Grand Cru
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

Grand CruGrand Cru
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From:
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.8 | pDev: 11.05%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 09, 2014
Added:
Nov 17, 2004
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Jul 09, 2014
Photo of EnemyWithin
Reviewed by EnemyWithin from Canada (ON)

3.65/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Kuhnhenn Grand Cru. Bottle into Duvel glass.

Appearance - 4
Toasted golden color with a creamy white head slowly dissipating into a thin covering. Moderate lacing. Very clean looking.

Aroma - 4
Reminiscent of a trippel style. Soft bready and honey sweetness with a very typical fruity banana and spice aroma of a Belgian yeast. As the beer warms, the ester component becomes very pronounced.

Taste -3.5
Starts out slightly sweet, with a little bit of the bite from the alcohol. Then dominant fruity ester as well as a spiciness that comes midway through. Then the bitterness from hops becomes detectable and a slight alkaline sourness. Finishes with lingering banana sweetness. Taste is more hefenweissen with a touch of whitbier. It has a very robust flavour. Overall, a tad on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel - 4
Mild to moderate thickness with a balanced and smooth carbonation. Hops add a nice astringency bitterness to cut through and contrast the malt. Actually quite a pleasant feeling beer.

Overall - 4
Interesting beer with a strong flavour profile. Reminds me of a hefenwisen, whitbeir, and trippel all mixed together Feel that is has enough of a backbone and versatility that it would make from interesting pairings with food.

On its own, it is quite enjoyable, but really think it would improve with food. Although I find that the actual sweetness and spiciness is a bit heavy handed for my liking. I think that a touch more of a refined and balanced approach would refine the experience.

Recommend consider trying.
Dec 04, 2011
Photo of CharlesDarwin
Reviewed by CharlesDarwin from Rhode Island

3.52/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Ashley’s - Ann Arbor, MI - Dec 20, 2007. Aroma comes quietly as light pear brandy and phenols in a suitcase. Gentle. Pours a paler shade of sunset orange, with golden fringes and a white head. Flavor starts softly in the wheat oils and esters. Peppery and backed with orange peel. Lots of soft savory flavors. Herbal. Sweetness lies a little heavy for me through the grain sugars and makes this less than drinkable. Carbonation holds well with the spiced quality, but gets weighed down by the sugars. Just a nip too sticky for me. Finishes on fruit skin glow. This would have been awesome at half the gravity. But, at 8.5, it’s just a bit of beast. Alcohol does hide well.
Nov 23, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by HopStoopid120 from Connecticut

Nov 15, 2011
 
Rated: 2.75 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 14, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by surlytheduff from Tajikistan

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of BBP
Reviewed by BBP from Canada (ON)

3.87/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A- Pours a tannish-orange. Slight amounts of sediment adds to the mild haziness. No lacing, and just about no head, but there is a slight cloud of head floating around.

S- The aroma is primarily spicy. Notes of fruit and yeast were detected as well.

T- This seems to fall between the styles of a tripel and a hefeweizen. It had the spiciness and flavor of the hefe, but a body and the yeast of a tripel.

M- Full and very smooth. It pulls this off quite well.

O- Aside from some very slight alchohol heat, the only thing taking away from the drinkability is the spiciness of this. That being said, I'm sure I could have a couple easily. The 9.3% seems to be made up due to the ease of drinking. I consider this a success along these lines.

As far as it goes for a beer, it's pretty nice. I'm not a hefe fan though, so it hard for me to judge it. I can say that it is definitely not the standard BSPA. I don't think it was worth the steep price tag I payed by any means though. I'd only recommend this at the price it costs to people who really love both hefes and tripels. Aside from price per quality, there's nothing I had against it though.
Jun 30, 2011
Photo of heebes
Reviewed by heebes from Canada (ON)

3.92/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle.
Bottles from Kuhnhenn are apparantly hard to come by, even in MI so it was nice to find this to try an offering from the brewery.

Poured into a tulip a semi cloudy orange amber with a off white head that fizzes away quickly. Nose is light cirrus fruits, banana esters, spices and cloves and a distinct Belgian yeast. Taste is similiar; though there is a tart fruit spiciness in the middle leading to a funk like finish. Medium bodied with good carbonation. Overall it has a wonderful auroma and a good taste/body. At it's price point of 4.99 a 12 oz I won't seek more out, though I'd like to try more from Kuhnhenn.
Apr 05, 2011
Photo of Mitchster
Reviewed by Mitchster from Michigan

2.58/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
$4.99 for a 12oz bottle. A 10 year Anniversary Ale. No specs or ingredients listed on the website or bottle.

