The Love Boat
Service Brewing Company

 

a bourbon barrel aged chocolate cherry stout, enjoyed on tap at the brewery. my dad loved it, i was a little less thrilled. its both a little bit sweet from the barrels and the malt and the chocolate addition, and tart from the cherries and some tannic character from the wood, so there is a lot of sugar as well as some sharpness, which dont exactly jive in terms of texture for me, but its a good effort and a unique recipe. the cherries are subtle in aroma and flavor, faintly medicinal, a little jolly rancher thing too, neither chocolate nor cherry are overdone or unnatural, but they somehow arent maybe as compatible in this beer as they are in real life. its a nice looking brew with a short tan head on top of a matte black base with only middle of the road viscosity for what it is and better than average carbonation. i like that it hides its strength as well as it does, not a booze bomb at all. nice malt layers here, molasses and tobacco with dark chocolate, sets up the vanilla character from the bourbon really well, and i think i like the cocoa nib aspect with all of this, its the cherries than throw me, twangy as it warms and lingering a little long. maybe i am being too critical, this is solid, fun, different, and unpretentious for a barrel aged stout like this. a bold choice for as hot as the weather was when we had it, but when in rome!

A truly special beer. Creamy head, delicious smell of cherries and chocolate, with a mouthfeel full of carbonation with medium body. The taste was bourbon-forward with a little cherry and plenty of chocolate, overall, a truly delicious stout, one that i can come back to again and again.

Look: Nice dark chocolate in color with a creamy tan head that's about two fingers thick. The head and the lacing on the glass lingers all the way to the last drop.
Smell and Taste: The can says "sweet cherries" but I say they are TART. Add some cocoa and a splash of bourbon from the barrel aging process. This is one of the least sweet stouts I have come across but not in a unpleasant way. I'll even say it is dry.
Feel: Somewhat watery compared with other shouts. The tartness adds a element of rawness that I have not experienced before.
Overall: I can't find much on the Service Brewing web site about this beer, so I"m guessing it's a One-off/R & D brew. It is considerably different than any stout I've had previously. Will I have another, ?.