Tag Archives: Denmark

Amager Rated XxX

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  • Brewery: Amager Bryghus
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: Imperial IPA
  • ABV: 9.0 %
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: Barley Wine, Copenhagen
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After beginning the evening with an IPA hopped with 10 different hop varieties, its time to up the odds with an Imperial IPA hopped with 30 different hop varieties. Yes, you read that right, 30 different hop varieties. I have no idea what these 30 varieties are, but I assume they have put in every common hop variety around. After the previous muddled mess I’m expecting the worst. I have no information on any other ingredients either, so will have to see how it does! This bottle was from batch #364, which I think was brewed in June this year as the best before date is 06/2013, so the beer should be around 5 months old (hopefully that, and not 17 months old). Let’s see how it does!

[easyreview title=”Amager Rated XxX” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy amber-orange color (slightly darker than the previous Mikkeller 10), and minimal off-white colored head. The surface is oily and the beer leaves minimal patches of lacing along the glass as the surface falls. Not very good looking at least.” cat1rating=”2.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is a strange blend of tropical fruits and herbs, which is backed up by some slight caramel and resiny tones. The aroma is a little on the weak side, but the little that is there is quite pleasant, though a bit hard to pinpoint.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a caramelly maltiness, but before you know it, your taste buds have been attacked by a massive, but muddled, hoppiness. I’m able to pick out some citrus, tropical fruits, resin, berries and herbal tones, but there is a bit too much going on to get a clear picture. The finish is semi-dry and features a huge, dank and mouth-drying bitterness. Balance is definitely towards the hoppy and bitter side, but the maltiness is still there to back it up. Its a shame the hop flavors are as muddled as they are, as otherwise this would be a very nice beer. I love the huge bitterness, coupled with the caramelly sweetness and hoppy flavors. You feel some alcohol as the beer warms up.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium-full body and medium-low carbonation level. The beer feels a bit oily in the mouth, and the bitterness is a bit harsh. A slow sipper.” cat4rating=”3″ cat5title=”Overall” cat5detail=”I liked this slightly more than Mikkeller 10, mostly because the stronger hop flavors and bitterness levels. The hop profile was very muddled again though, and its a shame this didn’t contain a tenth of the hop varieties. The crazy bitterness can probably be off-putting to some, but I felt the maltiness and hop flavors managed to keep it on par. These were some interesting experiments, but there is a reason why brewers usually choose to use only a couple of different hop varieties in their brews.” cat5rating=”3.5″ overall=false]

Mikkeller 10

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  • Brewery: Mikkeller (Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American IPA
  • ABV: 6.9 %
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Barley Wine, Copenhagen
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This evening I thought I’d taste through a pair of beers brewed with a large number of different hop varieties. Five different hop varieties is the most I’ve ever added to one beer when homebrewing, and that was already pushing it when looking at the flavor it produced, since more hop varieties lead to a more muddled and generic hop flavor, making it harder to pick out the nuances brought by the different hop varieties (think of it as adding spices to a soup, you have to find a good balance and can’t add everything in your spice cupboard hoping to make a good soup). First up is Mikkeller’s 10, an American IPA brewed with 10 different hop varieties. These ten are (as listed on the bottle): Warrior, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin, Nugget, Tomahawk, and East Kent Goldings. An interesting blend, mostly focusing on the American citrus hops, so am expecting lots of grapefruit, resin, floral tones, exotic fruits, and slight herbal tones. Was not able to find any information on the IBU, but am assuming it is in the 60-100 range. The other ingredients are Pilsner malt, Cara-crystal, Munich malt and Oat flakes (ratios should be 67-11-11-11 % according to this post) and an American-style yeast. Let’s see if this Mikkeller is a magnificent masterpiece or muddled mess!

