Session Ale #35: Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout
East End Brewing Company

Session Ale #35:  Chocolate Covered Cherry StoutSession Ale #35:  Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout
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From:
East End Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Stout
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
86
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 8.24%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
20
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 30, 2016
Added:
Feb 18, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by nhindian:
Photo of nhindian
Reviewed by nhindian from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
64oz growler from East End poured into a snifter.

A - Pours out of the growler a flat black and serves to act as a mirror as it fills the snifter. Apt for the name, the beer boasts chocolate highlights with a 1-finger, dark tan head. Hard to discern any carbonation through the glass, but a nice spattering of bubbles sticks to the sides of the glass. Good lacing here as well.

S - Not having many stouts brewed with cherries, this beer is interesting to me since a tart smell is usually bad news for this style. But rather than being offensively, luckily its quite pleasant here. Again, interestingly enough, the name just describes this beer, but in a different way. The milk chocolate really plays in the foreground of the nose, then followed by coffee and roasted barley, and only at the very end do you get the slight cherries, 'covered' by the aforementioned smells. Mainly sweet, with a touch of sour finish.

T - As in the nose, the chocolate, coffee, and malts are the stars of this beer, loading the front-end of this beer with creamy, sweet goodness. As it warms, however, the cherries do pop more. They aren't as tart as I was expecting, but a nice sugary sweet that complements the malts. Think more of a cherry cordial. The coffee resurges at the end to round everything out. Finish is moderately long with a slightly bitter taste. Alcohol is completely absent.

M - Mouthfeel is relatively thin with low carbonation. Not much coating in the mouth but the flavors linger on the tongue.

D - Drinkability is high. Coming from a growler and consumed later in the day, it tasted fresh and put a nice, winter twist on an old favorite. Luckily I got to grab this before the keg kicked for good shortly after. It would be nice to have the cherries play a more prominent role, like in Ommegang's Three Philosophers perhaps, but still a good beer.
Feb 23, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by sposter4 from Pennsylvania

Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.3 by skaboom420 from Pennsylvania

Jun 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.64 by jmartinger from Pennsylvania

Feb 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by tommyguz from Pennsylvania

Mar 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Rifugium from North Dakota

Sep 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by GeoffreyM from Pennsylvania

Sep 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by hollywood_15063 from Pennsylvania

May 12, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by tellish33 from Pennsylvania

Apr 25, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by docrates from Pennsylvania

Apr 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by wvsabbath from West Virginia

Feb 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by jophish17 from Georgia

Dec 24, 2011
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a lovingly stored growler that I picked up on Gratitude Day 2011. Shared with friends on 4/15/11.

A-Melted milk chocolate dark brown with a medium dark brown head that reduced to a thin cap and left plenty of hefty lace.

S-Milk chocolate sweetness with a light tangy zip from the cherries. A balancing dose of roasted malt and mild, earthy hops.

T-Chocolate and roasted malt bitterness up front with a chalky, charcoal like bite. Cherry notes are mild and act more as an accent to the chocolate/malt combo rather than taking the forefront.

M-Medium bodied brew with a smooth, silky feel thanks to a low carbonation level. Pleasant background tartness from the cherries builds as it warms.

D-Easy drinking and quite enjoyable. The chocolate and roasted malt aspect is the dominant flavour with the cherries taking on a supporting role.
Apr 16, 2011
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Review from notes taken on 2/18/11. There are currently 2 entries for this beer: one with and one without the "session ale" series indication. By all accounts I don't believe the new Valentines Day 2011 offering as any different from the previously brewed. Scott's notification of this brews release proclaimed "it's back again" so I'm guessing this is the appropriate place to review this beer.

Poured from a growler into a shaped pint glass, this brew appears a very dark brown to black color with a finger of dark brown head. Around the edges, this brew displays some deep ruby coloration and clarity with lighter brown hues. Pretty good retention on the head that leaves path of lacing sticking to the glass.

The aroma of this brew is sweet and tangy with a scent of cherry mixed with roasted grain and citrus hops. Sweet chocolate indications give way to a more roasted and burnt smell of chocolate malt.

The taste has dark bitter roasted grains upfront which is enjoyable. The level of roast to the grain imparts a roasty almost burnt flavor like charcoal mixed with citrus hops. There is a faint cherry presence in this brew. Somewhat mineral filled and a bit musty as it fills the mouth and lingers into the aftertaste. There is a good ratio of chocolate grain flavor to fruit and hops.

This is a medium bodies brew with a light level of carbonation. Easy drinking and there is almost no indication of alcohol. The chocolate is much more dominant than the cherry flavor which is pleasant. The fruit does come out at times which creates a nice subtle difference to just another roasty chocolate flavored stout. Not bad, worth a try.
Mar 10, 2011
Photo of mgbickel
Reviewed by mgbickel from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a growler obtained at the brewery into a Piraat tulip. A thick layer of dark mocha foam formed on top of the solid blackish brown body. The head quickly dissipated leaving a small ring around the outer edge of the glass.

