Balzac The Invincible
Cherry Street Brewing at Vickery Village

 

5 oz of the BBA version at the source. Damn good. Powdered cocoa and vanilla nose, flavor is cocoa and light roast coffee with a sweet finish. Barrel and bourbon are subtle. Sooo good.

10oz pour on tap at the Cherry Street Brewing taproom. Served in a Cherry Street snifter. This is a review of the raspberry version.

Pours black with almost no pale tan head. Despite the lacking initial froth there is a persistent collar. No lacing.

Smells of strong whiskey, raspberry purée, coffee and a little cocoa. The whiskey remains near-dominant throughout but the berries and cocoa seem richer as the glass nears room temperature.

Taste follows the nose with bold whiskey flavor (more than heat) up front followed by coffee, raspberry, dark cocoa, heavily roasted malt, burnt caramel, earth, oak and plenty of booze. This is a rich, booze infused sipper that starts out tasty and just gets better as the chill subsides.

Medium full feel with moderate carbonation. Aftertaste blends semi tart raspberry, whiskey and black coffee.

Balzac the Invincible is another very flavorful brew from Cherry Street. The barrel, base and raspberry all work well together. The more I try from Cherry Street, the more respect I have for their brewing prowess. It is well worth a trip to the Cherry Street taproom to try their myriad of fantastic offerings (like this) that don't make it to other local bars and growler shops.