Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock - Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

MiScusi

California

1.5/5  rDev -66%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

2007 vintage.

I certainly never wanted to contribute the lowest score to this beer. It pains me that I have to, since I had such high expectations for it. But I have to be honest as well.

A- nothing wrong here, a dark red liquid, nothing special.

S- Definitely not what I expected here. I didn't necessarily think it would be ALL raspberry, but this smell just threw me for a loop. It was interesting yet weird. Smelt like some really deep caramel, chocolate, and fruit all mingling together into a really weird combo. It kept making me want to smell it actually, but I didn't really enjoy it.

T- This was perhaps the worst tasting beer I've ever had. If I didn't know it was a raspberry beer I might not have even picked it out in the flavor. I was expecting this to pack a raspberry punch at least on par, if not exceeding New Glarus' Raspberry Tart. Huge letdown here. But I know they were trying to go for a whole dessert sorta thing here with chocolate, caramel, and raspberry flavors. The taste was so weird and unusual that I can't even describe it. And I don't want to taste it anymore to try and describe it.

D- Couldn't even finish this. Drain pour for both me and my friend. Sad, because I've been wanting to try this for so long, seeing as how so many people like it, how could it be bad? Well I guess now this is the second lesson I've learned in that regard, the first being Dark Lord.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2008 06:33:52 | More by MiScusi

Verecund

North Carolina

2.05/5  rDev -53.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This was shared by a generous BA on 02.12.2011. After tasting a few beers, I went home and jotted down notes for this one beer, because it was so memorable. 2007 nip bottle, I believe, split three ways.

Pours a dirty, mud brown with just the smallest wisps of head.

Raspberry puree, but not as straightforwardly so as I expected. Instead it's buried beneath a layer of caramel maltiness. A sweet tootsie roll chocolate. Okay - now imagine that all of this is rotting in your garbage disposal. Divide by two. There. That's the smell.

Raspberry cough syrup, rotting dark fruit, molasses, caramel malts, and lots of cocoa. Sweet, as expected, but certainly not cloying because of a certain earthy bitterness. It's a little oxidized, which does terrible things to the raspberry character (adding, e.g., soy sauce). Not what I expected.

Medium-low carbonation, with a medium to medium-light body. Unpleasant finish. Hides its alcohol well enough after 3-4 years.

Well, the 6.3 ounces were split three ways, so I think I'm officially a ticker. I finished my sample, but this was not a sweet, syrupy raspberry dessert beer, as expected, but tasted of spoiled fruit and spent grains. Bizarre, I have to wonder if this is an off bottle (which wouldn't surprise me given Kuhnhenn's track record).

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 23:51:02 | More by Verecund

younger35

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -51.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

I received this brew from DrJay many moons ago in a trade. This will officially be my first brew from Kuhnhenn. Drank from my Ithaca Excelsior tulip. 2004 vintage.

*NOTE: My score is temporary until I get a newer bottle of this to compare. I either A) Got a bad bottle B) Got a bottle past its prime or C) Just don't care much for this beer.

Appearance- Pours a murky dark brown with zero head, zero cap and collar and no lacing.
Smell- Holy intense! Plenty of raspberries to start things off but something tells me that they've faded a bit over the years. The intense caramel is really what seems to jump out of the glass and is definitely the star of the show. Chocolate is semi noticeable but not to the extent of the caramel. Interesting nose to say the least.
Taste- Starts with a super sweet burnt caramel like taste that is somewhat chocolaty. There is a strange bitterness that is rather intense at first and lingers into the aftertaste. Since I get little, if any, raspberries I'm assuming that the weird bitterness is what's left of them. Very astringent as well with a semi chocolate aftertaste and super hot finish.
Mouthfeel- Fairly thin with zero carbonation and a bit of warming on the way down.
Drinkability- Well, needless to say the drinkability is lacking since I couldn't finish the bottle. I know this beer is way better than what I got to try and I'm guessing it's just past it's prime. New score to come with a newer bottle. Big thanks again to Jay though for his generocity!

