Barrel Aged Double Nut Brown Ale
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

 

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, 2017 vintage bottling. Pours syrupy looking, lightly hazy, dark ruby red/brown color with a small fairly dense and foamy light khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal ring of lace that lingers. Minimal lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of huge walnuts, almonds, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, brown bread, and biscuit; with light notes of coconut, molasses, chocolate, cocoa, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, herbal, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malts, nuts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of huge walnuts, almonds, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, brown bread, and biscuit; with light notes of coconut, molasses, chocolate, cocoa, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, herbal, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal/grassy/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of walnuts, almonds, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, brown bread, biscuit, dark fruit, molasses, light chocolate/cocoa, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, nuts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel/fruity yeast flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/slick, and lightly syrupy/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%, with zero barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged flavored imperial English brown ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, nuts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish. Great balance of rich malts and tree nut flavors; nice barrel integration and fruity English yeast presence. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

12 ounce bottle, labeled as 2017, which Kuhnhenn traditionally states as when the beer is brewed. Released on or near the summer solstice. Poured into a tulip.
Poured a dull brown, Little to zero head. As it sits, just a small tan head around the perimeter of the inside glass. The nose is caramel, slight prunes, and a wallop of nuttiness. Vanilla is the initial taste followed by toffee, nougat, almonds, caramel, hazelnut coffee. Not much bourbon, rather notes that the barrel provides. Medium bodied, slick mouthfeel. Just a bit cloying.
This beer is another example of Kuhnhenn’s unique approach to beer. Solid stuff here.