Samuel Smith's Organic Cherry Fruit Beer - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

RoyalT

Ohio

2.2/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Appearance - This beer is actually bronze in color and not a very pretty one at that. The head was nice though and lingered.

Smell - There's a light cherry aroma here but it is covered with earthy vegetation that almost gives it a stale character.

Taste - The sweetness here is all wrong IMO. You expect more of an earthy flavor in a Fruit Beer than say a Fruit Lambic but this is way over the top. There's almost no natural cherry flavor and what there is gets drowned out by this earthy, almost green pepper taste that is stale and unpleasing.

Mouthfeel - This is medium-bodied with some terrific carbonation that provides a light tickling in the cheeks.

Sinkability - This beer had its ups but they were far outweighed by the downs; I couldn't even finish it.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 09:50:54 | More by RoyalT

Hunter

Arizona

2.55/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: deep red-copper colored brew with light pink (!) head that persists fairly well. some lacing.

Smell: More subtle than a lot of fruit beers. Still, fruit is the only aroma one gets from the nose.

Taste: Bleh - overpowering sicky-sweet fruit and little else.

Mouthfeel: a little cloying, like cough syrup

Drinkability: Way too heavy in the fruit department. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat is more subtle, and that's saying something since that one's pretty strong too.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 02:29:21 | More by Hunter

BMoney575

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Sampled on 6-16-09

Pours a neat red/pink color, with a bubbly but thin white head and small bits of chunky lacing.

Smell is strong cherry, sweet, but in a wine-like way. Slightly sour, with a clean and fruity finish.

Taste is all cherry juice with a hint of beer in the very back. The flavor is good, but it's not beer.

Mouthfeel is thin and well carbonated, but the flavors stick to your tongue, which is enjoyable.

Drinkability sucks (as a beer, good as a fruity girl's drink).

Overall, a bomber of Smirnoff is much cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 22:40:34 | More by BMoney575

froghop

Washington

2.95/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

pours a clear dark red with a thin white head that dissipates quickly, and a little lacing.

smell is of cherry and a little malt.

taste is sweet, cherry, some malt, ends a little dry.

overall good for a fruit beer, a little too sweet, and a little too much cherry.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2009 22:00:49 | More by froghop

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.95/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Shared a bottle at Marrika's, Lexington. Boy you have got to like cherries to enjoy this beer. The beverage is all about it.

As most fruit beers do, this beer is completely dominated from nose to finish with cherry character. It's to the point that any base beer is no longer evident. Strong, tart, and sharply acidic notes of cherry soda, caugh drops, and fresh cherries. In one sip, the beer takes on an artificial sweet cherry flavor; while alternating the next with fresh cherry tastes.

The feel of the beer again take a soda twist on things, leaving a thin sugary feel on the mouth and a prickle of carbonation that is accented by the acidity of the cherries. Could use some malt character from the base beer. Finishes with the lingering strong cherry taste and cherry soda pop feel.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2009 11:35:03 | More by BEERchitect

hustlesworth

Ohio

2.95/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A- dense pink tinted foam sits atop an almost vermilion colored slightly hazy brew, and the suds settle fast to a thin sheen surrounded by a nice soapy ring. some sheets of lace stick after i drink.

S- tart cherry sourness makes my face tingle. also some cherry candy and cough drop aroma in there as well. a faint undertone of toasty malt and nothing is evident beyond that.

T- very flavorful to say the least, the cherry is powerful and dominant, on both sweet and sour sides of the spectrum. perhaps this brew was blended to be as mild as possible to allow for a more intense cherry flavor. beer flavor is there... somewhere, in the far distance, somewhere over yonder, but the more sips i take the more it seems like cherry juice and soda water. only the slightest sense of malt is perceived, and very very soft earthy bitterness in the cherry cherry finish.

MF- juicy, cloying, and medicinal, makes me feel sugary and sickly. don't like it.

D- samuel smiths is definitely one of my favorite breweries but this is not the beer for me. i feel terrible giving such a low rating, but it must be done. there is so damn much cherry that the beer cannot even compete and it gets a little overwhelming for my taste in a beer of this nature.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2009 01:08:46 | More by hustlesworth

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

22 ounce bomber poured into a New Belgium Globe.

A: Pours a hazy ruby-red hue with a thick frothy white head on top. The lacing clings to the glass nicely. 4.0

S: Muted scent of cherries and a mild smell of some bread/yeast. 3.0.

