K:rlek Höst/Vinter 2012
Mikkeller ApS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

330ml bottle poured into tulip 17/6/13

A murky orange liquid with lots of sediment and little chunks of yeast floating around, big loose three fingers of foam has good retention with a thin film at the bottom of my glass but only leaves a few patches of lace

S passion fruit, mango, pineapple, a little catty, some lemon and a healthy dose of caramel malt giving it some balance, big tropical nose with just a little pine and the Proef yeast

T more malt and yeast and a little less of the lovely tropical notes on the nose, a little more pine but its still faint

M a mild bitter bite, medium bodied, creamy from the bubbles and a little gritty on the gums and rind lingers on the finish

O I made pretty quick work of this one and that says something, nice tropical pale that could easily pass as an IPA

the hops have held up well and I regret not buying this when it first hit the market, would've been a little hop bomb fresh but I'm happy with it today

 

33 ml bottle poured into a tulip glass, a huge rocky white head with great retention and lacing. Colour is a hazy orange, slightly amber and very hazy with suspended particulate. 4.25

S – very bright fruitiness, tangerine, grapefruit, nuttiness, almond, caramel maltiness, a crisp tropical edge, orange, zesty sweetness, very intriguing, but not jumping out with complexity. 4

T – zesty fruitiness, orange peel, pineapple, jackfruit, with some solid caramel nutty malt. Restrained bitterness, some delicious grapefruit flavor with a nice balance to the malt, all very well put together and tasty. Some earthy (farmy hay) and subtle yeasty medicinal leather notes develop. So tasty. Finish is crisp and dry, good fullness to it, lingering fruitiness. 4.25

M – plenty of soft carbonation with a moderate body to prove a very refreshing easy drinking PA, some light hop bitter oils but a balanced fruity and slightly earthy PA. 4

An interesting, tasty and very complex Pale, keeps you searching for new developing flavours, yeast has a nice impact here, all round very tasty beer with a really cool label to match. A very well made beer from Mikkeller that keeps you coming back for another sip. 4.25

Bottle from Brewdog.com (330ml, £5):
Light, golden amber colour with a pretty big, three fingers tall head that is foamy looking and holds well. The beer shows lots of evidence of strong carbonation.

Strong fruits on the nose to start things off with, there is some apricot and a touch of mango with some sweet hops and plenty of citrus notes. The beer is very fresh smelling and quite juicy too with some apple and some grapes.

Bitter hops and summer fruits to begin with here. There is some apples and apricot with a hint of mango but the bitter hops and pine seem to overpower the rest of the beer and definitely dominate the taste. There is some lemon and citrus flavours with a touch of orange.

Smooth & medium bodied but very bitter with some fruits and a touch of sweetness in the background and the beer is quite refreshing around the middle. Carbonation is about medium and the finish is crisp but very dry.

The beer had a nice and refreshing aroma to it with plenty of summer fruits and a great, hoppy bitter feel to it but this became slightly overpowering as I worked my way down the drink. A pretty average offering from Mikkeller if I'm honest, and after a few good ones recently as well.

 

 

 

 

 

330ml bottle. "Efterår/Vinter" translates to 'fall/winter', which indicates this as a late-season warmer for fans of Mikkeller's brand of hopping the bejesus out of their wares.

This beer pours a cloudy, dull apricot amber hue, with three fat fingers of aggressively foamy, eventually chunky dirty white head, which leaves some skewed snowflake specked lace around the glass as it evenly and slowly recedes.

It smells of rather peppy, and bitter, orange and overripe grapefruit rind, a piney leafiness, musty caramel malt with a streak of bread pudding, and a slight vinous mineral character. The taste is fruity citrus hops - orange, grapefruit, lemon - with some guava and kiwi tropical notes, a sturdy, bready caramel malt backbone, some further green leafy bitterness, and a sort of pithy, mealy white wine mustiness, sans any alcohol warming from the upped ABV.

The carbonation is definitely on the low, unassuming side, the body medium-full in weight, and mostly smooth, that clamminess from the flavour taking a slight toll here. It finishes off-dry, the fruit and malt still in a minor detente with the lingering hops.

A decently hopped-up pale ale, one which struts its bitter stuff, without inadvertently barging into IPA territory. The balance is well maintained by the understated, rather musty malt offset, and the single serving disappears all too quickly, the 6-plus points of booze having little gustatory impact. An ostensible release for the winter, sure, but this could well be enjoyed at any time of the year.