Tenacious Cassis
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

Tenacious CassisTenacious Cassis
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From:
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
ABV:
16.5%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 14.32%
Reviews:
113
Ratings:
167
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 01, 2020
Added:
Jul 18, 2007
Wants:
  194
Gots:
  24
A special batch of "5th dementia old ale" that was overattenuated with high gravity ale yeast and then blended with cassis to add back body.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jaminjohnson:
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Rated by jaminjohnson from Canada (YT)

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

Jan 14, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.54/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
This one pours a dark brownish/purplish color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like caramel, port, black currant, grape, dark fruit, and chocolate.

You can definitely tell the base here is some form of BA4D - there's lots of caramel, chocolate, and that herbal sort of cola-like sweetness. There's lots of black currant still left, even five years later, with a sort of port/red wine/dark grape earthy sweetness.

This is medium bodied, and somehow not syrupy, with very little booziness at this stage in the aging process.

This is just classic Kuhnhenn - so much of what they are good at in one package.
Jun 01, 2020
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12 ounce bottle into snifter, 2015 vintage. Pours hazy dark ruby red, light copper/brown color with a 1 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy red currants, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, red grape/wine, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, vanilla, cocoa, smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of currants, fruity yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge juicy/tart/tangy red currants, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, red grape/wine, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, vanilla, cocoa, smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy currants, fruit skin/seeds, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, red grape/wine, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, brown bread/crust, molasses, vanilla, cocoa, smoke, leather, tobacco, wood, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of currants, fruity yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an amazing malt/bitterness, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, fairly sticky/acidic/tangy/tannic, and lightly slick mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 16.5%. Overall this is an amazing fruited old ale! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of currants, fruity yeast, dark/bready/light roasted malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the huge ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Amazingly soft feel for the big ABV. Perfectly balanced between jammy currants, fruity yeast, and rich dark/bready malt complexity; with nice earthy hop presence. Light residual sweet with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected. Never had the base beer; but this is perfectly balanced between old ale and fruit character.
May 30, 2019
Photo of Buck89
Reviewed by Buck89 from Tennessee

4.4/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Just an incredible beer. Dark brown and slightly copper in color with a modest tan head. Bright aromas of caramel, cassis, and currents. The taste followed with a rich fruit flavor punctuated with caramel, faint better hops, and burnt toffee. An easy sipper. Full bodied and hefty with all the flavor to back it up.
Apr 03, 2019
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. bottle. Pours deep brown. Smells of strong currant and rich caramel and leathery malt. Tastes of tart currants right up front. Earthy malts and turn sweet. Brown sugar and tart currant finish. Medium body. No way is this 15% ABV. Very tasty and surprisingly easy to drink.
Jun 10, 2018
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.34/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Hazy burnt copper-brown with a moderate, lumpy off-white foam.

Smell is toasted graham, blueberry and cherry while taste is sweet of raspberry, grape, and a minimal hint of cherry with a thin but soft carbonation through the medium-light body, finishing dry. It's not as hot as I'd have expected by looking at the ABV, but there is a good sting.
May 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Apr 18, 2018
Photo of WesMantooth
Reviewed by WesMantooth from Ohio

3.92/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A 2015 bottle

It is a beautiful mahogany red. Semi transparent with a beige head that remains as a thick ring.

It smells malty and semi sour with some sweet berry (raspberry).

I have the flavor rated a little lower for 2 reasons. It is too sweet, and there is an out of place bitterness on the back end that reminds me of an American Barleywine. Otherwise, there is a bunch of raspberry and blackberry flavor on top of an almost Flanders like tart sourness and malty base.

This is exceptionally drinkable considering the abv and the rich sweetness. It has a little bit of body to it and carbonation is on the lower side so it is a little more port wine like.

I can accept the sweet dessert wine like aspect if the bitterness that seems to clash/stand out rather than balance it was gone. Enjoyable and unique
Dec 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.75 by drunkenmess from Michigan

Aug 20, 2017
 
Rated: 4.16 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Aug 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by Jonathan-Morgan from Florida

Aug 19, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by Pearlstreetbrewingco from Florida

May 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.12 by Resuin from Massachusetts

Jan 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.55 by strohme2 from Michigan

Sep 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.24 by loganburgh from Michigan

Aug 23, 2016
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Reviewed by SerialTicker from Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
At Kuhnhenn XV.

Well, that was outstanding ... unexpectedly one of my favorites from the event. 15%, but it goes down so stupidly easy. Almost mead-like, but still very much a beer... sweet, decadent, loaded with fruit. This is how a fruit beer should be. It's borderline a dessert wine, but again, a beer ... though it blurs the lines a bit. Not sure what else to say about this beer other than that I found it delicious and would really like to have it again. Yes, it's sweet, but come on... it's 15% and called Tenacious Cassis.
Aug 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.49 by ljc973 from Michigan

Aug 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by tommy5 from Michigan

Jul 20, 2016
Photo of amalburg
Reviewed by amalburg from Michigan

4.44/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
L raisen brown with a thin head
S tart raspberry and current
T incredible. So fruity. No booze.
M thin. Light carbonation.
O holy smokes this is 15% and tastes like super complex juice. I can feel it after 6oz.
Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.06 by Zaphog from Michigan

Jun 25, 2016
Tenacious Cassis from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 167 ratings