Bourbon Barrel Cherry Edmund Stout
Fitger's Brewhouse

 

Originally reviewed September 14, 2005. On tap at the brewpub. Faint cherry infused chocolate cake aroma. Not quite pitch black, with a ruby glint and no head. Flavor is a fast burst of floral hops, moving into a second movement of strong saccharine cherry juice that rides the whole train, finished with a slight hint of cofee. Chokecherry ascerbic. A large amount of cherry juice was added to this beer. Vastly better than Bell’s Cherry Stout, but not a home run by any stretch of the imagination. Bourbon Barrel? Where? Palate is disconcerting, strong overly bitter notes. Not certain where from, but it seems to originate from the cherry juice, like harsh pits. Any consolation is that the alcohol is well-hidden, with only a tinge in the nose on the finish for warming effect.

This beer came a dark black with traces of dull brown light coming through.

Smelled of ginger, liquorish and coffee, sweet caramel, subtle fruits and brandy.

The taste consisted of a frenzy of odd flavors wrestling with each other in my mouth. It tasted of brandy, chocolate, oats, artificial cherries, and it was much like a porter. This seemed to taste a lot better if I drank it fast. The finish left my mouth with a sickly sweet candy flavor that suggests artificial cherries.

The mouth feel was very smooth with a light carbonation.

The problem I had with this beer was that the flavors seemed to stand out against one another. If these flavors blended together in a more pleasant fashion, I would have been much more impressed. That and the cherry flavor tasted flagrantly artificial. Not a bad brew, but it was a little too complex for its own good.