Pours out to a cloudy medium amber, requiring a hefty pour to achieve a decent head which quickly recedes and has a small amount of lace. Mild to to medium carbonation. The aroma is somewhere between a belgian tripel and quad, which lots of pineapple, apple, and mango up front, followed by nice spicy esters. Reminds me of Unibroue yeast strain. Mouthfeel is tart, very acidic, with a deceptively light body and a syrupy finish, if that makes any sense. The taste opens up withthe aformentioned fruits, but then is replaced by green Kiwi fruit, lots of acid, and metals, with a slightly toasty aftertaste and warming alcohol.

This appears infected. I've had this happen before with a few Kuhnhenn beers. I wouldn't buy this again, but I wonder if it tastes this way on tap. Not digging it. A waste of $5, and almost a drain pour.
Nov 24, 2010
Photo of farrago
Reviewed by farrago from New Jersey

3.74/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thinnish cream white head even when poured with moderate aggression, the lacing streaks are wide but glide down swiftly. Effulgent pumpkin orange color, the deeper core hints at brown, the outer edges yellow. There's a certain fluffy frothiness to the texture of the nose, plays up clove, cinnamon, spiced oranges, honey, croissant flakes and then apricot, banana, green apple, cantaloupe fruit scents, follows on with a good deal of pepperiness and touch of peat moss, complex without being pushy. Medium-bodied, firm in spite of constantly swirling carbonation, feels substantial. The volume quieter here with the pepper up in front of the clove, ginger, cinnamon spice. Not that sweet, has a dried fruit character to the apricot, peach, pear, banana flavors, just about the same with the orange, tangerine citrus, perhaps a tad juicier. Pinch of honey. Not unyielding per se, kinda austere. It's "manly" like drinking a single malt scotch, just where's the cigar?
May 21, 2010
Photo of coldmeat23
Reviewed by coldmeat23 from Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
GLASS: Snifter
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 55 degrees
VINTAGE: 2009 (Label says 10th Anniversary)
Big thanks to mjd83goblue for this one!

This is a very nice, slightly hazy, orange color with golden highlights. It produces a two-finger head of bone-white colored foam. This recedes to a thin surface covering after a couple of minutes. The lacing is in thick strands and is very sticky.

This has a great big malt presence going on. It's also got a ton of belgian yeast presence. Loads of bananas and tropical fruit notes. Some nice notes of honey. Good presence of yeasty spiciness.
This smells alot like a tripel mixed with a saison or hefeweizen. Very intriguing.

The taste profile is much more mild than the nose leads one to expect. Yeast and spices dominate. The fruitiness is now in the backseat. It's still there, especially the banana, it's just a little bit lower down. The spiciness is what is most prevalent here. I have a feeling that I may get heartburn from this one, but that's not really a bad thing, though.

This is full-bodied with a mild-to-medium level of carbonation, which seems to be very natural. It's full of little tiny bubbles, which give it a very nice creaminess, to go along with the smoothness that it has.
This is probably the most carbonated bottle that I've ever had from Kuhnhenn and I love it....but then, I love all of their stuff.

The 9.30%abv is fairly well disguised. The spice profile though, would probably hurt you if you consumed too many. So, it's very smooth, creamy, and easy to consume, but it loses a point for the spiciness.
May 13, 2010
Photo of nickd717
Reviewed by nickd717 from California

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle shared by bring - thanks, Barry!

This beer pours a hazy golden color with a small white head leaving swirls on the beer.

Aroma is lemony with a little sweet malt, Belgian yeast, and fruity esters. Not too much to it.

Flavor is decent - pale malt and Belgian yeast, lemon, green apple, spice, and a little tartness.

Slightly tart on the palate with medium-full body.

I disagree with Kuhnhenn's dubbing of this one as their Grand Cru. It's simply nowhere near one of their better beers. It's somewhat drinkable, but overall not terribly impressive.
May 07, 2010
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

3/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Thanks, Barry. Hazy gold in the glass with a firm white cap. Sweet and peppery aroma, intensely estery and yeasty. Ripe banana and clove are prominent. Pretty intense flavor, big up-front esters and phenols lend flavors of banana, clove, pepper and green apple. It's a bit sweet for the style and lacking finesse, somewhat syrupy with a peppery sweet finish. Decent.
May 06, 2010
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to mully for handing this over as an extra during an in-person trade on Darkness Day Eve 2009. The other Kuhnhenn he dropped on me was delicious, so I'm hoping this one follows suit. Vintage 2009.

