Bells Cherry Stout

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

Serve in English pint

Appearance - Pours a dark almost ruby color that I swore I saw transferred to the head, which was minimal and settled at a deep tan. Aroma - Sweet flavors reminiscent of a dubble. Could not pick up the chocolate notes other’s are referencing. Cherry does come through. Taste - Ironically enough I took a sip right as I got a windows error message. The upfront and shocking tartness definetly matched my disdain. Can’t say that I like the flavor. Maybe it’s not my style of beer, but it just tastes like a bad combination of a kriek and a stout (two great tastes that don’t taste great together) All that being said, it does start to grow on you. I think it needs to be warmed up a little and not served too cold, otherwise, it’s way to shocking at first. Drinkability - More of a sipping beer that opens up once it hits 45 degree.

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Nonic Imperial Pint. Appearance: Jet black with very thin tan head and almost no lacing. Aroma: Chocolate, cherry and sweet roasted malts. Subdued aroma overall; I certainly expected more cherry. Taste: Very tart biting cherry with some chocolate roasted malts. Strange combination, and I find the tart cherry to be ridiculously overwhelming. Why are the cherry beers I try either way too tart (like this) or way too artificially sweet (like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat)? Where is a cherry beer with a happy middle ground? Palate: Moderate carbonation, medium body, finish is very tart and leaves a lingering feel which I can’t stand. Overall: Hard for me to tell if this is well crafted or not, as I can’t finish it.

On tap at World of Beer Fort Myers. Poured into a shaker pint glass. Appearance: Pours a dark cola brown with a 1 finger creamy dark tan head. Nice lacing. Smell: Dark roasted malt, coffee and a touch of cherry. Taste: Dark roasted malt up front followed by coffee in the middle and ending with sour cherry at the finish. Aftertaste is a mix of sourness and coffee. A little bit too much sourness for me. Mouthfeel: Medium-to-full-bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Drinkability: Decent drinkability. You could knock back a couple without any problem. Overall: Good beer overall. Not my favorite, but the cherry adds an interesting element. Worth a shot.

Bottle purchased in St. Louis. Pours black with a nice head. Aroma of toast, coffee, chocolate. The coffee, bitter chocolate and malty tastes are quickly overwhelmed by an excessive cherryness; not at all well balanced. Maybe I’m just not a fruit beer guy.

Flöska. Courtesy of KingCecil, thanks matey. Pitch blacck colour, light brown head. Pleasant aroma of well roasted malt, chocolate and fruity cherry (in a good way). Good mouthfeel. Pleasant roasted maltiness in the flavour with chocolate, some dark fruit and cherry. Roasty malty finish with chocolate and some cherry.

On draft at the Brass Tap in Brandon, poured a dark black with aromas of chocolate and a hint of cherries. Flavors match aroma, but has a nice tart cherry aftertaste, a nice stout for an afternoon sipper.

An excellent sweet stout, almost classified as a fruit beer. Excellent balance and complexity Doesn’t taste the 7% alcohol at all. The description says to let this beer cellar for a while...YES

Draft... Black with a light tan ring... Boring nose, a bit of roast chocolate, light cherry finish, ok... Interesting taste, milk chocolate body with a sweet note then a tart cherry finish, shockingly tart, a nice surprise but a touch tough to drink, would have again