[easyreview title=”Mikkeller 10″ cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a slightly hazy amber-orange color and a fluffy cream-colored head is formed, that collapses quite quickly leaving behind oily patches of lacing along the glass. ” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is sweet and fruity, featuring mostly tones of peach, grapefruit, orange and pineapple. You can definitely feel the presence of crystal malt, as it lends a sweet caramelly note to the aroma. Surprisingly little resin and pine, but maybe it is present in the flavor instead?” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor is quite similar to the aroma, beginning with a slightly sweet, caramelly and bready maltiness, that is joined by a citrusy and fruity hoppiness, lending mostly tones of citrus, peach, pineapple, and a slight dankness. I would never be able to pick out the individual hops from this if I hadn’t known them before tasting the beer, and having tasted it I feel that 10 different hop varieties is a bit too much, as the hop tones are quite muddled. The beer finishes semi-dry, with a moderate bitter bite, that could perhaps be a little stronger. The flavors are quite balanced, but maybe the hop flavors could be a bit stronger (this beer is about 8 months old, so it has probably lost a bit of potency). Not bad, but nothing spectacular.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth and medium-full body and a medium-low carbonation level. The beer is easy to drink and feels nice in the mouth.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall an interesting beer, but nothing I would buy again. I will also make sure never to use this many hop varieties in any of my own beer, since the large number made a surprisingly muddled and uninteresting hop profile. I’m a bit scared to try the next beer.”]

Mikkeller Hoppy Lovin’ Christmas

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  • Brewery: Mikkeller (Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American IPA
  • ABV: 7.8 %
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Alko, 5.23€
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Christmas beers have made their annual debut at Alko, and you can find the list of this year’s Christmas beers here. I’m usually not that super excited about the Christmas beers, but I bought a couple of bottles from the list. First up is Mikkeller’s Hoppy Lovin’ Christmas, an IPA brewed with ginger and pine needles. Sounds quite interesting and hopefully the spices aren’t overpowering. Have had a couple of ginger-spiced beers before and they are usually a bit over-the-top, but pine needles in beer is new to me. The beer has been brewed with Pale Ale and Melanoidin (these are starting to become one of my favorite malts) malts and hopped with Magnum, Amarillo, Columbus, Centennial and Citra to an IBU of 66. On paper this sounds awesome at least! Let’s see how it does in reality!

[easyreview title=”Mikkeller Hoppy Lovin’ Christmas” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a slightly hazy golden-orange color and a massive white-colored fluffy head is formed, that collapses slowly leaving patches of lacing along the glass. The beer is bottle-conditioned, so the second pours contains some yeast.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is dominated by fruity hops, featuring tones of pineapple, mango and citrus, together with resiny pine notes and ginger. The aroma is quite sweet as well, with some caramel notes in the background. A really nice aroma, but you definitely have to like (tropical) fruity hops to enjoy it.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a slightly sweet, caramelly and bready maltiness, that is quickly joined by a resiny, citrusy, pineapple-like and dank hoppiness. The hop flavors are strong and they dominate the palate. The taste finishes with a quite dry and bitter finish, giving room for a slight bite of ginger as well. Positively surprised that the ginger has managed to stay in the background, while it still contributes positively to the flavor. The flavors are well balanced for an IPA, with the moderately strong bitterness being coupled with the strong hop flavors and not too weak of a malt backbone.” cat3rating=”4.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and carbonation level, and it is easy to drink. A really enjoyable and well put together beer.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”A very nice ‘spiced’ IPA, where the spices are actually in the background and complement the hop flavors that are very present in this. Lots of tropical fruits, citrus and resin flavors in this, which I really enjoy. Maybe just slightly too much of the fruits if I have to find something to complain about. The bitterness level is good, and it is very well backed up by the maltiness contributed by the melanoidin malts. My kind of Christmas beer!”]

Beer Here Kama Citra

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  • Brewery: Beer Here (Brewed at Søgaards Bryghus)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American Brown Ale
  • ABV: 7.0 %
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: Barley Wine, Copenhagen
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It’s been some time since I’ve last posted a review, so thought I’d try to drink through some of the beers left from my shopping spree in Copenhagen in August. Today I decided to try Beer Here’s Kama Citra, an American Brown Ale which has been hopped with Citra. I brewed a really hoppy Brown Ale in April that turned out really nice, so I think the combination of hoppiness and a malty and slightly roasted body work well. Citra has been one of the trendiest hop varieties the last couple of years, and in general I like Citra, though I’m getting a little tired of its massive fruitiness. Hopefully it works well in this beer. Kama Citra has been brewed with pale ale, chocolate and crystal malts, and hopped only with Citra. Let’s see how it does!

