Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout | Central Waters Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Central Waters Brewing Co.
Wisconsin, United States
centralwaters.com
Style: American Imperial Stout
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 11.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
We throw 75 pounds of tart Door County cherries into each oak barrel with a rich imperial stout, then age it 6 months.
Added by dirtylou on 03-22-2007
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 840 | Reviews: 275
4.28/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This beer pours a deep black with a small, dissipating head. The aroma features rich notes of dried fig and cherry, cinnamon, and date bread. The flavor combined rich, chocolate malts with slightly sour dried cherry in a very balanced and delicate way. The mouthfeel is medium to full with patient carbonation. Overall a really excellent beer - the cherry is very present, but never dominated the stout.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This beer pours a deep black with a small, dissipating head. The aroma features rich notes of dried fig and cherry, cinnamon, and date bread. The flavor combined rich, chocolate malts with slightly sour dried cherry in a very balanced and delicate way. The mouthfeel is medium to full with patient carbonation. Overall a really excellent beer - the cherry is very present, but never dominated the stout.
404 characters
4.01/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Nice cherry notes in both aroma and flavor. Central Waters is not trying to overdo it with the fruit. Not usually a fan of dark, tart beers. But with the low acidity involved here, it works for me. I would of liked more of the barrel character to come out though. With CW's issues with infections, I probably will not let a couple sit for awhile.
346 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Nice cherry notes in both aroma and flavor. Central Waters is not trying to overdo it with the fruit. Not usually a fan of dark, tart beers. But with the low acidity involved here, it works for me. I would of liked more of the barrel character to come out though. With CW's issues with infections, I probably will not let a couple sit for awhile.
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3.77/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown with an off white head when poured. Tart Cherry in the nose and on the tongue with a small amount of chocolate. Very thin compared to what I expect from a BBA Stout with a very minor amount of Bourbon on the end of some sips.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown with an off white head when poured. Tart Cherry in the nose and on the tongue with a small amount of chocolate. Very thin compared to what I expect from a BBA Stout with a very minor amount of Bourbon on the end of some sips.
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3.94/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Could use a tad more cherry flavor
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Could use a tad more cherry flavor
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3.89/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.96/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A: The beer is very dark brownish black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that rapidly dissipated, leaving just a minuscule collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of bourbon are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of cherries and bourbon along with faint hints of the underlying stout.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some hints of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is exceptionally drinkable considering its strength because it masks all of the alcohol from the taste and the mouthfeel isn't that heavy compared to other stouts.
Serving type: bottle
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A: The beer is very dark brownish black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that rapidly dissipated, leaving just a minuscule collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of bourbon are present in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of cherries and bourbon along with faint hints of the underlying stout.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some hints of warming from the alcohol.
O: This beer is exceptionally drinkable considering its strength because it masks all of the alcohol from the taste and the mouthfeel isn't that heavy compared to other stouts.
Serving type: bottle
690 characters
4.24/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The cherries give a nice lightness to the beer that makes it fairly drinkable for a heavy/imperial stout. They also add to the smell. The total blend of flavors works well, some coffee, chocolate, cream, and prominent cherries; the balance works all the way until the end - the cherries linger just a little bit too long, shifting what otherwise feels like a genuine (not syrup-like) cherry flavor to a more bitter fake cherry. Overall, no complaints though.
458 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The cherries give a nice lightness to the beer that makes it fairly drinkable for a heavy/imperial stout. They also add to the smell. The total blend of flavors works well, some coffee, chocolate, cream, and prominent cherries; the balance works all the way until the end - the cherries linger just a little bit too long, shifting what otherwise feels like a genuine (not syrup-like) cherry flavor to a more bitter fake cherry. Overall, no complaints though.
458 characters
4.35/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.81/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.5/5 rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.71/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.98/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a very dark, almost black shade of brown. Half finger of head dissipates quickly. Aromas of cherry and chocolate are up front, bourbon comes in after moderately. Taste is cherry, natural and tart, not artificial. Cola flavor eventually yields to notes of bourbon. Carbonation is moderate, medium mouthfeel with lingering notes of bourbon, some sour cherry. I've been turned off by artificial cherry flavors in beer before, though this one delivers with organic flavors which are balanced nicely.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a very dark, almost black shade of brown. Half finger of head dissipates quickly. Aromas of cherry and chocolate are up front, bourbon comes in after moderately. Taste is cherry, natural and tart, not artificial. Cola flavor eventually yields to notes of bourbon. Carbonation is moderate, medium mouthfeel with lingering notes of bourbon, some sour cherry. I've been turned off by artificial cherry flavors in beer before, though this one delivers with organic flavors which are balanced nicely.
502 characters
3.83/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.96/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. 2017 vintage.
Ruby brown colored body. Light tan head settles to interrupted cap and ring. Scattered spots of lacing.
Aroma is bourbon barrel/oak, dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, and dark cherries.
Taste is quite a bit more with the tart, unsweetened cherries, dark chocolate and malt, vanilla, and bourbon barrel.
Thin to medium mouth feel, tart.
A rather rich cherry stout with barrel notes. I expected more sweetness but this one is more tart and dry. Subtle, along with the barrel notes.
539 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from 12oz bottle into glass. 2017 vintage.
Ruby brown colored body. Light tan head settles to interrupted cap and ring. Scattered spots of lacing.
Aroma is bourbon barrel/oak, dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, and dark cherries.
Taste is quite a bit more with the tart, unsweetened cherries, dark chocolate and malt, vanilla, and bourbon barrel.
Thin to medium mouth feel, tart.
A rather rich cherry stout with barrel notes. I expected more sweetness but this one is more tart and dry. Subtle, along with the barrel notes.
539 characters
4.06/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured near room temperature into a 16 oz Magnify Snulip, vintage 2017. Poured aggressive and got a 2 plus khaki head that settles very quickly into a thin ring of bubbles leaving little to know lace.
Smell is the highlight, char, oak, vanilla, dark chocolate, Bourbon, and black cherries.
Taste follows a little more Cherry than the nose would have you expect, vanilla, cocoa, oak, Bourbon, and roasty coffee.
Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, plenty of life, maybe a tad dry, and goes down rather easy at 10% ABV.
Overall this is very nice, not a huge syrupy malt bomb, but a very nuanced and complex Stout, that actually surprises me how much I enjoyed it. Thanks GreenbayBA for this one.
703 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured near room temperature into a 16 oz Magnify Snulip, vintage 2017. Poured aggressive and got a 2 plus khaki head that settles very quickly into a thin ring of bubbles leaving little to know lace.
Smell is the highlight, char, oak, vanilla, dark chocolate, Bourbon, and black cherries.
Taste follows a little more Cherry than the nose would have you expect, vanilla, cocoa, oak, Bourbon, and roasty coffee.
Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, plenty of life, maybe a tad dry, and goes down rather easy at 10% ABV.
Overall this is very nice, not a huge syrupy malt bomb, but a very nuanced and complex Stout, that actually surprises me how much I enjoyed it. Thanks GreenbayBA for this one.
703 characters
4.33/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.53/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.03/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout from Central Waters Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
3.84 out of
5 with
840 ratings
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