Mr. Pink (2018)
To Øl

Copenhagen 3/4 2018. 50 cl can from Mikkellers Webshop. Usual design with the CMYK code for pink on the can.

Looks pretty crazy when I pour it. Deep burgundy red with a really pink bubbly head. The Beetroot is always good for some heavy coloring. Settles as a 1 cm tick pink blanket of foam. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is more classic IPA than the appearance. Subdued odor of exotic fruit, sharp citric notes. Some herbal quality from the beetroot as well providing sharp, sour, raw notes.

Medium strong carbonation and slightly thick texture.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by pronounced sour, herbal bitterness. Aftertaste is sour, bitter and little rough. Lingering.

Very adventurous and quite funny but the Beetroot is bit too dominating for my taste buds.

 

Yep, another of the To Øl Reservoir Dogs series, this time it’s Mr. Pink 2018 Edition. I’ve really enjoyed the innovation Mr. To Øl has put into these brews, so far they’ve been intriguing and tasty drops, with Mr. White being a beer I would love to get again – that’s the biggest shame with limited release beers like this: sometimes you never see/taste them ever again. So what’s Mr. Pink all about? Well it’s an IPA brewed beetroot. Bit of an East Coast meets Eastern Europe vibe going on. I’m not a massive fan of beetroot (I find the combination of root vegetable and overbearing sweetness a bit unsettling), though I am interested to see what shade of pink Mr. Pink will be. Plus it’s a beer from To Øl, it’ll be good (if not great).

Poured from a 500ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Holy shit! This thing looks exactly like beetroot juice (opaque-purple) only with a massive 1.5 inch pink head that slowly falls back. It’s not often I’m flabbergasted by the look of a beer but To Øl got me here, well played sir! 9/10.

S: The usual NEIPA suspects: tropical-accented (pineapple) citrus hop notes, mingle with beetroot (of course), earthy/spicy/peppery tones, and a floral finish. The aroma character is sweet, delicate, earthy and spicy – it’s quite a fragrant aroma, I could get this in a cologne if Calvin Klein would just return my calls already. 10/10.

T: Well... it’s definitely a vegetable beer, no compunctions about that. Flavour profile is beetroot all over: earthy/spicy and sweet. NEIPA notes come in with a touch of pineapple, hints of grapefruit, and apple – yep, that’s right: apple. I suspect the interaction between the beetroot flavours and the NEIPA flavours is giving off a touch of apple, it’s not something I normally find in IPAs or Pale Ales, so there you go. Finishes earthy dry with a mild herbal bitterness. Look flavour-wise this is going to be a polarising beer, I’m not a fan but I can see how others might dig this. 7/10.

M: Mouthfeel is decent: Medium bodied with a medium/dense carbonation… slightly gassy, but not OTT. 8/10.

D: Like I said this beer is a polarising one. I’m not a huge fan. The aroma was fantastic though. Just the flavour of beetroot – that earthy/sweet mix that plays tricks with my tongue – also it doesn’t blend well with NEIPA flavours IMO. Maybe if it was a straight beetroot beer it might have been less disharmonious, who knows. Still I wasn’t disappointed I tried it – I’m always happy to experiment when it comes to beers, and this was an interesting experiment to say the least. 7/10.

Food match: Earthy dishes with mushrooms and beetroot will pair well with this.

 

 

500 ml can into tulip glass, best before 1/15/2019. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy very dark ruby red/purple color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky dark pink head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/rind, wood, roots, pepper, pine, wheat, white bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, beets, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/rind, wood, roots, pepper, pine, wheat, white bread, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, citrus peel/rind, wood, roots, pepper, pine, wheat, white bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, beets, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and minimal hop/beet astringency after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/sticky, and fairly resinous/rindy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is a nice vegetable IPA style. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/tropical hops, beets, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly bitter/drying finish, not overly aggressive. Pretty unique, but nothing too weird. Was supposed to be an NEIPA mostly. Very juicy/dank Citra/Mosiac hops, nice earthy/woody beet notes that aren't overwhelming; and a nice malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.