T: This beer starts rather thin and watery, some bready flavors are in the background, and then a strong cherry presence arrives and overwhelms everything else. Fortunately, I do like cherry, but you can't enjoy this beer if you don't. 3.0

M: This beer has a lively carbonation in the background, and a thick cherry finish that coats the tongue. 3.0

D: This is ok, but it just doesn't have much that makes me go *wow*... I grew tired of it within 8-12 ounces, and still had 10+ ounces to go in the bomber. 2.5

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 01:27:38 | More by psuKinger

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours dark red copper with a modest creamy head.

Aroma is dominated by cherry. Sweet and syrupy.

Taste is similar to nose. Massive cherry, initially sweet then very tart.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied.

Overall, an overwhelmingly cherry drink. Reminds me of cherry pie filling.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 00:57:01 | More by Blakaeris

GClarkage

California

3.13/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

05/02/09- Purchased at Whole Foods in San Mateo, CA.

Presentation- 500ml bottle with no freshness info. Poured into my Pizza Port 20oz glass.

Appearance- Pale red colored pour, relatively pink. About a 1/2 inch of quick fading head. Leaves slight spots of lace behind.

Smell- Sweet and a bit of tart semi-fresh cherry scent...that's about it.

Taste- Sadly, not a fresh realistic cherry flavor. Very imitation jolly rancher like flavor. Definite cherry, but a candied cherry flavor. Very sweet as well.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation level. Quite cloying and sticky.

Drinkability- Had to try it because it's Samuel Smith. Another wine cooler-like overly sweet beer. No need to try the other fruit flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 20:32:20 | More by GClarkage

Domingo

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'll preface this with - I'm one of those people who usually likes fruit beers. I know some people naturally don't care for them, but I honestly do in many/most cases.

Pours a maroon color with pinkish highlights. There's a little head, but it doesn't have a ton of carbonation. Coming from a UK brewer, that's not unusual or unexpected. Appearance is pretty much as it should be.

Smells pretty much like a cherry pie. Not really getting a lot of grain or hops, but there's enough to give it a "warm" smell.

The taste is really where this falls flat. Unlike the New Glarus fruit beers or some other good examples, there isn't enough of a beer backbone. It tastes a lot like a so-so cherry wine with a little carbonation. No real malt backbone and no hops at all. It's not a bad flavor by any means, but it doesn't taste like beer. Considering how much I love SS's beers, this is definitely disappointing.

Mouthfeel is a little sticky with all of the fruit juice, but is par for the course of a fruit beer. No real problems.

Drinkability suffers a bit. It's just too sweet and one dimensional. Splitting a bottle is definitely the best plan, and I could see it working well with dessert. I don't think I'll be revisiting this one, though.

I admire the idea behind this, but it's just a little too much fruit and too little beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2009 14:58:36 | More by Domingo

endincolorado

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance- Deep, red amber/rose hue. Light pink-cream head that looks like cherry ice cream. Nice, speckled lace.

Smell- Sweet cherry aromas that remind me of cherry sherbet, along with the faintest scent of hop-bitterness.

Taste- Dark cherries, almost like cough syrup. Little distinguishable malt or hops.

Mouthfeel- Medium-full body with thick creamy carbonation.

Drinkability- The fruit here is a little overpowering as far as beer-drinkability. A glass might be good after a meal with desert, but beyond that, this one isn't very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2009 22:57:21 | More by endincolorado

mithrascruor

California

3.18/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

550 mL bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clear reddish-brown color with a light white head. Big but not too strong aroma of sweet tart cherries. Semi-sweet cherry flavor, a bit of syrupy-ness (flavor-wise), and then some tartness and a bit of bitterness at the finish & aftertaste. Very light mouthfeel with mild carbonation. While I'm not too keen on the aftertaste, and the overall flavor is a bit much, it is pretty good for a fruity beer. Samuel Smith beers are usually quite good; I would find this a lot more drinkable if it were in between this and their organic ale or something.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 03:14:55 | More by mithrascruor

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - looks somewhere between a red and an ipa. nice amount of pink-ish head

S - cherries, wheat, sugar, wine-ish smell (grapes?)

T - very much like champagne at first, followed immediately by fruit tastes

M - a bit tart and sweet which makes it difficult to drink fast, but a nice beer to sip all night long

O - not a bad fruit beer, but not my favorite either. it's no hanami ale - but it's a good "time killer" til i figure out how to get my next bottle of new glarus belgian red!

