Kuhnhenn Vintage Ale - Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

womencantsail

California

2.8/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy dark amber color. Nose is kind of funky for a barleywine. It’s got the requisite Kuhnhenn booziness along with caramel and brown sugar. A bit of dark fruit, too. The flavor is kind of cheesy, which is off-putting. The booze is well represented, too. Sweet caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and toasted malt flavors with a light fruitiness. Surprising bitterness for a beer like this, too. Not my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 16:08:55 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to jale for picking this bottle up for Amyliz4 and me. Served in an oversized snifter.

Pours a moderately-dark brown color with a short off-white head and some very light lacing. The nose carries plenty of dark fruit but also quite a bit of alcohol. Malt and sweetness throughout. Plenty of fruit through the flavor, though I wish there were a bit less booze, even for a 17% beer. Medium body with low carbonation and a boozy finish. Pretty good, but not quite up to the level of Kuhnhenn's other big stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 22:56:20 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, dark amber body with a foamy, tall beige head.

Smell: It's toasted caramel, raisins, booze and they all have glasses of grain alcohol in their hands (even the booze).

Taste: Syrupy caramel and toffee with a resounding sweetness. Dried dark fruits rehydrated in cinnamon liqueur deliver a jolt of acidity. Finishes so hot, you need to crack open a window.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Nicely warming alcohol presence.

Drinkability: A fine sipper suited to cold weather drinking. It's no lawnmower beer, but you could possibly run the lawnmower on it... If there's one thing about Kuhnhenn, it's that they don't fuck around when it comes to the abv of their line-up!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2008 03:08:38 | More by ChainGangGuy

MasterSki

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Summer Solstice 2011. No ABV listed on this bottle. Served in my Kuhnhenn snifter.

A - Off-white foam settles to a thick collar, near-complete cap, and a few tiny spots of lace. Lightly hazed caramel body that gets darker if you aren't careful with the yeast. For 17% color me impressed.

S - Intensely sweet, with scads of booze-soaked fruits - pineapples, candied apricots, toffee, Sultana raisins, as well as grain alcohol and fusels when it starts to warm up. There's definitely still residual hop presence, with some mild cheesy decaying beta acids, pine, and herbal flavors in the periphery.

T - Taste is heavier on the toffee and dark fruits, with more balance provided by bittering hops and toasted grains. Alcohol seems less present to taste, but the flavor also seems more muted and lacking in depth. Perhaps a hint of milk chocolate and a nebulous tropical fruit quality to it as well.

M - While the booze may not be obvious in the flavor, there's some serious warming going on, and I've got a definite buzz after 6oz or so. Body is medium-full, carbonation is low, texture is sticky and chewy. Spot-on for the style and ABV.

D - At nearly a year this is approaching enjoyable, but I suspect additional aging would be of benefit (and I rarely recommend this). Might be stellar in 2016, but might also be undrinkable - gamble accordingly. Still, I finished all 12oz on my own and was never tempted to poor it out - that's pretty impressive for a 17% brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 02:46:32 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Jay for sharing this. 2007 bottle.

Deep orange body, almost opaque. Thin foam collar, connected by a thin skim in the center. Borderline harsh fusels, vodka-infused apricots, dried tangerines.

Citrusy orange marmalade with bits of peels, canned peach or pineapple, generally lots of tropical fruits. Very rich feel, very sweet and strong. Aftertaste is a lingering sugary citrus confection, with an underlying sting of alcohol. It's best shared, or at least needs to spend a year in time-out to mellow the unapologetic booziness.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2008 03:09:14 | More by emerge077

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, big thanks to grub for picking this up for me at last years Solstice party.

Pours a crystal clear bright ruby red, really brilliant colour, thin light tan head forms, quickly settles to a thin ring around the glass, no lace but some legs. Smell is intense, boozy alcohol, figs and raisins, lots of caramel, tropical fruit, sherry, earthy, very malty bastard, huge mix of caramel, alcohol and fruit. Taste is similar, very boozy up front, but lots of caramelized malts and raisin, very intense flavour, bready malts, honey, alcohol, all in a big insane mix. Mouthfeel is full bodied, almost syrupy with low carbonation, lots of heat on the way down. Pretty insane, a good night cap. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2008 04:49:56 | More by Viggo

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2007. Courtesy of grub. Thanks!
There was a mighty pop when it was opened. Murky caramel amber with a yellow beige cap of coarse foam that quickly fell, leaving a bit of a collar. Some short-lived stickage. Malty aroma, lots of caramel and toffee, grain and alcohol, some dried fruit, mild higher alcohols, sherry. Bitterness was solid, but got lost in the mix. Lots of fruit up front, hints of apple along with figs and other dried fruit, then caramel and molasses hit mid-palate. Alcohol dominated the end and lingered into the finish with the fruitiness and grain flavours. Mild fusel character (rose and solvent) that worked well and wasn't overpowering. Very sweet throughout. Quite a beast. Lots of warmth, but little in the way of hotness. Certainly numbed the tongue though. Full bodied and syrupy, lowish carbonation, decent texture for such a big beer. Quite a good drinker for the high abv.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2009 03:43:19 | More by DrJay

