Fourth Dementia - Barrel Aged Gingerbread Man
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company

 

Bottle from Tavour. Ruddy brown pour, small, thin beige head. Something seems off from the start. Aroma is sweet, more fruitcake than gingerbread. Taste is a mess, cardboard, faint ginger, just off. And it wasn't just me, I brought this to a share (all beer geeks) and everyone was turning up their noses at this. I think the Kuhnhenn name was the only thing that saved this from being a drain pour.

This one pours a dark-ish brown color, murky, with a very small head, and not much lacing.

This one smells like caramel, toffee, sarsaparilla, ginger, graham cracker, and maple.

This could have been somewhat nightmarish, as ginger can get overwhelming in beer, but the gingerbread notes really work pretty well with the base old ale here. I don’t get a ton of barrel, just like a spicy caramel thing that might be barrel. There’s a touch of warming ginger, some distinct graham cracker and bready notes, and sweet toffee and maple notes.

This is medium bodied, not super boozy or anything, with a nice drinkability.

Kuhnhenn ranges from amazing to perplexing – this is closer to the former. With their inconsistency, it’s always nice to get a favorable dice roll.

Poured from a silver-foiled 12oz bottle. Pours like barleywine brown puddle water with a minimal khaki colored head. Bourbon barrel up front on the nose but the gingerbread notes don’t exactly mesh with the base beer. It’s not horrible but it has a slight metallic taste to the finish. Medium-full mouthfeel. Not my favorite Kuhnhenn.

A nice strong dark beer.
I had this at 7:30AM when writing my hunting memoirs.
It's definitely a ginger focused beer, that note comes through crystal clear right from the start.
I's good but it does nothing to hide the alcohol, which is substantial.

Would have been ideal in the holiday season, but alas spring will have to do. Dark brown murky body, light brown sudsy head. Smells of gingerbread with bourbon splashed caramel malt, dry oak, and yeast. Taste is simpler: gingerbread become a big ginger chew that overwhelms in a wetter old ale. Yeast bounds well by the finish but still the ginger is overpowering. Feel has that spiced accumulation on the palate, thinning and drying out the body, barrel character is scarce. Out of balance, but hey if you love ginger this one is for you!

Look - Pours a clear very dark black/ruby red color with a nice head.

Smell - Gingerbread, oak, and caramel.

Taste - Gingerbread, oak, caramel and a hint of vanilla. Not sweet at all, as I expected.

Feel - Good carbonation, but a little dry and the flavor isn't very strong, not even the gingerbread, though that's the dominant flavor.

Overall - I was really excited to try a Kuhnhenn 4th D ale, and while good I didn't find the Gingerbread version particularly great.