​Cherry stout and Old Blue Eyes

By Ben Rodgers

ben.rodgers22@gmail.com

Every once in awhile something comes along that makes you drop everything. For most people it’s usually a life-altering event, a job offer, a birth or death in the family, marriage proposal, etc. For me it’s a beer release.

Central Waters Brewing Company Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout came out in Wisconsin this past week, if you were lucky enough to snag it.

Usually only available at finer bottle shops and in extremely limited quantity, this malted beverage is considered by many craft beer lovers to be well worth the hassle.

From Central Waters Brewer’s Reserve series, every barrel contains 75 pounds of Door County cherries and is aged for six months before release.

This offering alone makes Central Waters one of my favorite breweries in the state. Located in Amherst, Wis., this town has less than 1,500 residents, but this particular beverage has such a following, it won’t last a day in stores, even with a two-bottle limit.

It’s a warm, inviting beer and even though it’s 80 degrees outside, there is never a bad time to enjoy a Cherry Stout.

So when pairing music to something to regal and elegant one album comes to mind. Frank Sinatra’s “The Main Event – Live.” Recorded in October of 1974 with a majority of songs from a concert at Madison Square Garden.

Cherry Stout starts with a slightly-tart bite, but the bourbon barrel flavors quickly cover it up to offer a full-bodied taste. This album starts with an orchestrated overture, complete with all-time great sports announcer Howard Cosell introducing the celebrities at the show and eventually Sinatra. It’s possibly the best build up for a live record I’ve ever heard.

Sinatra covering Cole Potter is considered a standard with “I Get a Kick Out of You.” However he does sing “Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all.” This is evidence that Porter never had a Cherry Stout. Had Sinatra had one he probably would have nixed that lyric.

This Cherry Stout is deliciously different. I’m not one to fruit the beer, and one would naturally think that tart and dark don’t mix. That’s not the case. It’s a heavy stout, with a hint of cherry. Nothing is overwhelming in this glass. This sipping beer is something unique to Central Waters.

But Sinatra on the album seems to be playing a parody of himself. At this stage in his career the crooner age was well past. However, Sinatra does this show just like every other one he’s ever done; with class, grace, style and his bright tenor.

Cherry Stout is a beer for a special occasion, even though the flavor is hard to pin down. I can’t help but feel it would be better enjoyed in front of a roaring fireplace in the dead of winter, not in shorts and a tee shirt.

But when The Voice is covering Cole Porter in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden, it’s a special occasion. So the two work great together.

Sinatra and his big band open up the B-side with a Jim Croce cover, “Bad Bad Leroy Brown.” I almost like the version better than the original as Sinatra just has does the lyrics more justice, especially behind a horn section.

Halfway through my pint and the stout taste appears on the back of my throat. Every good stout leaves one, but the taste at the front of the sip creates something different than any other run-of-the-mill stout.

“Angel Eyes” is a sad song, according to Sinatra himself, who told a nice story before it started. He bills himself as a saloon singer before he starts and this is that type of slow song. It deserves a bourbon neat best enjoyed in an empty bar.

This beer has some hints of bourbon, but at the end of the glass it doesn’t overwhelm. It’s more interesting than anything else with a tart kick up front.

Sinatra slows things down before he ends the show the only way he could with “My Way.” This is fitting for this beer, it definitely doesn’t follow any blueprint and each year varies slightly in taste. In fact Cherry Stout is perfect for aging, if you have that kind of self-control. The 2016 is very good, but something tells me in 2020 it’ll be even better.

Back in 1974 Sinatra was beyond what some may consider his prime. But Ol’ Blue Eyes still packed them in for close to another two decades after this album was recorded. His prime never ended. The end of this glass and “My Way” are a perfect match. Two elegant things coming to an end at exactly the same time.