[easyreview title=”Beer Here Kama Citra” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a murky dark brown color, and when held against the light you notice some ruby red tones. Almost no head is formed, even though the pour was quite vigorous. The beer has a slightly oily texture as well, so I guess this is quite hoppy.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is interesting and I find it really nice. At first a citrusy hoppiness was dominating the aroma, but as you close in on the glass aromas of coffee and chocolate enter the nose. Behind all this there are some tones of caramel and tropical fruits hiding as well. The aroma makes me think of a Black IPA or a hoppy Porter. I like it!” cat2rating=”4.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a toasty and nutty maltiness, featuring lots of roasted coffee and slight ash-like tones as well. The hoppiness from the aroma is much more subdued in the flavor, with slight citrusy and fruity hop tones joining the malt. Can’t really recognize any typical Citra tones, as the hoppiness is more in the general American citrus-hop direction (think Cascade or Centennial). The flavor ends quite dry and with a moderate bitter finish. No flavors dominate, so in that way one can say that the beer is quite balanced, but feel there is a bit too much roastiness and that the beer is a little lacking in the caramel department. Nothing spectacular in the flavor.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and medium-low carbonation level. The beer feels a little watery, but it is quite easy to drink, if not for the slightly biting and astringent finish. As mentioned earlier, I think this would benefit from a little caramelly sweetness.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”Overall an okay beer, that failed to impress me. The flavor was a bit too bland and roasty, and when combined with the slightly biting finish and watery mouthfeel, you get a strange brew. The aroma promised a lot, but the rest of the brew didn’t really hold up. The Citra hops could have been more present as well. Still an interesting brew, though to be honest I liked my own Brown Ale more. Plus points for the interesting label.”]

Mikkeller K:rlek

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  • Brewery: Mikkeller (Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American Pale Ale
  • ABV: 5.5 %
  • Size: 355 ml
  • Bought from: Online
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Mikkeller’s K:rlek is a concept beer brewed in collaboration with Swedish craft beer importer Brill & Co and first released in April 2012. This version of K:rlek (an American Pale Ale) is brewed for the spring and summer of 2012, and the next version (with a new recipe) will be released for the autumn and winter of 2012. I’ve liked the majority of beers produced by Mikkeller, so this beer sounds really interesting. The beer has been brewed with Pale Ale, CaraHell, Pilsner, Flaked Oats and Wheat Malt, and hopped with Centennial, Citra, Columbus, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe to an unknown amount of bitterness. Based on the hops, I’m expecting a fruit salad combined with some resin in both aroma and flavor. Let’s see what it tastes like!

[easyreview title=”Mikkeller K:rlek” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a slightly hazy golden-orange color, and a fluffy white head is formed. The head collapses quite quickly, but leaves huge patches of lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma features a combination of both bready malts and some fruity hoppiness, with tones of citrus, apricots and mango. The aroma isn’t very strong, but what is present is nice.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a lightly bready and sweet maltiness, that is joined by a citrusy, grassy and resiny hoppiness, that draws on similar tones as the aroma. The flavor finishes quite dry and with a lingering bitterness, that stays in the mouth for a long time. The flavors are well balanced, and the hop flavors and bitterness are slightly higher than I would expect from an American Pale Ale. The hops are well backed up by the maltiness, that doesn’t feature the typical caramel tones usually found in many beers of this type.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”This beer is dangerously easy to drink, and features a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. The flavors are well balanced and the beer is really refreshing. Great beer for the summer!” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”A really refreshing and (for the style) hoppy beer, that is easy to drink and features some great flavors. The mix of five hop varieties go together quite well, and even though it didn’t feature the fruit salad I expected, the citrusy, grassy and resiny flavors worked well together with the malt and bitterness. I wish this beer was easily available in Finland, and I can only be envious of the Swedes and how much better service and selection is available at Systembolaget compared to Alko. Another great beer by Mikkeller!”]

Evil Twin Cat Piss

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  • Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing (Brewed at Brouwerij de Molen)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American IPA
  • ABV: 6.5 %
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Online, 3.5 euros?
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Decided to begin the evening with a Danish beer in honor of the Denmark-Portugal football game. This is an American IPA by the Danish phantom brewer (i.e. Evil Twin doesn’t own a brewery of its own) Jeppe (twin brother of Mikkel(er)). Heavily dry hopped beers (especially those hopped with Citra and Simcoe) sometimes have tones of cat piss, and I assume that is what the brewer is hinting with the name of this beer. This beer has been hopped with Nelson Sauvin (which I used for my latest homebrew), so should (hopefully) have some tropical tones as well. Have tried a couple of Evil Twin beers before, some were really good, some were a bit strange, so am not expecting much from this one. Hopefully I’ll be positively surprised!

