Name – Vuja De
Country – United States
Type – American Wild Ale
Dictionary.com defines Deja Vu as the illusion of previously experiencing something actually being encountered for the first time. While Cigar City and Saint Somewhere defines Vuja De (ed. note: not a real word) as the feeling that none of this has ever happened. Strong words.
I find it sort of funny the naming and definitions of these words as many people called Sea Bass a Cigar City and Saint Somewhere collaboration beer when it wasn’t in fact. It just simply used a yeast strain from Saint Somewhere. But fast forward a few months and the actual collaboration between the two Florida brewers has come to light. Being a sour beer of it’s own I’m wondering if CCB had some fun with the naming of this because so many people thought Sea Bass was the official collaboration.
So let’s head right into the beer now. I poured it, rightfully so, into my Cigar City snifter. It poured out a deep reddish brown color. The head was a bubbly light red to tan color. It was an interesting color for a brew’s head.
Oh you know it’s a sour ale. I could smell it just from pouring it and well before sticking my nose in the glass. Vinegar, cherries and raspberries in the nose. Some funky yeast notes in there as well.
To say the taste is mouth puckering would be an understatement. It is tart with tastes of lemons and sour cherries. But it is also funky with vinegar, hay and other barnyard like tastes. The alcohol can be picked up a bit but I’m surprised how well it is hidden at 9.96% ABV. Super complex.
So what do I think of the real Cigar City and Saint Somewhere collaboration? In a word, awesome.
It reminds me a good deal of Sea Bass but slightly more complex. I get a ton of things in the taste while most other sours I typically just pick up vinegar and a sour fruit.
Also with the higher than normal ABV for a sour this should age rather nicely over a few years. Thankfully I picked up a few bottles of this just for that.
A great beer made by a couple great Florida breweries right here. If you like sours then seek this out.
Grade – A
7 Comments
Nice review man. If you can get a hold of this stuff still I’d love to trade for a bottle. Heck I’d love to trade for any of the harder to find CC stuff. I love the brewery.
March 30, 2011 at 9:52 amAgreed 100% on the review. Amazingly, this sour pairs awesomely with your typical backyard barbecue fare. I shared some with a beer virgin friend (I can’t down an entire bomber of sour) and he surprisingly enjoyed it a lot.
I’m sure I’m beating a dead horse here, but I still can’t get anyone to tell me why CCB doesn’t credit the “Vuja De” thing to George Carlin. Any fan will tell you it’s from one of his classic bits decades ago and a simple YouTube search confirms it. CCB names entire beers after people nobody’s heard of (Marti, Bohr, etc), I’m just curious why he can’t get a little credit on the label description or something.
It’s an unfair and hyperbolic comparison, but I look forward to Cigar City’s upcoming Git-R-Done ale.
March 30, 2011 at 2:05 pmDave – I can still get Vuja De pretty easily in most stores. We just got Papaya IPA but I think I remember you reviewing that recently. What other CCB stuff are you looking for and I will see what I can get.
Joel – I liked Carlin but I was by no means a big fan like I know you are. I had no idea that was a part of one of his jokes. It’s also cool that you can get a relative n00b to beer to enjoy this one.
March 31, 2011 at 9:27 amMike,
Love to try some Either, Or, Guava Grove, Dirac, or Bohr
March 31, 2011 at 1:17 pmDave – I already have a Guava Grove so I can send you that along with a Vuja De. Bohr and Dirac are pretty much just available in the Tampa area and I can’t easily get them. I’ll check the store if they still have Either and Or.
March 31, 2011 at 5:15 pmThanks man. Don’t go out of your way if you have to.
April 1, 2011 at 8:33 amMeant to say don’t go out of your way for the beers. =) I type to fast.
April 1, 2011 at 10:38 am