Bell’s has a big line up of beers, and we’re trying to work our way through all of them; this marks our eighth beer from Bell’s—we’ve had Sparkling Ale, Winter White, Christmas Ale, Third Coast, Oberon, Octoberfest, and Two Hearted. Hell, we could limit ourselves to stouts from Bell’s from here on out and still end up with like eighteen Bell’s beers. What is it about Michigan breweries and tons of stouts? We’re looking at you, Dark Horse and Founders...I can pour!
Cherry Stout, described on the label as a “stout brewed with cherry juice,” has a dark fruit and roasted malt nose; there are chocolate and coffee aromas, and just a bit of alcohol and light sherry notes. Color-wise, Cherry Stout is a dark dark brown with mahogany red tints and a minimal brown
head; there is also the faintest of legs on the glass from the beer. The beer starts with dark roasted and coffee flavors in the front, and moves into sweeter dark fruit flavors with some dryness in regards to the malt; the end is tart with a touch of bitterness, accompanied by some roasted malt or hops; there are lingering flavors—it is not a very clean finish, with some tannic, grainy, and fruit flavors that dally on the tongue. There is also some tartness with the fruit in the middle as the beer warms. Cherry Stout has a medium to heavy body, minimal carbonation, and some creaminess and slickness in the mouthfeel. A nice change of pace; Cherry Stout does both stout and fruit flavors well; it is better balanced than most fruit stouts with none of the medicinal/cough syrup taste—the fruit and the stout work 
harmoniously and in tandem in the beer. Another victory for Bell’s.From the bottle: “A mysterious dance of tart Michigan cherries with the dark, roasted malts of a big and bold stout.”
From the Bell’s website: “A rich and powerful beer with tart cherry appeal, make this a fine stout.”
ABV: 7.0%
OG: 1.082
(12/7/2009)
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