Nurple
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

 

Had on tap. There are certain beers that are just great in every aspect. Nothing legendary, but no weaknesses, in fact no sign of weaknesses, this is one of those beers. Port wine sets the stage with sweet vinous elements for the berries, sour oak, and jammy supporting fruit to build off in both smell and taste. Finishes sneaky dry in taste. Little astringent in the body, but otherwise a great beer

 

a grossly underrated beer on here so far, what gives?! this is a well made pale sour beer, aged in port wine barrels with marionberries, which on paper sounds downright mouthwatering, and lives up to it in actuality. its pretty in the glass, deep violet in color, not oversaturated with color but quite dense, and holding a light pinky airy layer of fluff about an inch and a half high, really active bubbling too, very pretty beer. it smells and tastes amazing, tons of port wine on it with rich ruby notes of plum and blackberry, black cherry and cabernet, and walnut and oak, really gorgeous use of these barrels, and it seems like the lambic-esque acidity of the base beer pulls a lot of character and flavor from the wood. the berries add a nice jammy sweetness and black currant sort of tartness, short of astringent, but with the bacterial sourness, its quite puckery. amazing naturalness of the fruit flavors and a wonderful synergy with the port wine flavors. sourness is maybe a 6 out of 10, with a light vinegar aspect to it but a lambic type funk as well, very mature for a beer out of their relatively new san diego location, and overall one of the most impressive beers we drank on a trip to california absolutely packed with fine ales. this is some next level stuff, and i would advise anyone not yet aboard the mikkeller train to seek this one out and start here! innovative, expert, delicious, it checks all my boxes and then some!

Pours a deep purple with very little foam.

Smell is tart, with notes of oak, red wine and blackberries, with a slight sweetness to it.

Taste is fairly sour, with some rich oak notes, along with sloe, blackberries and a distinct port wine finish. Very dry.

Mouthfeel is medium and sparkly.

Overall, a very good sour, where the port wine barrels really make a difference.