Bourbon Cherry Stout
Court Avenue Brewing Company

Wet chocolate Labrador brown and nothing else. By nothing, I mean... nothing. No head and not one speck of foam. I couldn't even get a little froth by swirling the beer vigorously. After drinking BCS, it was obvious that the unique look was caused by a serious shortage of carbonation. Strangely enough, the beer didn't taste totally flat. But, I digress...

The nose, while weak, was exactly what I expected when I first heard the name. It smelled like bourbon, maraschino cherries and gently roasted malt. Thankfully, every bit of the alcohol was bourbon-like; there was no raw ethanol to ruin things. Given the likely ABV, that isn't surprising.

I went back and forth on the all-important taste score throughout most of the pint. The case for the prosecution was that there was very little depth of flavor, almost no complexity and not much contribution from the dark malt (at least initially). Bourbon Cherry Stout was an incredibly simple beer.

The case for the defense was that the beer was exactly as advertised. A barrel that had previously held Heaven Hill Bourbon was the source of the dominant member of the flavor profile. Then came sweet cherries, followed by mild milk chocolate. Interestingly, the latter became more prominent during the final few ounces. The facts that finally swayed the jury were simple ones: I like bourbon, I like cherries and I like stout. Case closed. I'm glad there was an Honest Lawyer present.

The mouthfeel could have been more stout and it could have used more bubbles. It's entirely possible that more carbonation would have done wonders for the way the various flavors were presented on the palate. Something to work on if this offering is ever brewed again.

Bourbon Cherry Stout is the third (Wednesday) beer in Court Avenue's Craft Beer Week series. I saw quite a few people grimace after taking a sip and heard them tell the bartender that the beer tasted too much like bourbon. I guess that's why I liked it.