[easyreview title=”Evil Twin Cat Piss” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a slightly hazy golden orange color, and a massive fluffy white head, that collapses slowly leaving some lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is fruity and floral, and the hops bring tones of mango, grass and herbs. There is just a hint of white wine in the aroma as well. The aroma isn’t very strong.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a bready maltiness, that is quickly joined by light hop flavors of tropical fruits. The bitterness is quite light as well, but it becomes more evident as the beer has passed down the throat. The finish is dry, and their is a slightly alcohol/solvent-like off-taste as well. Flavors could be stronger.” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The body is quite light and the carbonation level quite high, making it refreshing, but a little harsh, to drink.” cat4rating=”2.5″ summary=”An okay beer, but nothing more. There was some promising hoppiness in the aroma, but there was not much left of it in the flavor. The flavor was still mostly flawless (except the slight solvent-like off-taste). The high carbonation level made it a bit difficult to drink, and I actually poured out half the beer as I couldn’t finish it. Shame, since I really liked Evil Twin’s Yin and Yang.”]

Evening with Stone Brewing and other goodies!

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Olutravintola Pikkulintu have recently imported a batch of 10 different beers by Stone Brewing, and yesterday they were released at both Pikkulintu and a number of pubs around the country, including The Gallows Bird in Espoo, where I myself headed yesterday afternoon, in hopes of tasting these praised beers. The beers available are: Levitation Ale, Pale Ale, IPA, Ruination IPA, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout, Double Bastard, Old Guardian Belgo, 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, and 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale. So yesterday, me and a group of friends headed to The Gallows Bird to try through the list of Stone beer. When we came to the bar we were informed that we would have to wait a couple of hours for the Stone beer to arrive, so I tried some Danish beer in the meanwhile.

 




 

First up was Hornbeer’s Black Magic Woman, an Imperial Stout brewed with smoked and peated malt. The beer had a pitch-black color and slight tan-colored head. The aroma was very roasty, featuring tones of burnt malt, coffee, licorice, dark chocolate, caramel and some alcohol. The flavor was similar, with tones of coffee, chocolate, ash, licorice and roasted malts dominating. The flavor ended with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and I thought the beer was quite well balanced. The beer was quite full-bodied, with medium-low carbonation and a smooth finish. I thought this was a really tasty and well balanced Imperial Stout, getting a grade of 4/5.

 




 

Next up were Evil Twin’s Yin and Yang, an Imperial Stout and Imperial IPA brewed to complement each other. The label even recommends trying a mix of them, which I also did. I began with Yang, an amber-colored beer with a fluffy off-white head. The aroma was extremely fruity, with tones of mango, passion fruit, citrus and resin. There was also some caramel in the aroma as well. The flavor began with some caramel as well, but was quickly joined by lots of tropical fruit flavor from the hops. There were tones of mango, passionfruit, grapefruit and orange. The flavor ended with a sweet and bitter aftertaste. The beer was medium bodied, with a medium-low carbonation level. I liked this a lot, even though the fruitiness was a bit over the top. This one also gets a grade of 4/5.

 

Yin poured with a pitch-black color and a minimal tan-colored head. The aroma was full of roasted tones, featuring coffee, chocolate and some roasted malt. The flavor is similar, with tones of chocolate, cocoa, and coffee dominating, together with some caramel and roasted malts. The beer has a smooth and full body, and a low carbonation level. I thought the beer was quite well-balanced, a overall I found the beer tasty. The chocolate and coffee tones were especially strong in this one. Yin gets a grade of 4.5/5.

 



Yang to the left, Yin to the right, and the mixture in the center

 

When the two were mixed, a dark brown beer was formed, with a fluffy cream-colored head. Lots of the fruitiness from Yang’s aroma was still left, and it was coupled by a slight roastiness. The flavor on the other hand was dominated by the chocolate and coffee tones from Yin, making for an interesting mixture. The mixture was nice, but liked the beers more on their own.