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2008 00:01:10 | More by younger35

BigDaddyWil

Michigan

2.85/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Green bottle dipped in red wax. Label states vintage 2004
Served into a flute glass.

Much anticipated brew after reading the many high praises this eisbock has received. Fortunately, its readily available living here in Michigan.

Appearance: Awesome deep maroon color, reminds me of a red wine. Not much carbonation, with no head or lacing. A slight oily texture, most likely due to the high alcohol content.

Smell: WOW!!! Very different, very strong combination of rasberries,cherries, and dark chocolate. Alcohol is completely hidden in the smell.

Taste: O.K., this is not my type of brew. Strong taste of dark chocolate, combined with fruits and berries. It reminded me of bad tasting chocolate covered cherries.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth feel, no alcohol burn, very easy too drink.

Drinkability:Alcohol is completety hidden and is easy too drink. Very smooth. A great sipper!!!

I must admit I was disappointed with this eisbock, its just not my thing. I will try again at a later date, maybe it will hit me different. But at $8.33 for 6.3oz. its hard for me to purchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2005 01:20:08 | More by BigDaddyWil

TheCrowsNest

California

2.93/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First chance at tasting one of Kuhnhenn's beverages. No head at all, clear reddish/purple color; pretty uninteresting to look at it. Smells like a concentrated version of Hershey's Raspberry Syrup, in a good way; there's a hint of booze. Mouthfeel is very thick. Rasperries dominate the flavor but with more of a medicinal quality, a heavy cough syrup flavor lingers for several minutes.

This wasn't underwhelming, it was unpleasant. Would not be interested in revisiting.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 17:15:46 | More by TheCrowsNest

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -32%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

2004 vintage. Cute bottle, nicely waxed seal. Thanks to BadBeer for the trade.

Pours an oily and thick red-brown with blackberry highlights. Absolutely zero head or carbonation.

Aroma is pungent and complicated. A full range of berries and dark fruit is present. Figs, plums, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, etc… Quite woody as well with some chocolate and caramel. Unfortunately each of these aromas is quite rotten and completely booze soaked. The alcohol is so strong as to distract and detract form the aromatic experience.

Flavor is bold, full and ridiculously boozey. This is one of the most boozy beers I’ve had for sure. There are plenty of rich dark flavors but it is difficult to focus on them individually as an overriding, connective alcohol presence prohibits careful examination. Raspberry flavor is not as strong as I expected. In fact, it’s pretty weak. Most of the flavor derived from a malty caramel/mocha – rotten plum/molasses booziness. I don’t find it particularly pleasant.

Mouthfeel is much more akin to a syrupy after dinner liquor then a beer. There is no carbonation, but that is to be expected in this aged ABV bomb but further then that, there is very little here to set it apart from the sweet, strong, and syrupy qualities associated with a fruit liquor. It is certainly full bodied, hot, and exceedingly loaded with many flavors but it just doesn’t work for me.

Not very drinkable unless you are in to sweet, syrupy after dinner liquors. I am not.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2007 15:53:04 | More by DaPeculierDane

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -29%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A damned expensive beer. I never thought i'd pay nearly 10 bucks for a 6.3 oz bottle of beer. Poured out to an amber red / raspberry color with very low carbonation. No lace noted around the glass. About a 1/5 of an inch head was present for most of the glass, but got smaller toward the end, leaving only a thin layer behind. Odors of raspberries and caramel are very strong, with notes of cocoa and chocolate. Taste was very wine like. Very strong flavors of berry and a very powerful sweetness on the palate. The 13.00 ABV hides well behind the complex flavors that this brew displays. Finished a bit on the sour/alcohol side, but still very berry. Very much a sipper, like a bourbon or scotch. A unique experience, but not one I think i'll seek out again on a regular basis. I'm sure many will give me hell over the review, but quite simply, I wasn't amazed. Didn't do all that much for me. I've tried it, now what's next... Nonetheless, a well crafted brew. Worth a try.

