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.