Yeast Series: Belgian Ale
Mikkeller ApS

Yeast Series: Belgian AleYeast Series: Belgian Ale
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
8%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 7.73%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 24, 2015
Added:
Jul 12, 2010
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by ohtheguilt:
Photo of ohtheguilt
Rated by ohtheguilt from Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

Jun 19, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.77 by trxxpaxxs from New York

Jul 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by jaydoc from Kansas

Dec 14, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Antnyd82 from Illinois

Jan 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Oct 29, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by theminutemen from Missouri

Jun 22, 2012
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Yeast bomb, very Belgian, very nicely categorized as a Belgian pale.
Peachy coloured body with a lasting yeasty lacy topping. Pleasant yeasty aroma. Smooth above average mouthfeel. Decent drinker, as a sipper. The yeast takes it to fruitiness, not very sweet. Good balance. Good craftsmanship.
Mar 08, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by clegolfski from Ohio

Nov 26, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by KGarrett from New York

Nov 16, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by HopStoopid120 from Connecticut

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on-tap at the Brick Store Pub's 14th anniversary celebration alongside the yeast series hefeweizen and American. I liked this quite a bit more than the hefe, and perhaps not quite so much as the American. Pours a golden color, edging toward copper with a nice head. Nice Belgian notes from the yeast- fruity and with some clove on the finish. Quite Belgian in style as far as the nose goes. Tastes pretty good as well, with more Belgian fruit and spice. There isn't quite the same base as usual, which is understandable given the base beer, so a grainy note creeps in the restrains the lovely fruit. Even so, this is pretty tasty. Still, another good example of how matching the correct yeasts, hops, and grains makes a difference in a style. Fascinating.
Jul 17, 2011
Photo of glid02
Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On-tap at the Brick Store, tasted side-by-side with the hefeweizen and US versions.

Pours a hazy golden-copper color with a slightly off-white head that leaves decent lacing.

Smells of grainy pale malts with good amounts of sugar-dusted pears and hints of lighter bananas. Also present are very light hints of clove.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though the flavors are better integrated than the aromas. Slightly dry pale malts up front are joined quickly by moderately sweet medium fruits. Midway through, the flavor profile dries out a bit with the addition of light clove and hints of leafy hops that carry through to a mildly bitter ending. Mouthfeel is good, with smooth carbonation.

Overall this was my least favorite of the bunch but it was interesting to see how the bones of a Belgian could be constructed using only the yeast.
Jul 14, 2011
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.67/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Writing a review for this beer is tough. How can you nit-pick and be critical about a style of beer when it wasn't exactly brewed for a specific style? This was a sort of educational piece for we the consumers to learn a bit about yeast's influence in a beer. This was the same base brewed for 5 different beers and the only difference is the yeast.

Thanks to wishuwerebeer for sharing, poured into a cervoise. This brew appears a clear copper color with thick chunks of yeast that find their way into the glass despite a careful pour. A finger of yellowish stained fluff appears and holds quite well. A thick wall of lace appears in a full curtain about the glass. A swirl revives the cap back to a finger's strength.

The smell of this brew is typical of Belgian examples. Scents of spicy clove mixes with mild banana esters mixed with fruity indications. It is spicy yet sweet smelling with a candy-like aroma that blends into a caramel aspect that is almost vanilla-like. It is smooth smelling and overall not bad.

The taste is herbal hop bitterness with a backing of toasted malt which provides some caramel flavoring. It is spicy with the typical Belgian yeast flavors of clove and mild banana. There is a light amount of candy sweetness that finishes dry with a lasting herbal quality that is mildly grassy into the aftertaste.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. The 8% abv was well integrated in this example. Pretty decent balance but more toasty and medicinal than I like in a Belgian style offering. For what it is, it was pretty good. Hats off to the brewer for the creative idea. I haven't had the Brett version in the series but of the 4 I had, the Belgian yeast seemed bet paired with the base brew. Not something I would seek out again, but having it once was cool.
May 23, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served from bottle into a Surly Darkness snifter. Poured red-orange with a four finger off-white head that subsided to one finger slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, pine, and wheat. The flavor was of sweet malt, pine resin, banana, wheat, and subtle spices. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was not a bad brew. The spices I got in this one were a little harsh if I'm honest. The Belgian influence was definitely shining through on this one. Good aroma going on for sure. A definite must try.
Apr 01, 2011
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Put this head to head with the Yeast Series: Lager.

