Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout

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

Bottle thanks to Brigadier! Poured a lovely shade of black with a creamy, well-retained cap of caramel head. I’m with Jon.. this aroma rocked!.. tangy cherry skins align beautifully with grainy oak, bourbon sugars, and vanilla.. sweet and seductive with hints of power beneath.. very nice usage of the fruit and the barrel. The flavor had a well-roasted dark chocolate base with tart cherry skin accents.. the barrel usage was soft and well-executed with bourbon sugars, grainy wood, and vanilla, but no overt booziness or bourbon dominance... drier roasted chocolate and mild tartness on the finish. Grainy and a hair heavier than medium-bodied on the palate.. tangy cherries get a bit tangled up with the wood grain around the edges.. felt good, but not great. Overall a very enjoyable brew!

Bottle (22oz). Shared with blankboy and garthicus, my bottle courtesty of rudolf. Deep ruby-brown (not quite opaque) with a large creamy-frothy tan head. Well-balanced and not in your face - moderate roast, vanilla, oak, prunes, cherry, a hint of lemon. Taste of cherry, mild chocolate, oak, much sweeter, alcohol comes in - dry wood; odd (salty?). Light body, very lively mouthfeel, finishes fairly quickly, leaving an acidic fruitiness and tingling tongue behind. Very nice - perhaps a tad more lively and sour than an imperial stout normally is, but quite enjoyable.

Tasted at Noogfest 4.0 (2008). This Imperial Stout pours a medium black color from a 12oz bottle. Small sized tan foamy head. The aroma is chocolate, roasty malts and cherries, touch of bourbon. A medium bodied stout. The malts are chocolate and roasty malts. The kops are earthy. The cherry flavor is subtle, neither sweet nor tart. The bourbon flavors are subtle as well. It’s a bourbon barrel cheery stout that more about the stout than the barrel or the fruit. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

#26 Bottle. [Papso Shady blind Tasting 2009] Small bubbly beige head that mostly diminished. Spare display of lacework. Dark mahogany color. Aroma of berries, citrus, fruit, mild toasted malt, light vinegar, mild wood like feel. Medium bodied with a soft carbonation. Light to moderated sweet and acidic flavor. Light sour fruity finish. 7 / 3 / 7 / 3 / 15 = 3.5

Bottle at Sune’s (Thanks). Clear red/black - offwhite head. Cherry, caramel, dumle, sweetness, bourbon, coffee, wood. Light thin body and finish.................Again: #26 - Amerikaner Blind-Smagning 29-Maj-2009 hos Papsoe. Bottle. (6/4/5/2/13)

Bottle. Pours a black body with some dark brown hues with very little head. Aroma is bourbon all the way. A viscous mouthfeel with an almost burning bourbon flavor. Huge mouth warming and some cherry chocolate and vanilla and woodiness mixed into the bunch. Very easy to drink. Wish i knew the abv on this one.

Poured a dark brown / red color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of bourbon, roasted malts, vanilla, black cherry, chocolate, and nuts. Taste of tart cherry, vanilla, bourbon, light roasted malts, and some chocolate as well. No alcohol detected here.

Bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a very deep ruby-brown with an average size diminishing tan head. Nice aroma of bourbon (but not too much), chocolate, vanilla, caramel malt and just a bit of cherry. Flavour of chocolate and cherries along with some bourbon, spices and roasted malt. Earthy roasty bitter finish. Average bodied. Pretty good, I enjoyed it.