Big Worse - Mikkeller ApS

kojevergas

California

3.13/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12.7 fl oz green glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired at Wades Wines in Westlake Village, California. Cost was $11.49 plus tax. ABV 12.00%. Listed as a Barley-Wine Style Ale. Served into an EKU 28 stem-snifter in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are extraordinarily high; Mikkeller is me favourite brewery in the world (if we can call it one) and I adore barleywines. I am a bit perturbed by the green glass, Mikkel must surely know better. I'm tempted to blame De Proef. I also wonder why a standard pressure cap was chosen rather than a cork, though I harbour no suspicions of quality reduction as a result of the production choice.

Served refrigerator cold and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger head of slight cream, dark white (yes, dark white...) colour as near to tan as it can get without brown hues, good thickness, great lacing, and one minute retention - altogether impressive for its 12.00% ABV. After the head recedes, the laced ring about the edges of the glass maintains for some time. Colour is a chestnut caramel amber; quasitransparent with some translucence. No floating yeast particles are visible, but I'm on the top half of the bottle still. The colour is vibrant and appealing. No bubble show is present, though no beer in the style has yet to produce one in my experience.

Sm: Cherry fruit esters, a fair amount of unexpected fruity hops with some hints of light bitterness but rather mild floral character, clean well layered malts, cream, a fresh pine hop note, back-end hints of some sort of darker fruit - perhaps fig or plum or thereabouts (more likely fig), and no caramel. Yeast is notably absent. No alcohol comes through. A mild to moderate aroma all around, and certainly a pleasant one. Refined, clean, and inviting. I'm excited to try it, though I'm wary of the hop content as I don't generally approve of hoppiness in barleywines (such beers tend to beg to be aged merely to tame the hops inexplicably).

T: Cherry, heavy hop content with altogether more of a bitter bite than I would like, clean well layered malts, slight hints of pine, and lilac. No yeast or alcohol comes through. Overly hoppy for my tastes. Complex, but of limited subtlety. Enjoyable. Pretty decently balanced and built. I just don't understand hoppy barleywines, but that said it's much better than something like Sierra Nevada's offerings. Too bitter.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with some pleasant underlying cream. Suits the flavours nicely. Adequate thickness and carbonation. A bit of a slight chewy character that works for it. Some dryness and coarseness from the hops helps round out the mouthfeel, though the finish is entirely too coarse.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable, but far from the quality I expect from Mikkeller. I find it far too hoppy for a barleywine, and consequently I wouldn't get it again unless it was very well aged. Pricey for what it is, but I liked it. Hides its ABV very well.

C+

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 07:12:46 | More by kojevergas

megamass

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

05-20-2013 04:25:01 | More by megamass

SanFranJake

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

05-14-2013 11:50:51 | More by SanFranJake

CommanderOfAwesome

California

2.23/5  rDev -41%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

2009 vintage poured into a snifter.

A: Pours flat, with a dark caramel with a red hue. Literally no carbonation.

S: Oxidation reigns supreme, with strong fuselage notes. Getting some bad church wine, grapes on this.

T: Strong red grapes, tastes more like a wine than a beer. Grainy texture to it. Bleh, oh man this is bad.

M: Medium mouthfeel, alcohol is prevalent. Strong sweet finish that coats the mouth.

O: Total bummer. I found this "gem" in the back of a cooler at Ledgers with the price tag showing that they recieved it in Feb of 2009. I knew this was an old beer when I got into it, but figured if it's sitting back in the fridge it would be worth a shot. Man was I wrong. Got about 2 sips in before I drain poured it. All well, live and learn. Worth the risk.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 05:45:19 | More by CommanderOfAwesome

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.26/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

L- Hazy medium brown with lots of sediment floating in it and no head at all. There is no lace left on the glass as I drink this one.

S- Dark candied fruit, cherries, raisin, fig, molasses, and a slightly sour background note.

T- Candied fruit and a giant wash of astringent alcohol, wow that was not pleasant at all. Not sure I'm going to like this one. It does improve as it warms but that first sip was a bit brutal. Not near as alcoholic or astringent now that I'm halfway through.

M- Medium in body and no applicable carbonation. The finish is a mix of alcohol heat and sour fruit.

O- It gets better as I finish it, not sure if the taste is improving or the 12.0% ABV has kicked in.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 02:43:54 | More by ToddT

mjaggers

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

04-11-2013 23:36:19 | More by mjaggers

rondufresne

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

04-06-2013 00:49:33 | More by rondufresne

CruisaC

Ohio

3.11/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this up on sale for ~$4 a bottle. Figured I'd give it a try.

Pours dead, no head, no carbonation. Uh-oh. Still as night in the glass. Dark brown

Smells like raisins, chalky vitamins, malt extract.

