Yeast Series 2.0: Lager
Mikkeller ApS

Yeast Series 2.0: LagerYeast Series 2.0: Lager
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
European Pale Lager
ABV:
6.4%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 11.17%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
23
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 21, 2015
Added:
Mar 16, 2013
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by mrfrancis:
Photo of mrfrancis
Reviewed by mrfrancis from Kentucky

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A: Pours a slightly hazy golden orange with an enormous, puffy off-white head that eventually recedes, leaving a large amount of lace on the sides of the glass. Of the beers in Mikkeller's new Yeast Series, this one is the darkest, at least to this point. It is also the least hazy of the bunch.

S: Hoppy aromas of lemon, lime, bitter orange, grapefruit, grass, and herbs are noticeable on the first sniff, but further investigation yields traces of minerals, biscuit, crackers, and brown butter.

T: Very different from the other beers in this series. The hops which were so prevalent on the nose disappear almost completely on the entry, with notes of minerals, caramel, biscuit, crackers, brown butter, and treacle coming on strong. The hops appear around mid-palate, presenting delicate, slightly muddled notes of lemon, lime, bitter orange, grass, herbs, and grapefruit. The finish is well-integrated with notes of brown butter, biscuit, caramel, herbs, lemon, and lime on display.

M: Medium in body, but again, it is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is delicate, yet relatively firm. Generally, I expect lagers to be crisp, but the fact that the carbonation takes a back seat here allows one to really appreciate all of this beer's subtle flavors and quirks.

O: A super interesting effort and one that I was not expecting to like nearly as much as I do. I especially appreciated the curveball I was thrown when this beer presented strong hops on the nose, but then opened with delicate malt and yeast flavors in the mouth. Though, I am not sure which style I would classify this as (its strength marks it as a German bock or a European strong lager, but its characteristics do not closely follow those of either style), this is a compelling little lager. It makes for a particularly interesting contrast with the other beers in the new Yeast Series.
Jun 30, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of Gajo74
Reviewed by Gajo74 from New York

3.91/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Look- a neat looking copper and amber color, big sudsy head and sticky and creamy lace.
Smell- there is a lot going on here. Initially, a barnyard aroma, wild yeast, earthy and fresh cut hay. Also, a fruity aroma that is kind of tart, like sour apples. A big sweet malt, caramel and honey aroma takes over thereafter.
Taste- interesting and unique taste. Fruity and apple like and malty sweet but with a tartness. Wild yeast and earthy flavors. Finishes very dry and with an aftertaste that is slightly imbalanced.
Feel- light and softly carbonated.
One of the most interesting and unique brews I've had. I've heard good things about Mikkeler, and I'm glad I finally got to try one. Not disappointed and looking forward to trying a new one.
Oct 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Drknight from Virginia

Sep 18, 2015
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.24/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
On tap at The Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This pours a slightly dark yellow, with a one inch head, and a good amount of soapy lacing.

Smells like fruity lager yeast and grassy hop bitterness.

Of the three versions of this series I tried tonight, this was probably the best, but not by a whole lot. None of the beers were that good as beers themselves, more educational than anything else. Somehow at 6.4%, this was boozy, somewhat astringent and herbal, with a grassy hop bitterness, and a fruity lager-ish yeastiness. The flavors kind of clash together in an unfortunate way.

This is probably the crispest of this series, with a crisp and fruity mouthfeel, and a fairly high level of carbonation.

Fun to try all these from an educational standpoint, but it's just not a great series overall.
Sep 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by delgotit99 from Indiana

Oct 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by saeh from France

Aug 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by jzlyo from Iowa

Aug 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Rosstheboss from Iowa

Apr 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by afsdan from Colorado

Mar 21, 2014
Photo of tmzl
Reviewed by tmzl from Slovenia

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Sat down and compared 3 different ones from Mikkeller's Yeast Series 2.0: Brettanomyces Bruxellensis vs. American Ale vs. Lager. They all have the same wort (hop and malt), but different yeast - let's take a look what each can do.

