Kuhnhenn American Imperial Stout

Brewed by Kuhnhenn Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Warren, Michigan USA

12oz Wax Capped Review #400 12.5% Recieved this is a trade awhile back from Badbeer. Kuhnhenn’s American Imperial Stout slowly gurgles black as night from the bottle. A small swirling head is all I can muster even as I pour a little aggressively. The small head that does form fades quickly to an oil slick and a skimpy ring. A Small head is expected on such a big beer but I was hoping for something more than I got. The aroma on this beer is huge! Big brandy-like berriness runs throughout with a healthy dose melted dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. Each swirl brings about under-ripe berries but that fades as the head does. Ghost like alcohol in the background that adds some spice and tickles the nose hair. Flavor seems to move in stride with the aroma. The berries are there and bright but he dark chocolate is rich and creamy in the mouth. There’s a flash of that greenness I mentioned in the aroma and a sharp but quick bitterness on the finish form the giant roastiness. This beer really shines as it gets close to room temperature! The mouthfeel matches the flavor in it’s sheer size. Thick body, creamy and slick. Like sipping on some used motor oil. That may not sound too good but it fits this beer nicely. This goes down pretty easy for such a big rich beer. One bottle is plenty but makes a great cold weather sipper. I haven’t had the opportunity to sample much from Kuhnhenn’s but what I have tried has been very good! There seemed to be the smallest amount of oxidation but it ended up complimenting the other elements. 3/14/08

Batch 1 - The blackest beer I have seen, beautiful thick with an almost black head; WOWWWW S... F... what a nose....Big, packed and deep, milky brown and roasted, a nose for kings more then tzar’s; Wowwwww, even more S... F... the body is even fuller packed, it almost doesnt fit into my mouth because of nuances and depth, super balance with a tar like oily texture that fits the balance perfectly; The Russian touch, yes it is a beautiful tzarine welcoming you in the finish with an elegant fruity bite that accompanies the thick dense super volumious smooth body of the finish perfectly. WHAT A BEER, thanks a billion Kuhnhenn and Hopscotch.

This was from a 12 oz bottle and i love my IPS and this was a good beer,it had a lot of malts and was very robust with a big coffee taste in the end,abv was well hidden but present in the end.This had a nice big chocolate head to it and was awesome,i just wish i had more access to this brewery.CHEERS!

From a 12oz Bottle. Obtained in a trade with artusory, 9/14/07. Pitch black, viscous, oily pour with only a faint shimmer of tan carbonation. Agitation leaves sticky legs clinging to the sides of my snifter glass, but no real head arises. Bold, malty nose of roast and chocolate, complimented by the added complexity of prune and raisin fruit esters. A soothing alcohol warmth is present in the nose, but compliments the rich aromatics. Smells enticing, but more carbonation would help lift the aroma and breate a little bit more life into it. Full bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with the texture of melted milk chocolate. Incredibly intense, complex malt flavors of roast coffee and chocolate truffle, accompanied by prune and fig esters. A mildly smokey, barbeque steak flavor comes out mid-palate. A gentle brush of floral hop bitterness helps clean up the finish a bit, but the roast malt flavors linger. Smooth, warming alcohols in the finish, but nothing is brash or harsh. Tasted this as a part of a 25+ quantity imperial stout tasting, and this was the favorite of many, myself included. Thanks for the special treat, Ryan!

bottle.....pours a rich brownish-black with essentially no head whatsoever although there was a thin tan film at the top of the glass....aromas of sweet chocolate and a little boozy. an abundance of soy sauce dominates.....more flavors of soy sauce and chocolate. mouthfeel was somewhat thin. a little tart cherry in the finish and showed signs of oxidation.

Bottle thanks to Pantanap. Opaque black color with smal burnt tan head. Aroma is sweet roasted malt with alc, soy. Chocolate, soy, alc flavors with cherry and lots of oxidation, also burnt malt flavors. Medium and syrupy body. Nice aroma but flavor is a little too oxidized for me.

Sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2". 12oz bottle. Thanks to the man Kan for opening this. Pours a murky black brown with a wispy brown head. Aroma is really past its prime/aged. Soy sauce, chocolate, bready, doughy, a little sour. More of that soy sauce in the flavor. Sweet, chocolate, dough, bread, sherry, cherry, fruit, alcohol, oxidized and slightly sour. This is strange that it went down so quick. I like the oxidized sherry notes often but this is pretty intense.

sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2". 12oz bottle. big thanks to breaking this out to help endure the wait. pours black with no head. nose is roasty, soy sauce. flavor roast, soy sauce, chocolate, coffee and slightly sour. watery body. why hasn’t this held up well? alcohol is well hidden.