Taste very clean initially but soon a raisin meets astringent tastes follows. Not great. Not much good going on here.

Pretty thin, not helped by the fact at there's no carbonation. That may be ok for the occasional HOTD release (bourbon Fred), but this falls into Lost Abbey territory and not in a good way

I won't be finishing this. Pretty disappointing. I've got another bottle but I'm not too excited to give it another shot.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 01:47:24 | More by CruisaC

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.38/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Big Worse might just be big better from its juicy malt dominance and hoppy aspirations that capture the sweet grain character that's so prized in English Barleywines but with the lupulin rebuttal from citrusy American hops.

Starting with a brilliant and glowing ruby color, the snifter simply glows like a night light. Mildly hazed, the color is of deep amber honey in mesmerizing fashion. Capped with a dainty off-white head, its creme skirts the glass evenly until later in the session when it reduces to a collar along the glass.

Bursting with malt sweetness, the nose is chocked full of maple, buckwheat, molasses, toffee, and nuttiness. Its hearty sweetness nearly whets the mouth from its aromatics alone. A firm hop undertow peaks through with dried citrus peels and pine needles for a strong hop scaffolding although the scent is certainly malt-centric.

Likewise, the sweetness from malt is strong, seductive, and runs the gamut from maple syrup and brittle to bread crust and sorghum. Strong buckwheat honey toffee, pistachios, and fresh sweet tobacco keep the waves of sultry sweetness coming. A late rise of hops reveal a supportive balance with grapefruit and orange peel, pine and fresh grass, and with a deeply resinous bitterness that assists the sweetness with a malty-dry finish and alcohol flavors of spiced rum

Incredibly bold and even chewy at first, the beer seeps into the soft tissues of the mouth with its sultry sweetness in true dessert-like fashion- easily replacing port wines as after dinner digestives. Rich with residual sweetness, the late rise of alcohol spice and drying hops signal closure and extends well into aftertaste.

Reading the date-stamped reviews of others, its apparent that Mikkeller has gotten better at making this beer. It's an incredible American-style Barleywine that captures the preferred malt character of hearty English examples. Its a bright and highly rewarding ale for nightcapping any evening.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 17:28:19 | More by BEERchitect

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +19%

03-19-2013 05:07:53 | More by schnarr84

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5  rDev +5.8%

03-17-2013 21:08:15 | More by Ciocanelu

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.8%

03-09-2013 21:51:14 | More by spycow

Jesstyr

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

03-06-2013 03:09:05 | More by Jesstyr

Resuin

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -33.9%

03-04-2013 23:48:23 | More by Resuin

TXhomebrewer

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.4%

03-03-2013 17:48:21 | More by TXhomebrewer

WoodburyMN

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

03-02-2013 16:21:19 | More by WoodburyMN

timc100

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A great example of a beer where the hops well - not perfectly, but did not leave a stale off-tasting beverage.

A: Pours a classic barleywine murky brown. Sits a slightly hazy dark amber with a clingy beige head.

S: Huge caramel and caramelized dark fruits. Toffee, butterscotch, and slightly muddled aged hops. Intense and very sweet and resinous

T: Big and sweet. Follows the nose closely, but a bit messy. Really tasty

P: Incredibly chewy, lingers for a while, leaves a resinous gloss in the mouth.

O: Really nice barleywine, would love to try fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 01:23:21 | More by timc100

sennin

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

02-19-2013 22:02:22 | More by sennin

Bubbles

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%

02-16-2013 02:29:51 | More by Bubbles

mcdonald422

California

3.25/5  rDev -14%

02-05-2013 03:25:58 | More by mcdonald422

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

01-29-2013 18:16:56 | More by DmanGTR

bismarksays

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%

01-15-2013 09:59:05 | More by bismarksays

raffy313

Texas

4/5  rDev +5.8%

01-11-2013 03:54:59 | More by raffy313

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle poured into tulip 11/16/12 from notes

A clear reddish amber with a thick stream of bubbles feeding a surprisingly large three finger tan head that slowly falls to a thin film leaving a few random patches

S lots of brown sugar and caramel, rum soaked raisins and dark bread, some candied citrus but I can't pinpoint it, no booze is rather impressive considering it's 12%

T a little sweet even compared to the nose with a strange yeast profile and more candied fruit, has a little sour apple and although its decent I preferred the nose

M syrupy and sticky with good carbonation, some faint heat but I'd never guess it's as strong as it is, candied fruit on the finish with a little spicy bread

O a good strong BW with well concealed booze, not something for everyday drinking but a decent cold evening sipper

I had this sitting around for a while and finally got around to drinking it, I almost wish I had someone to share it with but what can you do

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 00:13:30 | More by wordemupg

derkfromwi

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +5.8%

12-26-2012 01:54:44 | More by derkfromwi