Cherry Grove
Bench Brewing Company

16.9 ounce bottle, bottled 11/SEP/2019 stamped on the side of the glass. Bought this one on clearance so figured why not try it for $4.49 a bottle. Served in a Teku, the beer pours a somewhat hazy reddish/amber color with about an inch off-white/pinkish head that went away somewhat quickly. Not much lacing, either. I like the aroma, the brew smells mostly like cherries and lemon, along with some earthiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some funkiness and bready malt flavors noticeable too. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it has a lot of soft carbonation. Maybe a little too much for me. Worth a try if you get the chance, I thought it was good enough.

500 mL bottle from the LCBO; dated Mar 3 2020 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a foggy reddish-pink hue; a deliberately rough pour produced about an inch of loose, soapy, light pink-tinged head that fizzled off within ninety seconds or so. A bubbly collar is the primary remnant, with no cap and little in the way of lace; looks alright. Hints of sweet cherry pie come through on the nose, as do notes of tart cherry, lemon, woodsy earthiness and a light funky quality. Pretty appealing so far.

It's tart throughout the sip, but most prominently at the forefront, with its one-two punch of sour Montmorency cherries and lactic acidity. Shortly thereafter, flavours of sweet cherry, grainy wheat malts and an earthy, woodsy note join the chorus. It concludes with a mixture of sour cherry, lactic acidity, mild funk and a faint hint of something that reminds me of nutmeg; lingering cherry tartness in the aftertaste. Medium-light in body, with assertive carbonation levels that prickle the palate continuously, frothing up a bit in the mouth. One glass is easy enough to polish off, but it's definitely not something I'd want to drink all night.

Final Grade: 3.96, a B+. While I preferred its Strawberry Grove sibling by a substantial margin, Bench's Cherry Grove still makes for a pleasantly tart summer evening sipper. It's not particularly complex, with the cherries and lactic acidity combining to do nearly all of the heavy lifting, but the end result is tasty enough to earn a recommendation. At $7 a bottle, it's a little pricey for what you get - i.e. it's certainly no Belgian kriek, despite it being priced accordingly - but either way, I'll most likely pick up another bottle and keep it in the cellar for a few months.

Bright electric pink. Hazy, headless, laceless. Enjoyable cherry nose, flavorful cherry character without being a soda. Just enough sour bite, high alcoholic not noticeable. Decent summertime brew, not a kriek.

Lovely hazy red but almost no head. Juicy cherry nose. Thin sour body bursting with cherries. Fruity summer fare and higher ABV not noticeable.

only cherry level tartness. very well done. link. a delight.