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 02:30:20 | More by facundoCNB

KajII

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Flute glass]

Poured a hazy reddish-pink with a small light pink head that was fully diminishing and had good lacing. The aroma was of sweet cereal malts, a sweet yeast and an abundance of cherry. It tasted very sweet and quite flavorful of cherries at first and finished about the same but it did have a slight acidy ending with the flavor lingering for quite a while. Mouthfeel was light to medium in body and watery yet dry in texture with the carbonation being rather flat. Overall a nice and tasty fruit ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 17:46:52 | More by KajII

drabmuh

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Beer is clear and bright red, kind of odd. Forms a big head of small bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. carbonation mild.

Aroma is like cherry cough syrup, very strong, like cherry jolly ranchers. I suppose this is what they wanted but its super strong.

Beer is thin and really sweet with the flavors of cherries. Again I'm sure this is what they wanted but its so sweet, this mild bitterness at the back almost leaves a wet dog flavor in my mouth. Not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 19:41:00 | More by drabmuh

allengarvin

Texas

3.33/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another normal-looking beer--I guess just the raspberry has the crazy pink head. This is a nice reddish-gold color with a thick, persistent head. The nose certainly has a lot of cherry, but it smells like cough syrup. The flavor is slightly better, but this is the weakest of the three SS organic fruit beers. It just doesn't taste like natural cherries.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 00:54:42 | More by allengarvin

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured a bright and vibrant cherry coloring with a 1 finger spongey light tan head that was highlighted by pink hues. Retention was moderate leveling to a skimpy coating minus a lacing. Visible effervesce was light and steady.

S: The nose was maraschino cherries with a sweet syrupy cherry quality. The aroma was soft and pleasant with a touch of cherry skins you can almost taste.

T: The flavor was sweet and sryrupy maraschino cherries and juice that was fairly heavy handed. Sweet and tangy with a good acidic nature the flavor was well pronounced, maybe a bit to much so with a sharp and bubbly delivery. Overall the flavor was strong upfront and perhaps a bit sweet and syrupy at times and probably could of benefited from being toned down a bit.

M: syrupy like cough medicine but with a lively tingle of carbonation. A slight medicinal alcohol lacing and syrupy nature coats the tongue upon the swallow.

D: average at best if you're a fan of cherries and/or fruit beers. Overall probably a bit much at a pint and would be best served in smaller moderation, perhaps 6-8oz servings split with a friend. Decent, but wouldn't stretch my neck out and say it was particularly good. No hurry for a repurchase.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 23:51:25 | More by beerthulhu

DannyS

New York

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

poured from a 550ml bottle into a 20 oz beer mug.

A - Bright ruby red with a thin yet long-lasting white head that forms a decent foam collar and leaves nice, clingy lacing.

S - A tad boozy and funky on the nose, putting off the otherwise fresh cherry aroma, which does have that fake, cherry jolly rancher vibe to it.

T - Hey, what do you know: cherry jolly ranchers. Very little in the way of malt, yeast, or hops.

M - The carbonation is fairly active, and the mouthfeel is a bit syrupy, the two textures mingling to give off a light yet full mouthfeel.

D - It does taste pretty good and goes well as a dessert, but it's really filling, and the sweetness does get a bit cloying in the end. Probably best to share with a friend.

overall - A decent attempt at a fruit beer, but nothing special. Could be a good choice for brunch or dessert.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2009 03:31:09 | More by DannyS

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

$6.99 for a 550mL (18.7oz) bottle at the Co-op grocery in Lebanon, NH.

A: Clear coppery strawberry red. Full 3 fingers of eggshell pink head that settles and leaves massive billowy lacing on the glass.

S: Solid cherry aroma made tart by the accompanying hops. Sweet. Reminds me of cranberry ginger ale.

T: Definitely a genuine cherry flavor... not artificial or candy-like. Contrary to the aroma, sweetness overpowers the hops. Bitter cherry finish, but not harsh. Very minimal malt presence.

M: Light body, light fizzy carbonation. Dry finish. Slight malt backbone, but not much. Not cough syrupy, no overpowering sugar slickness.

D: I'm not a fan of fruit beers, only happened to be trying this because the girlfriend bought it. Surprisingly, it's not nearly as bad as others I've had. Has much more in common with Mikes or other malternatives than it does to beer, but much more palatable, can't describe exactly why. It has the hoppiness of beer, slightly beerish mouthfeel, but doesn't taste like beer. Maybe it's simply the hop presence that sets it above Mikes et al.

Review undoubtedly benefitted from the absolutely horrible experiences I've had with fruit beers in the past. I wouldn't buy it for myself, but I'm glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 00:17:32 | More by BeerNinja007

Klym

California

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Like strawberry syrup mixed with a little water and a couple of drops of dark brown ink. A cherry red with a brown veil casting a slight haze over it. A small head with plentiful lacing that mostly slides off leaving a surprisingly white rim at the top. Beer looks very cherry.

