Sparks (Gnister)
Mikkeller ApS

 

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Poured from the 22 oz. bottle into a Cigar City Brewing goblet. The bottle was purchased locally on 9/20/16. Consumed 10/5/16.

A: Deep gold in color, mildly hazy, with average levels of visible carbonation. Forms a big three-finger off-white head (even on a gentle pour) with great retention.

S: Not a huge nose overall. Melon, dank, and spice hops. A biscuity sweet malt body. At least on the nose, this leans heavier on the malt than most modern APAs. I pick up a mild husky character to the malt as well.

T: Melon, dank, and bitter citrus pith. Biscuit malts, husk, and an ethanol sweetness. A vegetal, flowery hop flavor near the end, with some mildly fruity yeastiness. We end up with nearly balanced flavors of hop/malt/alcohol in hang.

M: The body seems about average for an APA, but this bottle is WAY over-carbonated - to the point that it detracts for sure. The alcohol is more prevalent than the vast majority of APAs.

O: This is…just not good. Likely the worst Mikkeller beer I’ve ever had. It’s not infected (I don’t think), and maybe (I hope) this was just a bad bottle. I hope this isn’t a harbinger of things to come from the newly non-gypsy brewer. While I think APAs can be a tough style to excel at, it’s not a tough style to make something that’s perfectly drinkable. But this bottle at least, isn't even drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly dark amber brew with a sticky cap of foam in the Duvel tulip. Quite aromatic with hops of mystery and dark fruit. Some orange in the nose. Light and frothy mouthfeel. Quite gulpable but a darker sort of Pale.

Taste is a little dark and woody. Fairly malty for a Pale Ale with some caramel taste. Hoppier than a Brown ale, but that's what it makes me think of at first. But then the rather bitter aftertaste comes on. Some light citrus flavor with a bit of lemon peel at the finish. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Barons supermarket.

a very good pale ale, not quite as purely american as others, but balanced and well made, like all of the beer packaged out of their san diego operation so far. a bit of a caramel color to this, and a tall white head, a sign of a more malty pale ale. its not english in that there really isnt that yeast profile, and the hops are also very much dry hoppy and northwestern american types, but the relationship of grain to hop bitterness more than flavor here and the bit of sweetness make it a bit more of an international pale. nice round flavor to this, with a slight caramel malt sweetness up front and a sturdy bitter hop finish, some citrus zest there too, bit a higher alpha thing going on. decent body too, this feels right on the palate, bubbly and smooth, easy drinking in a good way, interesting enough to hold my attention but not complex or unique enough to warrant a whole lot of contemplation. beer like this is needed at times, and i think this fills that niche nicely. i love the quality we are seeing out of the san diego mikkeller, it has certainly benefited the hoppy styles, which were pretty hit or miss in freshness coming from belgium. great food beer here too!

22oz bottle, part of a mildly surprising arrival here on the Mikkeller account - what, only 3 or 4 products this time, instead of 50?

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy ecru head, which leaves some random sudsy school of fish lace around the glass as it lazily subsides.

It smells of fresh orange and Texas red grapefruit juice, bready and doughy caramel malt, a hint of earthy yeast (you can take the gypsy brewer out of Belgium, but you can't - oh, never mind), biscuity white crackers, and more leafy, piney, and estery floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, muddled domestic citrus rind, an ephemeral and benign yeastiness, and more tame leafy, weedy, and wet piney verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly active in its palate-probing frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and more or less smooth, nothing really caring to interfere at this juncture. It finishes off-dry, the lingering caramel malt seeing some orange fleshiness separate itself from the crowd.

Overall, this comes across as a pretty decent stab at being a veritable Red, White, and Blue pale ale - nice and hoppy, from the anticipated vectors, and generally lacking the mirror-world weirdness that I have come to expect from this brewing concern.

Pours into a nonic a clear brass color with a thick rocky white head that sticks like glue to the glass.Mainly pine in the nose,a light smattering dough as well.Pine hits up front on the palate but then it gets somewhat sweet,caramel and sweet doughy malts come in a big way,with like another has stated an orange element comes into play even more so as I drink more.Not bad but a little sweet and a little underwhelming from Mikkeller.

 

 

Mikkeller can be really hit or miss on hoppy beers, but the San Diego factor helped sell me on picking this up. I think it's closer to the 'miss' end, with the bottle art being the best part.

Pours a mostly clear rust orange with big soapy tan colored head, plenty of lace on the glass. I guess just because you brew in SD doesn't mean it's going to fit with the local style, but this is dark. Smell: sort of a date bread thing here with some dried orange and lemon. Tons of spruce. Taste: pine city, sweet orange citrus, steely caramel, finishing with lemon-lime flavor.

 

 

Copper gold with a thin off-white head that left a curtain of lacing.
Slight biscuity aroma. Taste follows with a bit less than moderate amount of bitterness.
Medium carbonation and mouthfeel. Smooth semi-dry finish.
Maltier and less hoppy for the style.