Black Cherry Bomb
Bullfrog Brewery

Black Cherry BombBlack Cherry Bomb
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From:
Bullfrog Brewery
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
96
Avg:
4.45 | pDev: 7.42%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
38
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 28, 2015
Added:
Sep 21, 2008
Wants:
  155
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Rated: 4.65 by Deltoro from Florida

Dec 28, 2015
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
BA Review #1000!!! HUGE thanks to korsak aka akorsak for busting out this beauty at Ffej of July XIII
Wasn't even sure there was any more of these floating around the area, an honor to use this one as #1000, let along sitting next to the guy who brewed it.

Pours deep dark brown bordering on pitch black with a one finger tall tan head, quickly dissipating down to a thin film across the top, leaving small streaks of lace down the sides of the glass.

Smells of tart cherry skins, dark roasted chocolate malt, musty basement, some mineral earth from said basement floor, bit of barnyard from the brett and only a touch of oxidation. Taste is fairly similar to the nose but in varying amounts. The cherry and chocolate notes are consistent with the nose while the brett flavors are stronger and the mineral and must are dulled a bit. As it warms up quickly some bitterness reminiscent of coffee beers comes through along with a bit of lactic twang. Feel has a decent pucker but also plenty of roast, very nicely balanced across the board.

Overall this is exactly how I pictured it being. It is amazing how a perfectly cellared bottle can hold up. The cherries and dark flavors meld very well together and the brett really brings it all together. Easily one of the best dark sours I have ever had. Huge thanks again to korsak for bringing this one to the party!
Jul 23, 2015
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Reviewed by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois

4.49/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is the first time that I have tried BCB. Even though I have never tried this beer it is very evident that it is holding up very well. Still ample carbonation. Very complex and nice pucker. Good cherry flavor. No sings of off flavors.
Jul 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.66 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Jul 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by brian4beer from Indiana

Jun 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by cfrances33 from Illinois

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

May 11, 2014
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Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

4.69/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to main squeeze Kegatron for busting this wide open with me. To date, I havent been able to drink a beer thats been on my wants list longer than this one. The silver foiled 750ml corked and caged bottle streams it's solution black in color coming to rest in my glass with a huge dark brown froth that rises up more than 2 fingers high. The cap fades back leaving spots of lacework on the glass and a swirl emits a finger of bubbles effortlessly back to the surface.

The aroma is all wild brett notes. Tart to sour with earthen must and basement that is only present initially and fades to other even more enjoyable aspects. Some lemon-like qualities more than cherry but the sourness is there with faint chocoate to burnt grain and char notes. A mild chocolate fresh graininess with a touch of sweetness as it warms. Even some coffee-like scents make themselves known once the brew goes beyond ideal temps.

The taste is no doubt tangy and wild with a strong focus on brett. Some lemony funk, earth and roast gets a bit like char but without going full blown into ashy and bitter. However, there is some bitter burnt grain notes blending into anise. A faint taste of coffee is also present with a mild accenting bitterness of it's own that quickly dissolves to almost a yogurt tangy and tropical fruitiness that mixes to a borderline medicinal cherry aspect. Once beyond ideal temps coffee and chocolate seemingly become the center focus of the brew.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It is smooth and quite interesting. Roasty earthen focus meets huge fruity lactic to sour aspects. Every sip is seemingly completely different from the last. It blends from roasty bitter to sweet, fresh and grainy yet as sour and wildly tart as you could ever imagine in enjoying in a wild. To say "thank you" just doesnt seem to convey enough gratitude but again, thank you Heath for sharing this with me.
Dec 10, 2013
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Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York

4.14/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A gigantic thanks to Frank for helping us acquire this one. Another wale I didn't think I'd ever lay lips on. Had at a recent tasting. 750ml foiled and corked bottle into a 3F wine glass. Reviewed from notes.

Pours pitch black with a dark, coarse mocha head that dissipates quickly. Light spotty lace with little cling. Average.

Nose is sweet and tart cherry, light roasted malt, spritzy with a heavy dose of red fruit. Pleasant with great balance. Aromatic and not vinegary at all, which I like.

Tastes like sour black cherry coke. Sweet and tart opening with some roasted malt, chocolate, and big cherry notes throughout. Really well balanced. This dark sour has a sweet, fruity aspect that is missing in a lot of beers in the same style nowadays. Very enjoyable.

Light bodied with ample carbonation. Spritzy and lively in the mouth and goes down aggressive. Dry, puckering finish with a dry aftertaste that really coats the palate. Real light and drinkable... again, unlike a lot of beers in the same style.

This beer is a precursor to the sour stouts of today and its an illustration of what is right with the style. Roast and tartness complement each other very well with neither aspect overwhelming the other. Sweetness is just right also with a light, crisp body that keeps this one very drinkable. Still an excellent beer after all these years.
Aug 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by jbuddle from New York

Aug 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by GRG1313 from California

May 25, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by ObeMaltKinobee from Illinois

Oct 28, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 09, 2012
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Reviewed by BucketBoy from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thank you forgetfu and ShadesOfGray for hitting one of my top Wants, courtesy of Jaxson.

L - Menacing, midnught stout foments anger and flavor in my wide delerium tremens tulip. Just ruby hues enter the picture as well with a cappucino foam rim and 2 loan foam clouds swirling in the center of my glass.

S - Acetic sour cherry and berry, melon veneer, along with a cocoa, earthy leather and roasty stout underbody. I don't know what I what I was expecting, but not this (though this isn't a bad thing).

T - Juicy cherries, almost a Flanders red acetic and balsamic vinegar feel, above a dark toasted barley stout. Not what I was hoping for, to be honest.

M - Vinous tannins on the front and end, with alcohol evaporate on the roof of my mouth and crystal clear brew in the middle. My stomach feels the acidity over time, though.

O - Such a unique brew. The roasty, charry, chocolate coffee stout intermingles with acetic bright cherry sour to create an intriguing, incomparable beer.
Mar 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 07, 2012
 
Rated: 4.75 by DefenCorps from Oregon

Dec 12, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by CaptinRedBeard from Pennsylvania

Nov 14, 2011
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Reviewed by mikey711 from New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This was one beer that took me forever to track down and I finally did thanks to a very generous trader. Enjoyed with a friend over the weekend as part of my 25th birthday celebration

A: Pours a deep brown, near black with a nice frothy layer of mocha colored head, the bubbles were very nice and compact, lacing was very good as well

S: tons of popping fruit notes, cherry, raspberry. nice subtle oak, nice wine like aroma as well.

T: Tart cherrys up front along with some grape and dry wine notes. a mild amount of sweetness is present and quite enjoyable

M: Nice spritzy feel without being thin, goes down way too smooth

D: Overall, this is one of the better american wilds i have had in quite sometime. very subtle while also very flavorful. i didnt note much oxidation and was extremely pleased with the amount of fruit notes in there. I also liked that it wasnt very vinegary. A very nicely executed sour. with the number of dark sours coming out recently, this is one other brewers should look to to see what went right. Again thanks to the person who traded me the bottle
Jul 11, 2011
Black Cherry Bomb from Bullfrog Brewery
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 38 ratings