Kuhnhenn Extraneous Ale (Cassis)

Brewed by Kuhnhenn Brewing
Style: Fruit Beer
Warren, Michigan USA

Bottle at Kuhnhenn on 11/25/06
Greyish-beige head sits atop a deep magenta-violet tinged black cherry body that shows a medium to medium-high clarity. Only light carbonation perceptible and the head recedes quickly to partial cover, leaving little/no lacing behind.
Soft, waxy/plastery currants are noted first, in the nose, followed by a burst of some piquant acids and skin tannins. It seems to build on and draw strength from the dark malts that lie in ambush behind it. Warmth allows heavily caramelized, thickly sweet chocolate and toffee notes to emerge, while a decided note of vanilla gives a little lightness and evolves in to almost a dry black cherry character. Grainy barley, a touch of char and wood are found at the back, but the cassis is very good about covering the rough edges seen in the normal version (which is barrel-aged). Very strong aroma, with little no alcohol perceptible.
Tight, engaging carbonation provides a frothy, juicy currant-cherry richness that softens somewhat, allowing more waxiness, light vanilla and bland wood notes to soften the fruit acids. They perk up again, more acetic-like, on the finish, which is also alive with medium dry chocolate, light hints of coffee and bits of light char. I didnt find much rawness in the normal version, and certainly don’t find it here. There’s no doubt plenty of warming on the finish, but I dont see obnoxious fusels and sharp, disruptive fumes rising from the glass. Despite the carbonation’s best effort, the body is still rather oily/waxy. I’ve mentioned it before, but dark malts and dark fruits don’t seem to come off nearly as bright as say medium malts (their eisbock) and raspberries, so it’s not quite in that ballpark for me, but every bit as good as something like Kulmbacher eisbock. Very unique and surprisingly drinkable. Still have one bottle left. Will see how it ages.

Bottle shared by Brett. Flavor is maple and tea along with some caramel. Gigantic amount of sweetness without being cloying, actually balancing out nicely. I really question the 17% as this is way too drinkable for that. An amazing beer.

10th rating, nice to make this beer finally official. via trade a ways back with ryan, pretty sure he changed his name. Bottle @ Post Belgian Fest killer tasting dubbed Sea O’Floydster, with a load of cool people including Cquiroga, floydster, seaoflament and many others. Pour reddish brown without much of a head. Nose is super sweet and incredible really quite amazing. Taste is super fruity some what tart, very nice and super well balanced without much heat for how big this beer is. Awesome!!!

Courtesy of the Kuhnhenn Brothers

Bottle: Big vinuous aroma of black currants, alcohol, hints of chocolate, and smoke. It pours a reddish-brown with no transparency and a minimal beige head. The flavor is very sweet, almost sugary at times, with lots of black currants. There is a strong vinuous backbone with a hint of tart grape. The sweetness builds in the finish along with a moderate warming affect. A tad too sweet for my preferences.

Dusky-hued dark ruby, with a rim of white. Strong all cassis aroma. First, freshly poured percolating Hero Cassis, bubbling in a nonic at a bar in Amsterdam, followed by tooth-marring Finnish cassis jellies, and finally with a tart nip of lightly aged Belgian black currant juice. All expressive, yet singular. Incredibly profusive. Bright, however yielded a faint edge of vegetal character. Flavor begins with a sharp, sweet and almost slightly bitter cassis flavor, with edges of blackberry and tight vinegar expressions. After a blossing bold cassis domination initial, I’m swepth into a faint dark caramelly sugar, with some distant yeast toasts. This movement of other characters doesn’t really ever get to fully express itself, drowned in the sea of amazing black currant character. Again, this ebbs mediciney and cloying, with a few touches of sickly sugar. However, one cannot underestimate the ridiculous smoothness for a beer of assumedly 17% alcohol. Vinous and caramel shuffled with cassis in some first date awkwardness. Finally, a touching note of minute vegetal hop dust sails over the blasting fruit character. Yeast spice and esters I think help add an extra dimension to the cassis flavor. Obviously this was accidental (the addition of currant juice), because it’s unbalanced. If the currants had been reduced by 50% this would be a beer up there with Raspberry Eisbock. Being the cassis whore that I am, this was fun to sip, especially considering the bright vinous notes, but it just got a little overbearing. I guess not every accident spawns a winner.

Sample provided by the Kuhnhenn brothers. This was a keg of Extraneous Ale that had black currant juice added to it by mistake.

Dark amber body with no head. The aroma is currant juice, caramel, cherry and raisins. The flavor is currant, toffee, prunes and rum. Full body with a soft and smooth texture that borders on sticky at times. ABV seems better hidden than in the regular version.

Bottle at Sea of Floyster tasting. Huge thanks to WeeHeavySD for bringing this super rarity. I think he mentioned one time this was his rarist bottle, which is saying something for someone who has everything including Dave. Crazy great aroma. Deep rich brown amber color. Fruity, sweet and mellow. Tastes like pure unfermented cassis, more than any other beer I’ve tried. High residual accentuates fruitiness. Excellent!

Pours a rich, cherry wood brown with a thin head of quickly dissipating ivory. The aroma is completely dominated by an intoxicatingly rich fruity currant bouquet. The cassis character is very forward but fabulously rich and heavy, allowing only a breath of vanilla to escape from beneath its fruity cloak. Full bodied, effervescent mouthfeel. Wow, a ton of cassis immediately floods the palate. Some fine bradyish characters follow, but are quite smooth considering the high ABV. As the brandy flavors fade, more of the base beer notes start to poke out from behind the ripe currant fruits, with edges of caramel and spicy zinfindel tannins. The finish begins to get a bit heavy and mediciny with a cherry twist, but as I reach the bottom of my glass, the yeasty dregs add a bit of a spicy, dark breath to soften the cassis edge. Currants, currants, currants - the re-occuring theme here in this fruity, sipping treat.