Mikkeller - I Hardcore You

I enjoyed the description of this beer from the Brewdog Blog so much that I'm just going to quote it here,

"I Hardcore You is a 9.5% Imperial India Pale Ale, an international collaborative effort between 2 of Europe's most rock 'n roll brewers. This beer is a blend of BrewDog’s Hardcore IPA and Mikkeller’s I Beat You. After the blending, the beer was then dry hopped a further twice. Making I Hardcore You a beer which has been dry hopped four times, or maybe even six times. We kinda lost count."

Oh, and from what I can tell, this was a one-time brew collaboration between the two that was originally brewed back in mid-2010, but recently enjoyed a resurgence in May of 2012.  I appreciate Mikkeller more every time and drink it and while my experience with Brew Dog is limited, I haven't been disappointed yet.  Let's pour!

Aroma 11/12

There's a great citrus blend happening here and rushes out as soon as the cap is pried.  At first the nose is sweet with honey, but in short time the citrus blend harmonizes with it and the results are splendid.  The citrus fruits are pineapple, lemon, and some lesser mandarin oranges.  There is a funk behind it all that comes across as a bit earthier than normal and some distant hop notes of grass and a little spice.  The beer begins to warm a bit and that funk note from earlier has started to open into a full resiny blossom.  It never overtakes the citrus/honey blend, but it is a concentrated, dark smell that hopefully translates into a big, hoppy flavor.  Other aromas are hints of the alcohol and a toffee-like malt that blends so well with the sweet hops that it is difficult to nail down what exactly it smells like.

Appearance 2/3

This beer pours and sits in the glass the color of dark honey.  It is an all-but-opaque cloudy glass full of orange-browns and rusty hues.  The head was fairly long lasting, a nice almond color, and possessed a nice fluffy texture.  While one can't give it points for a range of color, it certainly looks ominous and give the impression that this IIPA means business.

Flavor 18/20

It definitely does not start out as sweet as the aroma, but with a lot of dry-hopping I suppose that's to be expected.  However, sweetness is still the first characteristic detected.  It's more of the toffee from the aroma, but with a bright citrus note immediately behind and trying to upstage it at every chance it gets.  The toffee persists its way into the backbone of the beer and refuses to be tamed.  The brown-sugary toffee has some competition from some orange zest, an early splash of pine, and some resin but nothing that threatens its crown.  As the beer sits in the mouth the resin bitter becomes stronger as does an earthy note from the hops and both lead to a more complex finish.  The beer washes down with a mixture of orange and caramel, but not without a strong earthy note and some pepper.  The aftertaste is lingering earthy resin which trumps the alcohol by leaving the mouth watering and not dry.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Very smooth and extremely full-bodied, in true IIPA fashion this beer offers very little carbonation to play on the tongue.  The alcohol is mostly camouflaged throughout the beer, becoming noticeable in only the aroma and the aftertaste.  Feels like a big ol' IIPA should.

Stolen directly from the BrewDog website.

Overall Impression 8/10

While this beer wasn't as laden with hop flavor as I had imagined, the balance in it was impressive.  This wasn't a hop bomb, though it certainly is hoppy.  It was more of a huge, balanced, IPA.  The malts were definitely sweet and served their purpose, but I feel the hop FLAVORS (not their aroma nor their bitter) suffered in turn.  In the same vein, while this beer balanced the malt and the hops well, it never really bothered to blend them except in the aroma.  It's more of a meeting of the "immovable object" and the "unstoppable force" instead of a cohesive blend between these two powerhouse flavors.  That said, it's still remarkably tasty and I'd easily like to have a few bottles on hand for a rainy day.

Total 44/50

I'm pretty sure I said in all in the "Overall Impression" section.  This beer is big, tasty, hoppy, and sweet.  The aroma is fantastic and seems to blend all the good things that are happening in this beer.  Unfortunately, for the flavor, the blending is not as successful.  It's like two semis colliding in your mouth; the results are pretty kick ass, but I can't help but wonder what this beer would've been like had the two powerhouses decided to work together.  The aroma shows it can be done - those flavors go great together!  Now it's just a matter of getting these two great breweries to tweak the recipe ever so slightly before the next release of I Hardcore You.  Right brewmasters?  Next release?  Eh?  Hopefully we can all see this again in two years.

Also stolen.

