Mikkeller Single Hop Simcoe IPA

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

Pours a hazy amber with a massive head (I can only get about half of a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass on account of the 4 finger head.) Aromas are thick with pineapples & grapefruit. Flavor is more of the same, with an emphasis on the grapefruit part of the agenda. Malt is sufficient enough to keep this pleasing on the palate... a sweet caramel backdrop plays nicely against the hops. Finish is a lovely bitter grapefruit and pineapple mixture.

12 oz bottle. Pours a hazy deep copper, light amber with a nice fluffy sticky white head and great lace. Aroma is actually quite fresh for once, - for a European brewery using American hops. Actually had a nice ripe fresh simcoe aroma- light catty, tons of pine and good fresh zesty grapefruit. Flavor is also juicy with fresh hops- resin, light yeasty doughiness, ok caramel malts, piney , hints of dank weed, and some grapefruit citrus towards the end with a tacky harsh good bitterness. Nice.

Bottle purchased at the Pizza Port Belgian Beer Party and shared with friends. Pours a hazy orange with an off white head. Aroma is signature Simcoe, very pungent and earthy with some lemon/grapefruit. Flavor is more the same, it’s really a showcase for the hops and not particularly balanced. A slight caramel backbone and maybe some pine coming through as well. Long and bitter in the end. Medium body and carbonation.

330ml bottle. Pours a cloudy dark golden color with a big thick white head that leaves some light lacing as I drink this one down. Nose is big and fruity; pineapple, peach, nectarine, some orange. Lots of delicious smelling hop resin as well. Also pick up some subtle sweet maltiness. Good tight carbonation and balanced medium body. Kind of peppery up front with biter hops and pine with underlying light malty sweetness through out. Finishes kind of sharp, but nice. Just a well made IPA.

A bottle tasted at Pikkulintu. Blackcurrant and pear in the nose. Large lacey head 25mm. Pale hazy orange/reddish colour. Floating particles. Average sourness. Hoppiness at end. A good IPA.

Looks like this bottle was brewed @ De Proef. 11.2oz bottle, cap marked 22/10/10 (best by Oct 22, 2010 my guess). Hazy orange caramel with a big three finger off-white head, good retention. Big perfumey citrus and tangerine, some bitter earth and herbal notes (though faint). I can only pick up on a little sweet caramel. Flavor has some white pepper and quite a bit of bitterness added--very earthy bitterness, I might add. Bitterness peaked around a 6-7 in the dry finish. Light to moderate carbonation with a medium body. I thought this was pretty good--I’m always a bit wary of European brewed American IPAs. $6.99 @ City Beer in San Fran.

First off, this beer was completely overpriced at $6.29 for a 12oz bottle but I couldn’t resist because I like Simcoes. Dark, turbid orange with some stray proteins floating throughout. It smells very catty and ammonia-like, spicy. Taste has a little too much pepper and garlic going on and reminds me of Green Flash Imperial IPA, not good. I really wish I had my $6 back on this one.... Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 03-22-2009 23:50:14

Nice hazy copper/golden coloured body with a very thick and dense tan head - nice! A lot of suspension throughout with a bit of bubbles rising from the bottom as well. Aroma of fresh hops - very strong with a very floral and citrusy aroma, potent malt and a light bit of cardboard. Medium-bodied; Strong assertive hops up front with a lighter a.a. content, a malt backbone that suffices and a mild sweetness. Aftertaste is very mild - a bit of hops, some sugars, but not much else - hardly any hop bitterness. Overall, a good beer, but I don’t see what all the fuss is about - there are much better IPAs out there! I enjoy the ’single origin’ style, but I would hope they try it with different hop varieties. I sampled this 33 cL bottle purchased yesterday (21-March-2009) at CityBeer in San Francisco, California, sampled today (22-March-2009) at home in Washington.