Kuhnhenn American Imperial Stout - Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

cosmicevan

New York

4.73/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

BIG thanks goes out to steimie for going out and picking this up for me bro (as well as the gold lettered kuhnhenn glass!!!!)...enjoyed from my new glass!!!

a - brew poured a fairly stunning motor oil black with a gorgeous shine on it. i swear it has that barrel aged shine even though it is not. nice thing dark tan head that slowly bubbled away. easy to rebuild with a swirl of the glass and leaves nice milk chocolate spotty lacing on the side of the glass.

s - deep roast, but not overbearing. big chocolate notes with a great hop. reminds me a lot of hoppy stout from greenport harbor or even darkness.

t - flavor matches the nose with a really great balanced hop. this beer is bada$$. everything is in the right place. some chocolate, some coffee, some hops, some magically delicious beer.

m - perfectly thin for such a thick beer and perfectly thick for such a thin beer. slides down the gullet super easily.

o - overall...WOW...WHAT A BEER! i had heard some good things about this one, but this blew me away. one of the best imperial stouts i've ever tasted in my life. a real winner that should be sought out.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:20:28 | More by cosmicevan

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

330ml 2012 bottle poured into tulip 7/6/13, massive thanks towards liamt07 for this bottle

A motor oil right out of the bottle, just a dark fingernail for an edge, perhaps the darkest two finger foam I've ever seen has decent retention, swirls leaves legs and color on the glass, no lace however

S bakers chocolate and coffee, a little licorice and lots of bruised plum with some fudge and chocolate liqueur, I have no idea where the booze is hiding

T even darker in the mouth with a little char and the burnt espresso is a step up from the coffee I was smelling, tastes rich and somehow the chocolates darker then the nose, its just dark in general and again the booze is almost non-existent

M I could stand a spoon up in this liquid, shes thick alright and still has enough carbonation to give it a creamy feel, I got a little stuck in my teeth and the dark chocolate syrup on the finish will be there tomorrow at this rate

O this is a great example of the style, thick, rich, massive dark roast and booze is almost invisible, a classic version of a big ass stout

Somewhat straightforward but the intensity is turned up a notch bringing it to a whole new level. Just awesome stuff in my glass this evening, a 2012 bottle already has enough age on it for supreme drinkability, that's impressive to say the least

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 05:55:04 | More by wordemupg

Treebs

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle served in a Kuhnhenn snifter. 2012 vintage.

A: Pours a dark black color with a dark tan head forming on the pour. It recedes to a thin cap and collar. Splotchy lace is left down the glass.

S: Lots of roasted malts, some dark fruit and some cocoa. A little fig with some coffee grounds and creamy chocolate.

T: A ton going on. Creamy chocolate, figgy dark fruit and dust cocoa up front. Bitter coffee grounds with a heavy roasted malt profile come up mid palate. The finish is a mix of roast and slightly sweet booze.

M: Heavy bodied, slick and chewy mouthfeel, with a medium carbonation level. The finish is slightly sweet from the booze, but it's not hot at all.

O: Another winner from Kuhnhenn. A deliciously balanced Imperial stout. Sweet and roasty with a heavy and chewy mouthfeel. Glad it's cold on this Memorial Day because it goes perfectly with the day.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 00:39:39 | More by Treebs

standardcherry

Massachusetts

4.76/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2012 bottle, 12oz

A: Pitch black, thick body with a large mocha colored head. Looks perfect. Receded a bit but it still left a nice head on the beer.
S: Very roasty. Huge chocolate notes with a bit of piney hops. Smells like chocolate cake, cocoa powder and coffee all in one. Amazing.
T: I had tried this fresh and it was too hoppy for me. Hops faded a lot, there is a slight piney bitterness (although I think most of the bitterness in this case comes from the roast). Roasted malts, sweet milk chocolate, coffee. This is almost fudge-like. A hint of caramel as well. Tastes like chocolate doughnuts paired with coffee.
M: Great full body with medium carbonation. Creamy and smooth with a slightly dry finish.
O: I'd say this is the best non-BA stout I've had. I was extremely impressed by this and I would love to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 06:40:35 | More by standardcherry

HopsHopenstein

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

04-12-2013 00:19:29 | More by HopsHopenstein

chugalug06

Colorado

4.51/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This may be the thickest brew I've ever seen...pours like burnt oil. Head rises one-finger and rises with thick foam with tar like bubbles.

Chocolate and Molasses strike hardest. Bready, toffee, coffee, milky, creamy...

Nice strong sweet bitterness. Carbonation is a bit too much. Flavors are also not quite as complex as I wished. Very waxy, thick, no burn, robust, solid, chewable, tons of heavy DARK chocolate, dare I say "drinkable"?

Awesome brew. Perfect for a cold rainy day. One of the deepest brews I've had. It could use more complexity, if anything negative needs to be said...? Highly recommended, even at the price tag. Should be considered a must try.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 01:29:44 | More by chugalug06

KevSal

California

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%

03-30-2013 08:24:24 | More by KevSal

MasterSki

Illinois

4.21/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared by Jason. 2012 vintage server in a snifter.

