12oz bottle pours a mostly opaque black with a thin, creamy beige head. Nose is kind of funny, not a whole lot of cherry but plenty of black malt, toast, licorice, a little birch. Smells thick. How can one smell viscosity? I don’t know, but it smells like it’s going to be very heavy. Flavor is sweet, brown sugar, licorice, coffee grounds, burnt toast, some light cherry fruitiness and a hint of birch which I really loved. Medium bodied, dry finish. Not a whole ton of cherry, but I enjoyed it.

750 ml bottle shared by ?hwwty4. Pour is black, some ruby cherry reddness, along with a smallish tan head. Aroma is nice black cherry, fruit sweetness, tiny bit of tartness, along with roast, thought the roast is in the back and somewhat muted. Taste is the sweet cherry, bright fruit (pretty much none of the tartness from the nose), roast malt, and finishes with some vanilla sweetness. Palate medium to heavy, coats the mouth some. Nice one, thanks for sharing Bill.

Received in trade from Exiled and jbck109, thanks for the opportunity guys! My first Short’s review. Pours a solid black color with a stingy foamy tan head that kind of hangs there for a while. Smells of dark chocolate mixed with cherries, blueberries, currants. I was expecting more from the aroma, I feel a little let down. Berries come more to the forefront as this warms, as well as some hints of wet cardboard. Taste is chocolates wrapped in berries. Slightly tart, slightly roasty. Midway I get glimpses of alcohol, leading to a finish of bitter roast with a little bit of ash. Medium high level of carbonation affects the mouthfeel a bit. Less bubbles would have been better. Creamy tart and bubbly mouthfeel, medium thick body. I so wanted to love this beer, it has cherries which I love and its a porter which I also love. I could drink this, but its really not one of my favorites. I have had more mind blowing stuff from shorts in the past.

Greg brought this one to a beer gathering. Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a black color with a small dark brown head that faded quickly and left minimal lacing. The aroma was chocolate syrup and black cherry. The flavor was tart, bitter and a bit vinegary with notes of roasty malts, black cherry and faint chocolate. The finish was long and tart with cherry and roasty malts. Smooth with a medium body. Decent.

On tap at Reno’s West, Lansing. Deep opaque brown-black body, tight dense light brown head. Roasty nose with coffee and tart cherryskin, Roasted, almost smoky body with coffee, unsweetened chocolate, and sober tart cherry skin. Firm, roasty finish. Well-balanced.
Earlier Rating: 2/25/2007 Total Score: 3.3
Sampled at the 2nd annual Michigan Winter Beer Festival, Lansing. Dark brown body, thin ochre head. Sharp, acidic, tart cherry body, really delivering a sour bite, roasty porter flavors on the finish. I had no idea this was of such high ABV. Tasty but one-dimensional.

Bottle via Secret Santa. Pours with a pitch black body and a small, dark brown head. Aromas of cocoa powder, chocolate, vanilla and cherries. Some dark fruit, licorice, and chalky notes. Flavors of roast, bitter, tobacco, dirt, earth, husk, and acrid roast. No cherries. Dry and chalky with lively bubbles. Not my favorite. Roasted character is really out of step.

On tap at Ashley’s Shorts event. Poured near black with a red hue and a brown head that lasted throughout the beer. Aroma was full roasted malt with a slight coffee backing and a nice contrasting dark cherry note that was slightly tart. Flavor was similar with dark grains and roasted malt starting but met nicely by the dark slightly tart cherries to balance the beer nicely. The beer definitely got better as it warmed.