X Kolsvart Lakrits IPA
Mikkeller ApS

Brought to me fresh from Norway from dear friends. Brewed at D’Proef in Belgium. Pours out to a quite cloudy and murky medium amber/orange, forming a tall yellow head with beautiful retention. Murky despite sitting upright in the fridge for over a month now. The nose is of C hops...Cascade, centennial, columbus...tropical fruit, piney and grapefruit. No off aromas. Carbonation is moderate. The taste is quite nice...a hefty and chewy malt body with a fair amount of residual sugars with lots of fresh hop flavor and sitting on a well balanced medium bitterness. Licorice has an interesting effect of causing a sweet sensation on the back of the tongue without causing a sweet taste, and you get this in this beer, without an overt licorice flavor. No off flavors.

Quite nice. An interesting IPA, notable for it's mouthfeel.

Kolsvart IPA. On-draught @ Vitamin B in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Bitter but balanced, with notes of grapefruit zest, pale and caramalt, and hop resins. Tea-like herbal hop character is present, but worry not - no astringency is concomitant.

Smooth, wet, medium-bodied.

I do find it too sweet for an IPA; coming from Mikkeller that's surprising. Were it not on-draught at the most reputable beer bar in Sofia, I'd wonder if it was old.

C- (2.71) / BELOW AVERAGE

***
2nd impressions from notes taken for a 33cl brown glass bottle at a bar in Wroclaw in Summer 2014. Cost was 20 zloty.

6.70% ABV. IPA. Best before date was for the next year.

Served into a tulip.

HEAD: 3 fingers wide and of white colour. A bit thin for an IPA, with merely okay complexion and consistency. Nice (~8+ minute) retention. No lacing as it recedes. Decent frothiness but insufficient creaminess.

BODY: Dark amber-copper colour. Semitransparent. Translucent. Dull-looking. Clean; no yeast or sediment is visible within. Not as vibrant or well-coloured as the best IPAs I've seen. Far from unique or special, but there are no obvious flaws.

AROMA: Biscuit malt, caramalt, pale malt, herbal hop character, muted ale esters, rough dry piney hops, and some muted hop oils. It's a surprisingly dry aroma and prepares me for a rough, scratchy texture.

A pleasant albeit unremarkable aroma of mild strength.

I detect no overt yeast, alcohol, or off-notes.

TEXTURE: It's not rough or scratchy, but it does have a subtle coarseness that drags on the palate, coaxing out depth of flavour from the build. It's wonderfully soft and creamy, especially on the open, and this coupled with its (mostly) smooth wet feel makes it almost refreshing. Surprisingly light in body. Not too thick, hefty, or weighty on the palate. A bit oily, though, suiting the taste nicely.

Carbonation is almost ideal.

TASTE: Herbal and lightly piney hops dominate, joined by some grapefruit bitterness/bite. Pale malts and caramalts provide the malt base, along with subsidiary hints of biscuit malt that lend it a bit more complexity. Fruity esters - while indistinct - are welcome, adding intangible intricacy. Average duration, depth, intensity, and amplitude of flavour. I like it and it's well-balanced, but this isn't a particularly subtle build, nor does it come together to form a gestalt whole.

Quite enjoyable for what it is.

OVERALL: Drinkable fare from a favourite brewer of mine, and I'll easily kill the bottle. It's a nice IPA from Mikkeller and is well worth trying, but I wouldn't say it's anywhere near world class. Hides its ABV well. Won't impress the discerning drinker, but it'll scratch your IPA itch.

High B- / WORTHY

 

 

 

Bottled
Amber body with big but quickly disappearing white Foamy head
A lot going on huge hops that are menthol creating an almost liquorice taste
with slightly less malt profile

 

 

 

 

 

Dark orange, really hazy, full finger off-white head, pretty compact and slowly receding.
Pineapple, mango, tangerine, lime, grapefruit, some clear toasted biscuit, honey, caramel, a sweet sugary spice, like a faint bit of licorice, but i'm not sure i would have detected it if i hadn't known the ingredients.
There's a big citrus character that fits the yuzu bill, tangerine sweet, piquant grapefruit pith and pulp, with a sour zing to go with it. Spicy lime peel, faint mango and some pineapple juice. Thick malt backbone, light caramel, and a sugary "festive" licorice note. Pine and dry grassy finish, quite bitter, with that citrus peel still lingering.
Medium body and carbonation. Aftertaste is bitter hoppy with some lingering citrus.
The ingredient that scared me at the start, the licorice, was subtle enough and did not disturb. The yuzu brought some nice new (for me) citrus characteristics. Nice. Kinda rough.

Needs more Licorice impact! :)