Stewarts Cherry Bourbathlon

I loved Decathlon to death, so I was very happy to see this in Stewart’s over the holidays. The pour was reddish coppe with very little head. A huge aroma of big cherries, oaky bourbon, berries, cabernet, and floral spicy hops met my nose. The taste included a very grapey merloty element, backed up by some heat and oaky bourbon-dipped cherries. The mouthfeel is red winey with a solid dose of heat at the finish. This one reminds me of the Bing cherries that we used to soak in whiskey and then eat back in rural PA. In my opinion, Stewart’s may be the most under-appreciated brewpub in the world right now, and I sincerely hope that changes. This style of beer is original and unique, very difficult to make, is truly a labor of love, and I hope more brewers grow a set and do things like this more often.

Poured a reddish amber color with a thin, white head that quickly diminished, leaving no lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet cherries, vanilla oak, bourbon, yeast, and alcohol. Taste of sweet cherries up front, vanilla, some spices, Belgian yeast, bourbon alcohol, and charred wood. Some faint, sour, cherry skins show through in the finish. Would have been more interesting if it was less sweet.