A - Dark mocha foam settles to a thin cap, thick collar, and minimal lacing. Body is pretty much black; with perhaps a hint of brown to it.

S - Classic Imperial Stout, with hefty doses of roast, anise, char, dark breads, dark chocolate, and a hint of caramel. Good balance of flavors, with well-hidden ABV.

T - The taste is a bit more roasty and charry, with light anise and dark chocolate in the periphery. Not as sweet as the aroma - very well-attenuated and dry. Solid, but not as compelling as the aroma.

M - Creamy and velvety smooth, before yielding to a dry and roasty finish. Medium-full in body, with pleasant, low carbonation and a hint of alcohol warming.

D - A well-made classic Imperial Stout. Wish there was a tiny bit more sweetness on the palate, but on the whole it was quite enjoyable. Looking forward to the inevitable bourbon barrel version.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 03:22:34 | More by MasterSki

imperialking

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

03-02-2013 21:43:28 | More by imperialking

divineaudio

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, 2012 batch, 9.25%
founders snifter

a - pours an extremely viscous looking, oily dark brown. gave me a pinky's worth of dense, creamy, dark brown head that calmed to a film right away. leaves thin, leggy lacing behind.

s - roasted malt, licorice, tobacco, faint peat.

t - roasted and burnt malts at the forefront with strong tobacco notes. also picking up milder notes of anise, charcoal and molasses. dark chocolate comes out a bit as the beer warms. has a bitterness that stings the tongue on the back end and a slightly boozy finish.

m - far beyond full bodied, but just shy of syrupy. adequate carbonation with a finer co2 profile and just a bit of alcohol burn.

o - interesting take on the style and enjoyable, but a bit of a chore to drink. flavors and mouthfeel are so intense that it fatigues the palate quickly. i could see this pairing well with a fine cigar.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 00:09:22 | More by divineaudio

atone315

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

02-22-2013 03:14:15 | More by atone315

Wade5614

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

02-20-2013 19:53:53 | More by Wade5614

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

02-18-2013 14:13:23 | More by JAHMUR

Danielr26

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%

02-18-2013 13:31:23 | More by Danielr26

rpbuckeye

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

02-14-2013 14:33:07 | More by rpbuckeye

coz

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

02-09-2013 00:29:03 | More by coz

davey101

Connecticut

4.63/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2012 vintage, 12 oz bottle into a tulip. Massive thanks to steimie for this beer!

A - Pours a rather thick looking pitch black body. Two fingers of absurdly dark mocha foam forms from the pour. A swirl produces thick lacing with unreal retention...a minute later....ya, clinging foam is still slowly making its way down the side of the glass. A finger high cap sticks around the whole time.

S - A dangerously inviting combination of sweet and roasty. The sweetness comes across almost in a lactose fashion ala a milk stout. Sweet milk chocolate and lightly bitter dark chocolate. Is it hops creating this sweetness? Its very hard to describe...but unbelievably awesome. Subtle raisins, coconut, and molasses. Finishes with a touch of roasted coffee and malts. Pretty much perfect.

T - A lot more roast than the nose. Starts with some milk chocolate and coffee and cream. Brash roasted malts and bakers chocolate with a lingering bitterness. Faint touch of citric hops. Aftertaste is a bit ashy. Very tasty.

M - Thick and coating, borderline syrupy but a medium level of carbonation cuts through and helps. Can't detect any alcohol....drinks way too easy!

O - One of the best non-barrel aged stouts I have ever had. The aroma and appearance are just perfect, and the taste was a bit roast heavy but remained insanely tasty. I'm sad to say that I drank half the beer just formulating this review. I want more!!!! Incredibly impressive stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 07:14:17 | More by davey101

eawolff99

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

02-03-2013 14:30:52 | More by eawolff99

smutty33

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%

02-03-2013 03:50:21 | More by smutty33

jacewg

District of Columbia

4.55/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours black as night with a quickly fading mocha head. Leaves a nice, small tan ring on top. Good looking imperial stout. Leaves spotty, dark lacing.

Aroma: Really nice nose. Roasty malt, chocolate, dark fruit, and molasses/burnt sugar are the dominant notes.

Taste: Quite roasty with a pronounced hop bitterness. Nice coffee and chocolate type notes with a hint of dark fruit character, but not as pronounced as in the nose. Very light sweetness. This is what I hope the Bell's Expedition Stouts I'm aging to taste like in a few years. Has a lot of the same flavor elements but much more balanced and ready to drink now. A really delicious imperial stout.

Mouthfeel: Really, really nice. Medium-low carbonation, which is perfect for the style and a really velvety mouthfeel. Coats the mouth without being syrupy. Spot on.

Overall: Up there with the best of the best imperial stouts.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 23:20:48 | More by jacewg

DmanGTR

New York

4.78/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Thanks to joe for popping this during our tasting.

