The G.O.A.T.
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

Dank hoppy aromatics...a hint of sweetness and almost a little yeasty. Taste follows with a boozy and yeasty hop-burn bite that lingers on the back of the throat. That boozy hop-burn starts to get a little overwhelming as it warms. Good, but not in my wheelhouse.

 

 

 

 

i have really been enjoying the mikkeller hoppy stuff out of san diego, but this one is really nothing special, too big for its own good, and in a lot of ways a waste of an awesome label on the can, which makes me laugh the entire time i am drinking this. lots of sediment in the thick brassy orange beer, flakes of what looks like yeast but might be coagulated protein. heady and thick and rich looking aside from that. the aroma is strong, i get the alcohol right away, some honey sweetness and hop oils, orange juice and pine sap, intense, but i dont know why it needs to be so strong. the flavor is the same, boozy to me, especially in the finish, sweet, like the gravity spike wasnt all fermented out, and the amount of hops needed to make this even a little balanced is absurd. its bitter and thick to drink, piney and bold, tastes fresh to me, but this is not one of the better mikkeller ipa recipes in my opinion, and would be better under 10% abv for a lot of reasons. hot when it warms up, sweet all the time, and just not at the level i am used to from these guys. still, a fun one to kick off the first night of vacation, i always enjoy new mikkeller beers even when i dont!

 

Pours a hazy orange with fine, soft foam.

Smell is malty and sweet with plenty of piney resin and some grapefruit.

Taste is citrusy and and boozy with a nice sweet maltiness keeping the balance. Lots and lots of flavor and almost a bit barley winey in places.

Mouthfeel is soft and full, well carbonated.

Overall, a very tasty beer, teetring on the edge of barley wine. Balanced despite its power and ABV.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 6/15/2018. Pours very hazy/cloudy medium orange/amber color with a 2 finger dense and rocky off white head with amazing retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, orange juice pulp, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, wheat, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Touch of booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of huge grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, orange juice pulp, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, wheat, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very mild pine, zesty, herbal, grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, orange juice pulp, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, wheat, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, 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 a nice malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and spicy alcohol. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Lightly increasing warmth of 12%, touch of booze lingering well after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic Triple NEIPA! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops and bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the very mildly bitter/drying finish. Amazingly soft mouthfeel. Probably Centennial, Cascade, Citra, and Amarillo. Insanely juicy/pulpy hops; awesome malt balance, not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected.

I'm about to pump up the ratings on this one - I'm loving it! Gotta bear in mind this is a triple IPA, New England style - which is not to everyone's tastes, and may not be what people expect, but for that kind of beer, and what I expected/wanted, I thought this was great...

Looks like an opaque caramel-orange juice with a finger or two of white foam on top... Aromas are suggestive of sweet, juicy tropical fruits and ripe citrus, followed by a taste of similar fruits and a honey-caramel sweetness... The feel is full and soft and lush... Moderately sweet, mildly bitter, amply carbonated... This is a rich, boozy fruit smoothie in that New England style... Strong, and delicious... 6/15/18 canning...

 

 

Canned 6/15/18, consumed 7/8/18

Looks amazing for an NEIPA, like straight up orange juice with a big thick head that left tons of lacing.

Aroma is a bit muted but nice, like bright citrus and tropical rinds and peels.

Taste is an everyday citrus & tropical fruit mix, not spectacular or bad in any way.

Feel is smooth, medium, pretty solid bitterness, good carbonation, hides this super high ABV pretty well.

Overall, a good triple IPA, very well-rounded but not standout in terms of aroma and flavor. I'd definitely recommend since this is very well constructed and tastes are subjective.