Monday Rant: Bell's Cherry Stout is Kaput

I heard rumblings of the possibility of this over the last few weeks, but it looks as if Bell's Cherry Stout is a no-go for this year due to colder temperatures in the Michigan area, according to Beer Street Journal.

I was lucky enough to come across a tulip glass full of Cherry Stout last year. I somewhat enjoyed the sour tartness from the Michigan cherries that are brewed into it.

Other than that, I'm disappointed that the weather didn't cooperate this year. Now begins the rush to procure what cases/bottles are still remaining from last year's batch. I know where an entire case is, as I saw it at a certain beer distributor just a week ago. As always, I'm not telling where the exact location is!

I'm sure this has happened before to quite a few other seasonal beers due to weather and crops not being friendly towards the other. It kind of reminds me of Trading Places with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. The with a sub-plot about orange crops and the stock market.

 

Beer Review: Bell's Cherry Stout

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: This Bell's brew is the darkest I've ever had from the well-known brewery in Michigan. It has a dark black look to it with slight cherry-colored tones throughout the dark abyss you end up staring into. The head is tan and a bit fizzy, but fizzles out before you notice anything. Luckily, the beer is still carbonated.

Smell: The Michigan cherries used in the brewing process are the most dominant scent. Bringing up the rear are a few hints of roasted malts that you'd expect in just about any stout.

Taste: On the front I got a slight taste of the malts, but on the back of the tongue was where this beer did it's work. The sourness of the cherries wakes you up. Personally, the sourness became a bit hard to deal with towards the end of the glass, but it was pretty good at the beginning.

Overall Rating:  

I loved the sour cherry flavor in this beer. I would've preferred the malts to be a bit more present in the flavor of this beer. It seemed like I had to struggle to finish this beer. Fellow Michigan brewery Founders makes another cherry beer called Cerise that is available in the Summer. I'm looking forward to trying that.