Bells Cherry Stout

Wow, I don’t know how this is rated just above the 70’s... This beer is like a framboise and a super thick stout. Sugary, super sugary, but so crisply tart. And that classic Bell’s dark earthiness that dresses all their finer beers. I found this one to be fantastic, and it’s always nice to rate a new Bell’s product.

Pours semi-dark, unnoticeable head. Pleasing cherry, coffee aroma. Taste is sharp and thin, and kind of like rotten cherries. Finish is full and dark roasted cherry malt. Not the worst and not the best stout I’ve had. If you’re ever at Turoni’s in Evansville in December, try the seasonal "chocolate-covered cherry stout". I didn’t see it on here, but it is similar in style to this beer by Bells and 100% more drinkable in my opinion. Overall, I’d say the next one of these I have will be free to me.

One of my favorite brews from Bell’s, and my most recommended; this starts with a big black body and a dark tan, burnt creamy looking head that leaves plenty of beautiful lacing on the glass. The aroma is gentle, very sweet and mellow, with the chocolate, java, and malty roastedness of a normal stout, yet with a heavy lingering aroma of fresh ripe berries with a tart edge. Attractive marshmallow and strong vanilla notes fill the nose, along with licorice and a doughy, cake-batter-like presence. The taste is wonderfully sweet and slightly tart, with montmorency and maraschino cherries, roasted coffee beans and jam. This beer is awesome on the palate! It starts soft and velvety, and ends very tangy, sharp, and puckering, creating a lovely mouthfeel similar to drinking cherry juice, yet all the while backed with the luscious, invigorating body of a delicious stout. The cherries mellow out the hop bitterness profoundly, and make for a cleaner, sweeter, less drying finish. Very interesting. Delicious!

Finger-thick dark brown, slightly burgundy head cascades into thin speckling. An eclipse, this beer is jet black. The nose is bitter chocolate covered cherries with notes of coffee. The I was very disappointed by this brew’s body. It looked big, it smelled big, but it was very thin. As far as flavor is concerned, the alcohol was a little too apparent, but this was offset by subtle, tart cherry and coffee.

A nice combo of sweet and sour, although completely subsumed by the stout base. Kind of a weird combo in retrospect. Very similar to every other Bells sweet stout.