UPDATE:

Had another tonight (09/27/2005)... This stuff is way overpriced. I cannot believe I just drank 9 dollars. It's decent, but more like a wine or liquor than a beer. I did note that the flavor improves at a temprature closer to 50 degrees or so. Still, not a bad beer, but I must say I think it's possibly overrated, and definitly overpriced. Good thing "Value" isn't a category for scoring, as this beer would not earn high scores at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2005 01:48:23 | More by Frozensoul327

Mitchster

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

$9.99 for a 187ml bottle. 2007 edition. Purchased at Merchant's in Dearborn. They got in 5 cases of the stuff if anyone is looking for some. Pours out to a somewhat hazy very dark brown, not forming a head, but just a slight ring of bubbles. Absent carbonation. The aroma is very powerful...sweet milk chocolate, raspberries, caramel and liquid tootsie rolls. Mouthfeel is initially tart and acidic and ends a little peppery from the alcohol. Dense syrupy body. The taste is basically tootsie rolls, caramel, raspberry, and stinging alcohol. The chocolate flavor is very artifical, like creme de cacao. There is a disturbing chemical bitterness in here which I don't care for, and it gets worse as it warms. If it was absent, this would be much better.

Hrmmm. Not impressed with this. Definitely not worth the $10 price and all the hype. I drank another bottle with 2 other beer loving friends a few days ago and they weren't very impressed either, thinking it was a waste of money. Wouldn't buy it again, nor would I recommend it. There are so many other great beers like this that are considerably cheaper and taste much better.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2008 23:53:36 | More by Mitchster

kenito799

New York

3.15/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Rare tasting.

Dark muddy brown with reddish highlights.
Delicious raspberry aroma with woodsy notes.
Lovely raspberry fruit up front, tart and complex. The bitterness that follows, I am sorry, is just not pleasant to me. Too much like extract of raspberry seeds. The alcohol is quite apparent and detracts from the drinkability further. Despite the vaunted status of this beer, there are other fruit beers, other raspberry beers, that I prefer. This would probably be good with chocolate cake.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 14:23:54 | More by kenito799

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - dark crimson, ruddy reddish, with a brown lace that rims the glass when swirled, otherwise there is no discernible head

S - big on the caramel and chocolate malts, the rest of the aroma is alcohol and raspberry puree, with the alcohol being more prominent

T - of course i can taste the raspberrys, but its not what i expected. the biggest flavors are alcohol, licorice, and caramel; but its much more than bitter than i expected, tho only chocolate i can taste is at the end, a bit of super-bitter bakers chocolate

M&D - smooth, definitely, to the point of nearly syupy, a bit to bitter to be easy to drink. it definitely got better as it sat. maybe i overhyped this beer, maybe it past, maybe the flight home effected it. well brewed, i need to get another to compare

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2008 15:46:15 | More by sinstaineddemon

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dark maroon color. Not really any carbonation. The aroma is packed with vanilla and raspberries. Strong alcohol. It's like a Nature Valley fruit and nut granola bar. The taste is like drinking cherry vanilla coke. Sweet but not as cloying as other their other beers. The raspberries don't quite come out as raspberries. It's more of a cherry flavor. Maybe there's too much vanilla getting in the way.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 18:02:08 | More by BearsOnAcid

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A beer I have been trying to get for some time. 07 vintage. A very small bottle, pours a mostly cloudy brown-red color. A limited head and not much retention or lacing through the tasting. Some minimum sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

The nose has more of the eisbock notes with some underlining of the raspberry notes. To start there is a strong alcohol and fusel notes that come out strong. Granted it is a eisbock, it is still pretty strong. Some nice kettle caramel notes brings a rich malty note. A touch of roast that is a bit odd. Some yeasty note but minimum. The raspberry is limited with some hints of fruit but non-distinct.

