Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout

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

#700. Pours a deep mahogany with translucent, fiery red at the edges. A creamy, foamy tan head settles to a thin but dense blanket, leaving behind minimal amounts of sudsy lacing. The aroma is heavily wooded, with a good dose of vanilla, chocolate malts, bourbon, and funky dark cherries. The nose really grows on you with each inhalation. The flavor is strikingly tart, with sour cherry infiltrating each and every other element. The oaky wood is very sharp, with chocolate malts sort of fading into the background. There’s alot going on here, and I’m afraid it gets a bit muddled at times. The body is medium-full and very lively, even at this age. Finishes long, sour, and slightly astringent. Definitely not deserving of the Imperial moniker. This is a very interesting stout, but one that ultimately falls well short of the lofty standard that New Glarus’ Unplugged Cherry Stout set for this niche genre.

(bottle thanks Tytoanderso!) Pours dark brown with a scant tan head. Upon first smell, I got a whiff of urinal cake, which smelled quite awful. Luckily, this scent fades quickly and a better, more earthy, Belgian-redesque aroma takes over. There’s also some light vanilla and chocolate as well. The flavor has some light cherry, roasted malt which is a bit astringent, with chocolate, and a little wood on the finish along with some alcohol. Medium mouthfeel.

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

Great aroma of dark malt and bourbon. Taste like a fruit cake with boubon cherry sauce on top. Good beer for an after dinner dessert.

This smells heavenly: bourbon, cream soda, sweet cherries, chocolate, all well-harmonised. Pours darkest brown, thin beige head, minimal lace. After the nose, the flavor was somewhat disappointing; the bourbon barrel took over the beer. Bourbon, vanilla, and butterscotch are the dominant flavors from start to finish. The cherries are there mostly just as some added sweetness; a little chocolate creeps through on the finish. Thick bodied, lightly carbonated.

Thanks to JuiceIsLoose! Pours a thick black with a bold cherry and bourbon nose. Flavors are also bold with oak, bourbon, coffee and cherry.

Blind tasting at Papsø’s
Dark color, mahogany with ruby shades; medium creamy head. The aroma is very nice, clearly it has Bourbon vanilla, persistent, with sweet nuts, ending with an impression of cinnamon and fudge. Unfortunately the flavor shows, for me, some flaws: unwanted sourness, chocolate flavor, the sweetness is gone, some mou (fudge) candy trace, quite harsh final (medium sourness mixed with partially roasted malts). Confused.

I had to fairly adjust the score after the tasting, as it was not mentioned that it was a cherry beer. Originally: 8-4-5-3-11.

Bottle. Pours a muddy dark brown with a thin rind of a head. Not as dark as a stout typically is - more of a dark nut brown. Nose isdried fruit and ashes. Hits the mouth hard with sharp alcohol burn, followed by tart cherries, then some sort of plastic or cheap cake icing. Tastes like a cherry kringle. A real close clone to a chocolate covered cherry, down to the creamy center. Really misses on the lack of "stoutness". Should be called a cherry brown. Very little bourbon or oak/charcoal flavor.