Mikkeller It’s Alive!

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

dark amber sap color; thick frothy beige head. Dry herbal piney hoppy aroma. The sprucey piney conifer thing comes through in the flavor. Wild yeasts go undetected. Hoppy but low in bitterness. Probably perfect with pizza. Almost done with the bottle now, and I have to say, it really doesn’t seem like it’s 8% in any way. And I’m still enjoying it, and that doesn’t always happen with bottles that I like initially. Hmm now that I read the RB description... this doesn’t have very much at all in common with Orval, save the hops. Still quite good on its own merits however.

75cl, new Danish brew Anno 2008, from Slijterij van Bergen Eindhoven, complex brew, yet easy to drink, balanced, hazy, rocky head, good brew

Bottle. Still seems amazing to buy this kind of beer in an Alberta store. Great way to kick off the 2010 World Junior Hockey Tourney. Exhibition gave Canada v. Sweden. Light white head on dark orange-brown. Funky fresh scent; doughy yeast, spruce hops and green apples. First sip: not the monster aggresive flavour of Orval. Nice. Refreshing. A bit minty. Second sip and the flavour is massive like drinking a beer while chewing on a fresh spruce twig. Not minty but evergreen. Starts clean and then goes into fresh green apple, funk, mint and spruce. Interesting to hold a bottle for a year and try SXS with a fresh one.

Golden brown, big foamy white head. Fantastic aroma, spicy, woody, yeasty, a little sweet, lots of hops. Taste - -very nice - sweet, bretty, dry, more dry hops in the end. Medium foamy body. Warming alcohol. Very drinkable. I wish the flavour was actually a little kicked up - it seems muted after that aroma. And the brett seems to unbalance things a bit as this warms. But minor quibbles aside this is a very good and very original take on Orval - I actually think it is more interesting than Orval, but a notch below overall.

750 ml brown bottle. Corked & caged. Fake cork was excessively long, and hard to remove. Poured out a deep, muddy, copper color, with barely a whisper of a head. Aromas are sour cherries, Belgian funk, horse blanket, fresh cut hay. Flavors include sour cherries, oak wine barrels, sour grapefruit rind, lime rinds as well. Medium mouthfeel, decent body. Slightly sour on the finish. Decent effort on this beer.

Pours a cloudy dark golden amber/chestnut brown with a tick one finger foamy yellowish beige head. Decent retention, slowly fades into a lasting ring. Not much lacing. Bready/yeasty aroma with subtle light fruit notes and earthy tartness. Hints of apple and pear as well as a grassy straw character compliment the earthy brett. Very yeast medium body with slight roasted malt, peppery spiciness and a sour/tart earthy dry finish. There is some slight crisp light fruit character but this is overpowered by the funky tart brett flavor.

Bottle shared by kmweaver 6/28/08: Pours a transparent copper orange with a stringy-lacing white head. Aroma of lightly sweet toasty malts, orange citrus and peppery spice notes. Body starts lightly sweet and well-spiced with some earthy black pepper and clove notes before a bready toasty finish. A pretty interesting and well-balanced brew.

Medium coppery amber, initial chill haze, then clears. Pillowy white head is constant, small, and attractive. Aroma is gentle candy sugars and musty pine hops. Would have thought they were American almost. Flavor is caramel accented malts and bitter hop finish. The funk is very, very muted. Perhaps a young bottle? Enjoyable, but it didn’t summon Orval for me.