Mikkeller Single Hop Cascade IPA

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Bottle. Amber pour with beige head. Aroma is biscuity malt, residue of earthy flowers, some fruitiness. Flavor is biscuity malt with light hop citrus, resiny flowers and light spiciness in the hops as well. Good amount of bitterness.

Bottle from Hop City. Best before Jan 8, 2011. (A two and a half-year old IPA?? No thank you!) Pours a hazy orange with a tall white head. The head is dense and lasts the entire time the beer resides in my glass. The aroma is floral and juicy with pineapple and grapefruit. It’s a bit musty with some grainy character. The flavor is very hoppy, but not overly bitter really. Just lots of hop flavor. Plenty of citrus is on my palate with some herbal spiciness. The finish is dry and barely sour. This is a pretty straight forward IPA with no real malt quality to speak of. Not bad. Reminds me of a rougher Sierra Nevada-type brew.

Pours golden with an off-white head. Aroma is caramel, loads of citrus hops, hint of grape and pine. Flavour is light caramel, citrus and grape hops, light pine.

11.2 fl oz bottle purchased at Lukas Liquors in Overland Park, Kansas. 08/01/11 printed on the cap. Poured into a Free State Willebecher. Pour is clearish orange copper with a big (3 inch) light tan head. A few bubbles rise to the surface. Head falls slowly, revealing a bunch of thick lacing. Aroma of caramel sweetness, mild resin bitterness, soft pear fruit notes. Nice fresh and engaging nose. Nothing aggressive, just really clean and inviting. Taste is very different from the nose - big grainy resin right away, along with a sappy juniper like harshness. The fruit is mildly sour and is towards the back. The aftertaste is more of the resin bitterness, with some dusty earthiness and a bright, almost black pepper twinge. Palate is medium, long mouth coating after taste. It was bizarre how much the nose varied from the taste of this. Still loving this experiment - I think I like this hop in Barley Wines, not so much stand alone IPA.

Nose was sweeter than expected. Malty apple and touches of citric hops. Flavor is a little muddled and slightly watery upfront. As it warms, it has a nice perfumey hop bitterness, with some earthiness and sweetness. Good, but not something I’d seek out again.

Bottle, BB Oct 2011. Poured clear, medium orange with a couple fingers worth of sticky beige head. The aroma picked up orange zest and Pinesol over a sweet, honeyed base.. touches of vanilla and earth were scattered throughout.. spicy overall and well-presented. The flavor found redder fruits, toffee, and a pinch of honey at the core, surrounded by orange and piney bitterness.. some cardboardey oxidation right toward the long, bitter finish. Medium-bodied and well-carbonated on the palate.. the oxidation and harsh bitterness hurt the flow a bit.. decent overall, but not as good as the others I’ve tried.

Bland and boring with a hint of dustiness. Looked ok, and had a nose of slight perfume, light fruits, and a slight maltiness but flavor-wise it was just meh.

Bottle. High fluffy and long lasting off-white head. Hazy amber body with a lot of bubbles. Apple pear raisin caramel relatively sweet and hoppy aroma. Bitter and dry fruity nutty malty flavor with little carbonation and a long dry and bitter aftertaste.