The taste is similar to the nose. More of a malty presence and limited rasp notes. More of a fusel flavor with some alcohol notes as well. Some yeast notes, my guess is that it was fermented to high. The kettle caramel is there but limited by the harsh alcohol. The raspberry comes out more versus the nose, but brings out more of an astringent kick more than a sweeter note. Would have liked more of a sweetness versus the harsher tart notes. Some phenolics, figs and a hint of astringency, though not as strong on what the nose indicated. Some bready notes as well.

The body is big with some stickiness, but the fusels are a deterrent for this beer. I think this would age nicely but overall there are some off notes that at this time are too much of a distraction.

A big thanks to goryshkewyc for the trade.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 18:30:13 | More by Oxymoron

emerge077

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2007 vintage, served in a tapered tasting glass.
This is the 2nd bottle of this i've tried, had this vintage before a couple years ago. My opinion of this beer hasn't changed, the experience was virtually the same as the first time.

Pours a murky brown, viscous body, some stray trails of carbonation struggle to reach the surface around the edges. Little to no foam, though a string of bubbles cling to one side when first poured that quickly fade due to the high alcohol.

Smells tooth-meltingly sweet, like liquid candy. Mellow raspberry and tootsie rolls. Some light oxidation, and vague muddled notes of toffee or orange at room temperature.

Raspberry tootsie pop flavor, fairly one-dimensional. Once you taste it, that's all you can taste. No complexity or nuance. Candy sweet, syrupy, rich. Low carbonation, cordial-like. So sweet you almost don't notice the booze. Honestly i'd drink straight Chambord over this, it's basically the same thing minus the tootsie roll flavor.

Thanks to Eric for sharing this one!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 15:03:12 | More by emerge077

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.33/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2007 nip bottle

Pours murky red/brown with some sediment. No head or lacing.

Smells like dessert. Lots of raspberry puree along with a hefty dose of caramel.

Holy hell this is sweet. Lots of intense raspberry flavor with a strong caramel presence. Not a ton of complexity in this.

Lightly carbonated, but it is present unlike most other Kuhnhenn beers and for this style and sweetness, it's not off. Very thick and syrupy.

Eh perfect serving size for this as it is way too sweet to drink large quantities of. Kind of a weird beer to my palate. Not very complex and just sort of average.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 18:47:35 | More by jmarsh123

kkipple

South Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to my buds at DLD 08, I finally get to try this rarity! Thanks, buds!

*2007 vintage, 11.9% listed abv

Pours from a puny 6.3oz bottle into my goblet. I really really wanted the phat lookin' bottle in the profile picture, but alas! Was not to be. They're using these diminutive green bottles now, complete with HP printer labels and red wax seal. Cute. Oh yeah, the beer is nearly flat, dingy red, and the head eventually fades to nothing.

Smells a bit... oxidized? Hmm. Not too auspicious. After that, fruit-must, dirty earth, chocolate, tootsie rolls and yes, raspberries. I was surprised by the chocolate character here, and was expecting more fruit... the booze, ah yes, comes through nicely. It's all pretty smoothly blended at 55 degrees.

My, what have we here? Tart raspberries and cocoa abound, but I suppose I was expecting more sweetness... it's boozy and earthy and fairly aggressive. This little bottle packs a wallop. Maybe it's because I've recently had Raspberry Tart, but this is a bit of a letdown... the booze gets in the way of the flavor and the chocolate comes on too strong. Hm.

Mouthfeel is dry with mid-low carbonation and finishes earthy berries and tart with a smack of alcohol. I hate to say it, but the aftertaste was not entirely pleasant. Maybe the recipe has changed over the years?

I have to admit that this was a letdown. I was hoping for a highly sweet, delicious dessert beer and instead got assaulted with an alcoholic chocolate-tart thing with raspberries that kicked me around as I tried to get up. I'll try it again, but please don't crucify me for the low score... please? Now where did I put that DFH Fort?