Mikkeller - Ris a la M'ale

Let me begin by stating that I know absolutely nothing about this beer other than the following:

          1.  It is brewed with almonds and cherries.

          2.  It required me to undress it before consuming.

This beer came with an unusual paper wrapping that covered the beer.  

Fully clothed.

The wrapping laid out.

Sure it kind of looks fancy (as does the cork & cage) and I like opening presents as much as the next guy, but I appreciate it more knowing that it inevitably helped keep sunlight from reaching the beer.  Much like the wrapping, the bottle size is also unusual, ringing in at 12.7 oz.  Go figure.  Mikkeller has never had a reputation for doing this according to convention, after all.  This is something I really like about them, so it only adds to my excitement to try this beer.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

It begins rather vinously, but soon lets in floral notes which are quickly usurped by a sharper citrus aroma.  The sour cherries come behind that citrus, but blend very well with it.  A warmth becomes apparent from time to time but is well hidden.

Appearance 3/3

Generally fruit beers have little head, but this proved to be the exception in its size but not its duration.  It provided about a finger of fizzy head that didn't linger long, yet still managed to leave some lacing - definitely not something I expected in a fruit beer.  It pours the color of a blush wine, but once in the glass it becomes a cloudy sunset red at the bottom with some cider-like brown hues toward the top.  Very interesting color palette.

Flavor 15/20

What a unique brew.  This is not overly sweet or tart like most cherry beers, but instead appears to be using the almonds as a balancing agent instead of combining them both into some sort of "amaretto beer."  It begins with a very light, barely tart, cherry flavor and when held in the mouth the sweetness dulls a bit more.  Holding in the mouth also brings that citrus sharpness on the sides of the tongue and a slight bitter not unlike the rind of a fruit.  As the beer warms the cherry's and almond's sweetness come forward nicely, but make sure not to create an overly sweet beer.  Balance was definitely considered when making this beer and it was not in vain.  This is especially evident in the finish.  Immediately after swallowing a sweet gulp of cherry/almond/tart goodness, the finish provides a perfect amount of light bitter to balance the sweetness as well as aid to a cleaner finish.  This is not a beer that will leave your mouth slimy with sugars!  In fact, even though it's a cherry beer the bitter wins out in the finish and carries on into the aftertaste.  Not a particularly strong beer, but if the fruit flavors were more intense, I don't see how it could maintain this balance.

Mouthfeel 4/5

It started out very much like one would expect a fruit beer to start: high levels of champagne-like carbonation that prick the tongue.  Even though this is only a 12.7 fl oz bottle, those levels died down pretty quickly and the bottom half of the bottle was much easier to drink.  The body isn't heavy, but it's larger than one expects a fruit beer to be, and the 8.0% ABV must have been contributed by ninjas because it is completely invisible.

Overall Impression 5/10

I think that the more I drank of this beer the less I was impressed.  Yes, there was a good, less than authentic, cherry sweetness and it wasn't overdone.  It also managed to provide a great balance and a nice finish for we would all assume to be a sweeter style of beer.  However, while the flavor was balanced, it wasn't all that present to begin with.  As mentioned earlier, a more intense fruit beer will be harder to balance (any and all brewmasters, please read that as a challenge).  However, dulling down the fruit (a.k.a. flavor) for the sake of balance is... well... cheating.  Don't rob me of flavor, just try to balance it out some other way.  Some could call this beer nuanced, but I feel like it's just a weaker version of a cherry ale.

Total 37/50

Had only this beer turned out like its promising aroma!  Heck, I might've even been pleased with a sweeter brew, whether that be like a lambic or like an amaretto.  The aroma was quite nice, but the flavor seemed thin and bland in comparison.  For those that dig a more mellow, less sweet, fruit beer, this could be right up your alley.  However, for those of us who have easy access to New Glarus' Wisconsin Belgian Red (and enjoy a fruit beer from time to time), this brew simply does not cut the mustard.  I appreciate their attempt at balance, I really do.  Balance is seldom a bad thing, but in this case it comes at the expense of flavor.  Bummer for Mikkeller since I really admire the brewery and what they do.  However, this beer does not live up to their high standard.

