Bell's Cherry Stout

Batch#8870
7% abv

I wanted to start this attempt at a regular blog off right by paying some homage to my hometown state. While there are many fine beers made in Michigan, I felt it was only fitting to start with our most popular brewer. Bell's. I've seen the Cherry Stout for quite some time but was always scared off by the $12.99 price tag. Now seemed like as good a time as any to try it.
This stuff pour pretty thick, almost like an impy stout as there is very little head that forms. It wasn't as overpowering on the nose as I anticipated. You definitely get the chocolate covered cherry aroma, but it doesn't prepare you for how much flavor you are about to be hit with. It starts off like a typical stout, roasted malts with chocolate hints. Then it turns into a mouthful of cherry juice. Some of the chocolate flavor sticks around but it is dominated by a semi-sweet cherry taste. It subsides and finishes much more tart than it started. Its not a nasty sourness though...more like a cherry tart flavor that you would expect. Eventually some coffee taste lingers once the cherry disappears. I'd swear that this was a fruit beer if I drank this blindfolded. Another nice surprise is that its not as thick tasting as it appears. Definitely still full bodied, but without the oily thick mouthfeel.
This was one of the most unique beers I've ever had, but its also far from being one of my favorites. It's good...but I would probably enjoy it better while eating a really sweet dessert. Maybe I should dig out my UB40 Greatest Hits cd and play 'Cherry Oh Baby' next time to put me in the mood for one of these. Highly recommended for those of you who love a really fruity beer. Those who prefer a more traditional tasting stout might be overwhelmed by the cherry flavor. Try finding a single or splittng a sixer with some friends to see if its for you.

Advent of the Variety Packs

Need a way to drink a better variety at a cheap price? The increased availability of sampler packs from macro and microbrewers really gives us a great alternative to try so many different beers. If you come across something you don't like you're only stuck with 1 or 2 more bottles you have to pawn off or pour down the drain. There's no worse feeling than being stuck with a sixer of something you didn't enjoy. That said, I'm also not a big fan of rating a beer after only buying 1 bottle of it. There could be a multitude of problems isolated to that one bottle. That's why a variety pack is a perfect way to go for those of us taking the plunge into the craft beer world.
I promise my next rambling will be an actual beer review...

Ain't No Party Like a Detroit Party!

Yeah times may be tough in the Detroit area right now, but hot damn do we have some great beer and establishments to choose from. I know the East and West coasts can both lay claim to some great stuff, but the Midwest...and Michigan in particular... has some of the best tasting brews to offer.
In the coming months I'll attempt to give my take on the good-and the not so good that I've come across. There may be a heavy emphasis on what we have available in the Great Lakes region, but I will do my best to give fair representation to all. Yes, that will even include macros from time to time.
Sit back, crack a cold one and take my opinions for whatever they may be worth.