Alec Bradley Shamrock Filthy Hooligan

Cigar Reviewed: Alec Bradley Shamrock Filthy Hooligan

Smoked at: Delaware County, PA

2SP Brewing Company Really Dirty Money and an Alec Bradley Shamrock Filthy Hooligan in toro vitola. A Triple IPA double dry hopped with Citra and Idaho 7 hops grown on the same farm in Idaho. Poured a murky ginger color with a loose butter-colored cap of foam. A tangy milkshake of an IPA where the lemony citrus and full mouthfeel quelled the sweetness. Distinctly hoppy and citron dominant, this one was truly unique - thick, rich, filling, and with an insensible malt presence. And while it would be hard to imagine putting away more than one (maybe two) of these chunky mamas in a session, it was, in fact, matchless, lemony and magically delicious. The cigar was the 2020 edition of AB’s tricolor barberpole for St. Patrick’s Day which featured intertwined Honduran candela, Habano seco and Habano maduro wrappers. Medium-bodied and medium-strength with flavors of sweet grass from the candela, Cocoa Puffs from the seco and a mild woodiness from the maduro. Blended together these made for a surprisingly moderate flavor profile that didn’t compete with the lemon parfait of a beer in my glass. (Probably a good thing.) Not much in the way of major transitions through the smoke – usually just one of the aforementioned flavors would hit a slight peak before quickly returning to the mix - but that consistency and moderation were welcome elements. Overall, for a barberpole, which are often much more interesting to look at than they are to smoke, I found this one better constructed and more flavorful than most. And while there were no pots of gold to be found at the end of this pairing, the experience of a unique IPA anchored by a clever, yet stable, smoke was not unlike a four-leaf clover - hard to find and lucky to have. 3.8/5