The Grizzly Paw Barley Wine 2016 Vintage Edition was an enjoyable and satisfying beer in the barley wine category. Even though it packed a high ABV, and some in your face boozy character go with it, it never seemed to overwhelm the flavor complexity.
The Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2019 Robusto is a powerful cigar and possibly the strongest Davidoff release I have smoked. It is a complex and multi-national blend which really delivers the flavors of all the tobacco involved. The transitioning between each third was fantastic and the flavors present from start to finish were stunning.
I think I understood what they were going for on the Parallel 49 / Tool Shed The Dangerous Wolfman collaboration, but the saison funkiness is too much flavor for the rest of the beer, and throws the balance off. This was an interesting tasting experience, and I'm happy to have tried it out.
The Balmoral Anejo XO Connecticut Rothschild Masivo was an enjoyable smoking experience. The profile is not what I would define as a 'classic Connecticut' smoking experience. Notes of pepper, chocolate and espresso elevate the wood, hay and grass.
The Montecristo Dantés Edición Limitada 2016 is not a Habanos I would gravitate to more often than not, I prefer regular production Montecristo offerings to this, but a very solid release. I would recommend this Habanos to those who have the opportunity to purchase some, and I think many would find that they smoke well in a couple years. I look forward to see how it smokes in years to come.
The 4 Mile Rice Pudding Porter is an enjoyable porter style beer with elements of complexity. Even though the balance and aromas were average, it is one of the better porters I've had through 2018 and 2019.
Like the Diademas reviewed in 2018, the Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Decadas El General is also a good cigar. Compared to the Diademas, I found the El General isn't as balanced within providing sweetness, earth and spice. But nonetheless, this is a great cigar in which I will be visiting time and time again.
In the instance of the La Palina Bronze Label Robusto, I was surprised especially by the minerals. In general, the flavors of minerals, dry red peppers, natural sweet creaminess off dried nuts was range I didn't expect and worked well. The only let down was the subpar burn in which I hope it is a one off situation. I'll gladly smoke it again even if I have to fight the burn.
Parallel 49 / Bench Creek Invading From Planet X It's... THEM! is another good and consistent beer from the brewery collaboration series. Undersold by the aromas, with a good finish and balance, I find the flavor to be very good. Overall, I'm left with an enjoyable experience that I would happily revisit.
The H. Upmann Connecticut by Grupo de Maestros Toro carried a fairly traditional Connecticut shade profile with a slightly amped up strength level. While the flavor profile is pretty typical of many other Connecticut shade cigars, the price point for the vitola is attractive.
