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Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
- From:
- Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- English Barleywine
Ranked #16 - ABV:
- 14.5%
- Score:
- 98
Ranked #414 - Avg:
- 4.42 | pDev: 8.14%
- Reviews:
- 219
- Ratings:
- 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 portia99:
Reviewed by portia99 from Massachusetts
4.42/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12oz bottle (2010 vintage - 15.1% ABV) poured into a Cigar City snifter.
A - Pours an astonishingly clear and bright mahogany color that is just beautiful in the glass. A small fizzy and soda-like head makes a brief appearance before falling to the surface leaving only the thinnest of collars on the edge of the glass. Fizziness and lack of any lasting head are minor detractors here sadly.
S - Smooth brown sugar, caramel, vanilla bean...almost like creme brulee in overall effect. A bit of burnt sugar comes on with a mild bourbony alcohol hit rounds things out. This smells outstanding!
T - Very nice and well rounded flavors. First sip hits with rich caramel and brown sugar surrounded by smooth bourbon. Quite vanilla'y, overall sweet and dessert-like with hints of raisins. Alcohol is evident but exceptionally smooth.
M - Body is medium-full and carbonation is tingly but still at a relatively low level. Alcohol is quite smooth, but there is no doubt about the 15% here. Quite a sipper...it is boozy and almost spirit like. There is a definite warmth and tingle left on the lips and tongue from the alcohol. Very much a dessert in a glass.
O - Overall, an excellent BA Barleywine...barreling is well done. Hops really don't play much of a role in the beer at all - the barrel is the balancing element against the sweetness of the malt. The malt is candy-like, sweet and complex with many different sugary impressions made. The bourbon gives this a kick that it needs and really cuts thru the sweetness to bring this back into balance. Very well done...but I didn't really expect anything less from this one.
Jun 09, 2012A - Pours an astonishingly clear and bright mahogany color that is just beautiful in the glass. A small fizzy and soda-like head makes a brief appearance before falling to the surface leaving only the thinnest of collars on the edge of the glass. Fizziness and lack of any lasting head are minor detractors here sadly.
S - Smooth brown sugar, caramel, vanilla bean...almost like creme brulee in overall effect. A bit of burnt sugar comes on with a mild bourbony alcohol hit rounds things out. This smells outstanding!
T - Very nice and well rounded flavors. First sip hits with rich caramel and brown sugar surrounded by smooth bourbon. Quite vanilla'y, overall sweet and dessert-like with hints of raisins. Alcohol is evident but exceptionally smooth.
M - Body is medium-full and carbonation is tingly but still at a relatively low level. Alcohol is quite smooth, but there is no doubt about the 15% here. Quite a sipper...it is boozy and almost spirit like. There is a definite warmth and tingle left on the lips and tongue from the alcohol. Very much a dessert in a glass.
O - Overall, an excellent BA Barleywine...barreling is well done. Hops really don't play much of a role in the beer at all - the barrel is the balancing element against the sweetness of the malt. The malt is candy-like, sweet and complex with many different sugary impressions made. The bourbon gives this a kick that it needs and really cuts thru the sweetness to bring this back into balance. Very well done...but I didn't really expect anything less from this one.
More User Ratings:
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
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, 2023Before 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.
Rated by DucksFan16 from Tennessee
4.09/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
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, 2022Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut
4.25/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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, 2022Pours 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.
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
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, 2020Appearance - 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.
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
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, 2020Sofa king good. Highly recommended.
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
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, 2020Reviewed 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
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, 2020Absolutely 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!
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
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
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barley Wine from Kuhnhenn Brewing Company
Beer rating:
98 out of
100 with
792 ratings
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