Kuhnhenn Winter Wonder
Deep amber color lager, strong malt aroma, sweeter malt flavor, high bitterness to balance alcohol and sweetness. Made each May for winter solstice. This special yeast gives a unique flavor to this ultra strong lager.
3.5
194 reviews
Warren, United States
Community reviews
Bottle as shown. Pours a dark amber with no head. The aroma is strong booze and fruit. Medium mouthfeel with strong booze and sweet fruit. Alcohol burn but good.
Backlog bottle thanks to so many good ratebeerians. 2009 Bottle. The smell is sweet, spiced, heavy fruits, and strong. The taste is more fruits, sweet, caramel, and malt.
2012 bottle from umich03. Another ruby red, dark brown pour of a beer. Toffee and caramel aromas. Lots of red fruit and spice in the flavors. Great for the season right now. Lager does not accurately lead you to what you get with this beer. Much more along the lines of an old ale or malty barleywine. Toasty bread and chewy grain malt body. Full bodied candi sugar sweetness. Very smooth drink especially considering the alcohol.
My 800th rating! Bottle from the brewery. Pours clear ruby with foamy beige head. Aroma of fruit (plums, dark fruit) and caramel. Sweet taste with raisin, caramel, spice, lager-yeast, and a warm finish. Big full body. Good stuff!
2004 Vintage Bottle..Pour is dark with a fade head..Nose is plums, sweet, spice, cherry, caramel...Taste is dark fruits, spice, chocolate, cherry,
Bottle at home, 2012 vintage, courtesy of Matt. Thanks man! Pour is murky brown-amber with a big cream head and good lacing. Toffee, caramel, dark fruity, red licorice, plastic, chalky, and malty aroma. Taste is prunes, raisins, plastic, burnt sugar, caramelly, figs, and tangy. Full body with soft carbonation. Not offensive but there are a ton of off-flavors present and definitely oxidized. May be because it is over a year old.
Rated in April 2012 (Backlog) - Amber in color with a small off-white head. Aroma is of apple, malt and booze. Taste is of heavy booze and caramel.
12 ounce bottle into signature tulip glass, 2012 winter solstice bottling. Pours hazy deep ruby red color with a 1 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, cherry, apple, pear, apple skin, molasses, pepper, clove, coriander, caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, herbal, and earthy yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of huge sweet raisin, plum, cherry, pear, apple, molasses, caramel, toffee, pepper, clove, herbal, toast, brown sugar, light chocolate, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of dark and light fruits, caramel, toffee, molasses, toast, clove, herbal, light chocolate, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, balance, and robustness of malt and yeast ester flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish surprisingly. Medium carbonation and very full bodied; with a very creamy, slick, and syrupy mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic Doppelbock style! Huge complexity, balance, and robustness of flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
2012 bottle @ home via trade with FlandersNed. Pours clear mahogany with a small, frothy light tan head, short retention with spare lacing. Aroma is clove and nutmeg, brown sugar, cookie malt, spicy Noble hops with dates, plums, and figs. Flavor is sweet malt with dried fruits, spices, faint hops and bitterness with a sweet finish. Full body and light carbonation.
From notes. 12 oz. bottle shared by DrSilverworm- thanks, Chris! 2012 vintage. 11.25% ABV. Wow, just a little for me. Pours a mostly clear reddish amber with a beige ring for a head. The aroma is not bad but almost oppressively sweet: caramel, butterscotch, toasted sugar, dried fruits, and cream. Flavor of toffee, candy apple, dates, brown sugar, and peach. Medium-bodied, with a sticky mouthfeel and low carbonation. Chris thought maybe some oxidation was already setting in. He may be right. Very sweet beer overall.
12oz bottle, 2012 vintage, thanks to umich03jm. Shared with phaleslu and people at work. This bottle is labeled 11.25%. Hazy amber brown color. Good thin khaki head. Loose dots of lace. Not much in the nose. Bigger body. Light, soft, smooth carbonation. More dry finish. Dark fruit, light spice. Some hints of oxidation in the aroma. Pretty sweet taste, not cloying though. No bite from the alcohol. An alright doppelbock. Probably much better fresh.
2007 edition. Jesus Christ why do I have this. Lots of buttery caramel raisins and brown sugar good dose of alcohol some oxidation. Pours amber golden brown thin head, light foam ring. Flavors of alcohol, brown sugar buttery raisins and a shit ton of booze. Sharp alcohol, lingering raisin alcohol. Wow. Kind of rough.
Bottle from 2012 winter solstice party. Pours a nice clear dark copper color with a small bubbly head that fades quickly. Big banana and bubblegum aroma mixed with caramel and other fruit. Taste has a moderate sweetness and bitterness. Banana and bubblegum stand out. Incredibly smooth and no alcohol burn is impressive considering the abv. Very tasty doppelbock.
Sample via QueenHolly/Shrubber:
Cloudy brown with a wisp of tan head.
Scent is darkly fruited, cherry, raisin, alcohol.
Taste is rich bread, fruit.
Thick and sweet, slightly boozy.
Big and Heavy.
