Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout

Brewed by Central Waters Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Amherst, Wisconsin USA

[Bottle] Pours a very dark brown color with no head. Aroma of dark malts, bourbon and bing cherries. Taste is mostly of bourbon and vanilla, with roasted malts and even some nutmeg or cinnamon. Somehow, the cherry notes and heavy bourbon do not mesh well in this beer. Decent palate. Light alcoholic warming in the finish, but the Imperial Stout character of this beer took a backseat to everything else that was happening in here. Worth a try, but not one of my favorites.

Had this one bottled in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Thanks Slothgar! Very dark, brownish red pour with a thick, light brown head. Strong alcoholic nose of almond and sweet bread. Very strong, cherry and whiskey, malty. Alcoholic finish. Good, but a bit too strong for me.

Awwwww yea 420 baby. Pours dark brown with burgundy highlights and a thin, crisp off-white head, bits of lace. Smells of cherry, oak, and booze, in that order. Tastes of dark cherry, a bit of bourbon and wood and some funkiness. Wood funkiness I think. Full body, vibrant carbonation. Ehhhh

So absolutely unique. Big nose, overpowered by bourbon and sweet dark fruits. A beer for every once in a while, or when you want to piss off a non-beer elitist friend.

Quickly dissipating tan head. Very dark chestnut brown body with some soft red and violet hues. The nose lets soft cherry flesh hints escape immediately, followed by bourbon, charred wood, vanilla extract, very light roast and hints of chocolate malt. The combination of the blended aforementioned results in a near-sickening sweetness, luckliy it doesn’t reach that point. I really feel that if this were a more focused aroma, it would be awful. As it is, it has strengths that are squashed by a medicinal blend of fruit and wood-aged dark roast/beer notes. The flavor introduces cherry pastry notes that underscore the roasted malts and produce heavier sweetness. Not cloying, but almost too sweet for an imperial stout without a sustained malty base, for my liking. With warmth the cherry flavors develop lovely tartness and begin to seem real and satisfying. Milk chocolate notes blend with barrel notes to move the sweet train right along. Light spice builds with each sip. Bitterness is almost nonexistent. Finishes chocolatey with lingering cherry sweetness. The palate is moderately carbonated, medium to medium-full bodied, uninspired and forgettable.

Pours a cloudy dark ruby brown with a smallish light tan head and some lacing. Aroma is sweet dark cherries and bourbon, vanilla, caramel malt and more subtle dark fruits. Flavor is sweet and starts with a decent dark caramel maltiness, dark chocolate, bourbon and cherry. Finishes long sweet and spicy. Medium bodied. This one will probably get better with age.

Thanks Gillard! Pours a clear brown with little head. Sweet, woody aroma. Flavor is tart and slightly sour with a distinct cherry tone. Sweet, hardly woody at all, and very little hoppiness. Tasty!

Thanks to CaptainCougar for the bottle. I had to break this out after I had the diacetyl-infused regular BB stout. Deep brown to mahogany pour with a large head. Aroma of oak, bourbon, brown sugar and just a bit of cherries. Flavor is funky-sour cherries (almost like brett?), wood, bourbon and dark roasted malts. This seems like a toned-down version of New Glarus Cherry Stout. The stout taste gets over-run, but you can’t help but like it.