Pours that distinctly cloudy, rakish Belgian orange. Smell is pure Belgian - strong yeasts, low-hanging fruit, & a scatter-shot of alcohol. Jumping all over this is rampant spiciness.

This Grand Cru is a touch more subdued than the nose would lead me to believe. Still, this is a "pale" that packs an Abrams in its pocket, which I hadn't quite braced myself for. Nothing overbearing in this, but a handful of things stick out. First is a wild charge of Carmen Miranda, from bananas to mango to peaches to pears, quite a tongue-tripper. Alcohol rushes in on top of them & is quite distracting, as is the liberal use of Belgian yeasts, almost like licking the leavings of a homebrew carboy (not that I've done this...really). One is left with a strong taste of fake fruit/medicine in the aftertaste, which takes the pleasure principle down a notch. A touch sweet, but the heft matches the 'feel.

Very good beer, mostly recommended by the complexity of the fruitiness & the goofiness thereof. This might be closer to a barleywine, or a triple, or a hefe on 'roids, not sure which, but whatever it is, it's a very pleasant mess of a beer.
Mar 06, 2010
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.92/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tangfoot was kind enough to give me a bottle of this. Thank you, Fred! This is the 09 vintage.

Decanted carefully into my Hopleaf tulip, this beer sits a light orange, mostly clear, with a dense off-white head with good retention. Lacing is minimal.

The nose brings to mind the Troegs Scratch #14, the saison, and that's a good thing. Spicy with white pepper combined with a honey and floral character, this is quite excellent. A pale, cracker-like malt character is noticeable, lending a mild, grainy sweetness to the beer. Mildly yeasty with some citrus, I'm really liking this Alcohol is apparent on the back end.

The palate is a bit of a disappointment given the wonderful nose. Opening with a simple, sugary sweetness with an alcoholic bite. With a spicy bite, a combination of ginger and pepper, the fruity palate is more noticeable in the mid-palate, where it takes on a mildly fermented peach-like character along with some honey. Mildly sweet on the finish with a lingering alcohol bite and a grainy huskiness, this is solid stuff. Carbonation is medium-light, working well with the medium body of this beer. I'm going to enjoy sipping this for the next hour or so, enjoyable stuff that I'd love to try again.

I'd sum it up as a saison-tripel hybrid moderately American in its take (with the sweetness) with enough Belgian character to make this quite drinkable
Mar 04, 2010
Photo of ThatWineGuy
Reviewed by ThatWineGuy from Canada (ON)

4.22/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
I picked this up in Dearborn in September and kept it to enjoy over Christmas. Used a Chimay goblet. Poured a uniform orange colour with no head, very hazy and murky. There was a slight cloud floating in centre glass, perfectly still with no visible carbonation.

Yeast aroma, some tangerine, pitted fruit, peach. Tastes like a Belgian Strong Ale, lots of yeast, slightly funky, over ripe fruit, apricot, sour / bitter orange zest, ginger weighs in too, some clove. In the mouth is a silky texture, cleansing with some acidity. The aftertaste is really nice and it lingers for quite a while taking on a slightly sweeter dimension after the swallow. Alcohol well integrated, I can't believe it's over nine per cent. The body is a bit on the thin side but the beer, like the brewery, is distinctive and well worth a visit.
Dec 30, 2009
Photo of gford217
Reviewed by gford217 from Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle courtesy of ogglethorp poured into a tulip.

Pours a cloudy but bright golden orange with a one-inch cream-colored head that collects around the edges as a thick collar with some bubbles feeding it from the bottom.

The aroma is a mix of banana and bubblegum sweetness of a hefe and the spicy yeast and fruity esters of a tripel. There are light peppery spices in the nose as well.

The taste is slightly more amped up with the fruity esters really starting to become more prominent with the bananas taking a back seat. There are some sugar-coated green apples and pears - very sweet taste overall. The finish is lightly spicy with a slight dryness - maybe some grains of paradise?

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with lots of carbonation. It's sugary sweet overall but still light on the palate and definitely not cloying.

