Smoove Cherry Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company

Smoove Cherry AleSmoove Cherry Ale
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From:
Big Sky Brewing Company
 
Montana, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
8.75%
Score:
71
Avg:
2.82 | pDev: 21.28%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
30
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 26, 2013
Added:
Feb 11, 2008
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  4
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Sechavar:
Photo of Sechavar
Reviewed by Sechavar from California

2.25/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
So, at first I was really excited because I LOVE cherry. LOVE CHERRY. The color looked artificial, but so do the Lindeman's colors so I didn't worry about it. It was SUPER fizzy,with a pale pink head, reminded me of an out of control head I saw on a bottle of Malheur Brut. It just kept going until we'd poured about half of it out. It smelled like cherry, and it was still chilly, but when I tasted it I was like "Nope". It tastes artificial and it makes my tongue kind of numb, like chloreseptic (sp?) spray. When it warms up the nose gets better, with some spices on it, but I felt pretty left down. I didn't even really want to finish it. I wouldn't recommend it unless you get a stiffy for cough syrup flavors.
Nov 10, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by jaydoc from Kansas

Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by Duff27 from Illinois

Jul 21, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by egrace84 from Illinois

Jul 21, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by spycow from Illinois

Jan 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by imperialking from Illinois

Jan 09, 2012
 
Rated: 2 by FreshmanPour77 from Minnesota

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of zhanson88
Reviewed by zhanson88 from California

1.47/5  rDev -47.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Bottle 1058 of 2028, only brewed once in 2008. Somehow there are still bottles of this left on the shelf in Helena....had to pick it up, even though I recalled seeing some pretty mediocre reviews for it.

Appearance: It pours out and looks very nice. It's a deep, slightly hazy ruby red color with almost 3 fingers of pillowy off-white head. It reduces fairly quickly but a nice amount of lacing remains, aided by ample carbonation.

Smell: Weird. Lots of sugar and oxidized cherry scents. Perhaps a bit of vanilla, and a funk of some sort that doesn't seem like it would/should have been intended. Here's to hoping the taste is a bit better.

Taste: Extreme oxidized cherries, borderline rotten. Also vanilla and a ton of sugar. Cloying. Again that funk that seems to accentuate the rottenness. Wow, it's bad. Age most certainly did not do good things for this.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Mouthfeel is pretty decent actually. Between light and medium bodied with a reasonable amount of carbonation. Overall? Comes close to undrinkable. I finished just enough to finish the review. I can see how this beer may have been slightly better fresh, but it is to be avoided like the plague at this point. Simply awful. Big Sky strikes again.
Apr 05, 2011
Photo of jrallen34
Reviewed by jrallen34 from Illinois

2.02/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5
750ml bottle poured into my Narke glass. 2008 batch, bottle # 1389 of 2028...Pours a dark blood red, borders on a brown. A big spongey tan/pink head good retention and lacing...The aroma is super weird, it smells like vanilla cake with cherry frosting, and as good as that sounds, just doesn't really work for a beer...The taste is borderline horrendous and its really sneaky. It starts off ok light cherries and sugar on the front, then you are bombarded with rotten cherries and carbonation that attacks your senses. 4 sips to tick this is all I can manager.

This is really bad and should be avoided!!!! Do not even tick it.
Jan 09, 2011
Photo of jsh420
Reviewed by jsh420 from Illinois

4/5  rDev +41.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
bottled 2008
#1296 of 2028

pours cloudy redish mahogany with a 1/2 finger head that fades to a film and left no lacing

smells of cherries and sweet caramel malt

taste - is very close to a dark belgian - cherries and sugary dark nutty fruit malts

mouthfeel is light medium with good carbonation - very smooth and creamy

drinkability - i think the 2 years of age has only helped this beer - the name says it all "smooth cherry ale"
Dec 05, 2010
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

2.64/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
750ml bottle, vintage 2008.

Pours hazy burgundy with a ruby hue in the light. A pinkish-tan head persisted throughout the glass with smeary lacing.

Aromatics are laced with dusty malt, cherry cough syrup, and wet paper. Lacking complexity or a desirable cherry quality.

Medium bodied with a creamy, tacky mouthfeel.

Stale malt akin to extract, wet cardboard, and cherry flavoring lead off the palate. A neutral yeast is apparent and some sweetness follows through.

Finishes with a lingering, stale malt character and cherry cough syrup.

