Great Divide and Clown Shoes are two breweries not afraid to put up some one-off imperial stouts and I am eternally grateful to both. This time it is Chocolate Cherry from Great Divide which I stumbled upon in Palm Springs during the tennis tournament in March at Total Wine. Perhaps one of the last coolish days of late spring, let’s break it out. I lift the lid on the 22 oz bomber before tilting into my Buffalo Bayou snifter. It arrives a black-is-black body along with a strong dark tan head that slowly eases. I take a smell, chocolate malt, a bit of ash and tobacco. Now finally a taste, heavy chocolate, charcoal, pecan and just a hint of dark fruit. Wish I could say it is cherry but that eludes me. Maybe later as it warms up. Decent but not my favorite Great Divide effort.

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 1/21/2019. Pours dense pitch black color with a 2 finger dense and rocky dark tan head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Insane appearance. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, almond, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, cherries, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge lightly tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, almond, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery hops; roast/char bitterness, and slight fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, almond, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cherries, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an amazing hop/roast bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, velvety, rich mouthfeel that is insane. Light slickness, sticky hops, chalky char/roast, and slight cherry tang/acidity. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.5%. Overall this is an insane flavored Russian imperial stout! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cherries, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/drying finish. Not overly bitter on hops, or charred on malts. Insanely rich and well rounded stout malt complexity, with great cherry/cocoa presence that isn't overdone; nice earthy hops against sweetness, and restrained fruity yeast character. A highly amazing offering, and world class style example. One of the best variants, better than all of the barrel aged ones as well.