Mikkeller Not Just Another Wit

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Copenhagen V, Denmark

My Mikkeller of choice today is a Belgian Ale brewed with Spices which has now been clarified as a Witbier, aka Belgian White. It is not at all uncommon for Belgian and Belgian-style ales to have natural flavors of spice, wood, and such due wholly to the natural yeast strains and brewing processes. It also isn’t unusual for those mischievous Belgians and their inspired cohorts to add a little extra punch of flavor, complexity, and uniqueness to their beer with the addition of spices, fruit, and so on. But that is a whole other barrel of brew for another discussion on a different day.

She poured a hazy golden-orange with a huge head gracefully adorning her beautiful colors. Appearing like a heavenly cloud descended, she fades slowly into soft tufts while sprinkles of lace adorn the sides of my glass. Wafting gently my way, her heady aroma of tart lemon and grapefruit, spices, clove, coriander, nutmeg and slightly funked sourdough and yeast seduces and woos. Divinely sublime, our lips meet in an effervescent kiss wet with yeast and sourdough speckled with spices. The spices act as a soothsayer for the tart character of my Mikkeller, mellowing some of the initial tartness and sour funk. Surprisingly, her finish has a sweet touch of sweet grass and dry hops. As my Mikkeller warms, more peppery spice and coriander adds zest while my palate slowly dries, leaving me thirsting for each subsequent tart quaff. There are a lot of things going on within this beer, yet she is amazingly quaffable with an amazing refreshing character. All good things must come to an end though, and as we bid each other farewell, I am left with one final embrace of tart citrus, sourdough, pepper spice and coriander so nice, marked by a seductive sweet nip.

Most impressive is my first foray into the brewery Mikkeller. I haven’t had any of their other offerings so I can’t say if this is one of their best or their average fair, but I certainly wouldn’t say mediocre. I think I enjoyed most the exquisitely balanced conflict of tart yet sweet, sour yet spiced. I definitely look forward to seeing what else Mikkeller has to offer.

Bottle. Great Beer. Pours a hazy yellow gold. Citrusy, wit spiced with nice Mikkeller hop presence. Taste has coriander, citrus zest, wheat with nice hop presence. Extremly drinkable. Houblon Chouffe with a wit rather than a tripel. Really liked this

750ml caged and rubber-corked bottle. Served in a tulip. A hazy golden pour with lots of noticable carbonation dancing up the glass. A two-finger thick head of creamy beige foam stuck firm for a while, before settling into a lasting cap. Excellent lacing. The aroma included fresh orange zest, mild coriander, bread, light honey, and some lightly spicy yeast. Also some added hoppy citrus. Surprisingly, the flavor was somewhat dry. Orange peel, lemon zest, wheat, spicy yeast, and a note of dry alcohol warmth that lingered. Also a nice, crisp hoppy bite. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied and had a decent amount of carbonation. An interesting take on the style, but not the most drinkable. Too much alcohol warmth in the finish. I prefer wits to be a bit more crisp and refreshing.

Bottled in 2008. Pours a very hazy, honey color with a moderately full, white, fluffy head which is mostly diminishing and leaves minimal lace. Nose is nice with IPA notes as well as Wit notes; lots of coriander, wheat, grassy hops, orange and grapefruit peel, light clove, faint pine, and some light pepper. Flavor is nothing like the nose suggested, lots of hops but not a lot of wit notes. Tart orange peel and grapefruit notes to start, followed by light clove and coriander; the moderately high bitterness from the hops then engulfs all other flavors. Notes of dry grass, light pine, and some peppery hops. Palate is fair with a nearly medium body, a dry and watery texture, and a lively carbonation. Finishes nearly all bitter with dry grass, light pepper, and faint grapefruit peel. The aroma is a great balance of nice wit notes and hops, but the flavor is dominated by the bitterness and the hop flavors. Very drinkable for the ABV and not overly sugary. Excellent experiment but not one of favorite wits.

Bottle@Home. Herbal and grassy aroma. Hazy, light amber colour, off-white head, good lace. Light sweet, light citrus, very bitter, grassy, grapefruit. Indeed not just another Wit. More like a blend of Wit and IPA.

Interesting strong witbier. Pours a hazy gold color. Sweet malt, spice, lemon, banana, wheat, and light pepper. It tastes like it should be refreshing, but it isn’t because of the strength.

750 plastic corked bottle. $14.99 price tag. The aroma on the cork is pretty awesome, bigtime Saaz and wheat aromas, in your face. Smelling it from the glass I don’t really get the same thing. The appearance is pretty much all you can ask for, thick orange with a fluffy white head. Quite an interesting taste. Takes the the vanilla creamy flavors of the Wit adds a new school hop balance. Quite well done, this really is a fantastic Wit. The extra hops and alcohol give it much more depth. A classic.

Haze golden/amber body, with a creamy middlesized white head. Carbonation is average. Aromas of citrus, pine, and some coriander. Taste has notes of citrus, pine, tannic acid, wheat, coriander, and grape. Body is medium size. Alcohol is well hidden. Finish is average, and offers some more grape. The note af grape is tiring. This wit is different, but i find it out of balance, i dont like the choice of hops, and i miss some magic from the malt. This is my first disappointing brew from Mikkeller.