Bells Cherry Stout

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

Ah, the first chill of autumn is in the air and a thick rich beer like this starts to seem appealing. This bottle’s about a year old, and some of the underlying roasts of the stout have abated, which is a shame. The fresher bottles were more notable for the contrast between this feature and the deep, dark cherries. But it’s definitely still a dillie, nice and dark, with sweet subtleties in the finish.

on tap - philadelphia - I wonder if this keg has turned. at first try, it tasted like vinegar and wet newspaper. i thought maybe it was a bad pour - maybe left in the line and sent it back. tried it a few days later and just could not get past the vinegar sourness. if there were any chocolate flavors they were lost in the medicinal, vinegar cardboard flavors.

Served on draft with a thin and waning head. The aroma was more sour than expected with some bitter dark chocolates supporting the sour cherry. The taste was tart and bitter with a warmer alcoholic layer in the mouth at the finish. The low carbonation keeps this lingering in the mouth just as it keeps is clinging to the sides of the glass. Good overall beer, better for desserts.

Courtesy of moejuck. You rule. Batch 7220, packaged 01/16/2006. Black body with chocolate brown edges, thin tan head, decent retention. Spotty lacing. Dark fruits, cocoa, cherry pie and coffee make up the aroma. Taste is very similar, but the cherry tartness is much more pronounced. Very creamy mouthfeel, medium bodied and very smooth. Average carbonation. Finish is medium length, tart and roasty, a very nice combination. Very good.

Pours an oily black colour with a small tan head that fades nearly instantly. Nose of roasted malts & some cherry. Initial taste of tart cherry that seems to get splashed over by a creamy roasted chocolate. Sides of the mouth, lips and tounge coated with tart cherry. Center of mouth seems to hold that nice roasted chocolate backbone. Finishing a nice palate of molasses, chocolate and tartness. Slight dry finish. Well balanced and very tasty.

(bottle) Pours black with a nice tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, slight chocolate to begin with, but then the cherry comes in as the beer begins to warm. Taste is roasted malt along with some nice tart cherry that really blends together nicely. Chocolate is also present. A really good beer, and better than I remember it being the last time I had it.

[Bottle, thanks Guerde] Pours dark brown with a very small dark tan head. Aroma is sweet with some chocolate and roasted malt. Flavor is tart cherry up front before melting away into very nice subdued roasted malt. Original rating: 7/4/9/3/16=3.9
Re-Rate: [Bottle] Wow, I had been craving this beer since the last time I had it, and this bottle did not disappoint. The interplay between the cherry and roasted malt is beautiful. This thing just has really blown me away. Old Rating: 8/4/9/4/19=4.4
Re-Rate: [Bottle] Had a pretty disappointing bottle in which the cherry was not very pronounced and did not taste at all like the previous few I had.

06 batch. wow. i can’t believe this isnt higher rated. its so sweet and silky, a treat to drink. tart cherries on the back sides of the tongue. pretty much cherries, coffee and chocolate. loved it, and can’t wait to get ahold of some more.