2004 draught 12/04 at the brewery. Bright yellow-golden, large bubbles, light haze and a small white head. Aroma of light dusty pils malt, some light wheat notes and a tinge of hops. Flavor begins with a light, unagressive yeast, followed by a lightly metallic hops and grain body. The wheat keeps the flavor dry while providing a very even and soft body. Moderate carbonation, faint honey notes. Even served fairly cold, I can still find plenty of flavor in this. Light hints of lemon arise as it warms, brought on by the hops, which are very well done (not overdone). Extremely drinkable, medium-light body and wonderfully to style. Perhaps a little less yeast apparency than I would like, but that could be a result of drinking this too cold. As was intended by the style, this beer goes down quick and easy, with a refreshing hops zing and a smooth, clean wheat and malt end.

Bottle @ Kuhnhenn. Pours a light blueberry pulp color (which if you’ve seen blueberry pulp, it’s not blue, it’s a yellowish-pale gold sort of color). No head, light haze. Aroma of sweet berries cut with some alcohol. Perfume-like notes arise as well. Palate is very well done, with a wonderful balance between honey, fruit and dry alcohol. In the end, the fruit is somewhat dominant, but not cloying or syrupy. There is a bit of yeastiness on the end and the typical fermented honey alcohol flavor. Still, you wouldnt know this stuff is 13 percent abv. Deliciously fruity flavors, tart, if somewhat acidic finish.

2002 bottle that my friend finally decided to open. Deep gold with light orange and slight amber tinges. Plenty of sediment loosely floating around, light bit of white bubbles clinging to the edge of the glass. Aroma of strong honey and alcohol, light herbal notes as well. Some dry yeast, and a good dose of freshly picked wildflowers. Begins strong and sweet, with a pleasing bite to it from the alcohol and zesty but low carbonation. Light orange and rusty, caramelly notes mix together in the body, with a hint of sourness on the finish and a good dose of sharp alcohol. Medium to medium full body. Great flavor, but just needs more aging to bring out some more complexities and nuances; they are there, no doubt.

From the bottle side by side with the traditional dry version. Same appearance, pale gold with some light honey tones. Smattering of lace and a fruitier, sweeter aroma. Lots of honey, hints of vanilla, banana, apricot, peach. Flavor is full of honey sweetness, but there is still a dry white wine yeast flavor on the finish giving it a bit of sour bite. Notes of spoiled/overripened fruit are not altogether unpleasant. Medium body, low carbonation. Very well made mead, but like the traditional version, I still prefer the softer, less acidic and sour orange blossom variety to this more white wine-like mead.

Bottle @ the brewery. Pours a pale-golden color, lightly bubbly with a smattering of white lace on top, rapidly disipating. Aroma of pears, light alcohol, strong yeast, notes of champagne and some honey. Flavor is mildly sour, quite tart with a small dose of acidity lingering on the palate. Yeasty and dry, this stuff tastes of quality. Medium-light bodied, and as wohlfs says, it is quite reminiscent of a lighter, dry white wine. Low carbonation, lightly chewy, with a hint of sugar and dry fruit rinds. Great stuff, but I can’t get over Kuhnhenn’s honey blossom mead, which is the best mead I’ve ever tasted.

2004 nitro tap. Dark yellow/golden-orange, very bright and consistent color with, of course, a huge, creamy off-white nitro head. Aroma of fresh fruity and spicy hops, not overly citric or floral, just juicy and round smelling. Flavor is juicy, lightly citric, and very hoppy. It dosent kill you with bitterness and it’s got plenty of creamy honey-flavored malt balance. Finish is a mix of fruitiness (pear, peach and apricot skin) with some resemblance to an orange creamsicle. Very drinkable. Nitro IPA is a cool idea and it works well. The fresh, bright, hoppy flavors break through the usually restraining character of nitrogen. It adds a wonderful element of creaminess and drinkability.

November 2004 draught. At first I thought this was the much famed Russian Imperial Stout from 2002, but this is in fact a different recipe. Dark brown appearance, completely clouded over with a dark dark burnt tan head that is retained very well. Very intensely nutty and burnt aroma; lots of black malt, and roasted barley. Dry on the nose is an understatement. Flavor, however, is surprisingly much more balanced, with plenty of caramel adding sweetness. Good chocolatey tones throughout and a lovely milk-chocolate finish. Lightly bitter roast throughout, low hops apparency. Light nutty coffee notes, a touch of yeast and no alcohol whatsoever. Body is a bit lighter than expected, though it makes it that much more drinkable. A bit too bitter on the finish, with all the roast, but it’s still superb.

November 2005 draught Thick, tar-like pour is black with deep browns near the edges and a fluffy tan head perched atop that retains well and provides plenty of lacing. Carbonation is evident from the bubbly head and apparent bubbles surfacing. The nose is very malt oriented, with salt, prunes, milk chocolate and a bit of sharp brandy-like notes from the alcohol. Pieces of ashen barley really break on the palate, as the brown sugar and salty chocolate try to balance (which they do, to some extent). Hops are subtle (for the style) and provide juicy, green hop belches, retronasal. The flavor is full of cocoa steeped in molasses, very dry with definite peanut-brittle suggestions, raisins and light prunes. High amount of bitterness on the end, seemingly comes out of nowhere, as the hop flavor is low on this one. Mouthfeel is not syrupy, nor particularly heavy, though some soy sauce-like notes do crowd the palate on the end. Carbonation is firm, though low.

2004 draught. Glad to see walleye added this one, as I couldnt remember the commercial description or the alcohol percent. I was pretty excited about this one; I generally enjoy most of their lagers here, and adding the extra gravity and alcohol tends to be a strong point of theirs. Pours a light chestnut brown with some dark yellow tinges, lightly hazed and transluscent. Small off-white head. Aroma has sharp hops, grainy and bitter, with hints of alcohol, dry nutty notes and a good even caramel smell as well. Flavor is surprisingly bitter and well-hopped at the beginning but then grows sweeter with a lightly dry caramelly/toffeeish malt. Medium-full body, a bit loose towards the end, but very smooth. This isn’t your classic German heavily malted, richly sweet doppel, but it’s a good americanized hoppier take.

2004 batch on draught at the Michigan brewers fest. Pours a soft hazy orange/peach, lightly effervescent with a large amount of foamy white head. Aroma has peaches, apricots, light touches of honey, soft bananas and doughy yeastiness. Ever so slight hint of citrus and hops. Flavor is quite sweet and bursting with fruit, yeast and more fruit. Doughy sweet malt, candi sugar and a pleasingly bitter hops finish (only slightly apparent). The body really delivers the knock out blow though. It’s got a not too full, but full body, soft and velvety at first, it gains a spritzy feel towards the end and mixed with the simcoe hops, it adds just the right amount of balance on the end. Incredibly drinkable, no hints anywhere of the high alcohol content and no wateriness whatsoever. Possibly the best at the Fest and my favorite for sure.