S: Cherry, cherry, cherry. If you took a mound of sliced-in-half maraschino cherries and drizzled grenadine over the top and let it sit for a night in a container and smelled it the next day, I'm pretty sure you'd know what this beer smells like. Smalls hints of yeast and some undiscernable funky tidbits but really cherry is front, center, and not letting anyone else get on the stage.

T: Much like the smell, maraschino cherries and grenadine. Sweetness is really powerful, with almost all of the potential tartness covered. Yeast is more present in the taste and adds a small bitter funk, and I maybe get a little grape, but really cherry is the only comment that you give without digging quite deep.

M: Carbonation is distinctly beer but in the beer realm is swaying toward soda. Very giving carbonation in the mouth, not unsurprisingly reminiscent of a shirley temple but more excited.

O: This beer is interesting and while honestly overpowering in its sweetness, it doesn't have a dominantly unnatural flavors like most low-quality fruit beers out there. It's a one trick pony though, and a very straight forward and simple one at that. Turn down the volume on the cherries and have it make some friends from other gustatory realms and you have a potentially greater beer here. As it is, it is your classiest sure-bet bridge for your smirnoff-sipping acquaintance into beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 23:59:02 | More by Klym

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a reddish pink color with a white head that is a little foamy at first. The head settles and leaves a light lacing on the glass. The smell is of cherries and some faint malt. The taste is like a sweet cherry lambic, it's got a slight tartness to it. The mouthfeel is light to medium. Carbonation is pretty good. Overall this beer isn't too bad much like the other Organic Fruit beers the Samuel Smith makes. All have the same characteristics for most part and all are just as good as the others.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 22:49:56 | More by Knapp85

mynie

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours like a dull fruit rollup. Decent for a lambic, a bit below average for a straight up fruit beer.

Smells of sweet, tart cherries. Nothing else. It's a damn nice cherry odor, but there are none of the yeast or fruit complexities you get with a really good cherry beer.

Tastes a little better than it smells. The cherries are more firm and mealy, starting out tart and sliding into a pulpy finish of rounded sweetness. The finish is a little dull and seltzery and there a no beerish complexities, but it's still tasty.

There were like a half dozen of new Sam Smith fruit beers sitting at Hy-Vee. If these cost a couple bucks less I'd probably try them all.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2009 00:41:10 | More by mynie

fullsweep

United Kingdom (England)

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

355 mL brown bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: reddish-brown beer with a 1 1/2-finger head, leaving plenty of pinkish-brown lacing.

S: very cherry!

T: the cherry definitely dominates but there is also a clear Englsh ale presence underneath. The only other cherry beer I've tried was a Belgian cherry ale, and in a similar way it was dominated by the cherries and yet distinctly Belgian. This cherry beer is very different from the Bacchus one, except they both have a very strong cherry presence. I gave my wife a sip and she didn't like this at all and gave any unsurprising "cough medicine" comment. I don't agree, but I can definitely see her point.

M: nice carbonation, moderate body, not much to improve on here.

D: definitely drinkable--almost TOO drinkable in that the sweetness allows it to go down quickly. The only thing that hinders the drinkability is that the cherry is so strong that I can't see wanting to drink this very often, or even to have more than 1 or 2 (though I usually stop at 1 beer anyway due to moderation habits).

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 19:36:56 | More by fullsweep

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I bought this today on a whim while in the beer store.
Pours a clear reddish amber color with a huge fluffy off pink head that persists forever and leaves lots of lace on the way down.
Smells of sweet and tart cherries and little else. Taste is sweet with dark cherry fruit a hint of sweet bready malt and then more tart and sweet cherries. Medium level of carbonation, sweet sticky syrupy mouthfeel, medium to thick body. This is a cherry beer, although I'm having trouble finding any of the beer part. Its sweet and sticky and reminds me more of a wine cooler than a beer. But being a lover of all things cherry I did enjoy this beverage.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2010 23:36:19 | More by johnnnniee

tdm168

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark pink/light red with a ton of fizzy head that actually has good retention. This looks like a cherry 7-up with a ton of head on it. The smell is maraschino cherries with faint wheat and yeast notes. The taste is rich, sweet cherries up front with a clean, wheaty finish. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation, but it does feel a little syrupy at times almost like kool-aid.

This has a well-blended flavor with a rich, delicious cherry flavor. The mouthfeel is a little syrupy, but it's overall decent and worth checking out if you're a fruit beer person.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 22:48:34 | More by tdm168