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks goes out to the GBX Crew (beeruser & funkydelic) for sharing this one during a recent tasting! 2011 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller oversized wine glass. Poured red-orange with a minimal off-white head. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sweet alcohol, sugar, wood, and caramel. The flavor was of sweet malt, sweet alcohol, wood, and caramel. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. I honestly went into this one expecting something fantastic. While it wasn’t bad, I definitely wouldn’t call it very memorable either. I was kind of glad that the sugar note I picked up on in the aroma didn’t come through on the flavor. Still fairly well balanced however. Worth trying if you get the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 11:40:22 | More by thagr81us

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle courtesy of jale, picked up at the Summer Solstice (thanks Jim!). Summertime was no time for a beer of this magnitude, so I've held off until December to crack one open.

It pours a medium-dark copper color with a very thin off-white wet looking foam. The aroma is VERY Kuhnhenn, strong and rich, evoking memories of Raspberry Eisbock and Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, that type of thing. Dark fruits like plums and figs, maybe a little cheesy too.

It tastes a lot smoother than you'd expect from such a high ABV beer, slightly sweet with a hint of burn in the aftertaste. All kinds of dark fruits come through in the flavor as well, adding dates and maybe ginger to the plums and figs.

Medium bodied, not as heavy as a 17% beer could be, really easier drinking than I expected. Excellent, this was a beer to savor.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2011 01:33:44 | More by TurdFurgison

FosterJM

California

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

969th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
12 oz

2011 Summer Solstice Release

Thanks to ErikKoppin for this one.

App- A bit like a think root beer with a bit of spirit amber/light brown in it. A bit of a 1/4" ring of bubbles and only a very few lines of cling to it.

Smell- Very boozy with a bit of caramel, malts, nougat and pineapple. Seemingly a bit thin on the nose but yet very boozy as mentioned.

Taste- This was very full of flavor. You have the Barleywine flavors mixed with some barrel, mixed with some DIPA and a little malty. Not really like another beer I have had but still tasty even with all that booze and flavor behind it.

Mouth- A creamy medium body with a a low/medium carbonation level. A good bit of peppery booze with a trailing thick citrus on the back end.

Drink- Only my 2nd Kuhnhenn beer and this was good but needed a bit more thickness to match the ABV. At 17% needs more to cut this, maybe a bit thicker? Maybe a little sweeter.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 07:25:42 | More by FosterJM

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle acquired in trade with pantanap (thanks!).

This one was one of those slow creeping gushers. The kind that didn't spray, but kept on creeping out of the bottle.

Poured a deeper brownish / amberish color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits, nuts, caramel, and a little 'stale'. Tastes of dark fruits, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, and just all around sweet. Some alcohol in the finish but not 17%.

Notes from 5/20/08

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2008 14:30:42 | More by hopdog

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

16oz flip-top growler into a Weyerbacher tulip. Huge thanks to Tony for sharing this huge beer.

A: Clear medium amber body with a 1/2" of fine off-whte head. Incredible retention and lacing for such a gigantic brew. You'd never guess from looking at it that it weighs in at 17%.

S: Huge, dry, fruity booze. Smells like a dry dessert wine, if such a thing exists. Grape skin, dates, grapefruit (but NOT from hops), and dry, bready malt. Ridiculous in ever sense of the word.

T: Lots of grapes and booze, with the latter really taking over. This tastes like a mixture of barleywine and vodka, and yet it's kind of ok.

M: Viscous medium body with a touch of prickly carbonation. Just fine.

O: Another crazy one from Kuhnhenn, and I can't say I'm surprised. They really know what they're doing with beers of astronomical alcohol, although this one didn't provide quite the memorable individuality of their gigantic fruit beers or BBBW. It did, however, pair spectacularly with Winnimere cheese...

Cheers!

