Fourth Dementia with Madagascar Vanilla Beans (Three Barrel Blend)
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

2021 vintage; consumed on 5/18/2022

Pours a dense, jet-brown body, just shy of black and topped with around a finger of fluffy, dark khaki foam; decent head retention leaves an inky void over the surface along with a thin yet creamy collar and minimal-no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.

Aroma shows soft oak imparting caramel into base raisin and more refined bourbon over time; toasted coconut lingers through subtle rum influence as toasted marshmallow resounds alongside figs, earthy molasses, and a distant touch of smoke.

Taste features raisin into splintery oak upfront, leaving caramel and shreds of toasted coconut over the mid-palate; light bakers cocoa meets toasted fig on the back end, while a soft vanilla finish guides to a light plum exhale.

Mouthfeel brings a medium body with silky textures washing over minimal carbonation, thinning slightly over the mid-palate to a mild warmth on the back end as minimal grit presence disperses to a nearly creamy finish.

The profile wavers despite a comprehensively velvety presentation, propping up notes of dark fruit and reserved barrel presence in a tentative vanilla embrace; somewhat inconsistent, though when the profile harmonizes, it proves a masterful vanilla integration.

This one pours a dark golden brown color, with a very small head, and a little bit of lacing. As far as I can tell, this is a blend of Elijah Craig, Jack Daniels Barrel Proof, and Papa's Pilar rum barrels.

This one smells like caramel, molasses, leather, a dusting of vanilla, pumpernickel, fruit roll ups, chocolate, oak spice, and toffee.

This is much better than the first iteration of BA4D with vanilla beans, as this three barrel blend (not surprisingly) has much more barrel character to it, and the vanilla doesn't dominate. That little bit of rum barrel is very nice - adding some molasses, spice, and leather. The base old ale is still a champ, with chocolate, toffee, raisins, fruit leather, all that combining to make a coherent and delicious flavor. There's also even some dried coconut, some dark breadiness, and just a hint of vanilla that really puts a cherry on top of everything.

This is medium bodied, with not a ton of booziness, and a nice creamy and smooth finish.

BA4D was one of the first beers I ever traded for, almost 10 years ago, so when I heard that this beer was going to be a thing, it became an instant must-have. I don't know if any beer will come to close how confused and amazed I was at the taste of BA4D back in 2012, but this comes pretty close.