Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
2004 draught at MI summer beer fest. Pours a dark beige/hazelnut brown with some darker black waves in it. Small light brown head and plenty of rich oily coffee aroma. Aroma gets in your face, like a cold cup of coffee poured from the end of the pot. Very roasty, oily and nutty. Flavor is much the same. It tastes like an iced latte with a couple shots of espresso and a hint of vanilla syrup. The flavor is wonderful, but the body is very loose and gets a tad watery on the finish. There is some sweetness towards the finish, but it tastes lightly syrupy (but not cloying). Strange beer here, but it is a great drink for breakfast. Body is medium, low carbonation, slightly watery.
2005 bottle Wow, don’t remember the aroma being this intense. Extreme cappucino/mocha notes invade the nose. Head is well-retained and the body is heavily sedimented (unfiltered). The body could use a good deal more maltiness, and there are some dry, almost cardboardy notes, that get in the way of enjoying this as much as I would like to. Brown sugar, honey and coffee beans round out the finish. Medium body could be a bit fuller.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2004 draught at Michigan Brewers Festival. Pours a deep purple/dark blue with some lighter violet tinges and a small beige colored head. Nice and thick. Aroma has very fruity blueberries; sweet and ripe, with a sugary malt note on the backend. Flavor is lightly bitter and pleasingly fruity without being watery and weak. Lots of blueberries, but an equal dose of sweet malt and some bitter hops hold this one together well. Finishes bitter and a bit loose textured, but not watery. Mouthfeel is a touch gritty, seems very similar to a glass of blueberry juice with lots of pulp in it. Not sure of the alcohol content on this one, but it’s not apparent.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
2003 vintage sampled July 2004. This fine brew was about 14 months old when I was given a sample. It was dry hopped with 3 different types of hops after being removed from the barrel. I was given a siphon drawn serving right out of the plastic keg that it was dry hopping in. Pours a deep golden-brown, with some bright yellows and even some light green specks from the dissolving hop pellets. Head was minimal, anything arising quickly dissipated. Aroma was divine: earthy and juicy hops mix with caramel, toffee and butter. A solid aroma stays around while the beer is still in the glass. Not too overpowering bitter or sweet. A wonderful mix. Flavor is moderately sweet, but the addition of dry hops only a few weeks ago serves to drive away a good amount of the sweetness. The hops are fresh and soily tasting, but no hugely high-alpha hops were used, so it gains a wonderful hoppy flavor, but not overpoweringly bitter. Some hints of chocolate and touches of toffee linger on the finish. Mouthfeel is gritty and lightly chewy from the dissolved hops. There is almost no carbonation in this, just what has naturally arisen. Body is a touch too loose, but for such a huge beer, it is very delicate and drinkable. 11/04 release Deep dark brown appearance with a dark brown head. Notes of hops, caramel, coconut (from the bourbon), raisins, yeast, dark fruits. Flavor is lightly sweet at the start, with plenty of brown sugar, yeast and dark fruits mixing together (plums, grapes, blackberries). A bit of sourness in the body, which is medium-full to full. Smooth palate and plenty, but not too much, bourbon on the finish.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed IronMonger Dunkel from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
2004 draught. (thanks for addin this one, Psychprof, I lost the menu which had the commercial description). Soft drab brown with some grey hints and yet some dark yellow-brown tones as well. Small off-white head. Aroma of plenty of earthy nuttiness, a zip from the hops and plenty of chocolate. I really enjoyed the flavor the most though, not overdone, yet not subtle. The hops detract from the style, but I’m no judge. Still there is a ton of body on this one, especially for a dunkel. Chewy malty and chocolatey, with plenty of yeastiness. Medium-full body and a silky palate.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Alt from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
2004 bottle. Confirmed different than the Sticke Alt, which they sell side by side to this. Pours a delightful mix of browns, beiges, coppers and golds, bottle conditioned!!! with a good fleeting off-white head. Aroma of light nuttiness, chewy toffee, some earthy, soily hops, lightly dry yeast and hints of metal. Flavor is just bursting with malt, light earthy hops and yeast. The flavor hits you right away, washes over your palate and dosent leave. Who would ever have thought this little alt would prove such an incredibly flavorful, yet ever so drinkable beer?? Not me. But it is, wonderfully balanced and smooth. Medium to medium full body, but light enough on the palate to be able to drink a number of these. I was so impressed, my friend and I both actually, that we bought a case. Incredible beer, the bottle conditioning adds flavor and life to this one.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
