The PastryArchy Edition #9: Chocolate Cherry Bon Bon
DuClaw Brewing Co.

Sooooo delicious. Dessert Beer!

 

 

 

 

The PastryArchy #9 promises "dark chocolate" and "intense, drippy cherry". Let's see if it delivers.

Poured into a Duvel tulip, this stout leaves a nice tan head that lingers. First appearances are certainly good.

Taking a sniff, I get the aroma of roast malts and... nothing else. No chocolate, no cherry, none of the aromas I normally associate with an imperial stout. It smells like an average stout.

Taking a sip, I pick up on those roasted malts... and nothing else. No chocolate, no cherry, just a basic, no frills, run of the mill stout. The taste is so light, if I didn't have the can to go off of I'd call this a standard porter.

It drinks light, with the alcohol very well hidden, but also lighter than I would expect for an imperial russian stout. It feels more like a standard porter or stout.

Overall, I'm disappointed. It's not a bad beer, it's a nice, basic stout. But I wasn't promised a basic stout, I was promised dark chocolate and "intense, drippy cherry", and I got none of that. No chocolate, no cherry, nothing beyond a basic stout.

Thinking that maybe I had a bad can, I tried another and it tastes exactly the same. Reading the other reviews here, I can't believe we're drinking the same beer. This makes me think that DuClaw's production and QC could use some work, as that's the only thing that can explain some reviewers complaining of too much cherry, while my 4-pack has no cherry (or chocolate) whatsoever.

Appearance:
Pure black. Pouring such impenetrable darkness into a glass feels like handling a magic elixir from an alchemist’s lab. Produces a puffy light-brown head that doesn’t persist, but laces in a perfect, unbroken curtain while it’s there.

Bouquet:
Chocolate malts, baked barley, and a distant whisper of bourbon-kissed cherries.

Feel:
A satin sheet laced with teeny tiny energetic bubbles. Medium body, which is skinny for an Imperial Stout; feels like it’s only a size and a half away from being light bodied. Doesn’t overstuff your belly like that puréed bread Guinness produces. Reasonably sessionable.

Taste:
A lofty billow of milk chocolate that belies its Imperial strength. Gentle vanilla coffee and roasted malts follow behind with a subtle caress of maraschino cherries. Attenuated sweetness with no signs of becoming tart. Lacks bravado but is exquisitely balanced.

Overall:
I initially approached this with the trepidation of a kid trying his first serving of mushy broccoli. I'd anticipated that astringent, artificial cherry native to cough syrup. I sipped cautiously, shoulders tense, ready to spit the instant any semblance of Robitussin reared its unwelcome, gag-inducing head. Instead, I heaved a grateful sigh when I encountered a cherry that was obligingly balanced, mild, and tasted entirely natural. An excellent Imperial Stout, give it a try!

A - looks pretty good for a Russian imperial stout deep dark blackness with 1/4 inch of mocha froth that settles to a very attractive ring.
S - smells pretty much as expected as well sour tart cherries chocolate and bourbon with wood tickle the nose.
T - chocolate notes, leafy hops, slightly acidic coffees, and just a kiss of bourbon in the finish. As it warms you do get a little bit of cherry but it's kind of lost underneath all the dark malts and chocolate.
M - quite smooth a bit thin in fact but drinks very silky and slick.
Overall a great imperial Stout that delivers on both coffee chocolate and bourbon was just a slight tinge of cherry. Recommended!

 

 

Appearance - Pours a jet black with three fingers of frothy mocha tan head.

Smell - earthy and leafy hops, cocoa, coffee bean, dark and milk chocolate, hint of cherry, vanilla extract, roasted malts, and earthy yeast.

Taste - earthy and leafy hops followed by the cocoa, coffee bean, dark and milk chocolate upfront. The vanilla extract, roasted malts, and earthy yeast round out the brew. The cherry is difficult to taste with the bold notes of coffee bean, cocoa, and chocolate.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth and creamy with the cocoa, coffee bean, and chocolate lingering.

Overall - A tasty treat that delivers on the cocoa, chocolate, and coffee front. I wish there was more cherries used in this one to allow for more depth in flavour.

 

L: deep mahogany, big tan head, nice lacing
S: got at initial artificial cherry smell, then got malt
T: I get a brownie type of chocolate, lots artificial cherry
F: great mouthfeel
O: the cherry taste ruined this for me, I liked the tiramisu better

Canned on 11/1/19. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours black with a fluffy dark khaki head that falls leaving great retention and sticky lacing. The aromas are malt forward. Faint hints of cherry and vanilla. Some cocoa. The flavors are subtle and balanced. More mild hints of cherry. There's a decent amount of dark chocolate in the mix. There's a subtle sweetness, but nothing crazy. It's not really tart. Low bitterness. Malts do their thing. Alcohol basically goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of full-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, fluffy, smooth and dangerously drinkable.

This is an alright stout. The chocolate and cherries are ultimately there, but don't really seem to shine. This one isn't bad, but I guess I was just expecting more of a cherry/chocolate vibe. The aromas and flavors open up as it warms.

Beautiful head production and good retention; about 2 full fingers of firm dark tan foam. Body is pleasantly dark and black.

Fairly roasty and toasty nose, featuring caramel and toffee, dark fruit, and hints of Baker's chocolate and cream. There is a very mild sharpness that doesn't quite manifest as cherry. Earthy and herbal hop tones. In a blind test, this nose might come across more as an English porter, or a strong brown ale.

Similar presentation on the palate, with an added tartness similar to, but again not quite evoking, cherry. Several different waves of flavor, with caramel, espresso, and mild cherry up front; tobacco, char, and toast following; growing (but still mild) tartness in the middle, along with brown sugar, toffee, earth, more caramel, and bitter chocolate; and a short finish, but one that leaves you smacking your gums for more cherry flavor and a touch of slightly soured cream.

Very much on the thinner side for imperial stouts, but smooth, lively, and very drinkable.

I'm not quite getting the representation. Aside from the mild cherry tartness, this drinks much more like a 6-7% porter. It's drinkable and enjoyable, but it doesn't deliver on the premise for me.

 

Poured from a can somewhat hard into a snifter glass, giving a lot of foam that filled the remainder of the glass. Dark brown almost black color, with the head being a brown foam that faded to lacing. Smell is roasted malt and cherries, a bit too roasty for me. The taste is roasted malt, a bit of chocolate, and sweet cherries. A bit too sweet as it leaves a sweetness behind. Medium-heavy mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Overall a bit too roasty and cherry flavored for me, but still solid.

 

As masters of fusing the whimsy with tradition, the brewers of DuClaw open up the winter season with a classic Imperial Stout, but slathered in the added flavors of chocolate and cherry for a taste that pushes dark ale right into the dessert bowl.

Dark brown but not black, a lightly carbonated pour renders a delicate trickle of foam but a rounded scent of tart cherries, chocolate, coffee, nuttiness and toast; all ahead of a sweet and lightly syrupy taste of caramel, toffee, chocolate and cream.

As the tastebuds become awash in its rich malt sweetness, its coating of dark sugars are enough to command the taste with nuances of vanilla, condensed milk, praline and pecan to support the billowing taste of milk chocolate that continues to pour onto the middle palate. As the stout warms, its cherry flavors become pronounced, allowing its mild tartness to offset a portion of the lingering sweetness while the woodsy hops assist in the beer's balance as well.

Siding on the sweeter side of bittersweet, the full bodied and somewhat lumbering stout thins out in the finish, showing a lackluster texture and dying taste that fails to carry its cherry chocolate combination as strongly as expected throughout. A long linger of chocolate, cola and cherry carries a familiar '90's taste.