Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry Stout

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

12-oz. Pours jet black. Creamy burnt tan head. Big sweet cherry and chocolate nose. Creamy, sticky body on the high side of medium. Chocolate and sweet tree fruit on the mid-palate. Long sticky sweet finish.

Dark beer out of the bottle with a foamy brown head. Big bourbon barrel nose with cherry liqueur notes. This is a great example of a beer being enhanced by time in a bourbon barrel, instead of getting overpowered by it. Lots of dark cherry fruitiness with vanilla, oak, butter and of course the bourbon in the background warming it all up. Smooth alcohol finish. Really nice beer.

Hand-pump by Larry Bell in Jupiter. Pours black with little to no head. Cherry liquor aromas do not scream bourbon and neither to the flavors, which are featuring solid black cherry goodness more than wood or bourbon. Liked it a lot. Compared with the regular cherry stout, the BB version has extra vanilla and the barrel beautifully changes the character and dries the beer out very well, adding tannins without taking the cherry tartness away.

Bottle from Hoppymeal awhile back - thanks! This one has a nice blackish brown color with a big aroma of bourbon, roast, cherries, wood, and vanilla. Flavorl has a nice choco/roasty/cherry mix with some mild oak/vanilla. Nicely balanced with a pleasant finish. I wouldn’t mind a few more of these!

Tasting @ argo0’s place. 12 oz bottle courtesy of kmweaver. This beer was the star of the show for me! Pours an oily black with a thick brown head. Big, sweet chocolate cherry nose, some vanilla notes, light Bourbon. Sweet flavors, rich chocolate and cherry, Bourbon complements - not overBourbonated! Silky smooth, rich body. Absolutely luscious...

Bottle@Home. Sweet, vanilla, chocolate aroma with a hint of bourbon. Opaque colour, brown fine head, good lace. Sweet, sourish, cherry, chocolate and other flavours that are not quite in balance. Interesting beer, well brewed but I would not buy it again. Strange combination of flavours but the BA did do it some good.

12oz bottle shared by BlackForestCO. Batch 7777. Pours black with reddish hues, small nonexistent head. Aromas of cherry, lactose, chocolate and some coffee. Flavor is sweet cherry, chocolate, and some coffee in the finish. Palate is very nice, rich and mellow. Thanks again Jake.

bottle at Ft Wayne locals tasting, courtesy of bdigi66, I think - Pours up very dark brown with a small tan head. It smells of bourbon, cherries, and roast malt as one would expect. The cherry flavor mixed in with that sweet roast malt is mild but definitely there. The bourbon is well balanced, good without overpowering the other elements. It’s medium to full bodied and finishes slightly bitter. Very nice.