 




 

While we were drinking Yin and Yang, a courier showed up outside the bar, and boxes full of Stone’s beer were loaded into the bar, hooray! It was probably a bad idea to start the day with the strong (both in flavor and alcohol content) Danish beers, since the list of Stone beers included some ‘lighter’ ones, but we did our best to neutralize the taste-buds with some water and salty snacks. We began the Stone tasting with their Pale Ale. The beer poured with an amber-orange color, and a fluffy white head. The aroma was mostly caramel, and not at all as hoppy as I was expecting. There were some slight tones of grapefruit. The flavor began with some bready maltiness, that followed with a slight fruity and citrusy hop flavor. The aftertaste was bitter and slightly dry. The beer had a medium body and carbonation level. Overall, this was my least favorite beer of the evening, and felt it being quite bland. Maybe it was because I had such strongly flavored beers before this. Still it was a drinkable Pale Ale, just nothing special. I give this one a grade of 3-3.5/5.

 




 

Next up was Stone’s Levitation Ale, which is an Amber Ale with 4.4% ABV (you can find it in Kesko’s larger supermarkets, e.g. K-Citymarket Sello and Iso Omena, as well!). The Levitation Ale poured a dark amber color, with an off-white head. The aroma was a lot fruitier than the Pale Ale to my surprise, and it featured tones of caramel, citrus, mango, and resin. The flavor begins with some sweet malty tones and caramel, and this is joined by the citrusy and slightly resinous tones from the hops. The aftertaste is bitter, and I felt the beer is well-balanced for such a low-ABV hoppy beer. The beer has a nice medium body and a medium carbonation level. I definitely thought it was better than the Pale Ale, and overall a tasty well-balanced package. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5.

 




 

Then, it was time for Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard, which I have reviewed earlier. The beer pours with a dark amber color and an off-white head, and the beer has a very similar appearance to Levitation Ale. The aroma has tones of wood, dark fruits, malt and some resiny hops as well. Can’t find much of the vanilla, which I remember from the last time I tried it. Also remember that there would have been slightly more hoppiness in the aroma the last time I had it. The flavor begins with tones of caramel and just a slight roasted maltiness. This is joined by an earthy, citrusy, bitter and woody flavor from the hops and oak. The aftertaste is quite bitter. Couldn’t recognize any vanilla in the flavor as well. The beer has a medium body and carbonation level. I liked it, but felt it was a bit different compared to when I tasted it the last time. The atmosphere and tasting conditions are of course very different, which probably explain the differences in taste. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The following beer was Stone’s India Pale Ale, an American IPA featuring 70+ IBU. The beer pours with a light golden-yellow color and a fluffy white head. The aroma is hoppy and floral, with tones of grapefruit, resin, pine and mango. The flavor begins with a slight sweet maltiness, that is quickly overtaken by a resiny and citrusy hoppiness, with tones of pine and grapefruit. The flavor finished with huge bitterness. The beer has a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. The beer is quite well balanced, with the slightly sweet malt backbone backing up the bitter hoppiness. A nice IPA, but was hoping for something ‘more special’. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5 (leaning towards the 4).

 




 

The following beer was one of the bigger bottles: The Vertical Epic 11.11.11. This year’s Vertical Epic is a Belgian-style Ale, brewed with Anaheim Chilies and Cinnamon. The beer pours with a hazy amber-orange color and a slight off-white head. The aroma has tones of banana and spices (cloves and a slight hint of cinnamon), together with a slight maltiness. Can’t detect much of the chili. The flavor is similar, beginning with a slight caramel maltiness, together with some spicy belgian yeast tones (cloves and pepper) and some banana. The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a medium-low carbonation level. Makes a great sipping beer, and I quite liked it, even though I’m not a great fan of Belgian-style ale. Couldn’t detect much of the chili though. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5.