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2008 00:51:29 | More by kkipple

brdc

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks hoppymeal for this one. The very small capped bottle was poured into a tulip.

It is a reddish tinted brown, with little to no head. Aroma is mostly alcohol and raspberries, with some sweetish malts underneath it, but not a lot more I could tell.
Medium bodied, and hot. Raspberries abound, but the alcohol is still the predominant taste. Not puckering or tart, just somewhat fruity.
I have to give this one more shot, perhaps a bit colder than I had this one, but as it stands, it was the biggest disappointment I had so far from the top 100 list. Good, but just good. Not worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2008 17:51:50 | More by brdc

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2007 nip bottle courtesy of Matt. I have been saving this for the right moment and opening night of the NFL and the eve of my first full solo day as a SAHD seem to be just that moment. Thanks Matt for the opportunity!

Into a champagne flute pours a deep and slightly murky ruby red with shades of dark purple. Nary a bubble is seen when backlit and no indication of head shows upon the surface.

Huge seedy jammy raspberries on the nose. Hints of blueberries and blackberries as well. Medley of sticky fruits melds with rich melted milk chocolate and brown sugar. The immediate whiff of alchol that erupted from the bottle upon opening seems to have abated after sitting a few minutes. In fact, there's little indication of the immensity of this beer.

Raspberry is sweet and tart up front and syrupy. As soon as it hits the middle of the tongue, the massive tootsie roll wall wraps around the fruit and carries it like a wave to the finish. Chocolate and an odd, slightly rotten food taste show on the finish.

Carbonation is, eh, low. Body is very syrupy.

I enjoyed this less as I got deeper into the bottle. Not so much for the sweetness, but for the fairly gross off flavor that pops out at the finish. While unique and interesting, I'm not sure I would go out of my way for this given what it might take to land it. I'd recommend splitting your bottle and hoping that this beer hasn't somehow taken a downturn after five years. An interesting try, but likely not worth the effort.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 01:21:38 | More by BarrytheBear

alcstradamus

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

Acquired in a trade with hoppymeal, arrived earlier today and chilled for a few hours before consumption.

Poured dark with a red hue, only a sliver of head even using an extremely hard pour. Definitely a product of the high ABV. Smell was booze dominated, with faint (real) raspberries in the background. Taste was similar, very booze dominated with some raspberry, caramel, and chocolate. Thick and sweet, this would probably benefit with a few more years under its belt to calm down the alcohol some more. It was a vintage 2007, but based on my small bottle I would probably let the next one have at least 4 years under its belt before I cracked it open. I did enjoy this beer, but not nearly as much as others seem to.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2009 03:54:24 | More by alcstradamus

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.48/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2007 bottle thanks to my Secret Santa. Pours brown with just a ring of white head. Aroma is like a raspberry filled brownie with some boozy notes too. Flavor of medicinal raspberry with a chocolatey finish. Also some prunes and raisins. Top fruit beer? Not for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2009 20:35:40 | More by LilBeerDoctor

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from tiny bottle dated 2004. Bought directly from the brewery in Warren, MI.

Color is deep burgandy, almost no head on top. Smells like raspberry mostly.

Taste is hard to describe. The raspberry juice flavor is there, but the background beer taste is difficult... I didn't like it all that much. But my wife loved it so it's hard to rate. Tasted like raspberry and dark chocolate with some alcohol mixed in. Some malt flavor but no hops.

