Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout

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

Bottle shared generously by sauceyhops at the Alesmith ’07 Barrel-Aged Speedway release. Pitch black with brown bubbles. Thanks Gabe for bringing this one. The aroma of this is killer! Lots of bourbon and smoky wood with tones of espresso, prunes and cherry. Robust and sweet flavor, packed with blackened malt, more espresso and vanilla. The cherry juice adds a pleasing tartness to the bourbon and oak. Medium carbonation, soft mouth-feel and very drinkable. Great stuff.

12 oz bottle. Dark brown with some tan froth. Nose is bourbon, cherry preserves and coffee. Juicy medium body with a light sparkle. Taste like the nose. Cherry is sweet enough to soften the bourbon bite but still a bit tart. Coffee comes out in the finish with hints of chocolate.

Bottle @ home, from Secret Santa. Black and opague. Oaky, vinous aroma with cherrywine and hints of bourbon. Full bodied, malty sweet, slightly roasty but also velvety flavor with bourbon, oak, cherry, marzipan, vanilla, chocolate and warming alcohol. Soft, velvety but also an amazing complexity. World class beer, absolutely amazing, and a great gift from my Secret Santa.

Pours black with a small tan head. Aroma is heavy butter, cherry, oak, and bourbon. Flavor comes through with tart black cherry, vanilla, butter, roasted malt, butterscotch, bourgon. Finishes very smooth, mild tartness is balanced with the nice buttery vanilla of the bourbon. yum!

Thanks to Rustychiles. Pours just this side of jet black with a quickly dissipating chocolaty head. Smells first like massive diacetyl and oxidation. given some time and deeper sniffing reveals lots of bourbon, oak, and vanilla notes behind the diacetyl/butterscotch smell. Minor hints of cherry in there too. Taste is very roasty, a little cherry and vanilla, and beyond anything else butterscotch. Lots of alcohol as well. Would like to have seen more cherry and far less butterscotch.

12 oz bottle shared with toncatcher. Another great smelling beer. Super dark pour that I just smelled and smelled and smelled. Aromas of cherry and wooden vanilla. Finally tasted it and got some more cherry and vanilla. Roasted malts in there of course. Pretty darn yummy

Bottle at Sune’s (Thanks Bager). Black - brown head. High dumle, high caramel/chocolate candy, roasted, light burned, bourbon, vanilla, cherry, oak, wood, cookies, high sweetness, big smooth body. A bit too heavy on the bourbon.

Bottle courtesy of Santa. Pours a deep brownish black with a nice brown head. Aroma of bourbon, cherries, coffee, chocolate and dark malts. Flavor is oak, bourbon, cherry, chocolate, roasty, and quite a bit of diacetyl. There is a touch of sourness in the cherry taste but the diacetyl is overpowering many of the other flavors in this one. Still a really nice BA cherry stout.