2016 Advent Beer 22: Sauerkirsche Stout

Evil Twin Brewing is a gypsy brewer headquartered in Denmark. Having no brewery facilities of his own, he creates his ales at other breweries on a contract basis. This sort of thing originated in Scandinavia, and is the reason that today I will be drinking a Russian-style Imperial Stout brewed with cherries, which has a German name, but is actually brewed in Spain, by a Dane. Got all that? Good, that may be on the final. On to the beer!

It decants a dark, oily, reddish-brown, almost black, and with virtually no head to speak of. I worry for a moment that the beer has gone flat, but mild carbonation is detectable upon sipping. The beer smells of high alcohol sweetness, rich coffee and the scent of cherries.

Sauerkirsche Stout comes across strong and bitter at first, leading with the toasted malt, but this is quickly swept away by the sweetness of the 10% abv and the aftertaste of sour cherries. The beer does not taste like candy, nor like a Hostess fruit pie, nor like Robitussin...well, maybe a little, but honestly, I think that's more due to the abv than the cherries. I would have liked a bit more carbonation, as the finish feels a little oily and could use some freshening. Still relatively delightful though.

A deep dark drink for a deep dark night; well suited for the second-longest night in what has felt like a particularly dark year at times. At this point, I can't imagine pairing this beer with anything except a proper Bavarian Black Forest Cake, as it is practically a dessert in its own right.