Mikkeller Jackie Brown

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

04-Aug-08 (500-ml bottle: Purchased 07-Apr-08 for $9.96 from liquidsolutions.biz) Mikkeller continues to shine, pushing the envelope with wonderfully flavorful brews, and Jackie Brown is no exception. The nose offers strong, roasty malts and coffee, but also a prominent outdoor theme of earth, twigs and leaves along with a rustic suggestion of farms, barns and pastures. The flavor is very roasty for a brown ale, lightly sweet, fairly nutty, with strong dark chocolate and coffee notes in the finish. Hops are dusty and lightly bitter, but the flavor of the hops has significant presence in the finish. Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste from hops and dark-roasted malts. Full-bodied on the palate, almost chewy, it’s much heavier than most brown ales, and the mouthfeel is smooth and velvety. Carbonation is light-medium. Despite the lightly sweet overtone, the beer is very dry and somewhat tannic and chalky on the palate, especially in the finish. Medium brown in color with good clarity. The small, light-tan head builds to no more than half an inch on the pour before settling to a partial film and wide ring. A really wonderful brown ale, without a doubt one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

(Bottle) Dark reddish brown colour with huge, foamy beige head. Malty nose dominated by chocolate, with notes of caramel, roasted nuts and citrussy hops. Roasted, malty taste with chocolate, caramel, coffee, liquorice and loads of citrussy, grapefruity hops in the finish. Lots of bitter chocolate and unsweetened cocoa in the finish. Medium body, smooth mouthfeel, mainly dry. Great beer, one of the best brown ales around.

The aroma has toasted malt, coffee, plastic, and grass. The appearance is light brown with a head that is not even average. The flavor is bitter and not right for a brown ale. The palate is average. Overall I am not crazy about this at all.

Bottle shared with GregClow, Jerc, and Mabel,. Greg’s bottle, or Jer’s bottle? (I think?). Wow - very nutty bitter aroma. Very very dark brown with a small slightly off-white head. Taste is incredible - so burnt and so nutty. Toasty. Medium body, nice carbonation and mouthfeel. Perfectly hopped as well. Quite simply one of the best brown ales you’ll ever have - a ton of flavour at 6%. Great, well done Mikkeller.

Bottle: Brown pour with an amber hue and a thick dense tan head. Fairly hoppy in the nose along with nutty caramel (but not sweet) Nice and inviting. Body is fluffy, but does have a sharp carbonation. Could use less carbonation. Pretty dry flavor. Dark nut hints, a bit ashy. There’s some American hop notes giving a very subtle fruity undertone. The finish is long and has lots of bitterness which is mildly ashy. A pretty solid Brown Ale.

[869-20071130] 660mL (w/ GregClow, jerc, tupalev). Stouty nutty brown aroma has a hint of raisin and wood. Cloudy, dark brown amber body with a quick off-white head. Coffee dark roasted and burnt flavour has a chocolate almond background. Medium-full body. Great nutty brown blend.

Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, roasted nuts, and hint of coffee. It pours a hazy, bordering on cloudy, orangish-brown with a moderate khaki head with good retention. The flavor starts with chocolate with a hint of roasted coffee in the background. The finish is lightly nutty with a hint of piney hops. Light-medium bodied with somewhat soft carbonation.

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish-brown body with a quickly rising, napkin-requiring, light beige head. Smell: An aromatic blend of chocolate, rich coffee, and oven-toasted nuts with a woody, spicy hop character. Taste: Malts tasting of roasted nuts and unsweetened chocolate with a strong graininess and a distinct coffee flavor. Almost no sweetness present. Spicy hop with an encroaching woodiness and moderate bitterness. A good measure of bitter and roast on the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-low carbonation. Drinkability: No thanks. Try as I might, I just simply wasn’t enamored with this one. The in-your-face roasted graininess really starts to grate on the palate after awhile.