Beer Wednesday: Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale by Cigar City

I have long been intrigued by Cigar City Brewing, based in Tampa, but their beers don't make it to me in Los Angeles. On a recent trip to New York I was finally able to try their Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale and I was very impressed.




Although Maduro is billed as an "oatmeal brown ale," it trends more towards brown ale than oatmeal as far as I can tell. It has a medium body which strikes me as a bit too light to term 'oatmeal'. I like its weight and think it strikes a very good balance between richness and drinkability. Its flavors are full and trend towards nutty and a slight caramel taste; it is not at all overpowering. My reaction is that it is kind of like a lighter-bodied version of the Rigor Mortis by Dieu de Ciel - and I mean that as a big compliment. This is one of my favorite brown ales that I can recall having, and I really wish I could drink it regularly.

Maduro scores very highly on ratebeer and I agree with that. I am a bigger fan of the beer than the Dos Beerigos are. They still like it though; I'd be surprised if anyone flat-out disliked this beer. It has 5.5% ABV and cost me $2 for a 12oz bottle. I would recommend it to everyone who can find it, and I especially recommend it to fans of brown ales and nut ales because it's a superb example of that style.