Cream Ale
Mikkeller ApS

Sep. 2012: 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 5.0%. Golden colour, slightly hazy. Pours very fizzy with a large white head. Moderate but pleasant and inviting aroma of fruity and floral American hops (Columbus, Amarillo and Challenger). Fizzy mouthfeel, not very creamy. Light bodied. Pleasant moderate flavour of American hops. Easy drinking, nice enough. Might be true to style (I don’t really know, I did not live in pre-prohibition America), but this can hardly be said to be Mikkeller’s most interesting and challenging beer (nor was it intended to be, probably).

 

 

 

L: Honey-like color, one finger white head, superb lacing, no visible carbonation.

S: Sweet, orange peel. Great aroma.

T: Sweet, bready. Nice taste.

F: Hugely carbonated, yet very drinkable.

O: Nice beer. Would gladly have it again.

From Decervecitas. In Teku glass. After dinner. Lemony citric hoppyness, very good in nose and mouth. Close to an APA with lighter and more carbonated (yet pleasant) zesty body that provides which I suppose is called the creamyness of the style. A great improvement over my previous only reference of the style (Malaqa's Bootlegger)

 

 

 

 

Neophytes associate low style marks with general taste. That is, people don't hate American adjuncts because they find the style unseemly but because they just don't like the flavor characteristics of that style. This is wrong. People hate certain styles as a matter of superficial affect that preempts that actual characteristics of the beer. And nothing proves this point more than the so-so score of Mikkeller's Cream Ale.

Pours quite dark with the style, with mid-strength fizziness and a decent head.

Smells like Mikkeller's trademark grain bill along with some light, bitter hops and very faint hints of lemon. It's lively and bold but still fits into the parameters of the style.

Tastes even better than it smells. The thick, creamy body showcases a firm, piney hop that perfectly accentuates the round cereal nodes of the grain bill. It's subtle but complex, the sort of great-tasting beer that should reasonably appeal to beer veterans as much as newbies, were it not for the taint of its style.

 

 

330 ml bottle served cold into an Innis & Gunn glass.

Appearance - hazy golden straw color. Half a finger of white head that lingers for a while.

Smell- lots of orange rind and a very floral aroma.

Taste - pretty much like the nose orange rind and plenty of hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel- smooth and creamy with a dry finish.

Overall- a smooth and creamy cream ale with some citrus action and a healthy dose of hops. A fine cream ale that will certainly appeal to many.

best cream ale ever is still a cream ale

Cloudy straw in color. Lightly yeasty in the nose. Light and very drinkable (but too light). Mildly dry and bitter on the finish.

Would make a decent lawn mowing beer.

Mikkeller Cream Ale is unparadoxically: a Cream Ale, which a style of beer that originates from the US of A. Cream Ales were also produced by Canada during the prohibition era as a style that gained popularity amongst sneaky American drinkers, and further refined after prohibition, which ended when Al Capone was sent to prison for killing Sean Connery’s character in Stanley Kubrick’s seminal film ‘The Untouchables’ (which Kevin Bacon was awesome in BTW). It is a style that is brewed with Ale and Lager yeasts and usually contains adjuncts like corn and rice. This is my first ever Cream Ale. Ever. Srsly.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Pours a hazy saffron yellow body with a wispy white 2 cm head that sticks around for a while. I do generally like the look of Mikkeller’s brews and this one is no exception. 9/10.

S: Sweet notes of malt, lemon and a distinct pineapple note. Aroma is almost as delightful as the bright yellow bottle label which appears to have been drawn by a kindergarten student. The balance of the fragrance hints at a sweet/malty Cream Ale. 8/10.

T: So this is a Cream Ale - easy to drink but not very exciting - there are sweet malts forward, then lemon citrus and floral hops lead to a light(ish) bitter finish. If you’re looking for big flavours you’ve definitely come to the wrong place. 6/10.

M: Mid to light bodied, it really lives up to the word “cream” in the style with a creamy carbonation though. 8/10.

D: It’s like the original creators of the style were aiming to make a beer that’s easy to drink... easy to drink?! Beer?! I scoff at these olden days American beer style creators. That said I think my palate has been destroyed by years of American IPAs... either way I have American brewers to blame for my current Cream Ale predicament, damn you AMERICAAAAAN BREWWWAAAS!!! Overall I would have loved this beer 5 years ago, today = pass. Oh yeah, and because this is a Mikkeller beer it cost me an arm and a leg...... I got better*. 7/10.

Food match: Continuing the reference if you’ve skipped ahead to my footnote and still didn’t get it: Newts. Seriously though: Mild cheese platter with artisanal breads.

*Python reference - haven’t had one of them for a while now have we?