Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout

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

12oz bottle, batch #7777, via trade at DLD. pours a slightly oily, very dark brown, nearly black with definite glints of red and a thin, dark tan head with light lacing. aroma is excellent with huge notes of bourbon and vanilla initially that slowly calm revealing notes of tart cherry, dark chocolate, ashy wood, and roasty malt. flavor is absolutely delicious with huge notes of tart cherries dipped in dark chocolate, some sweeter, vinous red fruits, vanilla, and sweet toffee backed by huge oaked bourbon, roast coffee, and tobacco with a long, charred oak finish with a twang of cherry. palate is medium bodied but quite rich with solid carbonation. overall, another great stout from bells.

Bottle courtesy of dkachur on 07/18/2009. Dark black body with a medium creamy tan head. Big bourbon and cherry aroma with lots of woodiness and fruit. Sweet cherry and wood flavor. Medium body with moderately low carbonation.

Bottle. Thanks to alexsdad06 at NATIFEST. Poured a dark mocha with a very thin tan head. Aroma is roasted malts, bourbon, and sweet cherries. Notes of oak, alcohol, vanilla, and dark chocolate are hidden in it as well. The palate is smooth and rich. In the flavor, the cherry stands out at first, but everything in the aroma gets amplified as it sits on the pallate. The finish is dry. I really enjoyed this one. Not a favorite by any means, but one I would love to drink again.

Batch 7777

8/01/2009: Bell’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout... Aroma: Super fragrant (aroma is detectable from several feet away!); cherry-like balsamic; bourbon. Appearance: Black with large foamy brown head. Flavor: Tons of sugary/caramelized malts, chocolate, subtle slightly tart cherry, rye-like bourbon, dry and charred-wood finish. Palate: Medium-full body, very smooth. Overall: Really, really nice; massive arom and flavor, definitely packing some alcohol, very impressive.

12 fl. oz. bottle shared by alexsdad06 at NATIFEST ’09. Thanks Brad! Rating #206 for this beer.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the Cherry Stout beer to begin with, as I thought it lacked any cherry character to begin with. This beer followed the same thing, except now it’s got a huge bourbon character in both the aroma and flavor which bumps it up a few levels.

The beer pours out an inky black color, coating my glass with a molasses-like color and a 1" creamy brown head. Aroma is clearly bourbon dominant, with lots of wood, toffee, light smoke, vanilla and dark chocolate. Flavor is full-on bourbon like someone poured a quick shot in my bottle. Oak flavors, vanilla, tart malt/fruit (although I couldn’t get cherry, but could see the association of tartness with the cherries), Red Vines and a bit of tobacco. Very enjoyable beer and erases the memory of the Cherry Stout from my mind.

12oz bottle courtesy of armchairboogie poured into a tulip. Pours opaque black in the glass with a big bubbly mocha head that dissipates pretty quickly to a solid ring and leaves only patchy lacing. The aroma is basically bourbon-soaked cherries dipped in chocolate. The cherries are slightly tart with lots of dark chocolate sweetness. The bourbon is not overpowering but definitely present. The taste starts out with a big blast of tart and sweet cherries. It’s definitely got more of a sour kick than the aroma. The backbone is sweet, dark roasted malts. There’s only a hint of bourbon in the finish and the taste is definitely bigger on cherries than the aroma. The mouthfeel is slick and medium to full-bodied with a soft carbonation that leaves the palate sticky with cherry sweetness with a hint of puckering tartness, though just a touch. This is a very nice cherry stout that has plenty of body and stout character, but it’s the cherries that really make the taste stand out. Another great stout from Bells.

Bottle courtesy of dkachur at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown. Batch 7777 (bottled January 2, 2007). Aroma smacks me in the face with a bourbon hammer. Dark brown pours with a short tan head. Through the bourbon I can pick up some maple, oak, and caramel. Hints of vanilla as well. Taste is strong bourbon, too, along with tart fruits, roasted malt, oak, and vanilla. Thick bodied and chewy with more tartness from the cherries. Ends with more cherry, bourbon, of course and vanilla. Rather tasty but a bit overpowering with the tartness. More so than the regular Cherry Stout.

12 oz. bottle shared by dkachur at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown. Batch 7777 (bottled January 2, 2007). I’ve had regular Cherry Stout before and it’s a decent beer. I probably like it better than most people. That being said, this one blows that out of the water. Pours dark brown to black with a thin beige head. Strong bourbon aroma with a hint of cherry. Wonderful taste of sour cherry, vanilla, and chocolate. Warm alcohol burn on the finish. This one was great. Thanks again to dkachur for letting us try this.