José Martí American Porter brewed by Cigar City Brewing - Tampa, Florida 

José Martí was a pivotal figure in Cuban history leading an insurrection that ultimately resulted in Cuban Independence from Spain and was revered by Tampa cigar rollers for his support of cigar factory workers and his fiery speeches in Tampa in support of Cuban Independence. This is a heavily hopped high gravity porter featuring the hopping levels of an India Pale Ale with the rich and roasty malt profile of a robust porter. Heavy hop rates, while uncommon in today's porters were not unknown historically and recipes from the British porter producers of the 1800's evidence hopping rates far in excess of what is common for the style today. ABV:8% IBU:65
 
                   

Review from Beer Advocate

Appearance: Dark Brown color body with a light tan head. Very mild carbonation throughout and the head resides to a ringed lacing. There is also some sediment floating and collecting around the bottom.

Aroma: Dark cocoa, brownie batter, bittersweet chocolate, mildly roasted malts, roasted coffee, lingering bitter and sweet hops, cherry, and other subtle dark fruits. The fruit characters and roast in the aroma really reminds me of a Baltic porter.

Taste: This is delicious; the aroma really reflects the taste. Rich dark and sweet chocolate, cocoa powder, smooth as silk caramel and molasses, roasted coffee and malts, dark fruit, and bitter hops that compliment. The chocolate, roast qualities and the hops are the front runners here and all are quite balanced. The dark fruits that are nicely present make me think of a English-style porter. The alcohol literally doesn’t exist and the finish is semi-dry.

Mouth feel: Medium to full bodied, medium viscosity, somewhat sessional.

Overall: This is an excellent American/English-style porter that had everything I like and I enjoyed this thoroughly. Overall, this was pretty straight forward porter that was very well-balanced and truly easy to enjoy. If you’re a fan of porters, definitely give this a shot!
 


About Cigar City Brewing:
Cigar City Brewing(CCB) was founded with two goals in mind. The first to make the world's best beer and the second to share with people near and far the fascinating culture and heritage of the Cigar City of Tampa.

From its past as the world's largest cigar producer to its Latin roots and the many other diverse peoples that call it home, Tampa draws on many sources to develop its unique culture.

Cigar City Brewing is comprised of a 15 barrel (one barrel is 31 gallons) brewhouse occupying 6,600 sq. ft. of warehouse space in the Carver City-Lincoln Gardens neighborhood of Tampa. The brewery has nineteen fermentors. Six 15 barrel, ten 30 barrel and three 60 barrels. There is rarely a day when each tank isn't filled with beer.

We use the highest quality ingredients we can lay our hands on and that is not just marketing jargon. If it makes better beer, we use it. We also strive to use local ingredients when and where we can. Not only do fresh local ingredients help us to make better beer, it helps us to make beer that reflects the culture and heritage of Tampa Bay.