Kuhnhenn Dark Heathen Triple Bock

Name: Dark Heathen
Date: 04/27/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear ruby brown, headless, big sweet candy aroma, big body, huge rich malt flavor, big sweetness without being too sweet, fruity character trying to break through,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Hazy copper with a ruby hint. Sugar and molasses dominate the aroma. Rich enough, but even more syrupy than Samichlaus. Extremely sweet from start to finish and with the same salty notes that extreme dark lagers all seem to be unable to do without. Soy-like, rooty also. Meaty, filling finish. Very liquorous and concentrated, but feels like wort in the end. Cerealic and rough.

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Clear burnt amber lager with a small, creamy, khaki head. Decent retention. The aroma is a wonderful, sticky, caramely mess. I love it. Also, vinous, port-like notes layered atop subdued chocolate and a whisper of espresso. Full-bodied and kind of chewy with tingly carbonation. Tastes like a blessed fusion of caramel, chocolate and espresso - almost like one of those ice-cold, gimmicky, summertime espresso drinks. Rich, moderately sweet, malty finish. World class malt head’s dream!

Pours a transparent deep amber mahogany with a thin ring of tan head. Aroma has sweet viscous dark caramel malty, complex brown sugary, bready lager yeasty character. Body starts viscous and sweet with good mildly earthy lager yeasty complexity. Nice sweet and complexity balance and should age very well.

My Bottom Line:
Boastful alcohol and heavy caramel do showcase that inherent bock malt signature, and draw a few fruity complexities (plums, prunes) within. This nearly still sipper is leagues ahead of Samuel Adams’ original example.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Headless, the cola red/brown gown announces this beer’s potency.
-The very low carbonation allows you to bask in the malt’s glory.
-This was not nearly as cloying as their American Imperial Stout that day.
-The body is sticky, but not disgustingly sweet, thankfully.
-This is a fun sipper, but not the masterpiece Kuhnhenn are able to brew (see Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine or Raspberry Eisbock for that).

Bottle at the Mondial de la Bière.

Bottle. Deep burgundy red. Huge malt-driven nose of scotch, vanilla, oxidized toffee and wood. Rich and sticky. Super sweet from the residual sugars, but also ridiculously chewy, full and hefty; resinous. Sharp malt, striking alcohol, but tempered by a rich and flavorful toffee/nut/cake. Love it.

Draft at 2007 Michigan BGWF. Poured dark reddish brown with a moderate light brown head that diminished slowly with good lacing. Good caramel toasted tart fruit aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Good well balanced tart fruit malty flavor with a moderate smooth balanced finish of moderate duration. Good doppelbock.

Sample from 12 ounce bottle at the Mondial, Montreal (May 2007). Medium to dark caramel-mahogany color, little head, unfiltered and hazy....enormous malty-caramel nose, touches of vanilla and cinnamon, very light earthy-clay tones evident with some warmth, enveloping and overwhelming....fairly typical doppelbock profile on the tongue, sweet front and slightly drier towards the finish, lots of caramel and a bit of semi-sweet cherry...alcohol not really apparent; carbonation quite low....only real problem is that the finish is a bit papery and dull. Still, another fine effort in the super-heavyweight class.