Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley WineBourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine
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From:
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
Ranked #17
ABV:
14.5%
Score:
98
Ranked #413
Avg:
4.42 | pDev: 8.14%
Reviews:
219
Ratings:
792
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2023
Added:
Feb 17, 2003
Wants:
  1,257
Gots:
  153
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ehammond1:
Photo of ehammond1
Reviewed by ehammond1

4.24/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle (2011)

Thanks for providing this one, UCLABrewN84!

Blind Tasting and Review

Dark, cloudy brown with very little visible carbonation. There's a thin film on top of the beer, but that hardly qualifies as anything resembling a head. That being said, this appearance is about par for the course for barrel-aged barleywines.

Aroma is a nice combination of caramel, brown sugar, black bread, and some alcohol heat. It's sweet without being overly so. It's boozy without being overly so. There's a bit of vanilla and oak character as well.

The flavor is quite exceptional, with lots of vanilla, cream, oak, caramel, toffee, and bourbon combining. For being so exceptionally high in ABV, this one hides it fairly well, even at this relatively young age.

Medium bodied with low carbonation.

Fantastic. This ranked as one of the highest in our blind barrel-aged barleywine tasting.
Apr 20, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Roy_Hobbs
Reviewed by Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut

4.16/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
2018 vintage.

Before I even take a sip, we're off to a very good start as this beer both looks and smells fantastic. Barleywines don't often jump out at me appearance wise, but I find this beer to be very attractive. More head than I anticipated, and the pour had a beautiful shade of bright reddish brown. Not to be outdone, the aroma takes it up a notch. Loads of rich caramel notes with the bourbon barrel adding a nice dimension.

The quality of this doesn't drop off in the taste department. Rich caramel malts lead the way, but it's the nuance from the bourbon that I'm really enjoying. Jut enough vanilla and wood to make this interesting. Fairly light bodied for the ABV.

Overall, very tasty.
Dec 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by GFK from Michigan

Sep 02, 2022
Photo of DucksFan16
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

4.09/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
2017 vintage. Enjoyed on 05/14/2022
May 15, 2022
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
2018 vintage; consumed on 1/11/22

Pours a clear jet-crimson body with sharp, blood-red highlights and topped with a finger and a half of creamy, pale beige foam; sub-par head retention fades to a few spotty, paper-thin islands of cap, a large, frothy collar, and no lacing clinging to the walls of the glass.

Aromas of harsh, ripe whiskey breed burnt sugar, smoked butterscotch and caramel, and a decadent prune/plum compote; shreds of whiskey umami and soy varnish make way for floral oak barrel carrying vanilla icing against potent bourbon lingering as a final impressor.

Taste shows burnt sugar and toffee swirled into fig syrup upfront, with plummy esters lingering through the mid-palate to a bourbon back end, leaving a dusting of cocoa to finish.

Mouthfeel offers a medium body with minimal carbonation and a semi-oily viscosity, maintaining a slickness into the mid-palate; a char is intertwined in a mild, tannic twang with incredible subtlety on the back end of the palate, where a piercing, encompassing warmth peaks into the finish.

Cresting at the potent richness of boozy barrel peaks, ascendant dark fruit jams near umami status against an unrelenting spirit and fresh oak barrel interplay; structure and detail at the highest levels of barleywine.
Jan 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4.63 by MilwaukeeBeerMaker from Wisconsin

Mar 22, 2021
 
Rated: 4.19 by mrmsmith from District of Columbia

Feb 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.53 by ragnar3 from Iowa

Jan 14, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by ToddBeans from Kentucky

Dec 02, 2020
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

4.71/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
For purposes of this review, the 2014 vintage was sampled.

Appearance - The beer poured a rusty red color with a few white bubbles crowning the top of the glass.

Smell - The nose was a sweet bready barleywine, with hints of bourbon. This pretty much nailed the expectation.

Taste - The profile had the appropriate level of sweetness. There were notes of raisin, tobacco, orange rind, big caramel, and a nice mild alcohol burn at the finish.

Mouthfeel - The feel was smooth, almost slick with carbonation largely faded.

Overall - This is fairly old school, but it is still elite.
Oct 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.95 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Sep 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.64 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Jun 21, 2020
Photo of Vidblain
Reviewed by Vidblain from Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Vintage 2018 - quite low carb, which really accentuates the rich, oily body of the beer. There is a ton of thick caramel to the beer - sweet, but nicely balanced by malt and hops. Smooth, zero trace of the ABV, with a surprisingly clean finish. The nose isn't powerful but very accurately communicates the rich toffee and caramel of the beer.

Sofa king good. Highly recommended.
Apr 02, 2020
Photo of edthehead
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland

4.33/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Dark brown / cordovan appearance with a fleeting burgundy brown head and no lacing. Caramel, fig, brown sugar, walnut, dark roast coffee. Moderate thin body, light carbonation.
Mar 20, 2020
Photo of matts2896
Reviewed by matts2896 from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Drinks smooth w/o strong fusel presence, but warms the insides and clearly swings above 14.5%.

Absolutely still, a slightly translucent dirty amber. No head, leaves transparent sheeting on the glass.

Smells of oxidation--sweet toffee, sherry, the library attic, light unsweetened peanut, and faint marshmallow--and a curious crab apple/orchard rot undertone.

Taste follows nose: sherry, brandy, orange liquor, old books, faint peanut and marshmallow, and drying crabapple on the finish. Drinks like 18%, but in a wonderful way--so close to a fine spirit, yet just far enough away to remain drinkable and assert itself as a beer.

Kuhnhenn bros strike again!
Mar 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.58 by Uconnelmo from Connecticut

Feb 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by drunkenmess from Michigan

Dec 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by mattreitz49 from Florida

Dec 02, 2019
Photo of StoutSnob40
Reviewed by StoutSnob40 from California

4.52/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours an amazing ruby red with a head that dissipates immediately. Smells is super spicy. I would guess this was aged in a rye barrel if it didn’t specifically say bourbon. It’s a sipper. 14.5% drinks like 80 proof. It’s a monster, and a masterpiece.
Sep 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.39 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Sep 09, 2019
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Beer rating: 98 out of 100 with 792 ratings