Mikkeller - Santa's Little Helper (2011)

The weather in IL is a bit odd for this time of year.  Granted, the weather in the midwest is always odd, giving rise to the expression, "You don't like midwest weather?  Wait 5 minutes," but we generally have an expected pattern.  This pattern is being mocked by Mother Nature and she has been giving us 50-degree days throughout January.  However, tonight is supposed to give rise to a less-than-punctual Old Man Winter and we might even get some snow.  It's just the type of thing to put me in the mood for more winter/Christmas seasonal beers.  Today's review will be Mikkeller's Santa's Little Helper.  It's a Belgian ale whose 10.9% ABV should help me land on the naughty list next year.  Let's pour!

How amazing does this look?

Aroma 12/12
At first it smells as a mild Belgian yeast strain should smell, but even that is behind a lemon citrus.  As it sits in the glass, all sort of interesting flavors rise to the surface.  Before I describe those any further, let me say that this beer surprised the hell out of me by pouring like a stout!  I was expecting some lighter, maybe amber, frou-frou holiday ale that has all the usual starring roles filled by cinnamon, nutmeg, etc, etc.  This beer flowed dark from the bottle and even evoked a "What the..?!" from this reviewer.  It was not at all what I was expecting, but I digress... back to the aroma.  While starting off with the lemon zest and Belgian yeast, two things I definitely didn't expect to smell in a beer this dark, it quickly turns to its dark roast for the majority of the aroma.  The roast is rich and dark, but has an aroma that accompanies it so closely I can't be sure if it's part of the roast or not.  There is a sweetness to the roast like a rye, but it sometimes mingles with the lemony notes that I can't put my finger on it whether it IS a rye or just the dark roast mixing with the lemon and perhaps grassy & piney hop characteristics.  There is only a hint of alcohol warmth and it is found only during the deepest of inhales.  In case you couldn't tell by the length of this paragraph, this smell's complexity is only eclipsed by its unique nature.  Full marks.  I've never smelled anything like it.

Appearance 3/3
OK, seriously.  How come nobody ever mentioned that this beer is this dark?  It genuinely surprised me!  This is darker than most recent stouts I've had.  It's black to its core and shows only bits a pieces of a coffee brown at the very top of the class.  The brown head is giant, light as if it has been whipped, and very creamy.  It left tons of ornate lacing.  This beer looks dark and amazing.

Behold its monsterous head!

Flavor 20/20
Oh. My. Dad.  It starts a little creamy from some body-enhancing malts and allows one to still catch a glimmer of the Belgian yeast, but crescendos perfectly into an absolute mountain of chocolate malt (the beer ingredient, not the frozen treat).  The chocolate isn't 100% cacao dark -it still allows a creamier milk chocolate texture- but it blends marvelously with the roasted notes and the present-but-not-subtle warmth.  The finish is more "roasted chocolate" (roast + chocolate), but with a new, distinct, resinous hop bitter and a brief wash of dark fruit.  The mouth is initially left a bit sticky, but as the alcohol and hops have their way, the tongue is left rather dry in the aftertaste and with a slight tingle of warmth.  Oh so good!

Mouthfeel 5/5
This beer is ridiculously creamy, but without weighing down the drinker with a huge, thick, heavy body.  The carbonation doesn't foam a lot, just enough to lend a more silky texture to the beer.  I should also mention that the carbonation is plentiful, but doesn't effect the over all composition of the beer.  Normally, stouts or other dark beers shy away from higher levels of carbonation to achieve a better beer as a whole.  This beer doesn't shy away from carbonation.  It instead embraces it and uses it as a tool to make the beer better.  The warmth is used in much the same way and adds a dimension to this beer instead of distracting from it.

Overall Impression 10/10
This beer is right up my alley.  Unique taste, aroma is interesting, body and mouthfeel are perfect, and it breaks convention with the norm.  This is not your average Belgian Strong Dark Ale!  It keeps all the things you love and brings even more to the table.  Even more, I love how far it strays from the typical Christmas/winter offerings available from most brewers.  It shows creativity, independence, and some damn high quality brewing.

Total 50/50
In case I didn't gush enough praise earlier, here's my chance to really heap it on.  However, I will do so with one caveat.  I checked BeerAdvocate after I finished my review to see if others thought this beer as excellent as I do.  They don't.  Thus the subjectivity of taste comes into play.  For me this beer has everything I want, roast, chocolate, smokey, sweet, warmth, Belgian hints, dark fruit, great carbonation, and the list goes on....  To be honest, I'm not sure how folks have ranked it so lowly on BeerAdvocate.

