Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock

Brewed by Kuhnhenn Brewing
Style: Fruit Beer
Warren, Michigan USA

Serve in Flute, Shaker

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2004 6.3ozer picked up at Wonder’s Pub in Madison. Aroma of white chocolate covered raspberries and chewy caramel. The chocolaty-caramel aroma really grows. It smells like a candy that I just can’t put my nose on. Rich mahogany-ruby color with a thin off-white head. Time to take a drink,...Oh my gosh! Wonderful chocolate and caramel explosion of sweet raspberries. The fruit blends very well into the comlex eisbock. The initial flavor is amazing and rich, but then it fades fairly quickly. The finish is abrubt, but then a lingering, sweet, warming sensation sticks around in the back of my throat. Medium body, very easy to drink for a beer this strong. Left my palate fairly clean. Overall I really enjoyed this one, perfect after dinner drink.

UPDATED: SEP 22, 2007 #300. 2004. Thanks to Footbalm for this EXTRA! I have aged it as long as I can, it has been in my cellar since late May. 6.3oz bottle with a pretty wax covering. Served at 69° in my NB worthy glass. The color is deep, dark red that borders on brown. The smallish head dies away quickly. There are striations of suspended particles throughout the beer. The smell is killer, it seeks you out. I am typing and am 1.5’ from the beer and still I smell it. When I get my nose down there it is most predominantly raspberries (of course) , but there are notes of prunes, caramelized turbinado sugar, grape must, flowers?, and a smell reminiscent of cognac/brandy, not sure if it is the alcohol, if so, it is not abrasive at all. The mouthfeel is huge, almost like a syrup. The flavors are complex caramel, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, yeast, tart citrus, the flavor is reminiscent of a raspberry liquor. Almost not too different from the spiced black raspberry liquor, Chambord, mixed with a caramelly dopplebock (might have to try that???). This would be heaven with a rich, chocolate dessert! Fruit beers are tough for me to properly evaluate, but this is just amazing.

Wow this is something ! The aroma speaks loudly of raspberries, plum and soft wifts of alcohol. The color is deep mahogany with some glints of garnet. The first taste is not what I had anticipated, by that I mean I had thought for sure that raspberries would dominate. Not the case... I tasted chocolate, spice notes (nutmeg everso faint. Malt melanoidens.. It was actually dry in the finish. This would make a nice finish to a wonderful meal with some bread pudding ! The vintage tasted is 2005

Medium cloudy with little ring on top .Light brown. Raspberry aroma with blended with medium dark malt, woody, dried plums. Clean. Sticky texture, sweet raspberry front. Good dose of malt base. Moderate amount of alcohol presence. Nice.

GTM. It just so happens this will be my 1000th rating. I wonder how that happened? After waiting patiently in line for a miniscule sample, with others who were not waiting so patiently, I became concerned that they would run out before I reached the table. Luckily, out of the blue, MrFacto cut in line ahead of me for his second sample, grabbed my glass and gave it to the guy pouring before he got his own. Thanks again, Facto! Together with my driving to the Kuhnhenn brewery on a Sunday during a rain delay at Comerica Park only to find they weren’t open, this was one of the most hard fought ratings I have procured. So to those who whine about how can it be possible to rate a beer with such a small sample, send me a bottle and I’ll re-rate it! Nectar of the gods. Liquid gold. Bourbon barrel aroma with no discernable hint of raspberries, especially if you didn’t know to look for it. Thick, dark orange, brownish body with not that much in the way of head. Perfectly balanced. Unique. Like NG Raspberry Tart, but with more malt. Damn good.

UPDATED: DEC 26, 2005 12/26/2005 - Bottle to myself sample! 2004 bottle. Clear dark brown body, no head. Sweet chocolate mousse aroma with condensed sweet raspberries. The flavor thins out a bit with a tingly carbonated raspberry/alcohol over smooth creamy caramel. ’05 GTMW samples (2 in one glass). Reddish-brown appearance. Toffee, caramel, raspberry, milky aroma. Reminds me of a strawberry cream oatmeal mix. The flavor stars with raspberry and follows with a very well-blended creamy, caramelly sweetness. Rich mouthfeel.