 




 

Then it was time for another beer I’ve had before, Ruination IPA, which I reviewed a couple of months ago. Last time I really liked it, even though it was a bit on the bitter side. This time the beer pours a golden-yellow color with a white fluffy head. The aroma is very hoppy and floral, with tones of resin and citrus. The flavor begins with a slight maltiness, but it is evident that this is a very hoppy and bitter beer, with resiny and citrusy (grapefruit) taking over and dominating the palate. The flavor ends with a dry and huge bitter aftertaste. The beer has a medium-light body and medium carbonation level. I liked the hop flavors in this one, even though they were not as strong as I remember (could have been the tasting conditions again), but felt the beer was slightly too bitter. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

Next up is Stone’s Double Bastard, a stronger, maltier and hoppier version of Stone’s Arrogant Bastard. This beer poured with a dark amber color and a fluffy cream-colored head. The aroma is malty, with tones of caramel and dark fruits (raisins), and citrusy (from the hops). The flavor begins malt forward, with tones of caramel, bread and raisins, which is joined by a earthy, resiny and citrusy hoppiness, that ends in a sweet, spicy and bitter finish. The beer has a medium body and carbonation level, and since the flavors are very strong in this one, it seems a bit unbalanced. I liked this one, but it was a bit heavy. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The following beer was the 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, which is one of the first Black IPAs I’ve ever had. The beer pours a black color, with a fluffy tan head. The aroma is hoppy, with resin and citrus dominating. There is a slight caramelliness, roastiness and alcohol presence in the aroma as well. The flavor has a bit more roastiness, with some tones of coffee, but the hops are very prevalent here as well, with tones of resin and grapefruit. The aftertaste is bitter. The beer has a smooth medium body with a medium carbonation level. This was an interesting blend of an IPA and a stout, that I thought worked quite well. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The second last beer of the evening, which was also probably my favorite of the Stone’s, Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout. This Imperial Stout has, as the name implies, been spiced with anise and oak chips, and has been brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. The beer pours with a pitch-black color, and a slight tan head is formed. The aroma is dominated by lots of licorice and anise tones, but there are some tones of coffee, roasted malts, and a slight salmiakki. The flavor is roasty, with tones of licorice, coffee, chocolate and salmiakki. There are some slight hop flavors as well, and the flavor finishes quite bitter with anise in the aftertaste. The body is full, and the carbonation level is low. Felt the beer was quite well balanced, but this was definitely a slow-sipping beer. I like licorice, so this suited me fine, but I understand that people not liking licorice would find this beer quite unpleasant. Great flavors in a nice package. I give this one a grade of 4.5/5.

 




 

The final beer of the evening is the Old Guardian Belgo, a Barleywine brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. The beer pours with a clear dark amber color, with an off-white head. The aroma is sweet, malty and has some fruity tones from the Belgian yeast. The flavor is sweet and malty, with caramel and dark fruits, and is some hop flavor present as well. There is only a slight presence of the Belgian yeast in the flavor. The flavor is slightly boozy as well, but the alcohol is quite well hidden behind the sweetness. The beer has a full body and a low carbonation level. It was a little too sweet for my taste, and a bit heavy to drink. I give this one a grade of 3.5/5.

 




 

Overall, this was a very pleasant evening, with some great tasting beers. I recommend visiting Gallows Bird, Pikkulintu, or any of the other pubs around the country offering these beers, and at least try some of them. Thanks Pia, Jonny, Rasmus, Artem, Paulina, Teemu and Kimmo for the company!

Black Rooster The Hoptimizer

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  • Brewery: Black Rooster Brewery
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American IPA
  • ABV: 6.5%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: Systembolaget, ~50kr
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Black Rooster are a phantom brewery, meaning they own no brewery of their own, but rather brew their beers at other breweries (in the same fashion as e.g. Mikkeller). ‘The Hoptimizer’ is an American-style IPA, physically brewed at Søgaards Bryghus. It was difficult to find any detailed information on the beer, but it is apparently a maltier IPA, that has been dry-hopped with a ton of Cascade and Chinook (at least Cascade has been used in the boil as well according to the label). The color of the beer should be around 25 EBC, while the bitterness should be around 75 IBU. This looks like an IPA I will like!