This is a well-crafted brew from Kuhnhenn and, luckily, no trace of infection or oxidation at all. A sweet take on a grand cru.
Dec 04, 2009
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Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle purchased from Merchant's in Dearborn in August, says 2009 on the label. The bottle had a little sediment, as it poured clear until I added the last drops, then it was beautifully hazed. No large particles or anything, just finely dispersed somethings. The beer is dark or burnt orange color, very thin head. There are a lot of aromas in there, Belgian yeast, some banana phenolics, maybe some spice or honey, and above all a good dose of ethanol. Some esters too but more would be appreciated. The beer tastes like a tripel/hefeweizen hybrid, bananas & clove with spice and Belgian yeast products. Slightly sour aftertaste, not Brett but maybe more hot booziness than anything. The body is about average, sort of peppery from the carb. Overall this is decent but I'm glad I only got one. Kuhnhenn will always be a special place for me but not because of this beer. Raspberry Eisbock, Tenacious Cassis, and Fourth Dementia are the stars of the brewery for me so far.
Nov 29, 2009
Photo of MasterSki
Reviewed by MasterSki from Canada (ON)

4.05/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
12oz bottle from 2009. Thanks d0b for sharing this one. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip glass. I also had this on-tap when it was known as "The Duvel in Mrs. Jones".

A - A finger and a half of eggshell white foam that dissipates to a cap and color. Only a few tiny spots of lace. Dark apricot orange body with that's pretty opaque. There's a few bubbles visible at the bottom of the glass. Pretty solid, but nothing mind-blowing.

S - It's very tripel-esque, with lots of perfume, medicinal notes, spice, honey, malted wheat, banana, bubblegum, and Belgian yeast. There is a light touch of heat and estery alcohol. The smell is big, rich, and lush - but there's a little too much spice and not enough fruit for my liking.

T - The taste is also clove-heavy, over top of a malted wheat base that contributes bubblegum, banana, mango. The Belgian yeast and medicinal elements are more understated and the booze is a little better hidden. The aftertaste is a little dirty and earthy tasting - not my favorite.

M - Lively carbonation that is prickly but not harsh or burning. Sticky finish from a medium-thick body. There's a bit of heat and warmth.

D - I was happy to share a bottle of this, but it wouldn't be something I'd be reaching for often. It's pretty good for the style and competitive with the big boys.
Nov 09, 2009
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.12/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
12oz bottles with alternating labels that read either "10 Year Anniversary" or "2009".

If there is a beer in my glass it's been encased in orange peel. I see one colour and one colour only: just an even, brightly buffed orange glaze. There's no way I can see through to the other side. Clarity is wholly obscured even despite its glossy complexion. Its top is bare and without even the faintest, feeblest most faded signs of carbonation.

Grand Cru smells like it has some powerful legs under it. Specifically, it has a potent and perfumy yeast that fills the air with red-hot phenols and dank, low-lying esters. Of the spices I'd say clove stands out the most; of the fruits, probably mango (although alcohol weighs in almost as heavily as either of the two). That said, I would be open to entertain notions of all kinds of other flavours too - no one said this had to smell simple.

I can vividly feel the slices of mandarin orange slide between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. They've been macerated in Grand Marnier liqueur. There are also festering bananas that were doused in clove. The taste is replete with rank, sweltering fruits and fiery, savory spices. The overtly phenolic taste of 'band-aids' is most impressionable, especially on larger sips. There's no two ways about it: this is hot. But it's flavourful too.

Grand Cru does not designate any one specific style but is rather a general moniker wineries (breweries too, evidently) attach to what they perceive to be their finest batch, to indicate favourable reputation from a certain vineyard or to denote the quality of its terroir. Since little information is available on Kuhnhenn's Grand Cru I'd have to assume they were going for a Tripel - or at least something to loosely resemble that style.

Certainly, the intensely phenolic nature of the drink would indicate as much. The colour, nose and taste all match the profile. The strain of yeast is undoubtedly of Belgian decent. We know the beer is strong but it's still plenty quaffable. All signs point to Tripel but this beer was not meant to be dissected as though part of a forensics crime scene, it was intended to be drunk and enjoyed. I'm going to get back to that...

Because enjoyable this certainly is. The best example of terroir? The top tier of this brewery's production? The finest batch in all the Wolverine State? No, it is not exactly any of those things. But it is among (the many) good beers I've had from the impressive portfolio Kuhnhenn has racked up over the last decade. And it's definitely something worth proposing an anniversary toast over. Cheers also to ThatWineGuy for the bottle!
Sep 24, 2009
Grand Cru from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 29 ratings