I've gone through my scores and tried to see if there is a portion where I could remove some points.  Perhaps I missed something where this beer could have done better, right?  Not for me and my palate.  This beer is complex, well-made, tasty as can be, boozy, and with a great mouthfeel.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  Now I know what I need to ask for for next Christmas!

Mikkeller - Beer Geek Brunch

Tonight I bid farewell to "Pinty" my beloved pint glass.  Pinty was one of Dollar Store's finest pint glasses and was with me from the beginning for all of my current 60+ reviews.  He was cracked today whilst being washed and so a suitable beer must be chosen en memoriam.

False obituaries for inanimate objects aside, today's review is for Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch.  It is way past brunch time, but I feel that my exbeerience will be similar, regardless.  There truly is no better way to introduce this beer than to reprint the description from the bottle.

"This imperial Oatmeal stout is brewed with one of the world's most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civet cats.  The fussy Southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries.  Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean.  Workers collect the bean-containing droppings for Civet or Weasel Coffee.  The exceedingly rare Civet Coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma."


I'm not sure who has it worse, me as a drinker or the workers that collect weasel turds all day.  And you thought chicha had a nasty recipe.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 12/12
This is everything that a stout should be.  Coffee is first in the nose followed by a dark, dark roasted (yet unburnt) chocolaty malt.  The sweet creaminess of the oatmeal peeks out next, followed by just the slightest hint of smoke (which I attribute to the malt.  Perhaps a bit of charring occured after all?).  When pouring a sample, be sure to let the head die a bit.  When the head is still churning and fresh, a great deal of alcohol warmth and oatmeal sweetness come roaring out.  This smells like quite a treat.

Appearance 3/3
Again, perfectly on the mark for the style.  This beer is pitch black, completely opaque, and pours thicker than a Weight Watcher's meeting.  Plenty of brown, sticky head is present which lingers in the glass and leaves some lovely lacing.  This is a pint full of awesome.  The SRC/EBC color chart in the picture is completely superfluous as this beer is out-and-out black.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 19/20
The initial flavor had me a bit concerned, but thankful those concerns were rendered baseless very quickly.  The first sip is a tangy, salty bite in front of the traditional stout flavors.  No, not exactly what one expects when diving into a stout, but thankfully this flavor is completely absent in the rest of the beer and even fades from the beginning as the beer warms.  From this bite, we transition to the backbone almost like leaving an underground tunnel in a car - big flash of light (our biting first sip) and then fades gradually into focus as our eyes adjust (the backbone).  The beer's backbone is phenomenal!  Espresso beans, dark vanilla, alcohol warmth, darkly roasted chocolate malt, oatmeal's creamy sweetness, rich bits of caramel, and a subtle alcohol warmth.  You could let this sit in your mouth for an extended period of time with no complaints.  Not because the flavor is changing and transitioning, but because it is delicious!  Heck, they even throw in a hint or two of black licorice for good measure.  The finish shows a mocha blend of the chocolaty malt and the coffee beans, then proceeds to combine that with the oatmeal.  Gorgeous.  If that was not enough it also includes a sharp hop bitter after a brief, yet distinct moment.  The finish is a peppery hop bitter along the sides of the tongue, but primarily features breaths full of alcohol warmth and coffee.  This is a powerhouse stout and not for the faint of taste.

Mouthfeel 5/5
I was initially looking to deduct a point for the "barely existant" level of carbonation.  The almost imperceptible bubbles could have perhaps used a bit of company, but as it is their lack of presence was not distracting.  Warmth is present, but not completely absent nor overwhelming; quite a feat in a 10.9% ABV beer.  Creaminess is abundant, but the body is not as heavy as I would expect considering this beer's other feats.  It could be categorized as "medium heavy."

Overall Impression 10/10
If you enjoy stouts, this beer will bowl you over.  From the nose to the flavor to the appearance, everything in this beer borders on ridiculously good.  You want imperial?  They've got your imperial right here.  Good gracious!

Total 49/50
This is an extreme beer for the extreme beer drinker.  Gargantuan taste, lots of alcohol, rare and/or unusual ingredients, expensive, and delicious.  This is a sipper, but gladly so.  I can't imagine tearing through a portion of this size as it would result in my immediate and glaring disappointment.  This is my first beer from Mikkeller and I can guarantee that it will not be my last.  If you can find it (and enjoy big ass stouts), you should buy it.  Not only will you not regret it, but it is worth every penny.  I don't know how else to end this except... wow.  Pinty would be proud.