Kuhnhenn Simcoe Silly Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a fat one-finger thick, pale tan colored head. As I pour this I get a solid, cracker grain note. The beer has a rich red, amber color to it that shows a somewhat hazed, copper hue when held up to the light. A more focused look at the aroma yields a super fruity note that reminds me of a cross between pineapples and peaches, as well as some juicy fruit gum aromatics, lots of lychee, notes of ripe mango and candied papaya. All of this is backed by a pale malt toastiness that smells of sugar soaked whole wheat crackers. While the hop character is dominant, it is supported and accentuated by a yeast derived fruitiness and a touch of sweet clove phenolics. The mix of Belgian yeast and Simcoe hops really brings out an intense, sugar preserved fruit character out in the nose of this beer. It is quite interesting and might actually even be a bit much.

This is quite sweet tasting up front, though the beer finishes with a touch of astringency and a dry, cracker driven malt character. The upfront sweetness melds well with a punchy fruitiness that reminds me of juicy fruit gum, hubba Bubba bubblegum notes, as well as tropical & fruit notes of lychee, apricot, kumquat peel and a sort of super charged, almost tropical fruit leaning orange zest note. The bitterness is kept fairly low in this beer, but it does sneak into the long finish along with a spicy, phenolic clove note that is kept pretty well in check. Actually clove flavors contribute throughout the flavor profile, but are kept in relative balance to the other flavors. There is also a touch of earthy spiciness that is reminiscent of herbal coriander here in the flavor as well. The alcohol is quite well hidden here, and while this does have a touch of viscous heft to it, this beer is actually not overly heavy for a 10% beer; it doesn’t have quite the drinkability of the most digestible Belgian beers though.

An interesting beer, it definitely works for the most part, though it can be a touch cloying at times (though not really if you take the 10% alcohol into account). This is a nice beer, one that certainly combines the Simcoe hops and the Belgian yeast pretty well, but somehow it seems like it could have been much more interesting; I am not exactly sure why though, perhaps it is a touch too sweet, and it doesn’t quite seem complex enough somehow.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle: Poured a medium copper color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and good lacing. Aroma of simcoe hops with semi-sweet Belgian malt backbone is quite interesting. Taste is a mix between some quite sweet Belgain ale with some green simcoe hops clearly noticeable. Full body with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Very well done and a lot more complex then just a Belgian hop bomb.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

A hazy orange color with a thin white head. Aroma of yeast, grapefruit citrus. Had a hard time getting any more than that due to a cold. A bitter then yeasty, bready flavor with hints of orange near the finish. A long lasting finish that was tasty.