King Mule
Brouwerij Cornelissen

 

Brouwerij Cornelissen "King Mule"
330 ml brown glass bottle coded "Best before: see bottle cap 15/08/2023 15/12/2024"
4,80€ @ Artesanalis Loja De Cerveja Artesanal LDA, Lisboa, Portugal

Notes via stream of consciousness: The body is a somewhat hazy deep golden-amber in color beneath a short head of white that doesn't seem to want to stick around. The haze is obviously intended as the label suggests to pour half, swirl the bottle, and then top it off. The aroma is fruity and spicy. This is brewed with "natural tangerine flavoring" but it's not overdone. You can definitely get more citrus, and particularly orange & tangerine notes out of hops, but that's not the case here. The taste is quite spicy which is odd as the label doesn't suggests that any spices are added. Maybe they're in there though. Or, is it from the natural flavoring? Or perhaps it's just so dry and bitter that I'm imagining it as spice. What's the ABV? It's only 5.7% ABV so the spiciness isn't coming from there. It's definitely bitter and dry, and then the orange flavor lingers in the finish. In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp, and the head held up fairly well and it's left so decent lacing about the glass. I'm guessing that it's like 65 IBUs. If you like a bitter IPA this is right up your alley but the lack of hop flavor leaves me wanting, and the natural flavoring is a little off-putting.
Review #9,078

Pours a dark reddish color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma pleasant malt hints
Taste has a pleasant malt flavor
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Belgian Red Ale

Poured from a 16.9 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is full of tangerines. Taste is tangerine, some floral notes, moderate bitterness for the style. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

I don't see any date listed on the bottle. It comes with pouring instructions on the bottle, which say to "POUR 50%" then "SWIRL" and finally to "POUR THE REST" so I'm abiding by the instructions here.

Appearance: Initially it pours gold and very clear before the swirl. After swirling it and pouring it there is a bit of a cloudy appearance but it is still pretty easy to see through. It has a medium gold color with a bit of a copper tone. It has a short and creamy head that is white and has pretty good retention. It leaves nice rings on the glass.

Aroma: It has a bit of a floral note which is nice. There is an orange marmalade scent which is brought in with the floral scent and gains strength rapidly inside the nose. It is a pleasant smelling beer. It is reminiscent of an aromatic soap.

Taste: Up front there is orange marmalade mixed with a floral flavor and lime. The lime hits the palate a bit harder towards the center as the orange character starts to taper off. It maintains the floral flavor and it lingers in the aftertaste. It has a bit of a soapy flavor in the aftertaste too. It's not a bad flavor; it's interesting.

Mouthfeel: It is a medium-light bodied beer with a touch of slickness. Bitterness is on the higher end for this beer and it will likely take a palate cleanser to fully enjoy this.

Overall: The wrapped label on the bottle states that this is a "MALT BEVERAGE WITH NATURAL TANGERINE FLAVORS." It does have citrus flavors but it comes across more as orange than tangerine. The beer tastes and smells nice but it has a very floral character which might not be appealing to everyone. I could drink it again from time to time and as a whole I would recommend it to those who either enjoy or don't mind a more floral beer.