Erie Brewing Company
Derailed Ale Black Cherry Cream Ale (Beer With Added Natural Flavor)
Cream Ale
Pennsylvania
5.0%
12oz, 6-Pack
$7.99
Thin head, clean white, enough larger bubbles to hurt retention, a good swirl creates thick splotches but they lack the stickiness to last. Coppery orange colored liquid with a good amount of particulate floating around inside, only a few lazy bubbles visible within. The nose first impresses with the cherry but there's also a sizable percentage of cereal, baking dough, doses of lemon zest, honey then iron and earth, almost savory like balsamic vinegar. In the mouth it's medium-bodied and loses lots of presence past the mid-palate. Carbonation is negligible. The cherry and vanilla cream pairs well but lacks intensity. That burst of lemon helps keep it lively. At times it tastes like black cherry soda, nothing in the flavor profile to suggest beer. Does have that grain and cereal component and moments of flower water. Not that sweet, albeit at times you wish it were so. Overall, it's easy to sip and nothing really strikes you as an overt flaw. But, again, were the flavors more concentrated it might hold your attention longer.
3 out of 5