Bells Cherry Stout

Very pleasant aroma with smoky notes and the cherry. Beautiful pour however lacing is absent. The tart cherry flavor was more than I expected it to be.

Batch #8219: This poured black in color with a very thin light brown head. The nose was not very powerful giving off aromas of chocolate, tart cherries and dark malts. In the mouth it was medium-bodied and was smooth with nice flavor concentration. This was really easy drinking, showing similar flavors to the nose.

Nose has some smoky and chocolate elements, is otherwise muted. Pours a deep mahogany, black in the glass, with a thick dark red-brown head, dissipating to a ring and spots of lace. The tart cherries complement the dark fruit elements in the stout perfectly, tart, sweet, and wonderful. As the initial explosion of fruit and roast malt fades, chocolate, bitter melon, butterscotch, and residual tart lingers. Lively on the front, becoming velvet smooth when swallowed.

Bottle picked up in Philadelphia and consumed in hotel room in Liverpool 28-11-08. Pours black with a beige head. Lovely sour cherries positively rush through but there is also liquorice and a smooth roasted roasty flavour to this beer. This is a corker of a beer, loved it. A7 A4 F8 P5 OV16

On tap at the Flying Saucer in KC. Pours a deep black with a reddish outline near the glass when looking down at it. Finger-width dark brown, creamy head that dissipates slowly and remains lacy and swirly. Beautiful. Smell is very tart cherry whiskey. Pretty fruity at first in the nose, then a light aroma of chocolate and dark roasted malts. Flavor is dominated by the cherry tartness. Slightly acidic and tart berry juice taste. Slightly winelike initially and finishes with a deep roastiness and chocolate smoothness, especially as this beer warms up. Palate is medium to light bodied and very smooth. Finishes warm and slightly dry with a bit of an oak quality. Overall, this is an interesting beer. At first it was very tart and the cherry was a little overpowering, but as this beer warmed up, the bitter/roast/chocolate really kicked in and became quite rich. I think this was a well made beer and very glad to have tried it, especially on tap. It has every quality of a well made stout mixed pretty well with the tartness of a fruit beer. However, it was a little too fruity/sour for me to lust after again. Definitely different.

Black color, with brown head. A slight red tint overall. Smells like chocolate. Tastes very sweet at first, a little bit of chocolate in the finish. A bit too sweet for me.

Bottle. Pours deep black with a light brown head that disapates fairly quickly.A light aroma of dark roast and tart cherries. Medium body, with some sweetness upfront. Flavor is dominated by the sour cherries the roasted is evident, but not prominent. Some chocolate notes as it warms. Finishes slightly dry with a fair amount of tartness. Overall, a very nice beer, but certainly not what I was expecting. This stout pales in comparison to the other fine stouts Bells puts out, and while the sour cherries are good, it just doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

330 mL bottle. Pours a motoroil pitch black with a very dark tan head that dissipates quickly. Aromas of rum soaked black cherries and espresso and very dark chocolate. Taste is very different- very tart and dry with a heavy dose of sour cherries. Dry, oaken finish. Medium-bodied overall. Sort of a disappointment. Probably should have left this to cellar. But let me say if you add a scoop of good vanilla ice cream to this, it is to die for. No joke.