Try it once if you must. I only tried it because it was so highly rated on BA.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2006 14:08:44 | More by TurdFurgison

bultrey

New York

3.58/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

Split a bottle of this with slander and schoolteacher at Spuyten Duyvil. Yes, we each had a serving the size of a brandy pour, which is appropriate for this beer. Didn't take notes, but didn't need to. Taste it once, and you remember it forever. Glowing deep red, no head... OK maybe a little head. Smells like a fresh raspberry harvest, as if you were stomping around in a vat of raspberries and the aroma were permeating your senses. Tastes like a red velvet raspberry cake with chocolate truffles, or perhaps like one of those Jacques Torres chocolates filled with raspberry puree. In fact, put this inside of chocolates, and they'd sell like hotcakes, I bet. I found the taste to be a bit too much like a raspberry cordial, and not enough like a beer, but unique nonetheless. The mouthfeel is quite remarkable -- "pillowy" is the first word that came to mind. Just so soft in the mouth, almost makes you think you're eating a piece of cake. An after-dinner sipper to be sure, not drinkable by any means. If you had any more than the small bottle of this at a sitting, I predict a big headache for you. I would love to be able to revisit this one in, say, about 10 years.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2006 19:39:35 | More by bultrey

waltonc

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this up in a trade thanks to MasterSki.

A: Blah looking brownish red color with virtually no head.
S: I guess this is raspberries that I'm smelling, but it's a little off, and off-putting. Sweet toffee-like tones in here too. Very pungent.
T: Raspberry, caramel, toffee. Very sweet.
M: Pretty thick body, very little carbonation.
D: Low. As the bottle notes, this is a dessert beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 05:42:48 | More by waltonc

Andreji

Colombia

3.6/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Mmmm. so this BA classic was one of the tried out beers at the RnH this afternoon.

Served in a tiny chalice sort-of cup, the tap pour was essentially headless and served to the very limit. Opaque and rather purplish black.

Smell may be the most generous bit of it. very frutti di bosco throughout, and it doesnt take a full nose dive to point it out. sweet to slightly astringent and if anything, strong.

Taste wise, however, this was disappointing. the overall feel is juicy- as in, the sweezed produce of the fruit. however, it is abundant, if not artificial. rather feels like a concentrate. plus the feel is fairly thin, and seemingly refreshing if not for how alcoholey and sugary it is.

Overall this is certainly not my top of the class. The beer may well not be bad but it does give off an artificial feel to it. Not my pint of beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 03:11:44 | More by Andreji

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: This was a hazy, dark, murky, brown color with some amber orange highlights. Pours with a thin, short lived, light tan head.

s: Hmmm... not what I expected here at all. Smells like raspberry sorbet and, strangely, grape soda/cough syrup. Perhaps also some chocolate root beer? I'm intrigued.

t: Lots of raspberries here, certainly, but I also taste grapes as well. This has a heavy, dense quality to it. There is some musty, semi-sweet maltiness here as well. The finish is tart, a bit dry, and has a very very faint medicinal quality to it.

m: Thick to the point of being syrupy and quite still.

d: Thanks to TheBlackMallard for this unique oppurtunity. This to me tastes more like a raspberry liqueur than a raspberry beer. Tasty and interesting, this just wasn't for me. Yet another example of how audaciously creative American brewers can be. Keep 'em coming!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2008 13:02:44 | More by DIM

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I believe thanks goes to randalld for this one. It's been in the cellar so long I simply can't remember. Bottle shared with another like minded BA.

2007 vintage

A: Dark plum red brown. No head, no lace. I certainly wasn't expecting any. Looks like melted chocolate syrup.

S: Wow! Super sweet raspberries and chocolate. I didn't realize there would be this much chocolate. That's pretty much all I can say. Just diabetically sweet syrup. No heat so that's a plus.

T: Pretty much more of the same. Super sweet chocolate and raspberries. That's it. This song is two notes. No room for anything else. Just a touch of heat. I suppose thats what three plus years will do.

M: Thick chewy body. Devoid of all carbonation.

D: Overall I guess I didn't know what to expect. I assumed it would be more raspberry and not as sweet. I'm actually glad I shared this. More than 3-4 ounces would have been way too much. Glad I had the chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 00:52:25 | More by beerwolf77