Ale - Saccharomyces cerevisiae, not much to be said that isn't common knowledge, top fermenting yeast, can't digest maltotriose (sugar) - so we expect it to be a bit fatter (would expect less alcohol, but Mikkeller says, that all the beers have 6.4 ABV - which is surprising, we would expect that with the same wort, ale yeast would produce a bit less than lager and Brett) + fermentation at higher temperatures - more esters.

Brettanomyces Bruxellensis gives that Belgian character, funk (barnyard, wet horse blanket) and can also produce some acetic acid. It attenuates beer to very high degree, so we expect it to be lighter that the other two. Vinylphenol reductase also creates some unique esters, pineapple most obvious.

Lager - Saccharomyces pastorianus - a fat alotetraploid, part S. cerevisiae and part S. eubayanus - the S. eubayanus part gives it the ability to ferment at lower temperature, which results in less esters and it can attenuate maltotriose, so we expect it to be a bit lighter.

And now lets look at what we have. The first odd thing is the same ABV, that shouldn't happened with such different animals fermenting the same wort. Makes me wonder if the wort is really the same in all the series.

Look: Colour is pretty much the same in all three - clear golden orange, light amber with light haze.
The foamy part gets a bit different, but all start with a huge lightly off-white (orange hue) thick head.
Ale - Has slower retention, good amount of lacing and leaves a thick layer on top. Low/medium carbonation.
Brett - Faster retention also good lacing; hue a bit more on the yellow side.
Lager - The colour of the body a bit clearer. Also slower retention, head has smaller bubbles and is a lot more solid. Also leaves the best lacing rings. Low/medium carbonation too.

Smell: The biggest difference is expected with Brett, but there were some differences with ale and lager too (surprisingly more hop orientated).
Ale - Lychee the most dominant. Some fruitiness, sweet caramel light tropical feel. Light rancid herbal character.
Brett - Hoppy, fruity, lychee, but not as dominant, builds up in complexity - brett character comes through - funk and bubblegum. Funk goes as expected in the classical leather, barnyard, horse zone. But it stays pleasant and a positive trait. Gets a bit more intense with the temperature rising, but still not bad. Caramel similar as ale.
Lager - Honey, sweet caramelish, pine come to play, lychee not as dominant as with ale. Still quite similar, but there are differences.

Taste:
Ale - Light, sweet caramel, honey backbone. Lychee hopness. Ends with light-medium bitterness with light, fresh sweetness. Simple, refreshing.
Brett - Light, sweet caramel middle stays. Hop goes into more pine, grapefruit, hint of lychee. Bubblegum (pineapple?). Barnyard goes up a bit and sticks with you for a while. Not as pleasant as in smell, but still not over the top.
Lager - More honey in the middle part as ale, sweet caramel. Pine, grapefruit medium bitterness, stands our a bit more than the ale one. Lychee still there but not as dominant.

Mouthfeel: Brett and lager a bit lighter, but all around medium, med/low carbonation, fresh and easy to drink. Lager a bit dryer maybe. Thought the differences here will be a bit stronger, but they suit the general idea.

Overall: All relatively simple, well crafted (good wort to start with), enjoying and fresh. There are some differences, ale and lager pretty close and both maybe a bit too simple. The extra bit of complexity that Brett gives, makes it the most fun choice. Would also recommend the Brett one as a good learning beer what Brettanomyces Bruxellensis does.
Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Inglewood from Illinois

Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by brandonld23 from Massachusetts

Sep 05, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by jaydoc from Kansas

Sep 01, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by EastBay_Nick from California

Jul 13, 2013
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz glass, at the Underground YEG, ahead of their seemingly bi-annual Mikkeller tap takeover.

This beer appears a slightly hazy, medium bronzed amber hue, with one finger of bubbly, loosely foamy, and somewhat creamy ecru head, which leaves a near-solid, barely pockmarked wall of limestone lace around the glass as things melt away. Pretty IPA-like for a lager, methinks.