The nose is a mixture of roasted malts, chocolate, dark coffee beans and something strange and almost menthol like...

Roasted malts and cocoa hit the tongue first. The roasted flavors fade where a (slightly) tart -cherry- flavor takes over. The finish goes back to a roasted flavor, but more grainy that the initial sip.

Medium bodied, oily and well carbonated.

Pretty decent offering from Scott. I decided to get a growler of this after tasting it a few times at the brewery. I think the batch is almost gone...I hope it comes around again!
Feb 20, 2011
Photo of biglite351
Reviewed by biglite351 from Pennsylvania

3.06/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Not quite retired since they have it available now...

A - dark as pitch with a short tight tan head.

S - roasted malts with a touch of chocolate and cherry. Overall very mild and not a chocolate or cherry as one would expect.

T - tastes of a decent, nut standard, stout with just a hint of cherry chocolate.

M - mild coating and a tingle on the sides of tongue.

D - taste is a bit too mild to desire many of.
Feb 20, 2011
Photo of beerphan
Reviewed by beerphan from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Growler from EEBC -> american pint
2011 version

Pours black with a small mocha head. Leaves rings of dotted chalky lace.

Nose: Cocoa, burnt dark chocolate, sweet cherry tartness

Medium to full body that slides down oily and slick. Heavy dark malts with lots of roasty burnt cocoa and chocolate. Cherry tartness hangs around in the background. Every few sips a huge hit of cherry tartness controls the flavor. A decent level of bitterness counters the sweetness, but comes up a bit short.

Enjoyed this full Super Bowl XLV, and the growler tastes strong a day later with decent carbonation and more slick mouth. Always enjoy the stouts out of a growler on Day 2.
Feb 08, 2011
Photo of glid02
Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Growler shared by Lee - thanks!

Pours one shade from black with a half-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of heavily roasted malts with mild amounts of char and milder amounts of tobacco I've come to associate with EE stouts. Also present is a good amount of unsweetened chocolate. I don't get any cherry aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Roasted malt flavors up front with solid amounts of black malts and unsweetened chocolate. Mild amounts of char and tobacco come into play midway through the sip and carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is alright. It's a bit on the thin side with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I didn't have a problem finishing my glass and could have another.

Overall I didn't know this was one of their session ales while drinking it but it certainly makes sense. Like a slightly more chocolate-y version of their Sumthin' Black. I wished there was a bit more tart cherry flavor here as it could temper some of the roastedness. Still, a solid low ABV beer and worth a shot.
Mar 16, 2010
Photo of OneDropSoup
Reviewed by OneDropSoup from Pennsylvania

3.77/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Growler to shaker: thick black body with a thick, loose dusting of mocha head. Leaves heavy lacing.

Smell is great! Rich, nutty cocoa with some subtly roasty elements & just enough sweet cherry to be noticeable. Really impressive.

Chocolate & cherry showing up in the taste, but emphasizing more astringent, nearly burnt aspects of roast flavor & acidity of cherries. Tart cherries in aftertaste & a sour milky finish. It's like the notes that made the smell so great are flipped on their head to reveal their more challenging counterparts.

Medium mouthfeel with some acidity. A little foamy & chewy, but still thinner than I'd expected.

Pretty worthwhile, but I was surprised to experience such a sharp contrast between the smell & taste. Still cool to see a beer capture multiple facets of its flavor components.
Feb 19, 2010
Photo of DavoleBomb
Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a pint glass.

4.5 A: Pitch black color. Nearly two fingers of creamy dark tan head that retains well and leaves plenty of lacing.

4.0 S: Mixture of dark malts and chocolate. The biggest aroma is definitely semi-sweet chocolate, followed by sweet milk chocolate, caramel malts, and roastiness. There's also the East End yeast aroma that seems to be in a lot of their beers. Not hugely complex, but not simple either and pleasant throughout.

3.5 T: Not as roasty or as sweet as I would have expected based on the nose. In fact, it's rather dry. Chocolate flavor is there without the chocolate sweetness (if that makes any sense) and has a sourish twang to it. There is a decent amount of roastiness in there, but the crystal malt sweetness seems to get lost.

3.5 M: Lighter body. Carbonation is good. Could be creamier, but is really smooth.

3.5 D: Good beer, but I like stouts with heavier bodies. The taste is fine for how dry it is and the aroma is good too, but I prefer something more viscous.
Feb 18, 2010
Session Ale #35: Chocolate Covered Cherry Stout from East End Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 20 ratings