Extraneous Ale (Cassis)
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

 

 

 

2005 bottle obtained from the brewery during a solstice release one year, perhaps 5ish years ago. Cellared carefully by me since then. Pours essentially no head, the little that forms dissipates, likely from the high alcohol concentration. I'm guessing high alcohol, because the beer had legs on the side of the glass while being poured in. Crystal clear dark brown liquid with ruby highlights when held to light.

Smells potently raspberry and caramel yummy when being poured. To the nose potent raspberry, dehydrated blueberry, acai, dusty dry chocolate, earthy, clean strong sting from alcohol, plum, anise, cardboard oxidation, bright apricot, caramel under the berry and esters, and much much more. Wowza.

Smells better than it tastes. Tastes wet sweet, but not sticky, strong clean alcohol, dry berries, modest chocolate, and a strong cassis finish. I wasn't quite sure what a cassis tasted like until now, but there is a berry-like flavor in here that is similar to the flavor in their tenacious cassis ale. Must be cassis. Sweet bread pudding, leather, stale basil, and raisin. Unfortunately, this beer comes across as a bit salty and there is definite soy in the finish. My experience aging beer is that this beer is well on the downside and will not improve with additional aging. Cardboard oxidation detracts from the malt caramel and oxidation sherry character. Medium thickness rolling around in the mouth, drying, with mild carbonation. It's a talented brewer that can put together a beer with this high of an alcohol concentration that is so clean.

For the style, no hops were present (what do you expect, it's been aged a long time) and the chocolate should not have been present. This is probably best classified as a strong ale.

 

 

 

 

2005 Vintage...thank you Alex for this huge long-time want!

A - Pours a brownish/reddish color, cream-colored head, thin collar.

S - Unbelievable nose. Tons of berries/fruits...like sticking your nose in some homemade jam. Mix in some chocolate, oak, and carmel and you have Extraneous Cassis. Str8 ballin'.

T - Less jam up front and more chocolate, dark fruits, and burnt sugars. Light oxidation, oak, and smooth booze follow. The finish is all jammy berries and caramel. The 17% is simply not there...unreal.

M - Medium to full, rich and smooth, creamy fruity finish.

O - One of my top beers of 2012 so far. I think this still has some time left to age as well, but it's drinking simply amazingly right now. Maybe I'll get lucky and score one of these down the road or they'll release it again...who knows. What an experience...thanks again Alex!

2005 vintage. Served in a Närke tulip.

A - Quick-dissolving foam settles to nothing. Murky amber-purple body. Wasn't expecting much from a 17% beer, and I got just that.

S - Smells like jam, chocolate, and caramel. And more jam - just a ridiculous amount of raspberries, blackberries, and curarnts. There's an insane amount of fruit here after 7 years, and minimal appreciable oxidation. Firstly, this smells nothing like Extraneous Ale - reminds me more of Bramble Rye BCS in a way.

T - The flavor is heavier on barleywine flavors like caramel and chocolate initially, but the finish is all jammy raspberry and currant flavors. There's a mild amount of oak bitterness that reveals the barrel-aging, but it's largely overwhelmed by the intense sweet fruits and malts. There's a hint of complementary port-like oxidation, but I can see this beer going for a few more years. Minimal alcohol at this stage.

M - Medium-full body, low carbonation, super sticky, with some mild warmth that is the main indicator of the listed 17%. Decadent and liquor-like.

D - Sean and I split the 12oz bottle, which probably led to my delightful hangover to start Dark Lord 2012. Extremely rich and extremely awesome. Well worth seeking out, although there can't be too many bottles of this left. Really hope the Kuhnhenns make this one again.

 

 

Many thanks to Steve for sending this huge whale, and massive want, my way in a recent trade. Shared at our La Crosse post - thanksgiving day tasting with some solid BAs. 2005 Vintage. Poured about a 2.5oz sample into snifter:

A - A deep, rich mahogany with amber and fire hues. Really no carbonation, with a counted total of three bubbles hanging out on one side of the glass. Really thick and sticky legs however.

S - Sweet candy and huge on the currants. Hearty chocolate cherries and some brightness. As the brew warms there is a slight moss like aroma. Would score this a 4.25 but I will round down and round up another 4.25 in my review.

T - Sweet and tart mix, with a subtle cognac taste and a little bit of a following burn. The booze is there but it isn't over poweringly hot. Big currants and sour cherries though. A really sweet barleywine.

