Building Blocks
Mikkeller ApS

Copenhagen 21/10 2018. 47,3 cl can from Mikkellers Webshop. Keith Shore drawing of Beer Drinkers, Brewing Equipment and ingredients in neat small boxes on the can. Reminds me of the cover of a Science book for Children from the Seventies.

Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with medium-sized white head. Settles asthin but frothy layer of foam barely managing to cover the surface of the beer. Crawling up the side of the glass. Massive lacing.

Aroma is fruity with solid malty backbone. Sweet malts, light caramel and grains. Floral, fruit overtones making it interesting.

Medium strong carbonation - which is pretty strong for a Keller-bier. Thin but lively texture.

Flavor is medium sweet followed by stronger bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter but fairly short.

Adventurous and quite bitter for a Keller-bier. reminds me more of a Pilsener. But refreshing with a nice bitter edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into lager glass; no can dating, but was just released locally. Bit of a gusher can. Pours fairly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings down the glass, with a fair moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of big lemon, citrus peel/zest, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance of pale malts and citrus/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big lemon, citrus peel/zest, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, zesty, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, citrus peel/zest, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome robustness and balance of pale malts and citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no lingering hop astringency after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Very clean on lager flavors, with minimal fruity/yeasty notes. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth and moderately bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Light lingering resins through the glass. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.4%. Overall this is an outstanding Kellerbier. All around awesome robustness and balance of pale malts and citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/clean/refreshing to drink with the moderately bitter/resinous/drying finish; no overly aggressive. Awesome clean pils malt showcase, with perfect noble hop presence/balance. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example. A little more bitter/hoppy than I expected, but not overdone.

Appearance: Pours a surprisingly crystal-clear, bright, golden color with a yeasty and foamy, moderate white head. Not cloudy at all, but don't be fooled. (4.25)

Aroma: First, aromas of a fresh, clean, healthy lawn. There is also strong orange, rubber, and grain. Tons of bread and grains on the nose. Almost soapy or even slightly like a rubber ball, but not funky. A slight fruit sweetness too. Might be some orchard fruit like ripe apple or pear. But so much grains and grass you might as well be walking into a wheat silo. (4.25)

Flavor: So much yeast. As the beer hits your mouth it foams up inside and gives flavors of yeast, grains, wheat, and bread. Some mild, dry hop pepper, but not as much as others have described. Really not much sweetness. Finishes yeasty and dry with a slight yeast bitterness. It's like if you made a loaf of bread but accidentally doubled the yeast. (4.50)

Feel: Yeast and foam immediately as it hits your mouth. Pillowy and chewy and then it almost dissolves on the tongue like cotton candy. Finishes completely dry and slightly bitter astringency. (4.5)

Overall: Not enough could be said about this beer. A fantastic Kellerbier and one of the best beers I've had overall. Accurate to style, yet so flavorful. Tons of soapy yeast and grains, and then dry, dry, dry..I understand not everyone will like that. Not as hoppy as others have described. I think they are confusing hops with the yeast that is present. Feels like cotton-candy on the tongue. A great impression of a relatively uncommon style like this are often difficult to find. Primarily grains and yeast without any of the popular American citrus nonsense. Props to Mikkeller for taking a less popular style and absolutely nailing it. I wish more breweries followed suit with innovating and trying these unique styles. I don't really even like wheat beers usually, but this one is exceptional. This is how a wheat beer should be. (Final Rating 4.37)

 

Got one pint at the taproom in Little Italy, SD.

Building Blocks pours a golden color, with a huge, large, long lasting and massive lacing head. Bitter aroma, with bright citrus notes. Flavor is bitter, very full, some bright sweetness, on a nice flavorful malty backbone. Full bodied and flavor, yet drinkable. Overall, very good beer, full of flavor, some bitter notes and very drinkable.

Building Blocks is about as perfect looking as you'd hope for in a Keller Pils. Beautiful bright golden color with the slightest bit of unfiltered influenced clarity, and the frothiest meringue of a cap above. Bubbles lazily dance in unison to support this foam with ease, as it stays abundant and plasters the glass from sip to sip.

Classic notes of bread crusts and freshly cracked black pepper are met with sun dried summer grass and just a drop of honey.

The flavor is surprisingly watered down from what the aroma would indicate. Light multi grain crackers are overwhelmed by the earthy soil and bittered grasses. Still quite peppery, but a faint suggestion of pear skin esters comes through deep in the finish.

Remarkably dry is the first thing noticed. Raw, dirty, and bitter. Almost a complete lack of balance, but somehow still manages to work. Despite the dryness, it leaves some slick feel on the lips with an overall dirtiness to it. Dirty. Dirty, dirty, dirty.

Appearance has it going on. Aroma is promising. After that, it's still an enjoyable brew but falls on its face a bit. I'm good with one.

Cheers.

 

Can. Gold with chill haze rocky head and lace. Grassy crackery herbal aroma. Medium grassy cereal sweetness with strong herbal bitterness. Light body with fine internal carbo. The bitterness might be a touch overdone.

 

Slightly disappointing. Not a bad Pilsner, but not the best. I wouldn't call it a kellerbier... Definitely a hoppy pilsner- not much in terms of malt in my opinion. However, still really refreshing!

16oz can

Spicy hops, harsh grain, alcohol sting. Crisp but lots to chew between grimaces. Doesn't match the style - for the worse. This is a beer for rotgut whisky drinkers - full flavored and the flavor is awful. I'm sure this is an aquired taste, but I haven't aquired it.

I'll stick to my sours for now

 

Sampled from a 16 oz can. Appearance is more like a pils than a keller, might be filtered or centrifuged. Unfortunately the nose a lot more hoppy than a keller beer should be so this was an immediate turn off for me. The beer really has no traits whatsoever of a keller beer. That being said it is a pretty nice beer, crisp and clear with a nice head formation and retention. I would personally consider it a hoppy pils stylistically and that is the only reason for a lower overall score in this case.