A Sour fan, a Stout lover, and a bourbon Barrelhead walk into Carolina Bauernhaus’ taproom. The Sour fan says, “Gimme your most complex sour.” The Stout lover says, “Gimme your darkest, roastiest brew.” The Barrelhead says, “Gimme something big, boozy, and bourbony.”

The bartender slides each patron a glass. The wild thing is, they’re all served the same beer: the taproom favorite Nacht Sauerkirsche Sour Stout with Cherries.

The GABF Gold winners at Carolina Bauernhaus craft this 10.2% ABV genre-bending brew by uniting a chocolatey Imperial Stout, the zing of cherries, and the oaky depths of bourbon barrel-aging. Its sour complexity and malty backbone have enraptured fans, earning it a 4.21 rating on Untappd.

The process to make it was intensive: dehusked Dark Malts were used to soften bitterness; it was fermented and soured in bourbon barrels for nearly a year with their native Brett and Lacto cultures; and Rainier and Montmorency cherries were added for juicy sweetness. Layers of flavor reflect this time and effort with huge notes of tart cherries, subtle cocoa and coffee tones in the background, and a dry, puckering sour finish.

One sip of Nacht Sauerkirsche is all it takes to convince you that Bauernhaus’ skills are no joke.

Rated 4.21 on Untappd