of this collaboration is named Terminal Descent, a name that is taken from Omars time working for NASA.
In a press release today, Omar explains:
“This is the part of me that geeks out about our space program. Terminal Descent occurs in the portion of the Entry, Descent and Landing phase of a mission in which final preparation for landing occurs.”
The project started with the idea of creating a perfect brew to pair with the Fratello Bianco cigar. They wanted something that would enhance the earthiness, cocoa, coffee notes and liquor in the cigars rich flavor profile.
According to Mark Osbourne owner of Adroit Theory Brewery:
“We felt like Bianco would be fantastic for this pairing as we brewed Terminal Descent with Chocolate Malt for sweetness and Chocolate Rye for a spicy bite without the normal astringency or bitterness associated with such a deep roast.”
The Terminal Decent Imperial Stout is a 12.7% ABV brew that is described as a Russian Imperial Stout and will be bottled in 22-ounce bottles.
The team notes that the Terminal Descent brew will available May 1st in 19 Total Wine Stores in Virginia, 2 Total Wine Stores in Maryland, Adroit’s tasting room and Fratello Cigar Events in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. The price was not disclosed in the press release.