Kuhnhenn Nine (Syrah)

Mostly clear dark amber/brown with a small beige head, fading. Lightly sweet, winy nose with toffee, cherry/berry, vanilla and light clove. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter and slightly tannic with caramel, cookie dough, black berry, red wine, vanilla and oak. Medium body is ultra soft with light carbonation and a tannic finish. Superb.

I rarely give shout outs to the people who send me beers because I am lazy but I have to give hoppymeal kudos for sending me this gem. A- Pours a deep reddish brown with a thin, eggshell head. Cloudy, not a lot of carbonation visible. S- Smell is absolutely amazing. Up front it’s a lot like your average dubbel, raisins, figs, thick caramel however at the end there is a distinct syrah fruitiness. T- Taste is pretty much what I pictured to start out with but extremely well balanced. The syrah flavor is very prevalent throughout, raisins, tart raspberry, a bit of a sour tinge at the end. Very sweet throughout, approaching cloying but complements itself well with a bitter hop and sour grape, extremely finish. M- A bit low on the carbonation, a bit more viscous than your average dubbel. D- I would be lying if I said this wasn’t an absolute treat to drink. If you can get your hands on this, try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Didn’t the raspberry eisbock tell you this supposed to be her night, you come up here and steel the show. Up in my nose, I can smell you from a distance, bringing me back to grog spiced rum and wine. Boarding my vessel, you conquered my palate, sweet and oaky, light on the mouth.. bringing me home with some wine & fruits. If only you hadn’t sold out so early... you know we love it when you play hard to get... tease!

Tap at Hop Devil Grill. Dark brown beer with a creamy tan head. Beautiful spicy aroma with cloves and coriander along with a touch of sweet cardamom. Lots of soft red wine character that helps to accent the spicy yeast that they’ve used in here. Flavour is good, juicy and fruity showing lots of shiraz grapiness. Medium bodied and very vineous. Loads of red wine aroma/flavour. Light dates, raisins and dried fruit underlying the cherry/berry esters. Sweet and slightly toasty malts. Some blackberry and banana as the temperature really starts to warm. Warming brings out a touch of tannic astringency and soft vanilla that helps dry out a beer that would otherwise be quite sweet. A great example of how a barrel can accent a beer rather than dominate it.

Poured a murky ruby brown color with a medium sized, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of oak, light nuts, some caramel, vanilla, and winish notes. Taste of syrah, vanilla, oaky tannins, caramel, sherry, and light alcohol in the finish. Thanks Steve!