Træblod Pecan Pie
Mikkeller ApS

the original is amazing, so no surprise this jazzed up special edition is next level as well. its done in brandy barrels with cinnamon and pecans, in addition to the maple syrup and coffee, its genius, rich, intense, and a fantastic beer to treat yourself with. a couple things about it really stand out. the first, for me, is the pecans, they are obvious as such, not a sugar bomb praline sort of thing, not a generic nuttiness, but real actual pecans, toasted and earthy, natural as can be, and somehow robust enough to push through all the intensity of this dark barley, sticky maple, and black coffee, its incredible. the other stroke of brilliance that goes with that is the way the cinnamon works in here, it highlights the coffee and the pecan at the same time, bringing them together in a cool way, and while it does hit like pie, it also makes this wintery and warming and festive even, nice with the high alcohol that creeps to the surface. another thing that rules is the brandy, its decidedly unique as a barrel treatment with these flavors, but almost works like a dessert cordial, impressive. the oak is bolder than the brandy, but both work together. maple adds a lot of sweetness but its balanced by the coffee, both seem maybe moderately less intense than in the original, but i do not mind at all, more room for the other voices in this chorus. tons of body to this, palate coating and long on the tongue after each sip, very little carbonation, but i dont mind the relative stillness. warm but not hot, rich but not diabetic, everything accounted for and balanced. i was nervous about some of these variants, like would they be too much, but this one is on point. a must try for fans of the base beer!

Obsidian black with a short but level mocha foam that fizzles out to a sparse film and curled ring.

Man, wow, why are these Mikkeller's so underrated? Excellent cask expresses within more of a cinnamon stout base than I expected, making this like a subtler BAA. It's absolutely delicious.

Aroma is chocolatey while taste sees coffee bloom in short order after a few more sips, bringing a lightly boozy mocha along a little spicy barrel stave char. Maple seems to add a welcome accent of smoky sweet qualities in the background while the cinnamon is at a wonderful level--lightly dusty, yet somewhat like brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts. The body has a nice heft and great maturity, while the pecans come out more as it warms.

An expanding fizz becomes softer yet lightly firmer, finishing warming, semi-dry and maybe a little sticky.

Brownish black body, brown head. Aromas of brown sugar, coffee, and maple covered nuts, with warm brandy backing. Taste follows but the brandy heat is verging on hot, coffee and chocolate combine to give a ganache flavoring to go with maple, brown sugar, nuts, and caramel. Feels very warm, larger beer on the palate, somewhat sticky and chewy, good job tempering the sweet elements