Kuhnhenn Solar Eclipse - Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

WorldWideStout

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2010 vintage.

A: Quite thick and dark as it is poured out, and no head whatsoever. Obviously.

S: As I am pouring the beer, my nostrils pick up what at first smells like pure alcohol. Luckily, more in depth sniffs reveal molasses, dark fruit, chocolate, and brown sugar, with alcohol fusels in the background, not dominating.

T: I get the booze right away, which is an oddity for me, as I usually don't taste the heat until the middle of the sip. There are also some notes of unripe plums and molasses that come in soon after. The dark fruit pervades the middle, turning a bit tart, truth be told. The beer gets even odder towards the end, with a cherry cough medicine taste taking over at the very end of the sip and comprising the entirety of the aftertaste which lingers for at least 10 seconds, much longer than preferred.

M: More carbonated and less thick than I would have expected. It does feel fairly creamy when sloshed around in the mouth, but not that heavy.

O: A peculiar beer. I have another that I will age for a few more years, but I fear that the medicinal aspects of the beer will only become more prominent.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 04:30:34 | More by WorldWideStout

FalconA

Washington

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-14-2013 22:31:01 | More by FalconA

Jasonrm72

Colorado

4.69/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2008 vintage
pitch black, no head.
Strong bourbon scent, strong bourbon flavor. Finishes with a bourbon booziness (redundant, but saying it once doesn't do it justice) . Incredibly smooth, Full mouthfeel, a bit sticky. For not being barrel aged, this is as good as it gets. This is what I look for in a stout.
Edit: Whew, 18% ABV, didn't say it on the bottle. That explains some things.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 04:44:41 | More by Jasonrm72

kirkfrailey

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%

02-25-2013 19:05:59 | More by kirkfrailey

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%

02-25-2013 06:26:10 | More by CaptainNomihodai

mjenkins5

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +21.5%

02-20-2013 02:51:45 | More by mjenkins5

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.21/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

2007 Vintage

A - the name is a misnomer, solar eclipses are generally brighter than this beer, a big fizzy brown head that fades quickly

S - whoa! the age has brought this beer to powerful heights! bourbon, oak, some vanilla, even some dastardly dark fruits, the aroma is pervasive, from feet away even

T - some beers pack a punch, this one packs a shotgun blast! big alcohol, and definitely bourbon, with some vanilla derived sweetness, toffee or burnt caramel. Some tartness makes me pucker , but its soooo worth it!

M&D&O - smooth and ass-kicking all at once, sor puckering for just a moment, then sooo good. smooth,layered, complex, and challenging,. I miss Kuhnhenn!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 00:17:55 | More by sinstaineddemon

DmanGTR

New York

4.5/5  rDev +15.1%

01-28-2013 14:31:03 | More by DmanGTR

MordorMongo

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-14-2013 13:04:33 | More by MordorMongo

cmadd

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

01-13-2013 06:37:34 | More by cmadd

marine1975

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-12-2013 21:49:38 | More by marine1975

AgentZero

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

11-28-2012 05:22:08 | More by AgentZero

sneaks2210

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

11-16-2012 02:59:44 | More by sneaks2210

monitorpop

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

11-11-2012 18:20:37 | More by monitorpop

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +2.3%

10-19-2012 02:39:55 | More by t0rin0

freehafe

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

09-08-2012 20:33:14 | More by freehafe

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.55/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I can't think of a better occassion to drink this beer than. . . a solar eclipse. Popped open at the fiftyfifty solar eclipse party. Wasn't all big bad black in the appearance, was equal parts black and brown actually. Aroma was just pungent alcohol and yeast more than anything else.

Taste, powerful alcohol, a yeasty dominance, you can pull out some oak/wood and chocolate malt notes if you really search and get acclimated to the strength of the beer. A little more sweetness to the beer may have helped cover up the alcohol heat. A little bit of that dark fruit sensation is there, but this is a relatively straightforward beer, probably two yeast strains and just gobs of alcohol all over it. Enjoyable for what it is, a novelty.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 16:10:07 | More by Beerandraiderfan

resistdefy

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-26-2012 20:06:08 | More by resistdefy

bierdabbler

New York

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-23-2012 00:26:21 | More by bierdabbler

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2010 vintage

A - Pours a pitch black with no foam but a ring of tan bubbles around the glass
S - I'm picking up alot of dark fruits, some soy sauce, brown sugar some roastiness.
T - Hit with a big amount of plum, really sweet brown sugar, very sweet, there is no roastiness at all. There is also a bit of a soy sauce flavor to it but its not distracting. The sweetness almost becomes cloying which is weird. I've never had a RIS this sugary. Maybe it should have sat longer.
M/D - smooth and slightly creamy. almost thin bodied. The alcohol is actually starting to take effect on me. The sweetnes limits this one so far and the alcohol hits you pretty quickly.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 03:31:20 | More by mikereaser

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-21-2012 00:12:17 | More by imperialking

whartontallboy

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

01-16-2012 22:53:05 | More by whartontallboy

Marti403

Michigan

4/5  rDev +2.3%

01-13-2012 06:24:42 | More by Marti403

billab914

Virginia

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

2008 vintage poured into my CBS snifter. It poured black in color with a fine tan lacing sticking to the edges of the glass. Very dark and still.

The aroma has a lot of dark fruits in it. I get fig and plum mixing with a brown sugar and molasses sweetness. Decent amount of booze is there as well. Just a hint of roasted malts. Very nice aroma to it.

The taste shows a lot of the sweeter dark fruits to it throughout. I get a little chocolate and roasted malts in the finish along with some caramel and alcohol. Lots of malty, fruity sweetness to it. Very flavorful beer overall.

The mouthfeel is thick and a little syrupy with carbonation being low. Overall it was a pretty good beer. It has a lot of dark fruit, sweeter, malty flavors to it and seemed to lean towards the old ale style a little to me. Pretty smooth and flavorful, especially given the abv %, but it also seemed a little overly sweet and one dimensional at times as well. A very enjoyable beer to sip on though this evening.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 02:47:12 | More by billab914

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2007 vintage.

Pours a dark chocolate brown color that appears pitch black and completely opaque in the glass with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a thick, lasting ring. Streaks of lacing left behind.

Sweet, boozy aroma with with subtle dark fruit accompanying the sweet and roasted dark malts. Huge ethanol/alcohol presence overpowers things a bit too much for my liking hiding the malt character. Underneath all of the booze there are hints of chocolate, coffee bean, toffee, fig and raisin. The malts become more prominent as it warms but the alcohol still dominates the nose.

Medium bodied and slightly oxidized with tight carbonation lingering throughout. Lots of sweet, boozy heat but more complex than the aroma suggests. Slight smokey presence with a subtle roasted malt character that counters all of the sweetness. Hints of dark chocolate, coffee bean, char and oatmeal provide some nice bitterness as a counterpoint to the booze, chocolate malt and dark fruit notes. This beer has calmed down a bit in four years but there is still a ton of alcohol flavor. Sweet booze overpowers the other flavors but the ABV is relatively well masked. A decent amount of heat in the finish but not harsh and it's surprisingly easy to drink. It's definitely still a sipper but I finished the bottle way faster than expected.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 07:20:26 | More by corby112