4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Batch 9367 bottled on Set. 28 2009. This one still had some mud on it from Dark lord day 2010. Pours pitch black with a fading brown head. Nose is roasted malts, and the cherry aromas have faded significantly which I think is superior. Other aromas include plums, raisins, bread like munich malts, and other various sweet tones. And the taste, well, the cherries havn’t faded much. Taste is chocolate pie topped with wonderful sour cherries, malts, coffee, soured chocolate. Full body and slick and oily on the palate. Carbonation is light and unnoticeable all over. Hop aroma or flavor is undetectable. Overall the aroma is extremely pleasant, which I could whiff for hours. The taste is pleasant as well though I don’t prefer the heavy sourness. I will age more in the future for years to observe its development.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
I love Bell’s, but this was underwhelming. Opaque black beer, almost no head (although very fizzy carbonation). Roasty stout with a bit of fruity acidity but no real cherry flavor. eh.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
A: Very dark with a tanned head.
S: Plenty of cherries present in the nose, along with a good amount of chocolate.
T: Lots of cherries and chocolate. A decent amount of complexity.
M: A little bit thin and a little too tart. I’ll have to take some advise I’ve heard and age one of these for a while.
D: Drinkability is average. The flavors are a little overpowering and the mouthfeel is a tad off, but a pretty good tasting beer.
2.7 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 10/20
A very soft spoken stout. Soft, subtle aroma with a sweet, malty nose. A very dark beer that lets almost no light through, even when held directly up to the light, but gives a dark brown-red appearance when thinned out. There was minimal head for us, but what we did get was a tan, brown color. It comes in sweet on the front end, that quickly fades to a tartness that lingers a bit, surprisingly almost no bitterness. Full bodied with a bit of stickiness, and a soft but lasting finish. Overall, an interesting seasonal beer.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle, 5 oz sample. Pours thick black, huge fluffy brown head with sticky, chunky lacing. Nose is big on the roasted chocolate and coffee notes, with just a bit of that sour cherry on the edge. Taste is similar: stout first, cherry second. A divisive beer at our tasting, but one that got people talking. I’d buy it again.
2.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 5/20
Sample at Bell’s brewery Eccentric Cafe. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, light cherry. Appearance is jet black, tan head, vanilla, tart, light cherry taste, slightly sweet. Not that good for a sweet stout since it is so tart.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Black pour with a reddish hue tan head .... aroma of roasted malts and tart cherries .... taste of cherries and roasted malt very smooth and not overly bitter fruit just enough tart in the cherry flavor the roasted malt comes in lighter than the cherry and into a cherry finish .... loved it
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
From a 12 oz into a pint glass. No batch number??? Hmm. Anyway, Nice aroma of tart cherries and cocoa. Little head and no lacing. Mouthfeel is lighter than I expected and dry. Almost porter-like rather than a stout, but I actually think that’s a plus with this beer; lets the cherries shine through. Taste is of tart cherries, wood, cocoa and java. Very good. I like the fact that you can really taste the cherries which blend quite well with the stout. Damn fine beer!
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