Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout

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

Date: 4/28/2007
Event: DarkLord Day 2007
Location: Three Floyds Brewing Co. Parking Lot
Serving: 12 oz bottles shared by nflmvp. Thank you so much!

Tasting Notes
Aroma: Sour and tart cherry.
Appearance: Murky dark brown.
Flavor: Cherries at first, then it moves to roasted malt with some chocolate and oak flavors.
Palate: Medium body, smooth.
Overall: The cherries work well in this beer and add to the aroma and flavor nicely. However, maybe they should make either Bourbon Barrel Stout or Cherry Stout, but not necessarily Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout. I think the sour qualities of the cherries kind of overpower and maybe work against the sweetness of the bourbon...

Courtesy of Pepsican. Thanks, Andy. The aroma is big with boozy oak notes, chocolate, vanilla and tart cherry. The body is a murky dark brown to black and holds a thin tan head. Tart fruit, oak and bourbon on the fore, followed quickly by chocolate, pineapple and vanilla.

Deep brown body, thin tight buff head. Echoing the comments of the previous two reviewers, the buttered popcorn characteristics dominated the aroma in particular, washing out the vanilla, oak, and cherry notes. Tannic body dominated by roasted malts, vanilla, and oak, the cherries being tart but not overpowering or even dominant. The diacetyl reappeared in the finish, and became cloying over time, despite my attempts to ignore it. A flawed but intriguing beer.

Someone brought this bottle to the Hampton Inn on Dark Lord Day, and it was my surprise favorite. Foamy beige head on a very dark beer out of the 12 oz bottle. Tart berry nose with some chocolate hints. The initial sip is all about the tart cherries, with a very natural, fresh cherry flavor. That cherry theme is carried on a light bourbon foundation with enough chocolate and coffee to establish that the underlying stout is a solid beer without the fruit. An excellent use of fruit in a bourbon barrel aged beer. I didn’t get any of the buttered popcorn that marred other raters’ experiences.

Bottle, thanks hopdog! Pours cloudy blackish brown with garnet highlights and a thick, falling tan head. The aroma seems sweet and sour at the same time, dominated by the bourbon, but with bits of vanilla, oak, chocolate and cherry swirling around. Medium body and minimal carbonation. The taste follows the nose, bourbon,vanilla, oak, chocolate and cherry. The oak finishes strong, and a bit of coffee shows up. An interesting beer. Not very stout-like, but good none the less.

Bottle in trade from d0b. Thanks Dave!
Pours a dark reddish black with a short lived beige head. Smell is very mild, and very mild bourbon and cherry, and not much else. Taste is tart cherry and oak mostly, with very dry oakiness and not much bourbon or roasty malt. Decent but I wanted more Imperial Stout to go with the cherry and oak.

12 oz. bottle via trade KingpinIPA - Pours a dark brown color with a 1/2 finger thick light tan head that faded pretty quick. Light lacing. The barrel aging dominates the aroma. Mostly oak/bourbon and some dark esters. Can’t really detect any cherry in the aroma. Flavor is also mostly oak/bourbon with some roasted malt and dark esters. Has a roasted malt and alcohol aftertaste. Medium body. A good IS, but I doubt very few could detect any cherry in this beer if they didn’t know what they were drinking. Thanks Mike.

Dark brown frothy pour with tan head and lace. Chocolate, cherries, abv and tartness on the nose. Abv chocolate and light cherries on the flavor. Full bodied with good carbonation. Very nice beer that changes alot as it warms.