We Brew Gold
Mikkeller ApS
- From:
- Mikkeller ApS
- Denmark
- Style:
- Imperial IPA
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.1 | pDev: 7.8%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 19, 2014
- Added:
- Aug 04, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
4.03/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
10 euro for a 330ml brown glass bottle with flashy label art at the ALEHouse in Riga, Latvia. Cha-ching! Reviewed live. "Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at Naparbier S. Coop, Noain-Nafarroa, Spain." Expectations are high; Mikkel is me favourite brewer. 9.00% ABV. "Imperial IPA brewed with gold."
Served at fridge temp.
There's an interesting flurry of floating yeast particulate and goldschlager-esque gold flakes as the beer is poured. Quite an interesting effect.
HEAD: One finger wide head of white colour. Gold flakes are embedded about the sides of the glass around the head - never seen that before. Complexion and consistency are average. Retention is above average - about 4 minutes. Not bad for a 9.00% ABV brew. It's nicely frothy for the style. Some even lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Vibrant orange with plainly visible gold flakes on the sides of the glass and especially in the bottom. I can't tell if there's yeast as well, but there are definitely gold flakes. It's translucent, but nontransparent.
This is a damn good looking imperial IPA even without the gold flakes, which make it unique. I figured the gold was just a gimmick, but it does set off the appearance.
I suppose if any imperial IPA is worthy of a perfect score in the appearance category, it is this one.
AROMA: Great hop aromatics. Fresh floral notes, diverse fruity notes (incl. mango and tangerine), juice, pale malts, clean barley, a hint of sweetbread, a kiss of bitter rind, and sherbet. The hop bitterness is very well concealed. These aromatics suggest a very balanced imperial IPA; I'm excited to try this.
I can't say I pick up on any metallic notes or anything aroma-wise I'd attribute to gold.
TEXTURE: This texture complements the taste brilliantly. It's impeccably soft, and feels comforting and refreshing on the palate. Smooth and wet, with near perfect carbonation. It's slightly oily, which helps bring out the hop notes wonderfully. The medium body and apt thickness are ideally suited to this style and flavour profile. I don't feel any grittiness or roughness from the gold flakes; they're hardly noticeable, and affect the mouthfeel no more than yeast particulate would.
The softness is the highlight here. This has excellent presence on the palate. I'm impressed.
TASTE: Taste fulfills the promise of the aroma. Peach, faint mango, a hint of tangerine, and a kiss of grapefruit bitterness there on the finish. These fruity hop notes work in tandem to comprise a satisfying fruity taste, which is marvelous when coupled with the complementary fresh floral hop notes and brief hints of faint pine. A rounded sherbet character conceals any hop bitterness without injecting any unwelcome cloying sweetness. This is fantastically balanced and carefully brewed. I'm really enjoying it.
Good depth and duration of flavour. The hint of grapefruit lingers in the aftertaste, encouraging the next sip to quell the dying bitterness with the sherbet-like sweetness of the open. Structurally, it's impeccable. Excellent amplitude of flavour. Superb cohesion. It's almost a gestalt build; I can think of few things that could be changed or added which would improve the brew. But there are those few...
OVERALL: The discerning drinker would be justified in suspecting that this beer is just a gimmick; I did. But Mikkel is in fine form with this brew and delivers a hell of an imperial IPA, reminding me why he's my favourite brewer. When he's on, he's really fucking on, and this is a testament to that. Its unique appearance is just the appetizer. The soft texture is perfectly married to the sherbet-like fruity hop notes, and it's damn drinkable for the high ABV. If not for the unreasonably high price point, I'd absolutely get this again. This is a must-try beer amongst Mikkel's lineup and I'll be recommending it to friends.
Definitely worth experiencing once. This is - true to its moniker - liquid gold.
Low A-
Aug 04, 2014Served at fridge temp.
There's an interesting flurry of floating yeast particulate and goldschlager-esque gold flakes as the beer is poured. Quite an interesting effect.
HEAD: One finger wide head of white colour. Gold flakes are embedded about the sides of the glass around the head - never seen that before. Complexion and consistency are average. Retention is above average - about 4 minutes. Not bad for a 9.00% ABV brew. It's nicely frothy for the style. Some even lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.
BODY: Vibrant orange with plainly visible gold flakes on the sides of the glass and especially in the bottom. I can't tell if there's yeast as well, but there are definitely gold flakes. It's translucent, but nontransparent.
This is a damn good looking imperial IPA even without the gold flakes, which make it unique. I figured the gold was just a gimmick, but it does set off the appearance.
I suppose if any imperial IPA is worthy of a perfect score in the appearance category, it is this one.
AROMA: Great hop aromatics. Fresh floral notes, diverse fruity notes (incl. mango and tangerine), juice, pale malts, clean barley, a hint of sweetbread, a kiss of bitter rind, and sherbet. The hop bitterness is very well concealed. These aromatics suggest a very balanced imperial IPA; I'm excited to try this.
I can't say I pick up on any metallic notes or anything aroma-wise I'd attribute to gold.
TEXTURE: This texture complements the taste brilliantly. It's impeccably soft, and feels comforting and refreshing on the palate. Smooth and wet, with near perfect carbonation. It's slightly oily, which helps bring out the hop notes wonderfully. The medium body and apt thickness are ideally suited to this style and flavour profile. I don't feel any grittiness or roughness from the gold flakes; they're hardly noticeable, and affect the mouthfeel no more than yeast particulate would.
The softness is the highlight here. This has excellent presence on the palate. I'm impressed.
TASTE: Taste fulfills the promise of the aroma. Peach, faint mango, a hint of tangerine, and a kiss of grapefruit bitterness there on the finish. These fruity hop notes work in tandem to comprise a satisfying fruity taste, which is marvelous when coupled with the complementary fresh floral hop notes and brief hints of faint pine. A rounded sherbet character conceals any hop bitterness without injecting any unwelcome cloying sweetness. This is fantastically balanced and carefully brewed. I'm really enjoying it.
Good depth and duration of flavour. The hint of grapefruit lingers in the aftertaste, encouraging the next sip to quell the dying bitterness with the sherbet-like sweetness of the open. Structurally, it's impeccable. Excellent amplitude of flavour. Superb cohesion. It's almost a gestalt build; I can think of few things that could be changed or added which would improve the brew. But there are those few...
OVERALL: The discerning drinker would be justified in suspecting that this beer is just a gimmick; I did. But Mikkel is in fine form with this brew and delivers a hell of an imperial IPA, reminding me why he's my favourite brewer. When he's on, he's really fucking on, and this is a testament to that. Its unique appearance is just the appetizer. The soft texture is perfectly married to the sherbet-like fruity hop notes, and it's damn drinkable for the high ABV. If not for the unreasonably high price point, I'd absolutely get this again. This is a must-try beer amongst Mikkel's lineup and I'll be recommending it to friends.
Definitely worth experiencing once. This is - true to its moniker - liquid gold.
Low A-
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