Poured very dark, black almost with a tan head. Lots of creamy goodness here and a hearty dose of roasted malt. Nice earthy and slightly piny hop aromas. Huge flavor, lots going on. Very rich with burnt toast and toasted marshmallows. Velvety smooth and a very big body. Approved.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 14:27:22 | More by DmanGTR

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to Anonymous1 for this one. 12oz bottle poured into a Founders snifter. '12 bottling.

A- Pours a fairly viscous pitch black with about a quarter of fairly dark mocha brown head that forms but recedes to pretty much no head. Consistent carbonation.

S- Dark chocolate, fudge, fairly light presence of dark fruits: raisins + figs, a hint of booze. Fairly aromatic with dark chocolate fudge definitely being the most prominent smell.

T- Dark chocolate that is very fudge like coats the palate, some light figs, a light booze presence, more dark chocolate on the finish with a faint hint of raisins. Dark chocolate lingers as an aftertaste. Again dark fudge-like chocolate is the most prevalent. Very good, but some aging might make it a little bit better by bringing out some more flavors and dulling the booze a bit.

M- Nice thick presence that coats the palate and goes well with the chocolate fudge-like aspect of the taste, finishes very smooth with only a very faint hint of abv burn, decent carbonation that adds a very slight prickly feel and is fairly consistent throughout.

O- This was a very good imperial stout and also my first beer from Kuhnhenn. I have to admit that I'm definitely impressed and I'm looking forward to trying some of their other offerings. This beer would definitely benefit with a little bit aging on it. It might bring out the dark fruits a little bit, which are fairly subtle at this point, and mask the very slight booze presence in it. Overall this is one of the better imperial stouts I've had (although not the best) and I definitely recommend trying it.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 22:25:26 | More by jaasen64

Marti403

Michigan

5/5  rDev +13.9%

01-18-2013 04:31:35 | More by Marti403

jegross2

Illinois

4.79/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Reviewing the American Imperial Stout from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company out of Warren, Michigan. This imperial stout was most recently released at Kuhnhenn's annual Winter Solstice party.

Score: 98

2012 vintage bottle served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 01/16/12. Shout out to Robbie Moy for hooking me up with this bottle!

Appearance: The body of the beer is black as ink with no transparencies (sorry, no ruby tones here) to speak of. Pours a thin layer of mocha-colored head that settles to a ring around the glass. Dare I assume that this Kuhnhenn beer has some carbonation!? Absolutely outstanding lacing and retention. Quite frankly, this is a beautiful looking beer. 5/5

Smell: Slightly sweet milk chocolate, roasty malt, fudge and a little caramel are my first impressions. A modest amount of fig and raisin and a little leather is present as well. Faint bitter/burnt coffee and bakers chocolate too. As the beer warms up and airates, a little more sweet dark fruit complexity and a touch of brown sugar come out as well. What an absolutely inspiring and complex imperial stout nose! It is sweet/bittersweet, and totally balanced. A dash of "woody" and pine hops are present in the nose, but it's perfectly incorporated. A faint hint of black licorice comes through at room temperature. 4.75/5

Taste: The taste is surprisingly different from the nose. The dark fruit and sweetness takes a backseat to the more roasty and bitter/bittersweet elements. Bakers chocolate and dark chocolate with a little burnt roast and "coffee breath"-like flavor are the boldest elements of the taste. A very faint amount of black licorice and a little non-sweet dark fruit follow the upfront bitter and dark chocolate flavors. Towards the finish, there is just a touch of sweet fig that rounds out the beer and adds balance to a bitter "upfront" flavor experience. Finishes with a nice roasty, slightly burnt (and ashy) cacao flavor. The beer is bitter/bittersweet. I am not detecting much, if any, hops in the flavor -- but they are not missed. As the beer warms up, a well-incorporated (a la Black Albert) cherry flavor starts to come through in the back half of the beer, in addition to a little more of the woody/ashiness in the finish. When the cherry comes through as the beer warms up, it loses a bit of its bitter edge and becomes more "balanced." Needless to say, this beer tastes as complex as it smells. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a perfect amount of "low carbonation" (versus Kuhnhenn's traditional "where's the carbonation"-type carbonation). Bitter/bittersweet on the palate. Finishes somewhat dry, but not chalky dry. 5/5

Overall: This is without a doubt one of the absolute best stouts that I have ever had. It is complex, flavorful and dynamic. The nose and taste have similar elements, but each is quite different in which characteristics shine. I love how the beer developed as it went from cellar temperature to room temperature, though I probably preferred it slightly more on the colder side of that scale. My only regret is that I only got one of these. I will have to seek out more.

Recommendation: Seek this beer out; it is one of the best imperial stouts you will find!

Pairings: A cigar.

Cost: $8 for a 12 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 00:16:44 | More by jegross2

enelson

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%

01-12-2013 18:05:46 | More by enelson