Bartrams Cherry Stout

Brewed by Bartrams
Style: Stout
Bury St Edmunds, England

Serve in English pint

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Deep red/black with a roasted malt nose, arounded roasted malt flavour with dry bitterness and a ever so light hint of cherry

5th August 2009
Cask at GBBF. Clear dark brown beer. Light dry palate. Not very stout like! Rich dry malt, no fruity tastes! More like a light dry porter with a little hop bitterness. Misses it’s own target!

Cask conditioned handpump Wig & Pen Northampton. A near black beer with an off-white head. A very bitter stout where the fruit is disjointed. Neither roast nor fruits dominates and it’s quite harsh. Not the first cherry stout not to work. Disappointing.

A - coffee and dried fruit A - dark with thin head T - sour with roasted bitter P - full O - o.k.

A Sim rate (cask at Chelmsford Festival): Sweet, roast and slight fruit aroma. Tastes a bit bitter with slight choc & roast. Not much cherry. Mediocre.

It has the looks of flat cola. The aroma is thick and almost salty in its roastyness. Burnt flavours are most apparent here with some sweet molasses hidden below. Drinkable for something of its character though not a cherry in sight.

Cask@GBBF2009. Deep rubyish brown colour with small brownish head. Aroma is ashy, roasted and also has some cherries as well as mild wooden notes. Flavour is quite much the same. Feels a bit out of a complete balance, but still good thinking.

Cask handpump at GBBF ’09. Very dark brown. Sour cigarette ash aroma, with other unmentionable substances. Taste balances fruit and roasted malt. Neither predominates, so the effect is somewhat neutral. Slight bitterness. Mixed feelings here.

Bottle. Medium head, dark brown in color with a very dark brown body. Aromas of cherry (of course), molasses, chocolate, and some malted grains. Texture is nice but WAY too much cherry on the first sip. Subsequent sips resulted in almost the same reaction. Good beer until you taste it.

Bottle that was brought over in a case along with our beer order for Merton Beer Festival, thanks to Marc Bartram Poured dark brown with a reddish hue and with a nice off white bubbly head. This has some very definate fruity qualities, the cherry is there but is much more subdued that the Damson was in the Damson version. This is very likeable has some nice gentle sourness but one minor downside is that it is a touch thin at times, but hang on it’s still very good, I’m no expert on stouts and porters but I reckon this is more porter like in style.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3     Light Brown(1)->Pitch Black(5) : 3     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 2
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 1   Off-White(1)->Dark Brown(5) : 2   Lasting: 1   Lacing : 1   Nitro : XX
Aroma:
Intensity : 3  
Yeast : XX   Bread : 3   Apple : XX   Tropical Fruits : XX   Ink : XX   Tar : XX   Olives : XX   DMS : XX
Malt : 3   Biscuity : 2   Burnt Toast : XX   Caramel : XX   Nuts : XX   Pumpernickel : 3   Cereals : 2   Coffee : 1   Dark Chocolate : 1   Vanilla : XX   Grapes : XX   Blackberries : XX   Cherries : 3
Hops : 1   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Floral : 2   Lemon/Lime : XX   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX
Notes :   Earth : 2   Wood : XX   Mint : XX   Smoke : XX   Soy : XX   Bourbon : XX   Anise : XX
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Sourness : XX   Lactic : 2   Bitterness : XX   Complex : XX   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 2   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 1   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : 2   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : XX   Mineral : 1   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : XX

Comments: Cherry coke like nose, but you can discover strong cereal flavours underneath, but ultimately not a great deal to be said about it.