Category Archives: 3 – Indifferent (might buy, probably drink)

Mikkeller Single Hop Citra IPA

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.9%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed & canned by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from can) Single Hop Series – Citra.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 8th November 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark amber colour with a two finger off white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: A bit light but there’s citrus and tropical grapefruit, melon and peach with hints of caramel and pine.
Taste: Bitter grapefruit, citrus orange, pine, grass and caramel maltiness. The booziness was also actually quite obvious here.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was ok, but the malts overpowered the hops and it was surprisingly boozy.

Mikkeller Single Hop Cascade IPA

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.9%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Brewed & canned by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from can) Single Hop Series – Cascade.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 8th November 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear orangey dark amber colour with a one finger off white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Grapefruit, grass, citrus tea and a hint of sweet caramel malt.
Taste: Orange juice, grapefruit, grass, pine, caramel malt and spicy peppery notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Second to Simcoe, but better than Citra and Mosaic. The malts overpowered the supposed showcased hops though, but it was still nice.

BrewDog Rye Hammer

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Rye Beer

Brewer Description: (from can) Jack Hammer has been single handedly ripping it up for quite some time. Now, the definitive bitter and twisted IPA, has spawned four Hammer Head off-springs. Rye Hammer is the fourth of our super-charged hyped up hybrids. Rye and American hops unite in an agricultural superpower. A grapefruit harvest of citrus melts away to sticky roasted caramel and rye warmth, all resting on a malted backbone. Then the Hammer Head’s trademark bitter finish reasserts its authority. Catch the Rye Hammer – a bitter sweet protagonist.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 10th December 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A golden orange colour that is lightly hazy with lots of extremely fine floating sediment, a two finger white head that dissipates fairly quickly, but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Orange, mandarin peel and grapefruit with hints of peach, pineapple, pine and malt.
Taste: Very bitter grapefruit, citrus rind and citrus peel followed by mild pineapple, peach and apricot. There was hints of caramel and the alcohol does come through at times. Finish was bittersweet, although definitely more bitter than sweet.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was ok, but a bit harsh through its bitterness and the alcohol that comes through.

Fantôme Pissenlit

Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Belgian Ale brewed with spices.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before end 2019 date. Poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy amber-orange colour with a two finger light tan-orangey coloured head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet Belgian yeast, breadiness, lots of fruit, plum, orange, apple with hints of clove and banana, lightly peppery, hay, grass and some spices.
Taste: Musty, apple juice, grass, orange, orange peel bitterness, some kind of floral herbal spice mix that’s not easy to describe and some pear and pepper lingering on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: This was interesting but perhaps that floral herbal spice mix threw me off a bit. I also felt the carbonation was too low. In the end I think I prefer their regular Saison a lot more.

Sierra Nevada Nooner Pilsner

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.2%
Style: German Pilsner
Other Notes: 38 IBUs. Malts – Two-row Pale, Pilsner, Munich and Acidulated. Hops – German Perle, Saphir, Tettnanger and Strisselspalt

Brewer Description: (from website) A crisp, hoppy take on the original session beer. Gather your friends, pack the gear, and head out to wherever the day may take you. A midday go-to, Nooner is our take on the classic German-style pilsner – one of the original session beers. Nooner is easy drinking yet packed with the big flavor of spicy and floral whole-cone hops. Its brilliant golden color begs you to take a sip and sink your taste buds into an extremely welcoming beer, full of flavor and balanced by a crisp, dry finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz can, packaged on 20th February 2017. Poured into a stemless tulip glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a one and a half finger soapy white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, grainy malt, grass, floral, honey with a hint of corn.
Taste: Sweet and grainy malt with low bitterness, lemon, with hints of floral and herbal elements.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice crisp Pilsner, perfect for a hot day.