Thanks to Phil (pdhabel) for providing this taste treat. A deep reddish brown color body devoid of any appreciable head. The aroma was raspberry, chocolate, cognac, bourbon, oak, toffee. Thick, syrupy, silky, smooth in the mouth. Memories of the Knickerbocker chocolate covered raspberry jellies of my youth. The flavor was that same combo of essences as the aroma but just a tad less impressive. This is something I’d like to acquire more of and store to be drunk in a snifter while relaxing on a winter’s evening.

UPDATED: JAN 3, 2006 Bottle courtesy of Styles and Tap @ GTMW.

Glorious hazy caramel color with a tan head orchestrating a lacing symphony. Wonderful aroma of raspberries, cedar and toffee to support a cacophony of ideas. Oh so sweet. Major raspberry characteristics but not catapulting it to an intolerable sweetness. Chocolate and caramel malts dance in the background to deliver some signature eisbock elements. Thick, sweet toffee flavor and mouthfeel. Raspberry seeds and cream cheese danishes round out the finish. Memorable, to say the least.

UPDATED: AUG 11, 2006 Poured by Eric Kuhnhenn (who didn’t seem too happy at the moment) at the Great Taste of the Midwest, Madison, 8/13/2005. One of the finest aromas I’ve ever had from a beer. All the goodness of scotch and raspberries envelops one’s nostrils. The nose had me excited, perhaps too much so. (I had a similar experience with the Creme Brulee Stout. Incredible nose, but not as impressive on the palate.) It reminded me of Chambord on the palate a bit, combined with more oak and butter toffee. This was good stuff, but not the #2 beer in the world. Luckily, I was able to procure two bottles to store away for a few years. I think this will improve with cellaring. ReRating after sampling from bottle. I’m upping the palate 2 points, but sticking with my overall 16/20 and 7/10 for flavor. I realized last night that I’m just not a big fan of raspberry and white chocolate, and it was the white chocolate note that bugged me last night. If you’re a fan of raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, I know of no better beer for you. ANOTHER RERATE: 2004 bottle. Aging puts on more notes of chocolate, and I’m finding I’m liking this less and less.

UPDATED: SEP 26, 2012 2004 nip bottle, sampled in July 2005
11026 hook me up with a bottle, has to be one of the best wedding presents we recieved. The wife and I opened this while camping in Washington, after a great day spent at the beach. Has a tan head on top of a purple and deep red body. Amazing complexity in the aroma: bourbon, creamed raspberries, cherries, sweet (but not hot) alcohol, oak, peaches and fruit seeds, very husky and hearty aroma. Amazingly rich and sweet up front, full of wood, tart raspberries and pie (think cobler), some brandy and graham cracker. Warms the throat and stomach, to me it felt a little like heartburn but just about anything gives me heartburn anyways. Rich mocha and woody fruits in the finish, rich and hot at the end. A wonderful beer, hype confirmed!

2004 bottles sampled in early 2008 (3+ years aged)
Looksjust as wonderful as any bottle of KRE, but it’s fully consumed in oxidation. Generally nothing left in the nose but a hiuge, heavy dose of wet cardboard and dogfood, and only the faintest, most stale raspeberry flavor is left. Pretty disappointing. A fresh 2007 bottle was opened at the same time, and it was on par as the fresh 2007 from draft, rated below.

2007 vintage on draft at Kuhnhenns
Seems to float in the glass without much presence, no head, not much in the way of legs or lacing. The raspberry note is very nice, very fruity, pulpy, not overly sweet or candied, but the chocolate seems weak/thin, and doesn’t match the richness of the 2004 bottle. It doesn’t effect my numbers at all, and I hope to drink the 2004 again with about 4 years on it, and the 2007 with at least one to get a better sence of how this beer ages.