Chateau Kenso
Yards Brewing Co.

I had been waiting to try this beer ever since I heard about it. Although, I had heard it was at 11% ABV, says 9% above?

I had it served in a pint glass (!) at the Lost Bar, right next door to the brewery (for only $3 too!).

The aroma was very faint with a gentle spiciness. There was virtually no head, the bartender served it to the rim. The body was on the thin side, but rather creamy.

The flavor is very full! There was a lot to taste in this beer. The first taste I noticed was a minty, medicinal flavor. It was spearmint and peppermint, mixed with some pine and spruce flavors. It wasn't bitter until late in the finish, but there was an astringency to it. Any malt of hop flavor that there may have been was unnoticeable, bowing to the domination of the spices. There was a bitter chocolate flavor in there too. I also noticed a mild soapiness.

Overall, it was a solid beer, but a little overwhelming. I'm interested to see how this mellows with age. Although I'm not sure if they are bottling it or not at this point.

Thanks to John Rehm for securing me a mini keg of this Belgian goodness for the home kegerator. Much thanks also goes out to witbier for picking it up for me...
Appears a transparent, light peach tinted gold. A billowy, 2 finger head slowly fades into a gentle cap and thick collar. Plenty of scattered lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is Belgian yeast, hints of tropical fruit, cardamom, freshly cut fennel, lavender, honey, vanilla, and chamomile.
Taste echoes the aromas with some spicy bitterness coming through and melding with the yeast. This one works. It especially works for the winter months with the uniquely spiced profile. Had it been released at a different season, it may have played out a bit differently. It becomes more complex as it warms letting out more honey and playing tug of war with cooked fennel dosed with cardamom...yum.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, spicy, with warmed honey and mild citrus playing games along the tastebud like a mulled cider would while you were warming up next to a fire. Speaking of "warming", this brew will do just that, so take your time with it.
Yards does a decent version of their own Grand Cru. I'm happy to have tried it and be serving it to the lucky few who come into my home to get some.
As a side note, this one really grows on you and gets better with each sip as it warms. Go get some.

Served on-tap at The Standard Tap in Philadelphia on 2/03/07.

I was looking for this beer specifically. I like John Rehm when he was at John Harvard’s in Wayne. Now as a brewer for Yards I wanted to see how he did with Château Kenso. It is decent and a nice unique offering coming out of Yards. I think it could use some more aging, may settle the spices a bit. Well done Mr. Rehm.

Appearance: Served a golden orange color with a small white head and lots of lacing lining the glass.

Smell: Sweet fruity peach and apricot juice, vanilla ginger and cardamom, and honey.

Taste: This beer is dominantly spicy. A bit too much so. Tasty though. Sweet honey and Chamomile tea, vanilla and a peach flavor. Ginger and cardamom nip at the back of the throat with the dry finish, and a hint of bubble gum is suggested maybe through the yeast. Some warming alcohol shows its presence but is hidden mostly by spices.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Smooth sticky and warm. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: 9% ABV. It is a sip one and move on beer. Enjoyable. Props to Mr. Rehm and to Yards for hiring him.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Served a golden colored beer with moderate white puffy head.
Smell presents with a pleasant herbal spiciness that is nice without being too much.
Taste also shows the nice spiciness with strong notes of corriander being present.
Finishes with a full mouthfeel with the strong carbonation leaving an enjoyable taste sensation.
While the alcohol is not evident in the taste, it is in the effect.
Great job from a great brewery.

I had this at the Grey Lodge on Groundhog's Day. I'm having the '07 version. Very heavily spiced. The main spice and the honey come through. I'm guessing jasmine.

Good color. Spices are fine on the nose. But much too much in the taste. Overwhelms when it would be really nice if it was subtlety there. And while it isn't bad (and is actually well-done), it wears over time. Good in small doses. Hence, drinkability takes a hint.

A; Clear, brass and gold body. Short head of white foam. Fair head retention. Some nice lacing.
S: Moderate herbal spiciness. Very mild maltiness.
T: Luxurious spicing! Chamomile and Star Anise dominate at first, then the chamomile fades as the Cardamom completely takes over. Finishes dry with the soft spice lingering. Only subtly honeyish, the malt really just acts as a platform for the spices. Thankfully, they're quite there but not overdone. The alcohol is remarkably well-hidden as well.
M: Medium. Slightly creamy. Delicate tingle on the tongue. Perfect body and carbonation to work with the spices.
D: I had quite a few of these, and actually enjoyed the way the spices built up. The alcohol never showed, and I'd probably have had another if I didn't switch over to Philly Pale Ale. Very nicely done!

I know that numbers are not our focus here, but I find it delicious that this is my 200th on-tap review. This is the latest release from my dear friends at Yards BC and they did it as an alternative to their Trubbel de Yards, which is their usual winter seasonal. Dean, one of their brewers, called it a Belgian-style Christmas cookie. I was down yesterday for the latest Rich Wagner presentation and it was really crowded. I had some of this on-tap at their in-house bar and could not wait to get in front of a keyboard to add and review it.

# 200: Also known as "CK7", it is pronounced Ken-Zoh for the Kenasington neighborhood in which Yards is based. It had a thin, light-white head with low retention. The color was deep gold and there was a slight haze to it, due to its having been chill-conditioned, vice filtered outright. The mouthfeel was medium to full, with an explosive spiciness on the tongue, borne of coriander, cardamon, star anise, chamomile, and honey with Hallertau hops. The finish was extremely dry, due to all of the spices involved. The high ABV made for the 3.5 drinkablility score. I got a "big boy" glass and it took me a while to sip through it. You cannot run through this beer and hope to function.