Tasting much like a poorly made, oxidized cherry homebrew. Yikes.
Nov 26, 2010
Photo of UtahJonnyMontana
Reviewed by UtahJonnyMontana from Idaho

2.7/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Beer poured amber with light head. A friend said he thought it was hot and it was over 10% alcohol but I didn't think it was too hot. It was a little young to my palate. I bought a bottle to cellar. I'll give it a proper rating after it's aged because in all fairness this beer should be aged.
Mar 16, 2010
Photo of scruffwhor
Reviewed by scruffwhor from Illinois

3.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a somewhat rusty ruby and burnt sienna with no head or bubbling :(. Maybe a little sediment visible when this richly colored beer is held to the light. The color is the ONLY good thing about the appearance.

Maybe some wet, toasted bread, and some mostly cherry and a little apple juice. Pretty subtle aromas all around though.

The taste is a little redeeming. Water thi palate upfront with watered down cherry juice and white bread. But the mddle warms and enlivens up just a little bit. But the finish is a smoove, and luscious cherry warmed by the abv.%.

This beerwas an OK sipper that I shared with my girlfriend. It wasn't bad, but I won't buy again.
This beer fell short in a lot of categories for me.
Mar 13, 2010
Photo of illidurit
Reviewed by illidurit from California

2.78/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Bottle from the free table at Woodshop 5.0. Pours amber with a thin white head. Aromas of mealy mushy cherries, cherry pits, medicine. Flavor is bordering on artificial cherry with some caramel and too much booziness. Thick, hot, fizzy, not particularly good.
Feb 23, 2010
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.7/5  rDev +31.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
750 mL bottle, split with my dad, 2008 Vintage, 317/2028,

A: Pours a dark amber/brown with a fizzy off-white head, but good head retention and lace.

S: Nice sweet cherries and dark malt, the end of the bottle smells particularly good.

T: The cherries are there, but really in the background for the most part. Some Luden's flavour, but minor, not as bad as I thought it could be. Good molasses, almost Belgian-like malt flavour, sweet.

M: Medium-bodied, soft carbonation for being as fizzy as it was when poured, can be thin at times.

D: The reviews haven't been too good for this, but I thought it wasn't half bad. Was it Supplication, the cherry beer I had earlier in the day, or NG Belgian Red? No, but it's a solid beer and there are much worse you could find in the fruit beer category.
Feb 07, 2010
Photo of BoredByThis
Reviewed by BoredByThis from Illinois

1.81/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
08 batch 1369/2028
I'm all for fruit beers and regularly enjoy them if they have something interesting to offer...sadly this one doesn't

A-Dark Amber with a hint of Red that would imply the cherries inside. Head was large and foamy and dissipated slowly into a rocky and non uniform foam.

S-Light astringency, dark fruits, light chreey scent but not overwhelming, touch of vinegar.

T- Follows the nose. a prune/sour fig taste that hints that the cherries were fermented and not infused.

D-No.
Feb 06, 2010
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +36.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 750ml bottle into two St. Bernardus goblets. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

2008 version
Bottle # 699 of 2028

Pours a murky river silt brown with a hint of rose. One finger, light brown head evaporated down to a thick creamy ring that left a surprising amount of sticky lace.

S: Subtle aromas of caramel, cherry, and chocolate and caramel covered cherries.

T: See above with cherry chocolate cupcakes drizzled with a caramel glaze.

M: Semi-sweet with perhaps a little too much of a dry astringency from the solvent alcohol.

D: Much better than I expected. Heather approves!
Jan 16, 2010
Photo of JamnesCameron
Reviewed by JamnesCameron from Illinois

2.98/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Bottle number 529/2028.

Pours cloudy with a reddish pink hue. Head is large and fluffy pink.

Aromas of sweet cherries and malt. Not sure what the base beer is.

First sip is a little medicinal. Not harsh, but not very pleasing. If you broke this out for Valentines Day, you'd be alone by the end of the night. Not sure what's going on here.

Mouthfeel is a little tart, puckering, but more on the bitter side than tart fruit side.

Drinkability - I appreciate the opportunity to try it, but don't think I'll be coming back for more. More of a one night stand than a long term relationship.
Dec 22, 2009
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.49/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Clear reddish brown colored beer with a massive tan colored head with a tinge of pink.

Smells sweet with cherry and wood scents. Not strongly fruity more like cherry jam on toasted bread. Little bit of sour fruit scent, but honestly smell isn't this beers strong point.

Starts out mildly sweet and slightly malty with a mild cherry taste. Brown sugar, apple, cherry, vanilla and allspice are present. More or less this is a Belgian Strong Brown Ale with cherry added.

Mouthfeel is good.

Quite a drinkable beer. Lack of smell is the great flaw in this beer. Flavor wise this is a good Belgian ale, though not a strong flavored one. Just about perfect to accompany baked goods like a sweet roll.
Nov 28, 2009
Smoove Cherry Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company
Beer rating: 71 out of 100 with 30 ratings