Beer Review: Double Barrel Hunahpoopoo

Reviewing Double Barrel Hunahpoopoo from Cigar City Brewing out of Tampa, Florida. This beer is Double Barrel Hunahpu's (a mix of Hunahpu's aged in rum and apple brandy barrels) aged aged on kopi luwak coffee.

Score: 100

Tap pour enjoyed at Hunahpu's Day 2014 (03/08/14). Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: The body is a deep brown, cola or syrup-like color. Slick and shiny in appearance. Served with a thin layer of dark khaki head that totally recedes. Not much lacing or retention, but swirling the brew seriously browns the sides of my snifter and leaves behind nice legs. 5/5

Smell: Huge, smooth coffee and roast plus chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Spice and cinnamon too, with notes of dark fruit and tobacco. A kiss of vanilla. The aroma mix here is incredible. This beer smells like a rich and chocolatey dark roast espresso on steroids. 5/5

Taste: Is this beer a densely chocolatey, barrel aged cappuccino? A little spiciness kick upfront, followed by fudge brownies, bakers chocolate, and milk chocolate. Finishes with a ton of roast and coffee flavor that is smooth and creamy, and devoid of acidity or too much bitterness. Underneath those bold flavors is some oak, fruitiness and a touch of brandy and tobacco. Everything here is in perfect balance, with the chocolate and coffee and roast characters taking the center stage. The barrel character is not huge (I expected more brandy and rum flavors), but nonetheless adds a nice complexity that complements the bolder flavors nicely. The finish here is long and roasty. 5/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation. Incredibly creamy mouthfeel with a big roast, a little sweetness, not too much bitterness, no acidity and a nice upfront pepper spiciness. The flavors here absolutely coat the mouth. 5/5

Overall: Of all the beers I tried at Hunahpu's Day 2014, this was one of my favorites (frankly, all the variants of Hunahpu's and Marshall Zhukov were excellent). This was probably the best beer on tap that day (and believe me when I say that there were plenty of great contenders on the announced tap list). The coffee character here is done perfectly, taking an already excellent barrel aged stout to a whole 'nother level. I am very glad to have had the fortunate opportunity to try this one and would go to great lengths to try it again if ever given the chance.

Cost: "Free" (all tap pours were included as part of the $50 ticket price).