The recipe for this stout was as provided by Australian Home Brewing. In brewing this beer, the recipe was followed except for one aspect. The 150g of Cacao nibs were cracked and steeped with the crushed malted grain liquid at 75 degrees Celsius rather than adding the Cacao nibs to the brews on Day 2. At the same time, I added 150g of cherry powder to the brew with the Cacao nibs which was not part of the recipe. On day 5 of the 8 day fermentation period, the 2 bottles of essence were added to the brew. At time of bottling the effect of these essences was still strong but not overbearing. The brew was fermented at 21 degrees Celsius and then stored at the same temperature for the next 6 weeks. On tasting the beer for this review, I have found that there is a strong chocolate and cherry flavour that comes through with every sip of this stout and lingers on the palate making you want more of this delightful brew. It is almost like a cherry ripe without the coconut. However, the full extent of the body and flavour also highlights the perfect balance of the different malt extracts and steeped malts. The stout pours extremely well with a good head and has an excellent full-bodied mouth feel. I believe this stout will benefit from a further 6 weeks of aging to give a total of 12 weeks Definitely one to brew again!!