Ah, the fruit beer. Some breweries get them right, most don’t even come close. There is an unfortunate trend in the craft brew world where breweries will mask otherwise mediocre beers with a fruit infusion, usually some sort of puree that is added at the end of the brewing process. It’s cheap, lazy and you can taste it in the beer. But, when fruit beers are done right, they can greatly enhance an already delectable brew. Case in point: the Bell’s Cherry Stout. I won’t bore you with yet another long list of adjectives praising this awesome brewery. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ve used them all up at this point. Just know that the Cherry Stout is a great example of how fruit can actually enhance a great beer.

In the glass, the Cherry Stout is close to stark black with only the slightest of ruby red edging. It comes with a thin coppery head that dissipates fairly quickly. On the nose, I was immediately greeted by a harsh roast malt character which quickly sets up shop as the dominant trait. Following close behind is a mild alcohol burn and some tart cherry notes. Bell’s notes that ''Cherry Stout gains its signature tartness from 100% Montmorency cherries grown in Michigan's Traverse City region.'' Mmm, sounds delicious.

That first sip was quite the brain bender. This beer actually tastes like cherry coffee. Seriously, I perked up right away and smiled, how delightfully refreshing. The mouthfeel is very thin, but also very sticky. The best way I can describe it is to imagine drinking a melted popsicle. The roasted malt kicks off the flavor train and the cherry tartness doesn’t appear until the middle ground. As the tartness assumes control, it results in a tart fruity finish almost like you would expect from pure cherry juice. My only gripe with this beer is that the cherry flavor completely dominates the middle ground and finish. Consequently, it can be difficult to get a good read on the roasted flavor before it gets overtaken. The 7% ABV is very well hidden, so definitely be careful. And in all honestly, this beer drinks more like a sour ale than a stout. In a blind taste test, I would have said it was a sour ale with a roasted character. Not that it really matters with a fruit beer, just making an observation.

Overall, Bell’s Cherry Stout is a really tasty fruit beer. It’s actually one of the more robust versions that you will ever come across. Most fruit beers tend to be on the lighter side, so I’m happy to see Bell’s scoring one for the dark side. Due to its well hidden ABV and easy drinking nature, I can recommend this beer to all levels of beer fan. Seasoned drinkers will find this beer to be a fun take on fruity stouts, while novices can use it as a flavorful voyage into better beer. As we have said many times here at BrewChief, Bell’s embodies the ''can do no wrong'' brewery. If you come across the Cherry Stout, by all means pick some up to enjoy. For that matter, just grab anything that has Bell’s on the label.