The Bruery - Cherry Chocolate Rain 2019

To close this extra-special offer of limited-release vintage bottlings from The Bruery, we’ve got a 2019 bottling of their Cherry Chocolate Rain: a chocolate-covered-cherry inspired riff on their Chocolate Rain imperial stout. This one includes tart cherry additions, hand-sliced vanilla beans, and premium cacao nibs—all aged inside of choice rye whiskey barrels.

This pours a deeply dark, murky chocolate-brown color with very little light getting through; mostly headless, which isn’t too surprising given the ABV. The tart cherries and spiciness of rye whiskey barrels come through beautifully in the aromatics. This one feels serious—with decadent baking spices, licorice, and a huge range of specialty-malt character appearing.

A beautiful cinnamon-spicy note comes through in the early flavor, which really brings this one home. Massive levels of ripe cherries, seamlessly integrated rye whiskey elements, and a core that brings forward milk and dark chocolates, subtle caramelization, and nicely roasted coffee character. This veers away strongly from any sort of overt cherry sweetness in favor of mature sherry notes, spicy rye, surprising cinnamon, and just endless depths to explore. A lasting finish of milk chocolates, tart-cherry skins, and perfect levels of spice and warmth.

This massive, cherry- and chocolate-filled release will continue to age gracefully with some additional cellaring time. For pairings, we’d look to the most decadent pork options you’ve got—or simpler counterpoints like vanilla-bean ice cream or vanilla and cherry cheesecake.