Mikkeller Monks Elixir

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Didn’t pick this from my notes for any particular reason. BUT. While reading, note the sound of bells and whistles, take a look at the night sky for the fireworks display, and cover your noniks, trappists, and snifters as the confetti and streamers are falling. ITS MY #100th POSTED RATING, BEYOTCH!!! Disappointing benchmark though, as I am actually about 2 years and 600+ deep today. Not like the 10,000 samples, and 30 word reviews some of the highest raters probably have. All 12 ounces or more, counted, on paper. Couple of notebooks need going through, and catching up to be done, though I’m sure I never will. Screw the perceived experience, or prestige. I KNOW MY BREW and WHAT I LIKE. And have had some greats, many of the top 100. Thankful for what’s available here. On to the rating: 750mL cork & cage. Dated 7/04/14 on 9/2/09. A - Nose is pretty pleasant. Sweet Hawaiian roll, booze, brown sugar, yeasty dough, oaky tannins, dark fruit, chocolate, fig, booze, caramel, and roast malt. A - Almost disgusted me to see this in a glass on the end of the pour. Murky, ruby amber with HUNDREDS of LARGE chunks of orange brown sediment. Not a fan. Almost made me dump it. BE SURE to leave the bottom out. DECANT! This had a nice tall, pillowy tan head. F - Upfront caramel, dark fruit, toffee, with chocolate undertone. Hops not a prominent note. P - Soft mouth. Mild, smooth-drinking body. 10% not dominant. Peppery dry spice linger. Maybe some ginger or nutmeg. O - This was not worth the price IMHO. This is probably my least favorite Mikkeller. Daresay worst I’ve had. Really wish I could have raped the score for #100, but it wasn’t THAT simple and terrible. Was sitting on the shelf @ the store for maybe a couple months if the date is any indicator. Not understanding the high score, but then again, some belgian styles don’t come off terribly complex and flavorful to me.

Pours dark brown with rusty red highlights and a bubbly head that fades to a lasting thin layer of foam. Aroma is quite interesting with brown sugar, leaves, toffee, raisin, and yeasty spice (all of which I could expect) as well some peppers, bay leaves, pears and other nearly vegetal spice characteristics (which I don’t expect). Tastes initially of spice, raisins, grape juice, brown sugar, and yeast, but the spicy quality is too much. It’s like too much Cajun seasoning (minus the heat) and unripened, bitter cucumbers. Finish dries out the sweet qualities effectively and I can taste the yeast’s pleasant authenticity (funky fruit and spice mixing with brown sugar, vinous notes, and damp earth). Leaves a lasting dry bitter sensation on the throat. High carbonation, med-heavy body, and noticeable heat, ever so slightly oily mouthfeel. There’s decent stuff going on here, but what’s with the weirdness? Something strange happened, and it may not be the brewer’s fault. Perhaps this is what happens when Mikkeller comes to Texas!

750 ml bottle - clear, yellow brown on the pour that settles into a deep, dark brown in the glass; foamy cream colored head fades quickly leaving behind some lacing; a beauty for sure; figs, candy malt, yeasty spice and musky aromas; drinks quite sweet with flavors of dates, figs and cherry; super sweet on the nose with a soft, smooth, almost syrupy texture; dry finish with the sweetness almost reaching overpowering levels; flavor is just about there, but the texture really lacking when compared to the top dogs

On tap at Lord Nelson. Poured a dark brown with a light brown head. Aroma had notes of sweet malts and yeast. Flavor was sweet from both candied sugar and malts with a bit of an underlying alcohol bite. Nice and thick on the tongue.

750 ml bottle. Brown clear. Medium offwhite head. Peppery and spicy. Sharp carbonation. Nutty chocolatey malt flavours. High carbonation level.

20091120 750ml bottle from State Line dated 10/12/14. Medium brown color with medium size beige head that lingers. Pretty odd aroma is super sweet with bubblegum, cashew, vanilla, stale tobacco. Medium bodied with decent eff. Late hit of heavy alcohol. Flavor is mostly plain, sweet, caramel, toffee, vanilla, burnt pineapple, blue raspberry italian ice (what?). Mostly uninteresting quad and pretty disappointing for the money.

750ml bottle shared by willblake. Pours a deep woody brown with a thinning off white head and some spotty lace. Aroma is old stale- woody cardboard oxidation, light soy, old maple syrup, lots of woody and herbal notes- shoe leather, green spicy phenolics. Flavor is overly sugary, brown sugar, off fruitiness, green apple, harsh sharp burn and leather, phenolic, herbs, grass, pear fruitiness, overly sugary sweet and candy-like, gets a bit better as it warms , but not great. Meh.

750ml bottle, as Monk’s Brew. Cellar aged for about 8 months. Nose is comprised of dark, sweet malts and dried fruits, full and estery with notes of raisin, date, black cherry, dark brown sugar, cookie, milk chocolate and faint licorice. Deep, dark mahogany color, mostly clear, with a very fine head. Flavor is similarly sweet and fruity, some cocoa and dark bread up front, turning fruitier and showing hints of alcohol before the very lightly bitter, warming finish. Lingering suggestions of watermelon and peppery spice. Mouthfeel is smooth, somewhat thin, coating and low in effervescence, body is quite full. Very quaffable for the strength, and a good attempt at a Trappist style overall, even if it lacks the mind-numbing complexity of the world-renowned brews that inspired it.