It's Alive - Chardonnay Barrel Aged With Mango
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

 

 

12.7 oz bottle gives a very noticeable hiss when opened. Pours a deep amber-orange color. Mild haze. Large off-white colored head which stick around. Good amount of lacing.

Strong wine barrel presence in the nose. Brett funk as a strong second. Oak, white grape, and pepper.

Brett, oak, and green grape. Earthy and musty. Not getting the mango at all. Some peppery notes.

Medium body. High carbonation means this is quite crisp. Starts with mild sweetness that goes immediately towards extremely dry. Dryness lingers.

This is an interesting wild ale. Good brett notes. I think it could use more sweetness to balance the white wine dryness. Really didn't pick up the mango at all. A boost there might give the sweetness I'm looking for.

From 02/15/15 notes. Bottle bought at Mission Delores in Brooklyn.

Pours a murky burnt-orange color with one finger of bright white head and moderate carbonation evident. Lots of brett, some white wine, oak, some funk ,tropical fruits, mangos, and pineappls. medium body and low carbonation.

Overall pretty good. Little funk and lots of tropical notes.

Got this for my girlfriend but she ended up not caring for it so I gladly finished it off for her. The chardonnay and mango came through wonderfully, with the price tag I probably wont get it again but it was definitely worth trying.

 

Dark hazy orange with a generous white head, slowly receding and leaving a thick sticky lace.
A really great smell, with quite some different... layers. A nice musty white wine acidity, imparting some berries, some tart cherries, green apple. Some melon sweetness, bit of overripe pineapple, a nice distinctive mango pulpy feel. Faint peach compote. Funk really faint.
A more pronounced sourness in the taste, with vinegar and a lot of lemon to equal/somewhat surpass the white wine notes (underripe white grape, faint berry), but with bigger apple cider notes. Some tropical notes reminding of papaya and mango are pushed up by the sweetish malts, with a bit of extra caramel sweetness. Generic white wine acidity towards the finish, with a really nice barrel feel, not the more common "countryside-stave" kind, but really rich clean oak, bringing quite a bit of vanilla with it. Bit of grapefruit peel and pepper too, for that extra-dry finish.
Medium body, prickly carbonation that works well with the tartness. Aftertaste has lots of barrel, surprisingly faint white wine and mango. Dried up really good.
Tasty, but the lychee version pushed more of my buttons. Would've liked the Chardonnay to stick around more, but great barrel-work anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.7 fl oz. bottle, no apparent bottled on date present. I've been eyeing bottles of this at the local beer store for a while now, though, and I finally pulled the trigger for $17.99. It'll be hard to justify that, but I hope the beer appeases me some. I've never had the regular version of this beer before.

Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.

A - It pours a beautiful murky & juicy burnt sienna orange colored body with three big fingers of fluffy tan head. Nice head retention for the moderately high 8.00% abv. Leaves behind some fluffy spotty lacing. 4

S - The aroma is pleasant and complex - musty, yeasty, oak / wood / cork, apples, caramel. Some vinous / grapey wine notes are noticeable, but not overpowering. Only vague notes of fleshy mango / pineapple present, but they are definitely there. 4

T - Taste follows the nose - very lightly tart & citric initially, but it gives way to a mellow caramel / oak wood / vanilla sort of taste. Lightly fruity, grapey & vinous, with some wine-like alcohol notes from the barrel. Earthy & yeasty. Again, tropical mango & pineapple flavors are subtle, but they are definitely in there. 4

M - The feel is crisp and clean. Earthy & dry on the finish with some clean alcohol fumes. 4

Overall, like others have said, it is a nice beer if you can get past the ridiculous price point. Very nice, but I'm not entirely sure that the mango addition added too much. Either way, I'm glad to have tried it, and I look forward to trying the others.

Mikkeller It's Alive! (Chardonnay Barrel Aged With Mango) -----4/5.