Entry 89: Mikkeller It's Alive

Mikkeller

Copenhagen, Denmark
(Brewed @ De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Huefte, Belgium


Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - (Brewed Once)
Format: 750ml
ABV: 8.0%


Bottle text & Info:

"It's Alive! is Mikkellers answer and tribute to the trappist beer Orval. It's Alive is an easy-to-drink beer, with a lot of hops. The color is amber, the foam is high, white and dense. The potent Brettanomyces culture makes It's Alive continue to develop in the bottle.

Ingredients :
Water, malt (pale and cara), light candy, hops (hallertauer and styrian goldings), yeast and brettanomyces."

Tasting Notes:
Pours a rusty copper with a huge, voluminous antique white head, leaving sticky lacing and craggy rock like foam structures behind. Smells of some sweet dark fruit, caramel malts and candied figs. Incredibly smooth medium mouthfeel burst forward with a hop snap mellowing seamlessly into a sweet, chewy caramel center. Deftly handled bretts bring the funk but are not at all off putting nor dominant. An absolutely phenomenal representation of the great Belgian Wild Ales. 

Day 82: 03.23.10 Mikkeller Centennial Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller


brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium




Centennial Single Hop India Pale Ale




Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
n/a. the latest in the single hop line.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a burnt orange with an inch and a half off white head that show tremendous retention. Rocky, craggy foam on top with massive amounts of clinging. Smells expressly of grapefruit. In no way as sweet as Founder's Centennial, this one is straight up grapefruit on medium body. Some touches of orange citrus here and there but pretty much puckering grapefruit powering through. A bit one dimensional, but excusable being a single hop. Pretty refreshing and a great look at the powerful hop strain deriving from the  Cascade hop.

Day 81: 03.22.10 Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Cascade Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
"The third in the series of single hop IPA's from Mikkeller. Brewed with Cascade, a true american classic hop type. This hop is less powerfull than the ones used in the previous two single hop IPA's - creating a great balance with the beers other aspects."


Tasting Notes:
Pours burnt orange with a half inch head that rapidly recedes. Smells of sweet malts and subtle wildflowers, slight pine in the end. Medium bodied creamy mouthfeel that boast slight toffee finishing with some restrained pine and grapefruit. Some interesting wood and vanilla notes here in the mix although this has never touched a barrel/cask. A pretty good amount of depth here although this is much more restrained then any of the other single hop offerings from Mikkeller. A fitting tribute and nice look at the hop that is so closely linked the monster that is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Day 80: 03.21.10 Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef BrouwerijMunicipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Nelson Sauvin Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & info:
Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA is made with the New Zealand hops, Nelson Sauvin. This single hop IPA has a refreshing wine-like flavour.


Tasting Notes:
Here we go with the second in the series of single hop tastings. This one is a little known New Zealand hop sometimes blended in some west coast IPA's but rarely tasted in singularity. In the glass we go. Pours a deep orange with a huge two inch head that slowly recedes creating cavernous lacing with heavy clinging. Looks fantastic, smells even better. Huge wafts of tropical citrus blowing out the top. Honeydew, Cantelope, and some passionfruit with just a scraping of sweet malts lingering on the back. Medium to light mouthfeel with hugh tropical melon and grapefruit smack up front mellowed by some minerality encasing chalk and granite notes. Some floral and pepper notes in the mix here as well. A beautifully complex brew for a single hop. This is an incredibly intriguing hop experience considering Nelson Sauvin is relatively unfamiliar to the american market outside of Alpine Brewing's Nelson IPA. A strong showing here from the kiwi hops. Pair with anything that calls for Sauvignon Blanc, this is a quintessential white wine replacement pairing.

Day 79: 03.20.10 Mikkeller Chinook Single Hop IPA

Mikkeller

brewed at De Proef Brouwerij
Municipality of Lochristi
Province of East Flanders
Region of Flemish, Belgium


Chinook Single Hop India Pale Ale


Style: American India Pale Ale
Availability: ?
Format: 330ml
ABV: 6.9%


Bottle text & Info:
The newest in a line of sporadically released single hop IPA's from the most famous homebrewers in Europe.


Tasting Notes:
Pours a hazy burnt apricot color with a two finger off white head that retains quite well. Smells of tart citrus and earth. Medium mouthfeel explodes forward with some toasty malt, some orange notes, pine and a good dose of white pepper prickling on the finish. I heard someone mention that this reminded them of an old school west coast IPA. I think that description is pretty appropriate and about sums this one up. A pretty clear look at one of the US's most prominent high alpha acid hops.

Day 66: 03.07.10 BrewDog/Mikkeller Devine Rebel

BrewDog Ltd.

Fraserburgh, Scotland


in collaboration with:
Mikkeller

Kobenhaven, Denmark


Devine Rebel


Style: English Barleywine
Availability: Limited - Brewed Once
Format: 330ml
ABV: 12.1%


Bottle text & Info: 
"In a rock n' roll collaboration, 2 of Europe's most extreme, experimental brewers have combined forces, talents and ideas to produce this innovative ale. Uniting inspiration, ingredients and people from around the world this beer was brewed and aged at BrewDog in Scotland. This rebellious beer is partially aged in oak Spayside whiskey barrels and partially aged in stainless steel, combines an ale yeast and a champagne yeast and showcases a single hop variety."


Tasting Notes:
Pours a deep copper with little to no head.  Smells of candied dark fruit, prune/fig, dried peach and that classic caramel - butterscotch note. Nice nose on this one. Mouthfeel is smooth and heavy with some great toffee, caramel and vanilla notes along with slight marzipan and scotch whiskey all backed by warming alcohol. An absolutely chewy barleywine that has a great dynamic between honey-like sweetness on fruit ending with some slight tartness. I have to admit, English-style Barleywines aren't my favorites. I usually find them too malty and cloyingly sweet - however, the whiskey and the tart end hold my interest. If you enjoy big, malty, night cappers - I'd definitely recommend checking this out. A solid offering produced by two of Europe's most innovative breweries.