Spontanhibiscus
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

Bottle: Poured a pink color ale with a medium foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of hibiscus with light tart notes wand funky ester is pleasant. Taste is a nice mix tart notes with funky ester with some dominant hibiscus notes with subtle residual sugar notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. Good mix of flavours with great level of drinkability.

 

 

another beauty in this series, and something totally unexpected. i always think hibiscus is overdone in beer, its always so perfumey, never subtle, it dominates, and this is finally an example of it being used more reasonably. the beer isnt electric pink, so thats a good start, just the same slightly pink murky golden color as many of the others in this series. head is short and short lived. great nose to this, its hibiscus for sure, floral and summery but not like perfume, and with a lot of other essences at work, i get blueberry and vanilla, and a resonating natural sweetness thats really attractive with all the bretty funk. the oak comes through as much in this one as in any beer in the series too, mellowing the acidity quite a lot, so it ends up being way more funky than sour, different than the others in that regard. the flavor of the flower is true, but its used as an accent here. i get generic red berry, and some of the more subtle pollen and honey notes that are in the elderflower edition. overall a really incredible lambic type beer with just the right amount of hibiscus. nothing like this at all on the market, i loved it, we all did.

 

 

 

375ml bottle, snifter glass.

Look - A crystal clear amber/ruby red, very thin white layer of head leaving only little spots of lacing.

Smell - Very barnyard and funky with floral and acidic notes in the background. Not much hibiscus on the nose.

Taste - upfront hit of brett funk rounded out by lactic sourness, citrus, and...aha! There's that hibiscus. It's not an intense hibiscus flavor, but it hits the palate with just enough floral punch to balance the acid and funk.

Feel - light, fizzy carbonation and a bit of a watery body. A bit insubstantial.

Overall - My notes make it seem like I wasn't happy with this one, but I actually quite liked it. It just tastes a bit underdeveloped. If I get it again, I'll let it age for a while to see how it matures.