[easyreview title=”Black Rooster The Hoptimizer” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a dark amber, almost brown, color, and a slight off-white head is formed during pour. The small head is quite long lasting, and collapses leaving some drapes of lacing along the glass. The beer is slightly hazy as well.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is hop-dominated, with tones that are floral, citrusy and even leaning towards that of peach and pineapple. There is some caramel present in the aroma as well.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with some caramel and malts, leaving the slightest hint of roastiness. The hops take over quickly, lending some tones of resin and grapefruit to the mix. The flavors ends in a quite dry and bitter finish, leaving a slight aftertaste of caramel and honey. There is a slight presence of alcohol as well, but otherwise the beer was quite well balanced.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium-full body and a moderate carbonation level, making it quite easy to drink. The finish is quite dry, but still quite pleasant. The slight presence of alcohol disturbs a little.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Overall a great beer, that featured some pleasant hop tones, bitterness and a nice malt backbone. It was a little maltier than most IPAs, but I actually liked that in this beer. Unfortunately this isn’t available for purchase in Finland, but you can find it at Systembolaget in Sweden. Would drink again!”]

Raasted Pale Ale

 

  • Brewery: Raasted Bryghus
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: American Pale Ale
  • ABV: 4.5%
  • Size: 500 ml
  • Bought from: K-Citymarket, 3.49€
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    After a hard week of work and studying, it was time to relax with a beer. This one had been standing in my fridge for a couple of weeks, so I decided to try it out. Raasted Bryghus is a Danish craft brewery, that has been brewing since 2005. This Pale Ale, is hopped with Simcoe, Cascade, and Columbus, and has been brewed at De Proef in Belgium. This is the 4.5% version (a 5% version has also been brewed at Brewdog), and can thus be bought at the larger supermarkets here in Finland. Can’t find any info on malts or IBUs, but hopefully this one should be really tasty.

    [easyreview title=”Raasted Pale Ale” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has an amber color and is slighty hazy. The beer has a fluffy off-white-colored head, that quite quickly collapses, leaving some lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is dominated by hop tones, with hints of citrus, tropical fruits and some caramel. The aroma is on the light side.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”There are some fruity and floral notes in the taste as well, but these are not as present as in the aroma. These are joined by a slightly toasty maltiness and some caramel tones, that together with the hops, end in a slightly bitter and dry finish.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium-light body, and a moderate-low carbonation level, making it quite pleasant to drink. The beer is smooth, but feels a bit watery.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”This was a surprisingly good APA, that is available from the larger supermarkets here in Finland. This one clearly tried to focus on the hops, but I felt it was a bit lacking in the flavor department. Still a beer I would drink again. It’s a shame it’s a bit on the expensive side, but overall a very refreshing beer.”]

    Mikkeller Green Gold

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  • Brewery: Mikkeller (Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij, Belgium)
  • Country: Denmark
  • Style: India Pale Ale
  • ABV: 7%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Alko (Arkadia), 5.38€
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    Today it’s time for an India Pale Ale from the Danish craftbrewers Mikkeller, that should be packed with hoppy goodness. Green Gold is made from Pilsner, Munich, and Caramunich malt, Flaked Oats, and is hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade. Sounds delicious! There are no notes on the bottle when the contents was brewed, but it is batch number 201128 (maybe 28th batch 2011?) and the best before date is 22/06/2013, so hopefully it should be quite fresh. Let’s see how it does!

    [easyreview title=”Mikkeller Green Gold” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a deep amber color, is slighty hazy (the beer is unfiltered and bottle-conditioned), and has a fluffy, cream colored, couple centimeter thick head, that collapses leaving some nice lacing along the glass. Really nice appearance.” cat1rating=”4.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is a nice balance between resiny and citrusy hop tones, lending hints of pine and grapefruit, and a caramelly maltiness.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”There is a slight initial maltiness, with tones of biscuits and caramel, but it quickly becomes clear that this beer is all about hops, as resiny, piney, citrusy and grassy hop flavours take over in the mouth. The flavour ends with a quite sharp, but nice, bitterness on the tongue. Well balanced, but could maybe have had a slightly less dry finish.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth medium body and a moderate carbonation level, making it quite easy to drink, despite the sharp bitterness.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a very good American IPA by the Danish brewers, that is packed with a lot of hop flavour and bitterness, but is still backed up by a nice malt backbone. Mikkeller continue to impress me (even though Not Just Another Wit wasn’t any spectacular) and will definitely continue to try out their beers whenever I have a chance. Luckily I have another bottle in the fridge, and might even have to take another trip to the Arkadia Alko before they run out. I recommend this one!”]