New Glarus Thumbprint (Unplugged) Cherry Stout

My buddy Bob gave me a bottle of New Glarus Thumbprint (Unplugged) Cherry Stout while we were on our beer tour. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy cream colored head. It poured lighter and thinner than I expected. The aroma consists of fresh cherries, syrup, chocolate, toasted malts, and coffee. The taste is tart and very cherry forward with fresh cherry taste as well as a cherry syrup. There is a chocolate and toasted malt undertone, and the beer finishes with a nice coffee flavor. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. I was pretty impressed with the flavor in this beer, as the tartness was on the front end and the coffee finish was a nice touch.

Bell's Cherry Stout

While out at dinner at the Black Gryphon in Elizabethtown, I ordered a glass of Bell’s Cherry Stout. The beer pours a black color with red hues and a thin filmy brown head. The aroma consists of chocolate, cherry pie, vanilla, and molasses. The taste is sweet with lightly sour cherries up front, dark chocolate to balance, and a dry powdery cocoa finish. Vanilla and molasses linger in the after taste. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. While not as good as the Cerise, the cherry flavors in this beer do provide a nice accent to the dark and powdery chocolate flavors.