Destihl Cerise Stout Imperiale

Brewed by Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works
Style: Imperial Stout
Normal, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Sampled from the growler on the opening night of RBSG thanks to Adam! Poured black with a medium brown head that seemed to had a slight red hue and dissipated to the edges. Aroma had a clear cherry note that melded nicely with the notes of dark chocolate and dark bread with just a hint of underlying caramel. Flavor had much more powerful tart cherries that overwhelm the dark chocolate and dark grains a bit.

Very murky brown, small head, very thick looking. Aroma has a strong tart sourness to the nose, lighter cherry, modest caramel sweetness, toasted malt later and finishes with a strong chocolate presence. Flavor has a modest amount of cherry sourness/tartness to it up front followed by a mild woody, sour is kinda dirty with a slight band aid taste, lots of baker chocolate in the middle with a cherry fruitiness coming in late in the tasting. Body is modest feeling with a light slightly watery tasting modest alcohol warmth at the end. Overall a bit too much as the early sourness/tartness adds a slightly off-flavor to the beer. Balance in flavors is good but a bit weak in strength.

Tasted on draft on 3/12/11 at Goose Island Stoutfest. Pours black with a thick tan head that slowly recedes to fairly thick lace, and leaving some residue along the inside of the glass. The nose is sour and funky cherry with dark roasted malt and coffee. The flavor is dry, sour, and funky with tart cherry, darkly roasted malt, coffee, and bitter chocolate. The body is medium with lively carbonation and a long sour cherry and bitter coffee finish. This was probably my favorite beer of the festival.

Big thanks to pantanap and gunhaver, cheers! This growler pours dark murky brown with thin mocha head. The aroma is sour as expected and surrounded by thin layers of chocolate and dark roasted malts. The taste is similar starting with dark roasted malts, some chocolate and then giving way to growing sourness. It ends dry with lingering and then fading sour mash notes.

thanks adam. pours dark red no head., nose has a nice big pitty dark fruit and cherry thing. fl is sour and pitty cherries, coffee and chocolate tend to be laid back and on the sour end.

Thanks to adam for this pour at the RBSG (no shirts required) hotel tasting. Pours brown black with a thin ring of a head. Tart cherries oak and malts aroma. Tart cherries with chocolate light malts brown sugars. Light and sweet but not bad. Thanks adam.

On tap at GTMW 2010
Destihl caught my eye. I wasn’t aware they had opened but their line up was exceptional. At a festival like the Great Taste it takes something big to stand out amid brewers like Goose Island, Jolly Pumpkin, and Surly. Somehow they’ve managed to do it. If I ever find myself in the Bloomington-Normal area I am making a beeline for their brewpub.

Aroma / Appearance - Deep brown, almost black, the body absorbed the bright sunlight. Chocolate, cherry pie glaze, malt, anis, and bourbon mix into a chewy texture. The three parts (cherry, bourbon, and imperial stout) blend smoothly.

Flavor / Palate - Sour cherries poured over a caramel brownie that has been slightly undercooked fills the mouth with a rich mouthfeel. Light sips of coffee add more complexity. The vanilla and bourbon are not overpowering but provide more depth to an already solid imperial stout. If this were my neighborhood brewpub I couldn’t find any fault with this release.

On tap at the brewpub. Poured in a large snifter, very cool for a brewpub to do. Comes out with a black body and an inch thick, very creamy, brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a moderate lacing. Aroma is initially big on the tart cherries. Once it opens up, some light roasts and dark cocoa come out, but its still all about the sour cherries. There is a somewhat musty yeast to this as well. Flavor is similar. I get a more noticable roast and cocoa, but still dominated by the tart cherries. They never get too sour though, which is nice. Along with some musty yeast, there is a hint of vanilla-oak. Finishes dry with some tartness and a light roast before leaving a lengthy aftertaste. The subtle roast really comes out nicely as this warms and plays a key role in the flavor. Medium body and a bit thin feeling at times with a soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, a pretty cool beer. Definitely let this one warm up to allow the roast and cocoa to come out more. I like the tart cherries and feel they add a very unique element to this. A really fun sipper.

Growler from the brewpub (Bloomington, IL). a donation shared with some friends. Pours a nice darker brownish black, good murkiness with decent offwhite head that dies to a clingy film. Aromas are sour cherries, roasty malts, a touch of dark cocoa, faint coffee. Pretty dry. Initial mirrors this well, a nice dry and coffee feel, dry and lightly tart cherries. Dark roasty malts feel a bit bretty overall, dry and dusty. This beer is tasty, dry and a bit tart. Roasty with a touch of dry coffee. Nice, good on the palate and tart in the end. Tasty, a bit lighter bodied than anticipated but I think that works well for it

1liter growler from Adam... Pours a medium porter stout like pour with a thin light tan head... Aroma of must/yeast with sour cherry, maltlike with an earthy feel... Flavors are minerally and somewhat muddled, just not clean with tart cherry flavor but mostly earthy with mild chocolate notes. Not clear in flavor, somewhat muddled, but not totally infected. Intwrsting but not so sure if it was designed to be what it is.