Pours identical in colour to the Lager, a bright and hazed reddish bronze, shining pleasantly in the light. Head is fuller than the lager, and retains a little better in its yellowish tinged glory, although the lacing here is clumpier and looser. In the body of this one, there's a fair amount of yeast sediment, despite the careful pour. This one probably has a looser trub at the bottom of the bottle. Still looks good.

In contrast to the crisp hoppiness of the lager, this one comes across as much sweeter and slightly spicy. Big notes of syrup and some fruity esters coming through, like stewed plums and golden sultanas. Very rich and sweet - such a contrast between the two.

Taste is smooth and a little flat, although there's still plenty of syrup and spice to leaven it. The ABV is much better hidden in this one than in the lager, where it takes on a fusel astringent character. Here, it smoothly melds with the dried fruit characters. There's a slight hoppiness on the back which makes an interesting contrast, but for this style it sticks around slightly too long, when the fruity esters should be the main event.

A nice experiment, and a great way to show off the differences in yeast strains, but it also exemplifies how different styles of beer need their recipes tweaked to match up with the secondary characters of the yeast.
Dec 31, 2010
Photo of Axic10
Reviewed by Axic10 from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy copper/amber with a half finger of khaki colored head.

Smell: Hops, spices, yeast and candied fruits that comes through as it warms up.

Taste: Spices, candied fruits, yeast, slightly funky.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and smooth.

Drinkability: So far my favorite out of the series. I would get this again for sure.
Nov 28, 2010
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had an orange color and a cloudy texture. There was a huge amount of foamy, long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A sweet, citrusy smell, with traces of yeast and sugar.

T: Tasted of citrus (grapefruit) and Belgian yeast up front, with a wallop of caramel in the finish. I like caramel, but not in big doses. A somewhat uneven flavor.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a slightly slick finish. Medium-bodied.

D: A solidly made, drinkable beer, in spite of some of its flaws.
Aug 19, 2010
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

2.91/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
On tap at Max's yesterday.

Pouring light orange (like all the others), this beer is probably the haziest of the bunch. Head retention and lacing are pretty good too, this was the best looking of the bunch. The nose is that blend of sweetness and Belgian yeast spiciness that I don't like. While it's still prominently hoppy (citrus) and caramel-like, as it warms up, there's a prominent yeast character. The palate opens with a blend of rather syrupy caramel and yeasty spiciness. Definitely sweeter than it needs to be, this beer is moderately hoppy with mostly citrus hop character which grows in the mid-palate with a lower level of bitterness. Sweet, spicy finish, this is a bit much for me. Medium-full in body with moderate carbonation, the finish is rather disappointing with candy and hops with a little yeast. Not my cup of tea.
Aug 17, 2010
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a slightly hazy, honey amber color (I should add that all of these yeast ales from Mikkeller look pretty much the same), with decent head retention and considerable lacing. The nose is impressive, showing light clove, cherry and considerable spice. Flavors replicate the nose pretty closely, with the beer showing a hint of hoppy bitterness on the finish. It helps to counter the light to moderate sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a fairly long finish. This is another beer that delivers plenty of flavor, with the alcohol well integrated into the flavor profile.

This is my third yeast series beer from Mikkeler, and while the flavor profile is different in all of them, there's a sameness about them as well. Aside from the apperanace, the mouthfeel is identical on all of them so far. Whatever else you want to say about them, the quality is undeniable.
Aug 13, 2010
Photo of cosmicevan
Reviewed by cosmicevan from New York

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 11.2 oz bottle into Duvel tulip.

A - Poured a foggy orange/amber with a tall collar and super frothy and clingly lacing.

S - Much like the Brett version (uses the same wort)...pretty hoppy, but a pleasant even hoppy smell. Not overbearing. A hint of citrus, spices, and some subtle sweetness. Pleasant smelling.

T - Much hoppier than the Brett version. Grassy and spicey...but mostly hoppy. Kind of reminds me of an IPA or a hoppier Pale Ale (SN and Stone comes to mind). Chewing the beer a bit reveals some more of the flavoring, but the flavors are hidden behind the heavy hop and are hard to pick out. The belgian yeast flavor is in there and certainly comes out as the beer warms, but I found myself swishing the beer around like mouthwash so that I could find that flavor through the heavy hop. Pretty amazing how much more the hop flavor was mellowed in the Brett version which seemed so much more balanced to me.

M - Much more vibrant than the Brett version. Bitter and dry after feel.

D - Another easy drinker, but nothing to really make it stand out to me as something special. Alc is hidden pretty well and the beer has a nice flavor making it pack a nice punch for this flavor. I'd take the Brett version over this one any day of the week.
Aug 05, 2010
Yeast Series: Belgian Ale from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 26 ratings