Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock

On tap at Hop Devil. Dark brown with mahogeny tinge. Practically no head. Incredibly intense VANILLA aroma that obscures all. Flavor starts with vanilla and then tranfers to chocolate/caramel malt and then to a lasting rasberry and other berries flavor before finishing with a mixture of berry tartness and slight hoppy bitterness. Very sweet. Full mellow body. Very complex. I appreciate the imagination and complexity but didn’t like the flavors.

Draught@Hop Devil Grill, NYC
Dark ruby color, small off-white head. Very strong aroma of ice cream - ice cream with mocha and vanilla. Full-bodied. Very sticky mouthfeel. I don’t think that I have ever tasted a beer similar to this: vanilla, rasberry (with stones) and leafy hops in the finish. Surely on its own class ... and in its own style (fruit eisbock).

2004 sample courtesy of my friend Chris (cquiroga). Turbid and brown like a glass full of mud, Kuhnhenn’s Raspberry Eisbock lacks any head, or indeed any resemblance to beer. The dense aroma strongly echoes that fact. An incredible scent filled with gallons of milk chocolate and raspberry coulis. The unctuous, decadent smells of rich caramel, marzipan and peanut butter crowd the nose. Hints of alcohol are noticeable but the subtle balance is well executed even amongst such opulence. Cherries, hazelnuts, almonds and blackberries provide additional complexity, further supplemented by hints of pumpkin, nutmeg, black pepper, touches of vanilla, Grand Marnier and coconut. The luscious, buttery fragrance is almost overwhelming. Milk chocolate reappears at the forefront of the palate, again in monstrous quantities and accompanied by a clean shot of cherry or blueberry liqueur. The flavor profile is similar to what is experienced on the nose, but somehow doesn’t reach the same climax, perhaps due to the alcoholic presence. Orange-flavored Pim’s cookies are quite apparent, followed again by coconut, marzipan and a staggeringly rich caramel finish. The long aftertaste dominated by chocolate, raspberry and a hint of licorice suggest a perfect topping for ice cream. Soft, smooth, malty. A fantastic and unique brew. (10/03/2007)

2007 187 mL bottle from Pailhead. Thanks! Also, rating number two-hundred! Deep and cloudy orangish-brown color. Nice chocolate/raspberry aroma. More effervescent than expected, which doesn’t detract from the beer at all. Thick and chewy, but not overly so. Raspberries are very strong in the taste, with a chocolate/toffee background. Good stuff. 8/3/8/4/17

2007 bottle courtesy of Pailhead. Pours a hazy brownish orange color with a weak effort at a head. Aroma of raspberry, chocolate, maple, toffee, slight alcohol. Taste is raspberries and well melded alcohol that makes it taste like a liqueur. Some other fruity notes including cherry, citrus and apricot. Full bodied. 8/4/9/4/17

2004 nip bottle with dark red wax over the cap - Pours a deep ruby red color, fairly cloudy, with tiny almost non-existant head. Aroma is full of rich dark fruits, caramelized raisens, a ton of rich caramel, fair amount of chocolate, charred oak, dried dates, with a faint background of tart raspberries. Flavor is dominated by rich, chewy malts, a significant aspect of tart raspberry, full of light caramel, touch of citrus, lemon. and honey. Finish is fairly sweet, but not quite cloying. Palate is nicely thick and chewy. A fantastic beer - contemplative, dark, brooding, furtive. The tart raspberries perfectly cut through the heavy malts and sweetness of the underlying brew.

187 ml bottle purchased at Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids, MI for $10.69. Eleven bucks for 6.3oz of beer. My love of beer has reached a new level of obsession. 2007 vintage. Served at cellar temperature. Selfishly shared with me, myself, and I. Pretty thick pour; hazy ruby reddish-brown color. Head was one finger high, light tan, and fizzled to a ring in a minute or so. Aroma was of milk chocolate and raspberry liqueur; reminiscent of a raspberry Tootsie Pop. Medium to full bodied and sweet with lots of alcohol warmth that sank slowly into my mucous membranes. I suspect the alcohol lightened the body up somewhat. Smooth, velvety mouth feel with ample carbonation. Distinct raspberry liqueur, toffee, and subdued chocolate flavors came out. Nice sipping beer. I bet some bitter dark chocolate would go very nicely with this.

Simply one of the best beers ever produced. It’s nice to have some fruit in a beer that doesn’t taste syrupy or artificial, and that doesn’t have the champagne-like estery flavor of a lambic. Gorgeous ruby-brown color and fresh candied raspberries on the nose. the flavor is where it really gets interesing. Very port-like and sweet toffee, caramel and chocolate flavors, but in no way cloying. Wonderfully fresh finish. A masterful brew.

Pours a hazy red brown without any head. Aroma is sweet fruits and chocolate. Flavor is raspberry, strawberry, toffee, chocolate, booze, port, and quite a few other things I can’t quite put my finger on. Finishes sweet, slightly alcoholic. A bit thinner than expected and I’m left wanting a bit more tartness to really round it out. This beer is different every sip, very complex. I’d like to have a few more sessions on it to really figure it all out.