Yells At Cloud
Mikkeller ApS

 

Picked this up at Ledger's in Berkeley for $5.49 a single 16 oz can. Influenced slightly to buy it given the Simpson's reference. Pours a hazy yellow with a small 1/4" white head. Not the most attractive, its a real dull yellow. The aroma is a little different, simcoe isn't really an aroma hop and the mandarin bavarina are used to slightly I can't really say much given the dearth of experience I have with them. I picked up mostly citrus, grapefruit, orange and lemon.

Taste was a weird bitterness, not as soft as the ibu claim would lead you to believe, still a metallic feel on it. No can date was visible on it. This just continues the trend of a lot of the Mikkeller series of beers not holding up in the heavily hopped categories. Thankfully, this one wasn't excessively more expensive like the non San Diego Mikkeller beers that I am used to. For instance, this was better than your average single hop Mikkeller beer I'd say.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 10/3/2017. Pours very hazy/cloudy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, lemon zest, orange peel, light pepper/pine, wheat, white bread dough, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, lemon zest, orange peel, light pepper/pine, wheat, white bread dough, light honey, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very mild pine, citrus peel, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, lemon zest, orange peel, light pepper/pine, wheat, white bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness balance, and zero astringent hop flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/resinous mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a fantastic NEIPA! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and extremely easy to drink; with the very mild bitter/drying finish. Very juicy and lightly dank hops; balanced malts without being overly sweet/heavy feeling for the ABV. Amazingly soft mouthfeel and a wonderful showcase of Simcoe/Madarina hops. A highly enjoyable offering, and incredible style example.

 

There must have been something wrong with the beer I had at Hop Nuts in Las Vegas. When I look at the other ratings there was no indication that this was not a NE IPA. It tasted like it was moldy. It was a funky farmhouse wet barnyard flavor. I had it side by side with a Hop Nuts Vegas Haze. It was much more of the NE IPA style. I like Mikkeller beer and have to believe this was an anomaly.

 

 

 

 

despite it hitting all the bases, i really didnt care for this one all that much, and it might have been my least favorite of a rather large recent round of new mikkeller beers. its not bad at all, and in fact the simcoe in it tastes very fresh and forward, but it crowds out the more delicate mandarina bavaria, and the bitterness that this finishes with is way too much. while i appreciate one of the hazed up ipa types actually having some bitterness to go with all the juicy dry hopping, this one steps a bit over the drinkability line for me, its harsh as it finishes, and all the starchy looking and feeling body does little to soften it, which i thought was part of the point. it was also a little under carbonated from the tap, which for me made it feel a bit heavy. furthermore, even at this modest abv for the style, the alcohol seemed a bit exposed. i mean, its super fresh and good, and from another brewer maybe i would like it more, but i expect every single beer from mikkeller to blow my mind at this point, and this one left a little bit to be desired, despite being an excellent expression of simcoe hops and tasting extremely fresh. different for the style, but not totally dialed in, at least in my opinion...

 

A: Pours an extremely murky dark golden yellow in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and moderate burnt orange colored highlights. The beer has a finger tall dense foamy beige head that slowly reduces to a couple of medium sized patches of medium thick film surrounded by a large patch of thin film covering the remainder of the surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/tangerine, herbal, and pine/resin hops over the top of slightly less than moderate aromas of biscuit + caramel malts with a light amount of sweetness.

T: Upfront there is a just shy of moderate flavor of biscuit + caramel malts with a light to moderate amount of caramel sweetness. That is followed by slightly stronger than moderate flavors of citrus/grapefruit pith, citrus/tangerine, herbal, and pine/resin hops which impart a light amount of lingering bitterness.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light to moderate amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol and enjoyable with a different combination of hop aromas + flavors than usually found in an NEIPA.