Serving type: growler

06-12-2011 12:47:53 | More by woosterbill

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle purchased at the winter solstice party dec 21/07. label also notes "Burns 2007" at the top, indicating it was brewed by their new brewer, Wayne Burns, formerly of Bo's. website indicates 17% ABV. sampled jan 12/08.

pours hazy deep orange, almost reddish brown. a small gold head rises up then quickly falls to a ring around the glass. no lace.

aroma is good. light alcohol. tons of caramel. big bready malt. great fruity character - raisin, light citrus. bit of toasty character.

taste is good. alcohol. big fruity character - lots of raisin and date, bit of cherry and cranberry. big bready malt. low bitterness level. tons of caramel. bit of honey sweetness. bit of grapefruit. earthy hops. interesting and unique.

mouthfeel is good. medium-low carbonation level. nice big body.

drinkability is very good. the alcohol is noticeable and warming, but not overpowering. with all the great fruity character it makes me think of a nice port. the alcohol and malty/fruity character balance well against each other. though i don't know if i'd call it an american barleywine, i really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 03:36:09 | More by grub

Crosling

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ruby colored ale with a head that holds very well for such a strong beer. Nose doesn't have much character at all and is dominated by booze and maybe a touch malt. Flavor, however, is very nice. Doesn't have a lot of complexity or depth, but it's a nice strong sweet ale, with very well hidden alcohol. Notes of nougat, vanilla and toffee. I think it's a very nice strong ale, but the aroma sucks.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2008 02:51:26 | More by Crosling

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle to tulip.

A - Medium amber with a bright orange glow around the edges. A small layer of off-white head formed and quickly receded to a ring around the glass.

S - Sweet caramel, some brown sugar and toffee. Not an overly complex nose and very sweet.

T - A big sweetness up front full of dark caramel, molasses and toffee. A huge alcohol presence enters in the middle and lingers considerably in the finish.

M - Medium to full body with a good chew. Light carbonation.

O - Way too boozy and somewhat one dimensional. I guess that is somewhat par for the course for 17% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 12:42:45 | More by TheSevenDuffs

mcallister

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2007 vintage.

Pours with some with a whispy tan head that quickly fades into nothing leaving nothing behind. Deep amber in color.

Big aromas bursting with prune, date and raisin. Very hot in the nose, sweet brown sugar, a bourbon like note, hints of maple and a woody aroma.

Rich, bold and delicious. Dried black cherry, prune, date, burnt caramel. Nice brown sugary sweetness with a drying dose of burnt alcohol. Raisins and toffee and again a boubonesque twang. Mouth is creamy and biting good carbonation for a beer of this alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 22:23:25 | More by mcallister

cosmicevan

New York

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

thank to bierenutz for sending this one my way. enjoyed out of a kuhnhenn tulip.

2011 vintage (not so vintage)

a - brew poured a transparent caramel color with a frothy off white foamy head that slowly dissipated leaving bubbly islands on the surface of the brew. Lacing is sparse and spotty.

s - nice caramel toffee malt with some boozy hop presence. smells big bold and thick...even syrupy.

t - slam you in the face booziness. finishes bitter. some semblance of caramel malts, but all is underscored by the raging heat of the alcohol.

m - surprisingly medium to light bodied. fairly boozy, but doesn't feel 17%...feels more 10 to 12%. i would've expected it to be more syrupy.

o - overall this is an extreme beer, but comes off relatively easy to drink for the sheer size (dfh take note). there are some nice flavors going on but it is very much all a backseat to the booze, however the booze is very tolerable. once you get adjusted to the abvs, the nice toffee caramel malts show up more. quite good for a beer this huge.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 00:28:21 | More by cosmicevan

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2011 vintage

Pours a pretty reddish orange. A nice bit of offwhite head. Not too thick but viscous as I would expect for a 17 percent beer.
Smells rich and malty. a nice hop presence. booze underlying it all. An almost fruity nose.
Tastes sweet and fruity. Thick, boozy, but certainly doesn't taste or feel like 17 percent. lots of malts and fruity characteristics. A few sips in the burn hits. Enjoyable but potent

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 02:22:46 | More by Urbancaver

aforbes10

Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Konrad for picking this up for me! Pours a burny umber to red with a surprisingly tall and resilient head of light orange brown.

Odor is fruity (sweet currants, dates and black cherries) with some sweet malts and alcohol. Smells a bit like an old dark rum. Becomes much fruitier and pungent as it warms.

Aggressive flavors of unami (!) and alcohol with overripe dates and sour currants. Huge sweet malt backbone. Bold and almost salty in its aggressiveness. Lingering brandy burn and hot fruits.

Mouthfeel is fizzy and thick. milkshake-like but without the creaminess.

After only a few sips i can feel the alcohol hitting me. This is an all-evening beer, for sure. The high alcohol Dogfish Head beers have nothing on this for drinkability and flavor...and all around craftsmanship. I still have yet to find anything but winners among Kuhnhenn's catalog.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2008 13:02:47 | More by aforbes10

Amalak

New York

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this off the tap at Barcade in Brooklyn. It has a nice clear, copper color to it. There's a good foamy white head and some lacing behind. Nice citrusy scent.

This is a dangerous beer. According to the board this is 17 percent abv and it doesn't taste like that. It's citrusy, with a very nice fruity IPA taste ot it. Some malt and a lemon underpin. It's strong as hell, but not in a port wine kind of way.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2011 04:08:11 | More by Amalak

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes...

