K:rlek Vår/Sommar 2014
Mikkeller ApS

Reviewed from notes taken in Summer 2014.

Served on-draught into a pilsner glass at a bar in Thessaloniki, Greece. Cost was 5 euro per 330ml brown glass bottle.

American Pale Ale.

HEAD: 1 finger worth of head. White in colour. Decent complexion and consistency. Light even lacing adheres to the sides of the glass as the head recedes. Retention is above average (~3-4 minutes). Okay thickness; decent creaminess.

BODY: Hazy orange-copper colour. Nontransparent. Translucent. No yeast/sediment is visible. Looks nice for an IPA. Has nice vibrance. Appears well-carbonated.

AROMA: Floral hops, nectary hops, pale malts, clean barley. Heavy resins. Tropical fruit is present - mango mainly. Bitterness/sweetness balance seems perfect.

A pleasant aroma of mild intensity. No overt alcohol, yeasty notes, or off-notes are detectable.

TASTE: Pale malts, floral hops, nectary hops, clean 2-row barley, and some tropical fruit (mango). Very well balanced, with above average depth of flavour.

Flavour duration is above average.

Adequately complex, with some nice subtlety to the hop flavours though they could be better layered.

I like it, but it's not a paragon of the style.

TEXTURE: Smooth, wet, refreshing, enjoyable, and nicely soft. Nice thickness. Medium-bodied. Well-carbonated. Complements the taste very well.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy.

OVERALL: A damn fine APA from one of my favourite brewers. I could down this by the pitcher. Highly drinkable/sessionable. Definitely a must-try for fans of the style. Very good stuff.

Would pair well with pizza, wings, a burger, or similar pub grub. Will please casual and more discerning drinkers alike.

B (3.64) / GOOD

Bottle: Poured alight hazy beige color ale with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of light citrus hops profile with non-descript malt is enjoyable. Taste is also dominated by citrus hops profile with non-descript malt with limited bitterness. Body is full enough for style with good carbonation. More pronounced hops would have been interesting but enjoyable nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The colour is gold (7 EBC), the liquid is clear. The three finger head is white and compact, it sinks slowly leaving lots of thick lacing.

The smell is hoppy and fresh. Lots of American flavours of citric fruits, banana peels, unripe exotic fruits and dry malts. Some sharp sweetness in the background, and a touch of rubber. Lots of hops going on here.

The taste got quite a lot of bitterness for a APA. Citric fruits, mostly lime and bitter oranges. Some pine needles and rubber. Smooth sweetness in the background. Medium body. The aftertaste is fresh with orange peels, some cookies/biscuits and a slowly growing clean bitterness. The finish is bittersweet with lemon-lime-notes.

The carbonation is strong and fresh; the many bubbles small and long-lived. The liquid is mid-smooth.

A highly balanced, fresh and refreshing APA, almost like a session IPA. Suitable for summer evnings.

 

For not being classified as an IPA this outshines most pale ales for me. I am partial to citrus and pine hop notes. I think its the Amarillo that holds this beer back from greatness. A great beer from Scandinavia. Keep up the good word work Mikkeller!

Hazy, light yellow colored beer with a four finger high, white, fluffy head.

What a nose! Grapefruit, orange marmelade, citrus, green apple, apricot and pine.

A little bit "light" in the taste. Not meeting the expectations in the nose... Still very good! Hops, citrus, tropical fruit and pine. Mild bitterness. Medium body. Low carbonation.