The more beers I am fortunate enough to sample from Bell's of Kalamazoo, MI, the more I'm convinced of their status as one of the nation's truly great breweries. Each beer is loaded with flavor, and the Cherry Stout is no exception. Stouts in general are often considered to be excellent dessert beers due to their rich roasty characteristics; the added bonus of cherries in this brew makes it an even better candidate for that purpose. Some people have trouble with the concept of beer with dessert. Not surprisingly, they tend to be thinking of one style of beer alone (American Light Lagers). There is much more to the beer world than that style, and beer can be as versatile if not more so than wine or any alcoholic drink.

This deep black stout forms a monster head when poured, and that head chases the brew right down to the bottom of the glass. You can smell the cherries in the nose, along with the rich hints of chocolate that tantalize the olfactory senses right on into that blissful first sip. The sour, tart flavors of the cherries make this a surprisingly refreshing beer, and they dance with the roasted malt and chocolate notes right on through to the last sip. Hops are nowhere to be found in this beer, but I'm not complaining. Big and assertive, Cherry Stout is a brew of considerable strength with 8% alcohol by volume and an original gravity of about 1.09. A truly delightful beer, on it's own or with dessert. I can easily imagine this beer as a perfect accompaniment to a thick slice of Black Forest cake.

Update 10/7/2018: Bell’s says of their Cherry Stout:

Tinted ruby-black, Cherry Stout gains its signature tartness from 100% Montmorency cherries grown in Michigan's Traverse City region.

Rather than doubling up on sweetness, this tart cherry varietal serves as a counterpoint to the warm, dark chocolate notes from the malt bill. Lightly hopped for balance, this stout is one of the cornerstones of our stout portfolio.

Bell’s Cherry Stout has an alcohol content of 7% by volume and runs $14.99 a six-pack at Total Wine, which is a bit high. Bell’s says it has an “unlimited” shelf life on their website, though my bottle says 12 months. My bottle says packaged on 10/16/2017 and I drank it on October 7th of 2018, the same day that I bought it. It was refrigerated when I purchased it.

Here are my tasting notes:

Bell’s Cherry Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy tan head and a rich roasty cherry cordial nose. Taking a sip, the beer is smooth and chocolatey, delightfully roasty and medium in body and infused with dark fruity cherry flavor. Always one of my favorite beers, like a ripe tart sour bing cherry wrapped in dark chocolate. It’s wonderful.

I drank this beer side by side with a bottle of Bell's 30th Anniversary Cherry Stout Reserve.



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