Årh Hvad (BA Cherry Wine)
Mikkeller ApS

A 375ml bottle, with a best before date of 30th April 2025. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.

Appearance: A hazy rusty dark orange brown colour, with a thin white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: Funky, brett, damp wood, grape, tart berries, orange, with light caramel notes.

Taste: Malty, funky, brett, damp wood, plum, orange, mixed berries, pepper spice, with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.

Overall: It’s been a while since I had the base beer, but my feeling is that it was better than this BA version, as this just didn’t fully work for me.

I have been late to parties before, but never by five years. (This was sitting on the shelf of a high-end grocery store with a 10% discount, so I jumped... defying my knowledge that the high-end rarely delivers value.) While this copy of Arh Hvad should not have been on the shelf, it was a good experience... however deteriorated a pale can be after being brewed seven years ago.

Two nice surprises. First, this is how Brett should be used. I actually didn't know it was in the bottle until I read its label. Second, this copy is so old that it says Shelton Bros brought it to our shores. God Bless them and whoever replaces them.

Finally, I'm guessing that I've never done a micro-review for Mikkeller. There probably is a reason because they are such an iconoclastic collaborator and such a ridiculous innovator that my micro-review quickly would become big. So to save you time about reading what I can only speculate about, Mikkeler is what they are... and we are better for it. Skal and Jubel !

Poured into a snifter it has a big white head of a half an inch and a red orange body slightly hazy. Smell is clementine, orange, citrus, some slight cherry, sour lemon hay, floral, oak, and a bit of weed. Flavor is dry, belgian yeast esters, orange, some wine, tannin, hay, oak, little bit dank, and tart citrus. Mouthfeel is dry and full, body is moderate to light and carbonation is moderate to full. Not that flavorful, very dry, and overall disappointing, the wine barrel didn't do this beer much of a favor.

 

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 4/30/2025. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/light copper color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of tart cherry, lemon peel, pear, apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, candi sugar, bread, hay, straw, leather, funk, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate pale malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of tart cherry, lemon peel, pear, apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, candi sugar, bread, hay, straw, leather, funk, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Good amount of fruity tartness and yeast/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart cherry, lemon peel, pear, apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, oak, bread, hay, straw, leather, funk, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate pale malt flavors; with a solid malt/spiciness balalnce; and a bit of lingering tannic/spicy astringency after the finish, but not overwhelming. Light-moderate dryness from yeast/tannic oak spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/tannic, and slightly acidic/slick/syrupy balanced mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is fairly well hidden with a mild warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a pretty good wild Belgian pale ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, despite the lingering tannic astringency. I was not expecting the huge Brett profile at all, but it grew on me through the glass; and was still tasty and enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful deep rich amber color and a smell that encompasses all of the best funky aromas of Brett. That being said, I wish I had know the enjoy by date for this bottle is 2025...taste is definitely not ready yet. Overwhelming earthy tones really mute any of the hint taste of cherries or funky Brett flavors that want to come through.

I'm sure better days are ahead of this bottle. I'm a bit disappointed but largely because I have zero patience.

Clear copper, with a moderate but quickly dissipating head.

Smells like marijuana bowl residue, really. And a slight bit of sour cherry.

The taste is almost salty. I get sherry, perhaps a hop bitterness, and a hint of dill.

As it warms, a sort of char, possibly from the barrel, takes over, as well as some green olive.

Dry, slightly boozy, this is an odd one.

Taste doesn't deliver on the fantastic aroma. Shallow and reticent, with insufficient cherry presence. It's not cough syrupy, but it does come forward as artificial.

Not a brew I'd get again at Shelton Bastards pricing. Damn shame; the aroma is wonderful.

High C (2.97) / AVERAGE

 

mikellers tribute to orval keeps evolving. this time its a cherry wine barrel aged edition, and its brilliant. in my opinion, superior to the grand marnier edition in every way. cloudy and just a little pink on the pour, almost ends up looking more like a pale amber than a fruited something, and holding a full inch of fluffy white head, great carbonation is evident. the brett is crazy on the nose, must be a multitude of strains, funk and farm, wet and weird. oak for sure coming out, not a ton of cherry wine yet, but I don't drink enough cherry wine to recognize its subtleties. the flavor I get it though, cherry for sure, almost way back, a sort of cross between natural and cough syrup cherry flavor, with some acidity and sweetness alike brought on by the wine. its a nice addition to the already very complex base beer, which is brett driven, but has some cool malt characters as well. the base beer is one of my favorites, and this really pushes it forward. not as dry as the original, which hurts it just a little for me, but super carbonated and funked right out. mild fruit in the finish too, and its way more easy drinking than I wish it was. they should sell it by the gallon. we all loved this beer, and hope mikkeller continues to play around with putting it in different barrels. sherry and rye whiskey come to mind...

Nice amber color, and I'm seeing good lacing on the half inch of creamy foam. The smell is a bit tart, although not obviously tartness from cherry, with a hint of sour funk. The taste follows the smell pretty closely but with a little bit of a bite. Mouthfeel is satisfying. Overall, a solid ale, and the cherry wine barrel adds a nice extra layer to it.