M - The sweetness and tartness really play a game with the tastebuds. Kind of syrupy with a bit of a thicker side but a nice and smooth booze like characteristic.

O - Yeah, I'm really glad that I got the honor to try this one. I believe Steve said they only sold something like 60 bottles (according to MasterSki it was more like 40 bottles :) in 2005, so I feel pretty lucky to get this one. I do have to say though that I was quite happy with my 2.5oz pour and really don't think I could honestly drink an entire bottle of this to myself. The nose and taste are very fascinating but its a strong bitch for sure. Another interesting brew from the great Kuhnhenns.

 

 

12oz bottle of the 05 vintage into a Weyerbacher tulip. Shared at a tasting hosted by HopStoopid120 - bottle courtesy of the host and Knifestyles. Thanks a ton, guys!

A: Clear reddish-brown body with just a whisp of carbonation and pretty nice legs.

S: Huge attack of dark chocolate, fruit, and biting, almost citrusy booze. Malty to the max, and insanely alcoholic - and yet somehow it seems perfect. The interplay of fruit, malt, and booze is done amazingly well.

T: This tastes exactly like the cordial inside of a dark chocolate alcohol candy, with a bittersweet mix of chocolate and currant essence; on the finish, the sweetness gives way to alcohol and tobacco notes. Not nearly as hot as you'd expect for the astronomical ABV, but still a little bit harsh. Ridiculous, and wonderful.

M: Still, sticky, and eventually burning. What could you expect?

D: I got about 2 ounces, and it was the perfect amount. Any more would have been overwhelming, any less and I wouldn't have gotten to savor it fully. For being such an amped-up sipper, it's pretty darn drinkable.

Notes: I never dreamt of getting to try this beer, and there it was getting opened just as I arrived at the tasting. What a way to start the night! I couldn't help but compare it to the Raspberry Eisbock I drank the week before, and delicious as this beer was it couldn't hold a candle to KRE in any category except for appearance. If I hadn't had the chance to enjoy KRE so recently, then Extranious (that's how it was spelled on the bottle, inexplicably enough) was an incredible, memorable beer. The folks at Kuhnhenn really know their shit when it comes to dessert brews.

Cheers!

Reviewed from notes. I really wish I had written down who brought this so I could give a thank you. However, shoutout to a generous soul for this brew.

Pours a slightly-murky crimson color with some brownish colors in there as well. Very slight head that actually persists around the rim of the glass for a bit of time. The nose is really, really nice with some strong fruit flavors of cassis, with perhaps a bit of berry in the background as well. Nice toffee and caramel aromas as well. A bit oxidized, which worked some nice flavors into the brew.

Along with the oxidation, the flavor department brings some great fruit presence and really nice notes of sweetbread. A bit of booze overshadows things, and I could say that this still could use a bit more time. Otherwise, feel and taste are pretty nice. This is really an elegant sipper and I'd love the chance to try it again.

2005 vintage shared by Nanoslug and provided by Masterski. Thanks, guys.

Caramel colored with a pinkish tint. Only lightly carbonated, a hard pour left me with a thin collar. The clarity and color are excellent.

The aroma is an awesome blend of tart currants, butter toffee, sherry-like oxidation and raspberry preserves. Alcohol, amazingly, is barely noticed.

Woody, leathery oxidation meets tart ripe currants on the tongue. Blackberry jam, butter toffee, sherry - fucking fantastic. Alcohol is only faintly noticeable. Rich and syrupy mouthfeel with light carbonation. A long finish of tart currants, wood, leather and caramel, this is decadent but very drinkable. Thanks, Alex!

2005 vintage thanks to Nanoslug. Thanks a lot, Adam and Anna. Apparently MasterSki is to thank for procuring this bottle.

Pours a cloudy reddish-brown with pretty much no head. Very viscous.

Smells incredible. Loads of fresh cassis as well as sweet caramel and toffee, and spice.

Flavor is also great. A little more alcohol than I'd like, but excellent otherwise. Intense cassis, caramel, toffee, and spices.

Full-bodied and even a little syrupy with very low carbonation.

Overall this is excellent. Never thought I'd get to try this, and I'm glad I did, especially since I'm a huge ticker.

187 ml. of unique thick fruit wine . A barleywine style? sure. 2007 edition. Pours dark black. Full rich mouthfeel, particularly fun after back-to-backing the hansenns cassis. Full flavour of cassis, fruit sugars residual. Shocked to find it was 17%.