Kuhnhenn Fourth Dementia Old Ale

Brewed by Kuhnhenn Brewing
Style: Old Ale
Warren, Michigan USA

February ’05 bottle from Moejuck - thanks, Joe! Ruby shading to deep brown, with minimal head and moderate carbonation. Big nose on this baby, with some luscious malts wafting (I know this isn’t the barrel-aged version, but something of that feel is here nonetheless). The initial taste is gorgeous, with blackstrap molasses and a butterscotch finish. Deeper in, there’s more of a dark fruit and some slightly sour funk - good stuff, but I think I prefer the initial character (maybe I should try it younger?). Anyways, a very fine old ale.

12-oz. bottle provided via trade with Duane. Pours particulate brown with a spare fizzy light brown head, spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, cookie), average hops (grass), average yeast (leaves, dough) with notes of vinegar, alcohol and dates. Full bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation, and a chalky finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness and bitterness, light acidity; alcoholic brown sugar, soy sauce, caramel toasted malt flavor.

Nice brew here. Pours a deep brown/red. Little or no head. Smells rich and big. Taste is rich, caramel and dark fruits, prunes, malt and sweetness abound. I really enjoy this beer.

Wow, Kuhnhenn knows old ale. This beer pours a dark brown color with hints of a deep red in the light. There is no head no matter how rapid I pour it and a low level of carbonation. Rich sugary caramel and prune aromas let me know I am in for a treat. Light bitterness in present in the taste but it is balanced and overpowered by the sweet rich malty flavors. The alcohol is so well balanced it is barely discernible, just a warming in the back of the throat in the finish. A sipper for sure, this beer is a very fine example of one of my favorite styles

Lots of dark fruits and alcohol really stand out in the aroma.Pours a deep mahogany with a medium tan head.Lots of dark fruit,sweet malt and alcohol in the flavor.Full mouthfeel with a very smooth sweet finish.

Tasting from bottle in Orlando, courtesy the ever so hospitable boboski. Deep burgundy brown color on the pour, thin head with weak retention (not atypical for the style, though), a swirl or two would kick the thin layering back up, though. Aroma was brown sugar, molasses, and rum soaked raisins. Flavor featured caramel, rum soaked raisins, brown sugar, molasses, some light maple, and even a faint grassy signature in the finish (very low level of saaz?), particularly at the warmer temperatures. Mouthfeel was short of sticky sweet, maybe light compared to its peers, yet according to style clearly malty and a little oily sticky. A very nice experience, one of the better English Barleywine/Old Ales I’ve had, really glad diacetyl/butterscotch was completely absent in this one!!! I just wish I could get more Kuhnhenn products. A big huge thanks to Jason again for sharing this one!

Batch 3 bottle. Poured a dark brown-orange color with a thin head. Sweet raw sugarcane aroma, a bit of dark pit fruit and alcohol. Thick, syrupy palate. The flavor is of dark sweetness - a molasses/treacle taste, a hint of fruitiness, and really not much alcohol in the taste. The finish is mildly dry, and slightly tannic. This brew really appeals to me since I’m a big fan of scotch ales, and this is very similar. Rich, dark, and sweet, without going overboard in any category.

’04 bottle shared by Ross at the Carolina Crew gathering. Thanks dookie! Nose is strong malts, a little roasty, a good portion of caramelized sugar, and a little cocoa. Flavor is a bit overwhelming with strong flavors throughout of sweet sugary malts, roasted malts, molasses, and some booze in the finish. This was about the 10th beer of our tasting and after sipping this one I started buzzing really nicely. I liiiiike...