This beer pours clear and exceptionally dark, letting virtually no light through its mahogany body. Atop this dark abyss, is a churned foam of tiny tan bubbles that stick persistently to the interior rim of the crystal goblet into which it is poured. This is followed with bitter chocolate and vanilla bean. The cherries are muted at this point, though, perhaps, contributing to the aforementioned oaky aroma.
The taste is rich with all the flavors present in the bouquet. But, here is where the cherries emerge. Using a blend of dark and tart cherries, their flavor blends well with their counterparts. The tartness of the cherries lends itself to a slightly lactic acid-like sourness. The dark cherries blend with the copious amounts of chocolate used in the brewing to present a dark chocolate cherry cordial character to this stout.
Rich, dark and complex, this is a full-bodied, chewy beer that is sticky on the lips and long in the finish. Not huge as stout’s go with a 7.3% abv, it is, nevertheless, pleasantly warming. It is currently available in limited quantities locally.
