Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Sweet Stout
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Musty brown head with decent head and lacing. Flavours of cherries, vanilla, oak and roasted malt. Some chocolate and a bit of tartness makes it presence known a bit deeper into the glass. Later on in the finish the cherries turn a bit "artificial". Overall, I rather enjoyed this, but couldn’t handle too much at one sitting.

Bottle and served in my Bells snifter: Very deep brown with some ruby highlighted topped by a lasting creamy tan head and very good lacing. The aroma was spot on to what I expected: cherry...check, bourbon barrel...check, chocolate...check, toasty...check, and earthy yeast...check. VERY NICE NOSE!

The taste was more of the same, chocolate covered sweet cherries with a moderate boozy and tannic background. What bitterness is found is the results of a espresso like astringent nature than hops. The mouth feel is lush and oily but a tad too soft by the end. A very nice hybrid beer.

Dark brown, cocolate, cherries, bourbon, oak, vanilla, rich, strange, complex.

Bottles from both mreusch and allaboutstout, not sure which one I opened. Pours attractive deep brown with a big tan head. The nose is excellent, with chocolate, cherries, bourbon, oak. (Pretty much everything mentioned in its name.) The flavor is a bit more of a clash of influences. Not melding that well together, and in addition, the cherry character goes a bit concentrate-like. Medium mouthfeel. I still liked it, but I expected to love it.

the highlight of the first ever Stumelagram Event ... Oak!, BOURBON!!!, cherries, cherry liquer, brandy..!!! .... Complex as the entire universe!! ... sweet and wild... oily ... i didn’t want this to end.. just an amazing beer that i will think of on my deathbed.. bell’s!

Sampled at the Carolina Crew gathering in Greenville. Big thanks to ucusty for bringing this gem. Very dark pour with ruby red edges. aroma of vanilla, cherry, oak tannin, and bourbon. Great flavor, similar to the aroma with the bourbon really well integrated into the mix. Cherry tartness came through nicely as well. Wish I could have had more of this one!

Bottle shared by footbalm, thanks man. Pours a dark brown body with a thick light brown head. The aroma was perhaps the oddest thing I’ve ever smelled in a beer; buttery sweet candies, like butterscotch mixed with oak and some cherry. I must say for some time I couldn’t get over that butterscotch, it’s in the flavor too. After a bit I noticed more cherries, a sweet chocolate finish and a smooth rich body. Very nice, but also quite odd. I think that I’ll try it again, but the butter/cheese flavor and aroma was way too much. Decadent for sure.

Bottle shared by MaxxDaddy. Wow! What a delicious beer! Rich peanuty aroma filled with chocolately cherry and light wood. Absolutely pure sun-drenched, chocolate dipped cherries with an oh-so-beautiful thick woody backdrop to finish it off. Only kissed with bourbon, the oak comes through much more, which is a welcome change from all those bourbon bombs. This is so balanced and perfectly crafted its hard to believe. I must procure some bottles for myself.