Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock

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

Tap at HDG Strong Ale Fest. Poured a relatively headless murky dark reddish brown. Rich aromas of chocolate, dark toffee and raspberrry (of course). Flavor not unlike a liquid version of a very creamy chocolate-covered toffee/caramel gourmet candy (think Werther’s, but richer and creamier), with a concentrated raspberry essence throughout. Finishes with a slightly tart and vinious raspberry tang. Smooth and velvety mouthfeel. A very special treat indeed. Could be the perfect dessert beer. Clearly lots of scratch goes into making this, and it pays off.

Bottle (2004 vintage) from the brewery. OK, I was planning on having this on New Year’s Eve as beer #1700, but I drank less than I expected over the holidays, plus I lost a rating a few days ago. So I didn’t quite make the milestone, but I still had it as my NYE treat. Pours a murky looking ruby-brown with a very still body and a faint wisp of a tan head. Aroma is worrisome at first - some chocolate & caramel, but seeming quite stale. Whatever it was cleared after a few moments, and it became much more pleasant, developing notes of raspberry and sweet alcohol. Body is soft and smooth, very nice. Flavour is pleasant - nice notes of chocolate, toffee, raspberry, licorice, some slightly woodiness - but it didn’t knock my socks off. It’s a very good beer, no doubt about that, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I’ll enjoy the other two bottles I’ve got stashed away, but I won’t be going out of my way to get any more, especially at the ridiculous prices that Kuhnhenn charges for their stuff.

thank you to my hubby (enniskillen) for this sample. this is what we toasted to at midnight for california, however, we celebrated at 2am texas time... taste is tarty aftertaste and smell of rasberry and chocolate. happy 2007, and many blessings to you all.

Many thanks to hopdog for this little gem. 2004 vintage pours a dark tawny brown into a snifter, topped by a small tan head that quickly falls to a collar. Aroma of chocolate drenched raspberries, old leather, and brandy, accented by a hint of roasty malt. Silky and velvety in the mouth. Taste is unique, more like a cordial than a beer. Caramel and chocolate notes wrap around the bold raspberry profile to provide an exceptional depth. Raspberry tartness gets swallowed up in the creamy chocolate at times. Hard to believe this is over 13% abv. A slow sipper that disaapears far too quickly.

Red body, thick light brown head; Quite powerful, not all balanced nose: To much two elements mixed together, but not really combining perfectly, lots of smooth caramel, sugary raspberry jam, with quite a bit of sweet bocky malt behind; Soft (actually a bit watery) body, soft small bubbled carbonation, balanced a little hoppy bitter; Finishes long soft with quite a bit of a Raspberry jam fruity acidity, lots of caramel and Raspberry (Raspberry-caramel like the cheap square once you can buy in Germany). Very disappointing, not my kind of beer.

Thanks to Pailhead for this beer. Poured a cloudy mahogany with a small light tan head. Extremely rich and sweet aroma of generic dark chocolate, a touch of caramel, molasses, and some slight cherries or raspberries. Flavor starts with a striking acidity which doesn’t seem to resonate any particular fruit flavors... I probably would not have guessed raspberry, except for the fact that it says so on the bottle. Some toffee flavor shows up, tasting a bit stale. Other flavors that arise are dark chocolate, cream and light caramel. Finishes somewhat sour and dry. Rich and complex, but only decently enjoyable, as many of these flavors don’t seem to meld. Given the (almost too) intensely sweet aroma, I expected to be a much sweeter beer than it was. The tartness tasted like an off flavor to me. Combined with the toffee, it tasted a tad on the generic side. I respect what the brewer was doing here and I understand why many people like this, but this didn’t work out as world class to me. I’ll give it points for richness and complexity, but this will probably remain an overrated top fifty selection for me. For the value, I’d rather have a 750 of Belgian Red.

I just had the pleasure of trying this beer on tap at Ashley’s in Ann Arbor. It appeared a deep amber red color. It smelled very much of chocolate and raspberry. When you first taste it, you get the sourness of the raspberry but not too overwhelming. It quickly fades and you get the pleasant chocolate flavor. The aftertaste is warm alcohol. If only I could find this in bottles I could stash some away for the apocalypse.

Combine Lindeman’s with Victory Storm King, and this is probably what you get. Most people probably would consider this a wine rather than a beer. Had this on tap at Ashley’s in A2. Appearance is a very deep red, verging on blackish. You can smell the raspberries from a mile away- it also tastes slightly of chocolate, some hints of alcohol, but not overwhelming. With its alcohol content, nobody can criticize you for ordering a fruit beer if you get this. The only significant downside is the price.