Tag Archives: mikkeller

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Lindemans x Mikkeller ApS, Lambic - Fruit

Lindemans x Mikkeller SpontanBasil

Friday, 26 May 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans x Mikkeller ApS
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) SpontanBasil is a unique collaboration between Lindemans and Mikkeller. Breaking the mold among existing beer styles, the brewers combined efforts to craft this old gueuze with a twist, based on a blend of 1 to 2 year-old lambic fermented on oak with fresh basil herb. Refermented in the bottle, SpontanBasil has a golden colour and combines the sourness of lambic with the aromas and flavours of fresh basil. The ideal aperitif, also perfect for food pairing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in February 2015. Poured into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden orange colour with a just under two finger white head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin layer with lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Extremely herbal with lots of basil and perhaps a hint of lemon and mint. This was surprisingly well combined with some nice funk, oak and hay.
Taste: Sour, basil, lemon, peach, apricot, oak, lemongrass, hay with a light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: This was much better than expected. I’m usually a little weary about herbally flavoured beers, so the name SpontanBasil does nothing to settle my doubt. But upon getting a whiff of that aroma and tasting it, I found the funk and herbs combined well together and was very enjoyable. Very nice to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Årh Hvad?!

Wednesday, 26 April 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller blog) Originally created as a tribute to one of Mikkeller’s favourite beers, Årh Hvad is a great accompaniment to cheeses. A Belgian Ale with cloudy amber colour and white head. The taste is a combination of pepper, malt and hops. Årh Hvad finishes with notes of strawberries and nutty malt and a light hopped grapefruit finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 23rd October 2023. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange, copper, amber colour with a huge two finger fluffy off white head that kept growing out the glass with great retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Tart berries, brett, funky, grape with hints of white wine and citrusy mandarin, orange on the back end.
Taste: Lightly sour to start with berries, plum, orange, pine, pepper spice and florally with a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was interesting as it was created as a tribute to Orval, and while there are some similarities, I still preferred Orval (which I had side by side) and which I felt had a smoother and better flavour profile.

Beer Misc, Beer Rants

2016 My Ten Most Memorable Beers

Thursday, 19 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Obviously this post is a bit late… So, 2016 came and went, I mean its already mid-January 2017! Over 2016, I managed to try many many great beers, especially with a long trip to Europe over the summer which included Belgium and Denmark. This list of most memorable beers is not a list of beers that I rated most highly throughout this time, but simply, just as it says, most memorable to me. It includes all the beers that I’ve tried, including at tastings (usually at least 100ml), beer festivals or whatnot, and it does not matter whether I have reviewed them here or not. There is also no limit per brewery or per style, and is just listed in alphabetical order.

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston | Belgium | Lambic (Gueuze)
3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek van Schaerbeekse Krieken | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
Cantillon Carignan | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis Port Charlotte (peated) BA | Netherlands | Imperial Stout
Hill Farmstead Arthur | USA | Saison
Mikkeller Spontantripleblueberry | Denmark | Lambic (Fruit)
Põhjala x To Øl Cellar Series Taanilinn Cognac BA | Estonia | Imperial Stout
Sante Adairius West Ashley | USA | Wild Ale
Tilquin Oude (Gueuze Tilquin)² À l’ancienne | Belgium | Lambic (Gueuze)

Interestingly, despite the IPA and Imperial IPA likely easily being my two most drank styles over the year (including a special fresh IPA tasting in Hong Kong that included a whole bunch of Treehouse, Trillium, Alchemist and Monkish beers), none of them made this list that is dominated by eight sour beers and two Imperial Stouts.

I have reviewed all the beers on this list except Hill Farmstead Arthur, which I had at our 2016 Hill Farmstead Christmas party tasting (post to come – ‘I think…’) at Club Qing. But at a tasting that also included Anna, Convivial Suaréz (Grassroots), Dorothy, Earl, Edith, Everett, Fear and Trembling, Florence, Genealogy, and Twilight of the Idols; Arthur ended up being my favourite. Brief TN – sour, tart, funk, lemon, straw and peach.

Anyway, feel free comment on what was your most memorable beers of 2016, and carry on drinking! You can always check out what I am drinking in 2017 on this blog, Beer Advocate, Rate Beer, Untapped and Instagram. Cheers!

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper 2016

Saturday, 31 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 10.9%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

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

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 17th August 2026. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A dark amber brown colour with a big three finger off white head that had good retention and left great sticky lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, sweet malts, dark fruit plum and raisins with a hint of chocolate.
Taste: Sweet caramel and toffee, plum, raisins, candied sugar, black coffee bitterness, orange, spices and booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It’s probably overly sweet for my liking. In addition there is quite a lot of booze coming through especially as it warms and in the end, probably too much.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Porter - Imperial

Mikkeller X’mas Porter 2016 Til Fra Via

Saturday, 31 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 8%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij. Adjuncts – Vanilla Sugar (0.9%), Coriander Seeds (0.3%), Star Anise (0.3%), Cinnamon (0.3%) and Cloves (0.1%)

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

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 16th August 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a nice two finger brown head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, cinnamon and cloves. I want to say it kind of reminds me a bit of banana cake.
Taste: Starts sweet-ish before turning bitter especially on the finish. Dark fruit plums and prunes, roasted malts, smokey, char, dark chocolate, spices and a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Quite a nice Imperial Porter with spices, but perhaps a touch too much smoke and char for my liking.

words of another dreamy traveller