Beer Review: Barrel-Aged Cherry Black Power

Reviewing the Barrel-Aged Cherry Black Power from Revolution Brewing Company.
Score: 92

6 oz tap pour served in a plastic cup at the grand opening of Revolution's new brewing/canning facility and enjoyed on 05/25/12. Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Black bodied. Served with a just under half-finger thick layer of creamy khaki-colored head that settles to a foggy layer atop the beer. Good lacing and retention. 4/5

Smell: Primarily maraschino cherry and molasses upfront. Bittersweet chocolate and raisin behind that. Just a touch of vanilla too. 4/5

Taste: Plenty of smooth, and not overly sweet cherry flavor and bourbon. Milk chocolate, creamy lactose, roasted oats and a hint of oak. More "dark chocolate" chocolate flavor and brown sugar/molasses as the beer warms. Smooth and syrupy. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, very low carbonation. Sticky, syrupy mouthfeel. Modestly sweet finish. 4/5

Overall: A surprisingly well-integrated cherry-infused stout. I am usually not a fan of cherry-forward stouts, but this one just seemed to work for whatever reason. Unlike the Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout from Central Waters, the flavors did not merely "co-exist" like an oil-and-water mixture, but rather blended together to form a complex improvement over the base beer. Hopefully Revolution will revisit this one again in the future and release it in bottles.

Recommendation: Seek this brew out if you can, though, from what I gathered in talking with some of the folks at Revolution, the keg tapped at the grand opening party was the end of what they had brewed of this.

Pairings: Fudge brownies.

Cost: $4 for a 6 oz pour at the Revolution grand opening party.