-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Fourth Dementia (4D)
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
- From:
- Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- Old Ale
Ranked #6 - ABV:
- 13.5%
- Score:
- 95
Ranked #1,391 - Avg:
- 4.29 | pDev: 8.86%
- Reviews:
- 465
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 19, 2024
- Added:
- May 07, 2003
- Wants:
- 617
- Gots:
- 210
Previously Fourth Dementia
2009 11.8%
2010 13.5%
2011 13.5%
2022 13.5%
2009 11.8%
2010 13.5%
2011 13.5%
2022 13.5%
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by hopdog:
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania
4.22/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle. Bottle labeled bottled on 08-01-04 and best before 2010.
Poured a deeper and murky brown color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, toffee, dark cherries, raisins, and light chocolate. Tastes of toffee, cherries, plums, citrus, caramel, and some brown sugar. Light to medium alcohol in the finish.
Notes from 12/24/06
Nov 10, 2008Poured a deeper and murky brown color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, toffee, dark cherries, raisins, and light chocolate. Tastes of toffee, cherries, plums, citrus, caramel, and some brown sugar. Light to medium alcohol in the finish.
Notes from 12/24/06
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York
4.64/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5
4.64/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5
Pours dark walnut with a thin, beige head of fine bubbles. It is quite viscous and black. A syrupy film produces voluptuous legs and lifts spotty lace into patches.
Wow! Rich toffee is accompanied by plums, plum pudding, figs, and molasses. This is quite a treat for my Swiftwater snifter. As it opens up, charred malt, whiskey, and light peat progress across the nose. Dark chocolate gives way to faint oak. All the while, alcohol fumes lend serious gravitas to the aroma.
Up front, it is all about the malt. The charred character leaves mild bitterness. The initial smooth flavors fade, following the nose, although not necessarily in the same progression. The finish is long, chocolate, and has a mild bitter tinge.
The body is full and almost dense. The texture is reminiscent of dense, plush fur, even though syrup clings to the tongue. The alcohol heat is pleasant, as expected, lightly singing the tongue and the throat. Carbonation is soft and fine.
I paired this with an intense and creamy Stilton for an exquisite experience. Both the beer and the cheese came into high definition. The plum pudding sings while the char mellows. The carbonation is no match for the fatty cheese.
Jan 27, 2024Wow! Rich toffee is accompanied by plums, plum pudding, figs, and molasses. This is quite a treat for my Swiftwater snifter. As it opens up, charred malt, whiskey, and light peat progress across the nose. Dark chocolate gives way to faint oak. All the while, alcohol fumes lend serious gravitas to the aroma.
Up front, it is all about the malt. The charred character leaves mild bitterness. The initial smooth flavors fade, following the nose, although not necessarily in the same progression. The finish is long, chocolate, and has a mild bitter tinge.
The body is full and almost dense. The texture is reminiscent of dense, plush fur, even though syrup clings to the tongue. The alcohol heat is pleasant, as expected, lightly singing the tongue and the throat. Carbonation is soft and fine.
I paired this with an intense and creamy Stilton for an exquisite experience. Both the beer and the cheese came into high definition. The plum pudding sings while the char mellows. The carbonation is no match for the fatty cheese.
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado
4.35/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Revisited March 20th, 2024
The appearance was much approved at this point, especially the head. It was dense, long-lasting, semi-creamy and left sheets of foam down the inside of the glass. Even the smell came across as richer, fuller. I have no changes for taste or mouthfeel nor the overall score.
ABV: 13.5%; pouring temperature: 40 °F; bottling info: 2022
Source: Tavour
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Original November 30th, 2023 blind tasting notes and scores:
3.5 4.0 4.25 4.0 4.0
Definitely a barleywine by taste, roughly 10% ABV
Dark, clear pour, deep mahogany red. Initial decent khaki head, soon fades to thin wisp of cover with a thread of foam circling the inside of the glass
Smell has chocolate notes. Dark roasted malts. No sense of adjuncts or barrel aging.
