Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine

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

Name: BA Barleywine
Date: February 10, 2007
Mode: Draft
Appearance: muddy brown
Aroma: sweet brown sugar aroma
Body: big body
Flavor: lots of sugary sweetness in addition to the bourbon sweetness, a touch of alcohol warmth, light bittering tries to balance the sweetness but comes up short, still quite drinkable, would age nicely

Name: BA Barleywine
Date: March 12, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Score: 3.7 to 3.9
big sweet dark caramel sweetness with bourbon soaked dark fruits, alcohol is present but not over powering, big sweet sticky candied dark caramel character, vanilla brings out even more sweetness, sweetness is a bit more likeable this time around

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

12oz bottle acquired in trade with hopscotch (thanks!). Poured a medium mahogany color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of bourbon, vanilla, citrus, toffee, raisins, plums, and cherries. Tastes of bourbon, caramel, cherries, dark fruits, and toffee. Light alcohol finish. Perfect for our night cap beer!

Post-EBF at Clark’s. Dark brown, decent off-white head. Bold earthiness amidst peaty and meaty malt. Complex salty bourbon hints never justify a 12% ABV. A fruit harvest in every sniff (pumpkin, apricot, grapes, apples...) One of the better balanced big barrel-aged beers I’ve had. A slight vegetal peak quickly morphs into a sharp ashes and tobacco oiliness, bringing peaty and smoky finish hints. Tart earthiness all around carries the sweet vanilla notes with skill. Mellow vinous hints, but mostly good rounded malt complexity. Moderately carbonated, slightly liqueur-like texture, medium body. Very satisfying first Kuhnhenn experience.

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!

Bottle sampled on 3/12/07: Pours a transparent copper orange with a spotty-lacing light tan head. Aroma of sweet aged caramel malt with a big earthy, toasty butterscotch vanilla character. Body starts with a viscous sticky caramel sweetness with some brown sugar and raisin complexity toward a very warming sweet viscous finish. A nice barleywine, but a little over the top, cloying and alcoholic.

The Lure:
Regal bourbon licorice sticks act as a proud prow to this baccate toffee vessel. Its sails are swollen by sweet cocoa and palm sugar as it glides forward in confirmed smoky fraternity.

The Festivities:
Harmonious berries wade in a wealthy, slick sea of bubblegummy candied malts and bourbon heat. A very fine carbonation allows the flavors to float in synchronicity, as sugary dates, raisins and a peaceful alcohol warming assure a lip-smacking posterity. Alcohol bitterness plays the role of the hops and skillfully diversifies the malt. As inspiring as Alesmith’s own barrel-aged ventures, this luxurious barley wine is as velvety as they get.

Transcendence:
An old-world monarch gets comfortable with his preferred libation, forecasting glorious, dominion-shattering decisions.

First hand-bottled from Clark, and more recently tried from the official Kuhnhenn bottled release.

Pours brown with a tan head. Smells of bourbon, booze, sugary. Tastes cloying with maple, cognac, fruit, some sigar and molasses dominating.

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil. Deep ruby tinted beer with a thin white head. Great aroma, rich sweet fruity aroma with lots of cherry, raspberry and blackberry. Very soft oakiness with a hint of vanilla that is quite subtle and well integrated with the stewed fruits and rich sweet malts. Lingering fruity hoppiness on the back. A little bit vineous with some soft sherry character bringing everything together. Nice.