Pours a tiny head , relatively sticky lacing, strong copper gold in color.

Aroma of booze, Lemon Rind, Citrus and light caramel mixing with plenty of extra sweet malt aromas.

Taste is primarily citrus and lemon , lots of booze slightly reminiscent of nail polish remover. Although I would never drink nail polish remover, I would definitely drink this again. It is not for the faint hearted and if you are ready for a 17 percent beer, you will enjoy this. I shared a 32 oz growler with a friend and this really did quite well over the course of an hour or so in adjusting slightly with the temperature shifting around towards room temperature. As it warmed, I got more cotton candy/ caramel flavors and it opened up to be a little sweeter and complex than it was when first popped open.

Mouthfeel is syrupy and medium at the same time with a very light carbonation due to the style and appropriate.

Serving type: growler

06-09-2011 02:27:22 | More by alpinebryant

n2185

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear copper with a finger of beige head that recedes to a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Lots of caramel malts up front with notes of dark fruits like plums and red grapes. There are also some bubblegum and candy sugar notes.

T: Similar to the aroma, caramel malts and dark fruits, especially grapes, hit first. Candy sugar follows along with a piny bitterness from the hops and a light burn on the finish.

M: Medium-thick body with low carbonation, this beer is only a little sticky feeling. I could use a bit more body, though, as it ends up feeling a little watery.

O: A pretty solid barleywine. The most remarkable thing about this beer is its ability to hide its very high abv very well. I thought the beer was maybe 9-11% based on tasting it and was very surprised to learn that it was 17%. Unfortunately, it lacks the complexity needed for a great barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 01:13:31 | More by n2185

joe1510

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz Bottle

2007 Vintage

Here we go again, another Kuhnhenn gem from hoppymeal; you send such great beer Derek! Vintage Ale has a mahogany body that glows bright ruby when backlit. Tiny particulates suspend throughout but the clarity is still very good. The dirty white head grew to two fingers easily but settled at a skim coat with a surprisingly thick collar. The collar stays in place thanks to the carbonation riding up the sides of the glass. Thin but sticky carbonation is left behind after each tilt of the glass.

The nose on this brew is very different; big, bold and boozy without question. There's a metric ton of caramel sweetness in the nose which is closely followed by a warm but clean alcohol heat and mild vanilla. Date's, figs and prunes all lend a helping hand but there's also an unexpected fresh fruitiness, tangerine and mango come to mind. There's a slight penny character but oddly enough it adds to the overall aroma. Interesting indeed.

The flavors follow every twist and turn the nose suggested. The caramel is still here in boatloads while the bursting fruitiness comes at me from every direction. Apricot, tangerine and mango all bring some sweetness as figs, pears, plums and bring more of that earthy fruitiness. There's a hint of leather and tobacco in every other sip but it's constantly evolving. The more of this beer I drink the better it gets to the point of being irresistible. The only thing holding this back is the booziness on the swallow.

The body is full with a sight stick left behind after each drink. The carbonation massages the tongue but is mellow enough to let this beer work through at its own pace. Slow is the name of the game with this brew.

The heat on the finish drops the drinkability a touch but this really is a great cold evening brew. Each sip warms my core and makes me want the next soon after.

This is a high quality brew. The abv was a little distracting on the first couple drinks but as this opened up it really blossomed into a gem. I would love another one of these to try in another year or two. Thanks again for the great brew Derek!

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2008 07:57:38 | More by joe1510

kirok1999

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Mcallister for a generous trade for some North Coast stuff.
Pours a dark orange brown with a foamy white head. I popped the bottle, turned my back and it overflowed on the counter. Sniff...
Smells very fruity, thick and tart.
Tastes very fruity, not at all the hop bomb you expect from a barleywine. Almost more Belgian. Very carbonated, lush and tart with ripe fruit and slight citrus note in the finish.
Feels fizzy and full. Easy to sip slowly on a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2008 01:58:29 | More by kirok1999

hoppymeal

Michigan

4.72/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a medium copper to amber in color, plenty of sediment and haze, a decent size light caramel head fades to a ring. Aroma is apple-y, raisins, prunes, and sugary caramel dessert bread. Some yeasty breadiness in here as well, and just a small hint of the alcohol. Taste follows the aromas fairly well, a bit of the apple before it goes more sweet into the raisins and caramel sugars, apple is again evident towards the finish along with a good yeastiness and a small warmth of alcohol. Mouthfeel is fairly heavy in body, sugary, but still cut well by the yeastiness and alcohol warmth. A great beer, this one is going to age like a champ, but is a delicious dessert substitute now. Really like the apple notes and good yeastiness.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 02:07:33 | More by hoppymeal