Chocolate and caramel flavors; mild booziness; brownies; phenol bitterness.
Smooth and silky heaviness to the mouthfeel.
My initial though was a barleywine, but now I'm thinking of a big milk or chocolate stout.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I know what I'm drinking, here are some revised review notes with updates ratings and scores, somewhat affected by how the beer changes as it warms up:
The appearance looks and impressions remain the same: dark, clear pour, opaque look in the glass, very thin and sparse head. The aroma also remains much the same: warm, roasted grain notes with elements of dark chocolate. The taste, as it warms, adds hints of raisins and dates with a bit of chewing tobacco. The mouthfeel expands with some warmth and stickiness on the palate.
Well, I was wrong on about every count of my first impressions. This is a barrel aged beer coming in at 13.5% ABV and is a strong ale. I've read recently where, like is a beer should be considered a porter or a stout, such classifications can also be called into question if a beer is a barleywine or an old ale. I guess it all comes down to what the brewer and the marketing folks want to label a beer. Regardless, this is a fine big beer, very malt forward, with a near magical touch in restraining the relatively high alcohol content with a delicious malt base.
Pouring temperature: 43 °F; bottling info: 2022
Source: @micada (BA Barleywine / Stout BIF #1)
Nov 11, 2023The appearance was much approved at this point, especially the head. It was dense, long-lasting, semi-creamy and left sheets of foam down the inside of the glass. Even the smell came across as richer, fuller. I have no changes for taste or mouthfeel nor the overall score.
ABV: 13.5%; pouring temperature: 40 °F; bottling info: 2022
Source: Tavour
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Original November 30th, 2023 blind tasting notes and scores:
3.5 4.0 4.25 4.0 4.0
Definitely a barleywine by taste, roughly 10% ABV
Dark, clear pour, deep mahogany red. Initial decent khaki head, soon fades to thin wisp of cover with a thread of foam circling the inside of the glass
Smell has chocolate notes. Dark roasted malts. No sense of adjuncts or barrel aging.
Chocolate and caramel flavors; mild booziness; brownies; phenol bitterness.
Smooth and silky heaviness to the mouthfeel.
My initial though was a barleywine, but now I'm thinking of a big milk or chocolate stout.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I know what I'm drinking, here are some revised review notes with updates ratings and scores, somewhat affected by how the beer changes as it warms up:
The appearance looks and impressions remain the same: dark, clear pour, opaque look in the glass, very thin and sparse head. The aroma also remains much the same: warm, roasted grain notes with elements of dark chocolate. The taste, as it warms, adds hints of raisins and dates with a bit of chewing tobacco. The mouthfeel expands with some warmth and stickiness on the palate.
Well, I was wrong on about every count of my first impressions. This is a barrel aged beer coming in at 13.5% ABV and is a strong ale. I've read recently where, like is a beer should be considered a porter or a stout, such classifications can also be called into question if a beer is a barleywine or an old ale. I guess it all comes down to what the brewer and the marketing folks want to label a beer. Regardless, this is a fine big beer, very malt forward, with a near magical touch in restraining the relatively high alcohol content with a delicious malt base.
Pouring temperature: 43 °F; bottling info: 2022
Source: @micada (BA Barleywine / Stout BIF #1)
Reviewed by micada from New York
4.25/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I keep thinking this is a barleywine, but it’s really an old ale. That makes more sense because this is a dirty drink. LOL!
It’s a ruddy, murky sort of amber color. Nose is a grape must meets 1970s leather. Flavor is a semi-sweet stone fruit ale, with a real depth of dark flavors. It’s sweaty, in a good way. Mouthfeel is medium, but with a bit of purée to it. No alcohol burn, though there is a bit of a fusel bite near the end.
I had the Let Them Eat Cake version too. I found that one a bit sweeter, reminiscent of having a nice French vanilla cake batter in the brew, though I still don’t know what the actual brewing differences might be.
