Americas Wine Barrel Hannahs Cherry Imperial Stout

Formerly brewed at Americas Brewpub
Style: Imperial Stout
Aurora, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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On tap at the brewpub. Black with a large chocolate-brown head. Cherry (tart) & milk-chocolate aroma - smells like cherry cordial. Wow, what a fantastic tart flavor, sweet up front with oaky woodiness, turning tart and slightly sour, cherry flavor hits and mellows into a sweet-tart finish. Close your eyes, and I’m not sure you’d know this is a stout. Chocolate notes in flavor are most pronounced in the initial flavor profile, almost immediately dominated b tart cherry. So unique and delicious. Velvety soft palate. One of the best beers I’ve had in years.

looks like caught this on a bad day... really didn’t live up to expectations. the aroma was somewhat musty, and reminiscent of stilton cheese - most odd. the flavour was similarly disappointing, with the cherries being overpowered by the stout, and a definite tannin flavour from the wine

On tap at the brewpub on 6/20/07: Pours an opaque oily black with a wispy-lacing dark tan head. Sweet dark caramel and black cherry aroma with a hint of vinous oak. Body starts lightly sweet and caramely with some vinous cherry and oak balanced complexity toward a lightly warming, tart finish. A nice imperial stout that reminds me of the old barrel-aged Fish Tale Poseidon.

Name: Wine Barrel Aged Hannah’s Chery Imperial Stout
Date: 06/20/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

black, wispy tan head, dark chocolate aroma with light cherry, a bit light in the body, rich dark chocolate flavor with sweet and tart cherry character, nice winey sweetness, hint of oak, the cherry character is a great combination of the tart and sweet,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Great looking oily and viscous black pour with an equally oily looking head that faded into a swampy looking residue. The nose was enormously tart...is this a Flemish sour in impy stout disguise? Let’s find out. Big flavors of chardonnay, oak, tart (SOUR) cherries, chocolate, raisins, and other dark burnt fruits. Big residual sour tartness lingers mournfully in the aftertaste. First sip, I did not enjoy at all. Fifth, sixth, seventh, and thereafter...what a nice effort by this brewer!

On tap @ Ale Fest. This one poured a perfect 5 cascading brown head on black moving up the glass. Wine raisins, cherry and chocolate aroma. Chocolate sour fruit, oak, red wine acidity, with a bitter dark chocolate behind it. Complex and tart. I had this one just after the bourbon barrel version and the balance of that becomes lost in the sour wine of this. Still a fine beer though.

Personal Milestone: Illinois rating #600 (out of 3312) !!!!!
And a great beer for a milestone... or just just sitting back and enjoying. It’s a nearly black ale with a bubbly cocoa head. The aroma is tart and fruity and seems to have a touch of the wild to it. The funky fruit is matched with roasted malt, bittersweet chcolate, oak, red wine of some sort (I’m a beer-not-wine nerd), and a cherry pit bitterness. There’s an acidity to that’s almost like a sour ales’s that I really get off on. I had to get myself a few of these at the festival. Great work, Mr. Rybinski!

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Chicago Area RateBeer Gathering at AleFest, Arlington Heights, IL 4/14/2007.<font size=-1>

on tap, pours black with tan head. another nice looker. nose has lots of oak, chocolate, and subtle red wine. flavor has too much red wine that overwhelms the stout. lots of tannins and not enough chocolate and coffee, or just not balanced well.

Out of a growler at StoutFest. Poured a deeper brown with a dusting and a ring of loose chocolatey head. Seductive vinous and cherry notes in the aroma with just a little dark chocolate lurking in there. The flavor had a substantial wine influence.. almost like they didn’t empty the barrel well when they poured the stout in... sharp red grapes with evident alcohol, tart cherry skins, and chocolate undertones... sharp, tart fruit finish. Medium-bodied with tart, sour, and boozy notes.. OK feel. This was worlds away from the bourbon barrel offering.