Bells Cherry Stout

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

Bottle. Deep dark chocolate, sharp coffee and black cherry aroma. Black-brown color with small tan head. Tart cherry primarily with lesser flavor of chocolate malt and burnt coffee. Tartness is a stark contrast to the smooth malt flavor and overpowers it somewhat.

I also thought this would be a stout with cherry flavors, but it was more like a strong sweet/tart cherry drink with some stout characteristics. Like other raters have mentioned, this isn’t a stout-lover’s stout, but nor is it something a fruity drink-lover would enjoy. The cherry overwhelmed the roastiness and complexity that I look for.

Pours an oily black with an off white head, bubbles hugging the edges of the glass the whole way. I get a bunch of roasty chocolate in the nose, with a touch of cherry, but not a whole lot. The taste is pretty unique. Definitely sweet from the cherry, but roasty and thick at the same time. Definitely get more sweetness than anything and I wish it wasnt quite as sweet. I wish it had more stout characters other than being dark.

Courtesy mgumby10. Black/brown with brown edges and a small tan cap. Ruby hues when swirled. Roasty malt, dark chocolate, modest amount of resinous hops, and subtle cherries in the aroma. Tastes like a Bell’s stout blended with cherry juice, a little syrupy sweet. Good, but not really working for me. Medium body of a beer/juice blend. Drinkable.

Far better than New Glarus Cherry Stout since the Cherry flavor doesn’t overwhelm the brew. You get bombarded with sweet, dry, and bitter shouts all at about the same time. I assumed it would be cloying but it was not.

Poured a syrupy looking flat black with a thin, sticky brown head. Smells of fruit, apples, pears and cherries with none of the roasted malt flavor you’d expect. Really doesn’t taste like beer at all. The sweet cherry and fruit flavor overwhelms any other subtle flavors. The finish brings a touch of the roasted malt combined with the sourness of the cherries. Even if you don’t like beer, you’re likely going to like this. Stout drinkers might be disappointed, but anyone looking for a quality niche beer has found it.

Bottle. This beer does not work for me; I couldn’t even drink half the glass. I was expecting a full stout with some cherry notes. What I got was a mess of fruit punch and watery beer. Unfortunately, I have 5 bottles of this stuff left, so maybe I’ll give it a re-rate when I’m feeling more open-minded.

Bottle from Capone’s, sampled with the Mad Indian. Pours dark with red hues, and a dark cola colored head. Aroma of roasted malts and cherries. The flavor is a lot of roast and tart cherries. coog brew.