This weekend concludes a weeklong celebration of the great American Craft Beer Movement. I don't think the term movement does the growth of craft beer in this country justice, as “explosion” may be a more appropriate description. I have been amazed by the growth of this category and in many ways it parallels what we have seen in the cigar business. Today's consumers demand quality, as well as a diverse selection, when it comes to what beer they drink and what cigars they smoke. Just as there has never been a better time to be a cigar maker, we are truly in a golden age for beer development. Here in America there is no Reinheitsgabot (German Beer Purity Law) to get in the way of the thousands of innovative brewers we have in this country, plying their skills. Whether they are working in an established brewery or exploring their "Inner-Frankenstein" out of their garage, the winner in all of this experimentation is the beer consumer.

As I recently earned the first level of Cicerone Status, think Sommelier for beer, I thought it may be time to revisit the subject of beer and cigars. As I have stated earlier, whatever beer you enjoy with your cigar is perfectly ok. I personally like to match cigars with beers that match the flavor profiles found in cigars. For this article I have chosen a cigar that not only matches beer in flavor profile but also in name.

Quesada's Oktoberfest is a very impressive cigar at first sight. It's dark, oily Maduro wrapper really pops out at you, thanks in part to the white band that is accented by the colors of the German Flag. The vitola I chose to smoke on this occasion is the Uber, which is a tightly packed 6x65 monster. Don't be shocked if your standard sized guillotine cutter isn't big enough to do the job. You may have to get creative with a pocket knife or use a bullet punch on this big boy.

Although this medium to full bodied cigar doesn't have to be enjoyed with a beer, I strongly encourage you to pair the cigar with one. The cigar was blended to go with a Marzen style, Oktoberfest beer, but your options are broader than that. I enjoyed this cigar after a wonderful beer dinner hosted by Blue Moon. During the night we drank Belgian Wheat, Agave Nectar Ale, Short Straw Ale, Rounder Belgian Pale Ale, and a new beauty they tested out on us called Honey Ginger Ale. I would feel comfortable drinking any of the above mentioned beers with the Uber, but I think the Rounder Belgian-Style Pale Ale was my favorite companion.  It was the Rounder that we paired with pork roasted for 18 hours, honey bacon brussel sprouts, Florida red potato cake, and Rounder beer cheese sauce. The beer held its own against the pork, cheese, and potato collaboration...so playing wingman to the Uber was a piece of cake.

The cigar provided lots of luscious and rich smoke that coated the palate with an earthiness, which had nice underlying flavors of dark chocolate and a hint of cedar. There was a little hay on the first third of the cigar, but I felt like the cigar settled into a mildly sweet, yet robust experience until the end. The cigar is a long, cool smoke which can be attributed to its massive ring gauge. The large size also lessens the complexity, but that is not a bad thing. I think a good consistent smoke is right in line with what most folks look for in a great Oktoberfest beer. This Dominican puro is what it is, a 90 rated cigar that everyone should enjoy at least once. The Uber is a very limited production item and we are very fortunate to be one of the few retailers to offer these. With only 500 boxes produced each year, our current stock level is very low, but look for these guys to hit our shelves again in late—summer just in time for Oktoberfest.

So this weekend, drink a beer to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. And don't forget to smoke a cigar to celebrate the celebration.

Starting tomorrow here on the blog, some of our beer guys will kick off a series of posts all the way from their trip in Belgium, so be sure to check in here every evening to hear about all the great beer they're drinking!

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits regional manager in Jacksonville. Follow him on Twitter @chrisgnole