It smells of bittersweet blood orange, grapefruit pith, spruce pine, grainy, crackery caramel malt, some hard water mineral flintiness, and faint musty florals. The taste is pithy, clammy generic citrus rind, pine resin, warm butter, caramel/toffee malt, stony minerals, earthy, leafy hops, and a hint of warming alcohol.

The bubbles are adequately supportive, the body a wavering medium weight, and tacitly smooth, the hops taking a wee toll here. It finishes off-dry, crackery, pithy, and weakly fruity.

While this may be a lager, in esse, in the real world what we have here is a moderately hoppy, musty, earthy IPA in sheep's clothing. The musty, room temperature butter character would limit be to just this one, I'm afraid.
Jul 09, 2013
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.76/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A: The beer is relatively clear amber in color and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high beige head that has excellent retention properties and took a long time to die down, consistently leaving a short head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of citrusy hops—oranges and grapefruit seem to stand out in particular—are present in the nose along with some hints of caramel malts.
T: The taste has flavors of caramel malts along with some hints of citrusy hops and a light to moderate amount of bitterness, the latter of which lingers through the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is an interesting beer as it smells and tastes like a pale ale but has some of the clean properties exhibited by a lager.
May 17, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by bark from Sweden

Apr 06, 2013
Photo of popery
Reviewed by popery from California

3.87/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Tried against the American-style and English-style versions. Pours a medium amber gold. Probably the darkest color of the bunch. Mild haze. Nice white head, medium-sized. Good lacing. The aroma is clean and presents the hops nicely. It's the cleanest of the group. There's a mild sourdough-y lager note, but it's mostly fruity hops and light malt sweetness. The taste pulls out more of that sourdough lager yeast flavor. Quite crisp, particularly in the finish. Easily the driest. A bit less hop flavor in the taste than the other versions, so it comes out a bit boringly bitter. Bitterest of the bunch. The gentle malt sweetness and some of those fruity hops kicks off the taste before the yeast takes over. Drier mouthfeel. Light on the palate but more hop astringency. The most interesting and different of the three versions. I'm not sure how much difference the fermentation temp made for this beer. While I definitely appreciate Mikkeller's strict adherence to turning the series into a learning experience by limiting the process differences to fermentation temps, I wouldn't mind if they took slightly more liberties.
Mar 28, 2013
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.94/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Above average expectations; not a great series but Mikkel is my favourite brewer. Picked up locally at a SoCal beer store. 6.4% ABV confirmed. Unlike many of the other beers in the series, which are labelled Pale Ales, this one is labelled Lager Beer. I'm reviewing it as a lager. Product of Belgium. Imported by the Shelton Bastards - who you can blame for the high price point. 11.2 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard dull gold pressure cap served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 4+ finger beige colour head of nice cream and thickness, and pretty good (~4+ minute) retention for the above average ABV. Body colour is a clear pale copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Pale malts, floral hops, and light citrus. Some murky grassy notes; not a fan of that aspect. Hopefully the flavour is a bit better. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Caramel, biscuity malts, grassy grains. Generic floral hop character. Rather simple. I'm not a fan of the malt body here; it comes off a bit stale and the caramel really works against the hops. It's a simply built beer that showcases the simplicity of the lager yeast used - and while that's exactly what Mikkel is trying to do, it doesn't make for a very tasty beer. I've had far better lagers, but I appreciate the educational value here. Imbalanced and unimpressive. No alcohol comes through.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Not really refreshing. Decent thickness. Good carbonation. Suits the flavour profile only generally.

Dr: Drinkable but forgettable, especially at its high price point. Not Mikkel's best work, but it's worth drinking if you're a brewer. Interesting, but not very flavorful. I wouldn't get it again.

High C
Mar 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Envelopes from Ohio

Mar 19, 2013
Yeast Series 2.0: Lager from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 23 ratings