2004 draft. Finally back in the rotation after a long time in the works. Pours an inky blackish/brown, not altogether opaque with the light playing on the sides and revealing a dark, but layered color. Aroma of some hazelnuts, light chocolate and hints of cocoa. Touch of dry bitterness. Flavor is similar to the aroma. Like a dry stout in its body and mouthfeel, this one dosent overpower. The flavor is much better than the stout Kuhnhenn makes, with more malt to stick to your tongue and some decent lasting roastiness. Finishes with chocolate and of course much thinning, but it could be much worse. An easy sipping porter with no major flaws other than a bit too thin of body, but look at it as a traditional english porter, and this can be easily forgiven. 7/4/7/3/13
2004 draught Edinburgh yeast version Much improved both in flavor and body. Served side by side with the nitro version, I much preferred the CO2. Good roast, caramel and nut notes and the yeast provides some light fruity notes (light plums, blackberries, cherries). 7/4/8/4/16
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Batch #1 brewed Spring 2004. Sampled this while it was still cold conditioning at the brewery. Pours a lazy, hazy yellow, quite thick and syrupy looking with a firm white head. Smells of lightly sweet bananas, some hints of vanilla and almonds and honey and plenty of malt. Caramelized bananas are definitely not out of the question here. What a strange beer to be sure, like a white stout, with generally more lighter sweeter flavors and less harsh, oily dark, bitter ones. Sweet, but not too much so, bananas on the verge of being too much but they seem to go well with the chocolate mousse like tones, and mix in with the bananas foster effect, so it maintains its drinkability, if only so much that you accept it as a theme beer. Gets a little dry and hints at some dark chocolate/caramel tones as it finishes. Strong carbonation, medium to medium full body. Enjoyable and unique.
Batch #2 brewed late 2004 Had a new sample, this time from the new batch (2nd batch), that was cold conditioning December 2004, poured by non other than, you guessed it, Brad himself. True to Kuhnhenn’s committment to improving upon their existing styles, this beer was even better than the first batch. This new batch used whole bananas cut up by Brad himself, as opposed to the banana puree used in the first batch. Much more even flavor, a smooth silky body, with warming vanilla and alcohol undertones, rich and malty with a wonderful banana flavor. I needn’t even mention that this is not overdone with bananas, Kuhnhenn is practically synonymous with balanced fruit beers. Fantastic stuff and I’m sorry I probably won’t be around to try more of it.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
2004 bottle. A mix between a smoked and a herb beer, but the sage is significantly more dominant than the smoke. It pours a rusty, goldenrod yellow, hazy and full of sediment; quite bottle conditioned. Good white head as well and plenty of darker brown colors swirling around. Aroma is full of sage, light grease and smoke that would come off of a skillet that was grilling perhaps some turkey sausage and some herbed eggs. Flavor is malty right away, caramel, honey and some dough but then the sage comes out and mixes with the light smoke creating the breakfast sausage (definitely eggs too) effect. Incredibly cool that they brewed this beer for that effect and achieved it. Tastes great, plenty of malt, spice and smoke to go around and not linger too much on any one aspect. It has a bit of astringency from the large amount of sage, on the finish, but it’s to be expected. I suppose you really have to like sage and sausage and eggs to get in to this one, but I love them all and this beer is magnificent.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Coffee Rauch from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
2004 draught. Pours a light brown, with some hints of amber/orange underneath. Good mocha colored head. Smells of caramel, light roasted coffee with some chocolate in there. Little smoke apparency in the aroma. No hops as well. The flavor is quite subtle for a coffee/smoked beer. Lots of light coffee mainly, and a sweet caramel malt asserts itself. Tastes very authentic and fresh. As the caramel wears off, there is some smoked flavor on the end, it is light and cedary, not big, oily and greasy. Hops not apparent. Body is medium, lightly watery, mild carbonation.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Saison from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
2004 draught.
Fairly bright yellow, light rusty orange tints. Small disippating white head. Aroma is sharp of hops and yeast, has some light citrus. Slight dusty/musty notes. Flavor is dry, lightly sour and astringent. Some orange peel notes, light hops flavor (spicy and dry). No funk to this, and not enough malt, though there is a mild honey sweetness.
Growler, Nov 2006 consumed the same day as purchase
Immediately dissipating head fizzles quickly to nothing, leaving no lacing. Medium clarity in the hazy, marmalade-honey colored body.
Supremely yeasty nose, with white pepper phenols, dough, bread, a touch of banana and some very minimal fruitiness (cherry, apple, strawberry). Hops are very dry, not juicy or overly aromatic and remind most of dried grass and hay.
Extremely overattenuated in flavor, with tons of doughy yeast blandness. Light bitterness from the hops, low flavoring as well, just light herbs and grass. Meaty and musty, rather than crisp and snappy. Also very watery and low on flavor. Seems they could use more malt and/or more residual sweetness to get some more body as this is precariously thin. Recipe seems minimally modified from 2 years ago. Score is the same.