Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine

Brewed by Kuhnhenn Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Warren, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter

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EBF 2007: Pours a light brown with a loose tan head. Aroma, oaky, caramel, vanilla, some molasses, a bit of boozy bourbon. Flavor, Rich caramel, and toffee, some mild bourbon flavors, nothing over powering. There was a bit of heat, but it was welcoming. The perfect beer to start off Saturday after standing in the cold for 30 minutes. Great stuff.

UPDATED: MAY 9, 2008 [I’ve had the pleasure of having this beer several more times, and each time it just gets worse - it’s still good, but the wow moment I had at first just isn’t happening anymore - oxidation and booziness have started to become noticeable qualities] EBF 2007 - this was one of the highlights of the fest for me - there were lots of bourbon-aged beers, but this was one of the few that was done right - dark brownish red with small head of large bubbles (almost looks like it’s out of the cask) - complex aroma of vanilla, oak, toffee, some fruity esters (cherries), bourbon (though it doesn’t dominate) - lots of wet wood and vanilla in the flavor, with subdued notes of whiskey (though not boubon specifically), without being boozy - very heavy and chewy - rather than washing out the barleywine characteristics (heavy caramel and toffee with light fruity esters), the woodiness melts into the background adding a gentle, earthy touch to what I’m sure was already an outstanding beer - amazing.

12’er. What nectar. Dark brown color. Outstanding aroma. Astonishingly complex flavor of absorbed wood (coconut, vanilla, soaked wood, light whiskey) and heavy malt (an array of cinnamon covered fruit, caramel and toffee. Very, very smooth. If anyone has any bottles of this for trade, I am willing to trade heavily for it.

WOW, what a beer! thanks to Styles for getting the Kuhnhenn Holiday gift pack. aroma is all about the bourbon with some vanilla and dark fruit. flavor is a great mix of sweet malts, earthy oak, plums, vanilla, bourbon and some brown sugar. this is one of those sippin’ beers that would be easy to gulp down. yeah, it’s that smooth. most other bourbon beers are hot or one dimensional, but this is just smooth and very drinkable. Kuhnhenn’s continues to impress and I hope I can get ahold of this one again next year!!!

12oz, big thanks to walleye for this. poured deep ruby with just about no head. nose is impressive with fresh plums, bourbon, sweet chocolate, vanilla, and a touch of alcohol. flavor has very nice candied dark fruits, caramel, raspberries dipped in chocolate, butterscotch, brown sugar, cotton candy, and just hints of bourbon. mouthfeel is syrupy but not cloying. alcohol does warm a bit but doesn’t bite and for a 14.5% it’s impressive. the bourbon just accents this wonderful bw and adds even more complexity.

Thanks go out to Chris for the chance to try this beer. Served in a tulip glass from a 12oz bottle that says 14.5% alc. Not the 12% the site has it listed at. Poured very vigorously to try to agitate it and get some sort of head from the beer....but nonetheless it formed a nice caramel dark toffee colored head for all of a couple seconds than falls out very quickly to no head what so ever. The aroma is VERY good on this brew...lots of brown sugar, molasses, caramel, toffee, sweet dark fruits, brandy/bourbon notes with a little bit of oak woodsiness that leads to a small amount of vanilla. The alcohol is also pretty dominant in the aroma. On to the flavors...this truly is a sipping beer that could be enjoyed for an hour before finishing the bottle. The flavor is sweet and thick with lots of molasses, dark brown sugars, a nice amount of vanilla and oak from the barrel comes through in the flavor. And then is a really warming sensation from the strong alcohol presence melding with the bourbon barrel. Overall a really great barleywine that I can only hope to try again. Thanks Chris!

Pours an opaque dark brown, with deep auburn tones. Almost no head, but somehow it maintains decent lacing throughout the glass. With an aroma full of sweet dark malt, molasses, vanilla, and bourbon, this just may be the best smelling beer ever. Seriously. Although I was very eager to drink it, I really was content just to sit there and sniff it. And every time I did, I just smiled and smiled. And I wasn’t even lit. Yet. The flavor is full of caramel, sweet toffee, bitter oak, vanilla, and a huge raisin presence. And of course, bourbon. The bourbon flavor is oaky and almost cherry like straight into the finish, where it gives way to a straight mild bourbon aftertaste. Nice full body, gently carbonated, and emminently deceptive in its masking of the alcohol presence. By far the best bourbon beer I have ever had. This beer is changing the way I think of bourbon barrel beers. Although I do like them, my appreciation for them has always been along the lines of "interesting, tasty, but let’s move on to something else." I think for the first time I am experiencing the bourbon flavor as such an integral component of the overall character, rather than just a tasty ’added extra.’ This beer might even teach me to like bourbon. Uh oh

Bottle... This beer rocks!... Almost clear, deep orange ale with crimson highlights and a small, creamy, off-white head. The nose is vinous and fruity. It’s a swirl of caramel, port, fig, dried plum, wood and light bourbon. Vinous, woodsy, heavily sweet flavor with notes of caramel, toffee and bourbon. English style barley wine for certain. Faint bitterness. No real alcohol bite. Full-bodied and chewy/syrupy with subtle carbonation. Lengthy, sweet, dark fruit finish with a splash of port. BIG, bold, excellent beer!

Tap at Solstice party. Pours a ruby-brown color with very little yellow biege colored head. Aroma is sweet malts, brown sugar, alcohol, boubon, oak. Flavor is huge caramel malt, browm sugar, bourbon, oak. Palate is full bodied, basically no carbonation, sweet sticky finish. Wow, this is really nice stuff!!

Sampled provided by the Kuhnhenn brothers. Murky, muddy brown with a small, fading, off-white head. The aroma is smokey, bourbon, toffee and dark fruits. The flavor is figs, caramel, brown sugar and light bourbon. The mouthfeel is soft and smooth. The alcohol is well hidden.