@ brewery. Cloudy, amber, light fluffy head. Nose of bananas, dark fruits, sweet. Tastes sweet, fruity. Dry. Decent. 04/22/10
Bottle courtesy of FlandersNed. (both 2009 and 2011 printed on bottle). Sweet vinous cherry, woody booozy aroma. Red amber with a minimal head., Sweet cherry, vinous plum, caramel, brown bread, and alcohol flavor. Full syrupy body, alcohol burn.
Bottle (13.5% - assume 2009 but 2011 also on bottle). Strong prune, raisin, cherry, bready malt, and alcohol aroma. Clear amber with small head. Sweet dried fruit (raisin, cherry, plum), nut and cake flavor - like a fruitcake (a very good one). Mild alcohol burn in the finish. Very tasty and excellently blended.
A solid lager. Unlike most others. I have no idea where they got this yeast flavor but it is unique almost like a weizenbock without the wheat.
2004 bottle thanks to thirdeye11. deep amber pour with no head. nose is caramel, toffee, chocolate, no alcohol, and sweet. sticky on the palate, caramel, toffee, raisins, and dates.
10th July 2010
Muddy amber - brown beer. Zero head. Not pretty! The nose is of cheese! Slightly syrupy soft palate, fairly dry. A tiny bit of carbonation. Rich sweet creamy malt, toffee caramel. Repressed sweet orange. A little salty malt. Aniseed alcohol in the finish. This is barleywine all day and all night! After a dodgy start with appearance and nose it’s a decent one!
Bottle(2009, 13.5%)... Poured reddish/rust color with a light, khaki head. Very sweet beer with hints of malt sugars, caramel, plums, raisins, and other dark fruits. Low yeast presence with a hint of hop bitterness. I can’t believe this abv is as high as it is because it’s really masked well.
2004 vintage thanks to thirdeye11. Pours with a hazed golden hue body with a small off-white head. Aromas are mildly spice, with a ton of dark fruits. Caramel, boat loads of alcohol, lightly musty. Flavors are quite sweet, raisins, vinous with a ton of dark fruits. Plums, prunes. Medium bitter, lower carbonation, warming with a bit of a sticky finish.
Bottled shared at bu11zeye’s 10,000th rating tasting. This is the 2004 vintage.
The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is full of grain and with a dose of sugar and grapes thrown in. The flavor is similar. I get a lot of grapes and brown sugar, as well as some cherries and a ton of booziness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
(12oz bottle, 2004 vintage) Pours a clear amber body with a medium off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt, dark fruit, caramel, and orange peel. Flavor of dark fruit, vinous, caramel, cookie dough, and brown sugar.
330ml Bottle (Says both 2009 and 2011. At 13.5%ABV per the Bottle).: Got in trade, but I am not sure from whom, but THANKS! Aroma of malt, dark ripe fruit, Bourbon, oak, cinnamon, toasted caramel, sugar, and rum-soaked raisins. Poured deep amber/brown in color with a tiny, off-white head that disappeared, except for around the edges. Very hazy. Very slightly sparkling. Flavor is heavily sweet. Tastes of malt, dark ripe fruit, raisin, slight Bourbon, slight oak, plums, sugar, rum, slight cinnamon, and some fig. Full body. Oily, then dry texture. Soft carbonation. Heavily sweet, malt, dark ripe fruit, raisin, slight Bourbon, slight oak, plums, sugar, rum, slight cinnamon, toasted caramel, finish is lightly dry. 13.5%ABV is completely hidden throughout.
bottle, from Bu11zeye 10k, thanks to thirdeye11, amber pour with some malty heat on the nose, flavor of dry nuts, malty, buttery, sweet warm finish
Bottle from thirdeye11. Brown pour with a off-white head. Aroma is cinnamon, light alcohol, and sweet spice. Taste is alcohol, baking spice, caramel, and a little dark fruit. Nice finish.
(12oz bottle) clear medium copper, with no real head. Nose of caramel, bit of alcohol, brown sugar, smells sweet and delicious. Taste of brown sugar, bit of alcohol, rich and marshmallow.
2009 Bottle thanks to FlandersNed. Pours caramel cola brown. Nose/taste of sweet malt, candi and brown sugars, caramel and fruit cake. Finishes with lots of warming alcohol - but not too boozy. Medium body. Sticky sweet mouth feel.
12oz, 2009 bottle picked up at the brewpub. Pours a murky, deeper amber, orange tinted body with a thin, creamy, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a pretty decent lacing throughout. Aroma is big and sweet caramels and toffees with a decent spiced cookie. Dark fruits with plenty of raisins, a bit of an orange syrup behind the big malts, and candied banana. Flavor is big and malty up front with a slightly syrupy sweetness. Plenty of caramel, toffee, and sweet dark fruits. A bit bready with some cinnamon spice, a light yeasty banana, and some hints of grapefruit hops. Alcohol is present and very warming, but not distracting or boozy. This finishes very sweet and warm with a light spicing before leaving a lengthy aftertaste. Full, smooth, slightly syrupy body with a pleasant, soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, a huge doppelbock that is fairly straightforward, but balanced enough to keep the alcohol somewhat subdued. Pretty malty sweet with lots of dark fruits, but a light spicing and hint of hops cuts the sweetness just enough. Very warming and not a bad sipper.