Oct 29, 2023It’s a ruddy, murky sort of amber color. Nose is a grape must meets 1970s leather. Flavor is a semi-sweet stone fruit ale, with a real depth of dark flavors. It’s sweaty, in a good way. Mouthfeel is medium, but with a bit of purée to it. No alcohol burn, though there is a bit of a fusel bite near the end.
I had the Let Them Eat Cake version too. I found that one a bit sweeter, reminiscent of having a nice French vanilla cake batter in the brew, though I still don’t know what the actual brewing differences might be.
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
4.49/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from Tavour. Mahogany pour, ring of off-white head. Woody, malty aroma, brown sugar. Taste is sweet, smooth and strong. Notes of leather and tobacco. Sweet, dry finish.
Oct 26, 2023Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington
4.64/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.64/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a medium to dark orange red with a one finger light khaki head that dissipates to a thin, persistent cap. Aroma of dark caramel malt, figs, dates, raisins, Port wine and a little oxidation. Flavor is caramel malt, smoky toffee, dates, raisins, well dried plums and some lightly burnt caramel brittle in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess. Old ales are hard to come by and I was anticipating the chance to taste this one. It is well worth waiting for. This one gives me the impression of a quality liquor held for while for proper aging; almost embodying the term "old ale". Richer and more complex than any old ale I've had before. The expected dry caramel malt, dried dark fruit and toffee are here, but the finish is a pleasant surprise. There is an unusual smoky or slightly burnt candy taste that is wow inspiring that lingers after the taste with some cellar earthiness. I've really liked the old ales I've tried, but this may be the best one yet. I'd love to see this one again, and I'm psyched to know I have the bourbon barrel aged one in the fridge. Not even sure that treatment is necessary, but I look forward to it. A stellar old ale.
Oct 25, 2023Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
4.43/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.43/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
(12 oz bottle, 2022 vintage, 13.5% abv; purchased single at the brewery last week... poured into a copita-like stemmed glass)
Half-bright, auburn-colored liquid with a tight, gummy foam... dark caramel, old dry furniture wood, kiss of chocolate chip on the nose; not overtly boozy; pleasant expression... dark caramel with great depth on the palate; bold base of parts bready and cakey malt; altogether somehow barely influenced/disturbed by boozy spice or fruitiness but, if (probably) present, sit beautifully in the background; all it now begs for is some barrel funk and/or oxidation to give it hair, give it a weathered unique personality... well, I guess we must chalk it up to the aging that's responsible for the raunch of rotgut having been rolled off to the point of regally rendering this malt nectar not sludgy but satin-soft
what Curmudgeon aspires to be (but they're different enough for each to have a place); possibly the best (American) Old Ale I've tried, but one that sits a step or two away from being legendary; all it's lacking is the 'old', but I loved this, and luckily have a bottle of the BA version waiting in the wings (2192)
Aug 26, 2023Half-bright, auburn-colored liquid with a tight, gummy foam... dark caramel, old dry furniture wood, kiss of chocolate chip on the nose; not overtly boozy; pleasant expression... dark caramel with great depth on the palate; bold base of parts bready and cakey malt; altogether somehow barely influenced/disturbed by boozy spice or fruitiness but, if (probably) present, sit beautifully in the background; all it now begs for is some barrel funk and/or oxidation to give it hair, give it a weathered unique personality... well, I guess we must chalk it up to the aging that's responsible for the raunch of rotgut having been rolled off to the point of regally rendering this malt nectar not sludgy but satin-soft
what Curmudgeon aspires to be (but they're different enough for each to have a place); possibly the best (American) Old Ale I've tried, but one that sits a step or two away from being legendary; all it's lacking is the 'old', but I loved this, and luckily have a bottle of the BA version waiting in the wings (2192)
Fourth Dementia (4D) from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Beer rating:
95 out of
100 with
1102 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!