Melbourn Brothers Cherry

Brewed by Melbourn Brothers (Samuel Smith)
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Stamford, England

Almost as good as New Glarus’s Cherry. The wife tried to take this away, she is not a beer drinker, but loved the aroma when pouring. Nice head, good lacing.

Bottle. Pours deep cherry red, with pink froth head that dissipates quickly. Some mild lacing. The aroma ios remioniscent of cherry pie, cherries, vanilla, pie crust. The flavor was almost too much at first sip. I got a very tart start with a very cherry finish. Further sips reduce the tartness to reveal a more balanced cherry flavor, but nowhere as good as it smells. The tartness in the beginning almost made my jaw muscles lock, and the watery cherry flavors and strong alcohol taste were not enough to overcome. The finish was dry like a decent wine. Only way I think I could handle this is at 34 degrees F on a 90 degree summer day.

Vivi cherry red with a big pink head and plenty of carbonation. Aroma of cherries with some yeast and a touch of farmyard. Flavour of tart cherries with a slightly dry finish. Good.

Dark red color, red tinted white head. Nose is ludens cough drops and robitussum. Medicinal. Not much carbonation or liveliness to the body. Sweet cherry flavor and not much else. Kind of one-dimensional.

Bottle, Smells like lindemans cough drops, some tartness, not very big in the way of cherry, perhaps some light malts, a bit tart. An ok fruit beer and a bad cherry one at that.

Date: 02/09/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

dark red, headless, standard cherry extract flavor, semi sweet charry flavor, good carbonation, like a cherry soda, no beer essence

Aroma: 2/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 2/10; Palate: 2/10; Overall: 5/20
Rating: 1.2/5.0
Score: 4
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Pours a very dark crimson, with a mid-sized, well-retained white head with pink hues. Lacing is adequate. The nose is at first solely strong, ripe cherries. Acetic notes lie underneath, complimented by scents of light sourness(brett), wood, light yeast, a pleasant quantity and quality of lightly toasted grains, a hint of wheat malt, red appleskins and pie crust and marzipan with an almond sprinkling. the flavor is highly sweet, with mild tartness, just a hint of sourness, light bitterness and medium acidity that only seems lower duue to the trouncing sweets parade unfolding with each sip. Cherry is realistic, fresh and sun-ripened. Cassis notes are introduced late as sweetness builds. This nears cloying, but only because it is so incredibly sweet. That factor merely slows the pace, avoiding cloying tastes and lengthening time for observation. The finish is highly sweet, mildly tart, lightly sour, cherries lingering a long while, toasted ,malts fading in and out. The mouthfeel is very sticky, thick, modestly but nicely carbonated and smooth if taken back with care. Very nice.

Melbourn Brothers beers are classified as fruit lambics, though that is solely due to a base lambic beer, a beer that sees little light of day in the experience of the final product. The reality is that these beers are fruit beers, and when enjoyed as such, are very rewarding: intense flavor, true flavor, a dessert without peer. No implication is made that these are the best fruit beers, just that there is really nothing else available that is like them, and that is something that deserves commendation, as the aroma and flavor are wonderful - real wrecking balls of intensity.

Poured dark ruby red with a head of pink-tinged foam. The nose was of cherry juice, cherry puree, and, well... cherry. The taste follows suit with some soft ale-ish malt flavors and a burst of fresh cherries. There is also some spiciness to be found in the end, but it’s still all about cherries. The feel was medium-light and drinkability is good. Its sweetness will undoubtedly be limiting for some, but it’s a pretty nice little fruit beer.