Mikkeller It’s Alive!

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Objectively speaking: Strongly toasty and remarkably bretty danish funky ale.
I like: The brett aroma was highly satisfying, beautifully integrated, leaving lots of room for the malt. Totally different with its bolder malt approach - unadulterated toastiness.
I dislike: A really personal thing, but I feel that toasted malts (and they’re quite prominent here) just don’t fit funkiness as well as wheat of pils malts do, making the body thick and filling (less drinkable) and removing some focus and freshness impression. I could not capt any other message than toast from the malts and the paler ones at least have this ingenious ability to lift up the hop effect as a complement to funk which does not work as well here. The hops are neglectable.

Bottle: Excellent floral aroma with light lemon, apple, musty straw, and cotton candy. It pours a hazy amber with a moderate off-white head that has great retention and leaves behind some nice lacing. The flavor starts with some sweet citrus fruitiness. There is some light lemony tartness in the background along with some faint graininess. The finish has some light-moderate floral bitterness. Light bodied with soft carbonation.

My Bottom Line:
Toasted and biscuity malts provide bouncy support for the brettanomyces to play off of in this honest and very satisfying Wild Ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam covers the hazy amber.
-The wild yeast is perfectly integrated; it is not too intense and it is not too shy either.
-The finish is lathered in brett and piney hops.
-The overall flavor profile is not as complex as Ommegeddon Batch 2 or Interlude 2007, to choose a few of its style and strength siblings, but it remains highly enjoyable and is very well crafted.

Bottle.

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is medium amber. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain, cookie), moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket), with notes of cherry, clove, and band-aid. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. A fun beer and one of the better efforts I’ve had from this brewery. A little generic in character, but pleasant. Alcohol is a bit overbearing relative to its quaffing-style, watery body.

Bottle shared by Crosling, thanks man. Poured a rusty copper color with a dense, bubbly off-white head. Aroma of light, dry citrus fruit, some soft earthiness with hints of grassy hops, and a strong brett funkiness. Lightly sweet entry with some undertones of lemon and orange peel lead into a dry, bretty yeastiness with a nice earthy flavor with a moderate hop bitterness and finishes with hints of soft citrus (apricot). Relatively high carbonaiton, but it works well.

Bottle. Amber beer with a cream colored head. Bretty aroma with some nice hops added. Brett, spice, yeast flavor with almost grassy hops. Medium body. Spice, yeast, grass, brett linger. Slightly twiggy and slightly soapy. Shared the bottle with a friend and we both had the exact same first thought when comparing it to Orval: Fresher tasting. It’s hoppier and a little rougher.

750ml bottle. Pours a slightly hazy golden copper color with a big dense light tan head that left good lacing. Aroma is sweet and of caramel, green apples, some earthy tones, and a little yeast. Flavor is similar to aroma, but nowhere near the sweetness the aroma hinted to with a long dry finish. Palate was a little watery and light with lively carb and funky warm dry feel. Very interesting brew with a soft complexity and rough nature. Maybe like Frankinstien.

murky caramel colored beer under a cream off-white head. sweet caramel and green olivey brett notes. flavors of heavy brett, and caramel with some fruity peachy tones. medium bodied and heavily carbonated. pretty good but and i would rate it higher if i liked bretty beers.