Draft Bear - Mikkeller ApS

barczar

Kentucky

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy orange rust color with a small cream head that dissipates into a layer of foam on the tulip.

Cracker-like pilsner malt and floral hops take center stage in the aroma, along with a bready, caramel sweetness.

Flavor is fairly hop dominant, with noble hop herbal and floral character leading into a fairly citrusy, grassy, bitter grapefruit pith and pepper finish. There's a bit of toasted malt profile carrying the hops into cracker-like dryness. Apple esters take over as it warms.

Body is a bit thick, with moderate carbonation and a significant alcohol warmth.

Overall, way more hop forward than anticipated. Has the bitterness of an ipa. Alcohol is a bit overpowering. The hop character is varied, but just not very tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2012 01:32:56 | More by barczar

pigc

Nebraska

3.43/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle, close to two years old.

A - Pours a light brown color with three finger head. Excellent lacing as it clings to edge of the glass. Lots of carbonation.

S - Bready malts, biscuit, grain. Not picking up much else.

T - Strong malt base right up front. Sweet alcohol with semi dry finish.

M - Medium body with plenty of carbonation and drying finish.

O - I'm afraid I've let this one sit in the fridge too long. I remember this having much more of a hop presence when fresh. Would love to get this fresh again.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 01:43:33 | More by pigc

beerdrifter

Germany

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Clear amber-yellow pour with big two finger head with great retention and lacing. Floral, hoppy, herbal nose with hints of grass, lemon peel, bread, and a bit of caramel. First sip really caught me off guard. Wasn't expecting such a bold, flavorful beer. The taste is loaded with perfumey, citrusy, bitter fresh hops along with hints of pine and tangerines. All nicely balanced out with a solid caramel malt backbone. The mouthfeel is perfectly carbonated and subtly oily with a crisp, dry, bitter finish. Hugely drinkable. I'm kicking myself for only getting one of these. I'm hoping there's some left when I go on my next beer run. Another winner from Mikkeller!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 15:11:57 | More by beerdrifter

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Beer Deluxe. From notes.

A - Poured hazy dark orange. Decent carbonation, one finger of white fluffy head. Decent lace and a half finger of retention.

S - Honey, boozy pineapple, grapefruit, juicy pineapple. Closer to an DIPA aroma with a noticable lack of noble hop.

T - Honey, lot's of grapefruit, pineapple, light booze. Really juicy citrus hops. Malt body is there but not a significant contributor in any real sense.

M - Decent carbonation, medium to full body and a rich juicy bite of bitterness in the finish.

O/D - I quite liked this. Closer to a DIPA but it was nice. Smooth, drinkable, and flavourful.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2012 02:13:14 | More by tbeckett

Brad007

Vermont

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice, mild golden color with a huge-ass head into my glass. Lots of lacing. Wow.

Lemongrass, grain and citrus in the nose. Definitely a big ass pils here.

Holy crap! A little too cloying for my liking. Bitterness is almost intolerable as well.

Lots of lingering citrus bitterness.

Wow. Drink this at your own risk. Mere lesser mortals would not make it past the first sip. I, on the other hand, have conquered this ale like many others. Go forth and be brave, young padawan.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 03:46:31 | More by Brad007

ElCommodoro

Texas

1.58/5  rDev -60.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured a very hazy (to the point of opaque), very yellow, orange colour. It had an inch of yellowy head that never entirely dissipated. Smell is very much of citrus and hops, like a spring beer.
The taste was very hoppy and citrusy as well. It was very dry. A very strange lager indeed. I bought it knowing it was a lager. There was really very little information on the bottle, but since it was a lager, I thought I had some idea of what to expect. This is not it. They should really print SOMETHING on the bottle to give an indication as to its contents. This was really terrible. Mostly because I don't like this style of beer, but since I didn't receive any indication of the style, I feel compelled to rate it as beer in general. It was very bitter, very citrus. I didn't like it one bit. If you like bitter, citrusy beer, get it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 04:35:00 | More by ElCommodoro

foles

Australia

3.55/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had high hopes for this beer, and eagerly grabbed a growler of the stuff from the IBS in West Leederville. Pours a deep amber, slightly murky with a rich creamy head that crawls up the glass. Sllightly harsh crisp american hops on the nose, and the same on the palate. But lacking the citrisy fruitiness normally associated with cascade and amarillo. Crisp lager-like body, assertive bitterness. For me this beer is missing something. Its like a misplaced IPA. Wrong hop profile for a big pils, slightly harsh and muddled in flavour.

Decent but nothing more than a dry crisp boozy IPA for my money.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2012 12:55:47 | More by foles

quilty

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

st- 750ml

app- golden with slight rust and rose.

smell- floral and bright, with citrus, hops, and yeast.

taste- best i've had for this style, any pilsner really. perfect balance of malt and hop. it has amazing depth for a pilsner, with notes of candied lemon, perfectly-baked biscuit, and lager yeast, all in balance. crisp, dry finish.

mouthfeel- medium to full, with just the right abv.

overall- one of the best beers i've enjoyed in recent memory. perfect for all seasons and absolutely delicious and satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 06:45:30 | More by quilty

SpoonMeForkMe

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy, golden orange color. Nice frothy head that lasted awhile with a fair amount of lacing.

S: Herbal, grassy lemon, biscuits, slightly floral, yeast, apple, pear.

T: Bready, yeasty malts on the back side. Hops up front. Dry and crisp. Correlates well with the nose. I was really impressed with this beer. I had it at my dinner at Schwa.

M: Crisp, dry, medium bodied. Pleasantly carbonated.

O: A nice fruity, crisp brew. Very drinkable. I wish I could get my hands on a few more.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 19:58:39 | More by SpoonMeForkMe

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy deep yellow with slight amounts of visible carbonation and a finger high fluffy white head. The beer had very good head retention but did not exhibit as much lacing on the glass as I expected.

S: The aromas were pretty much completely from the hops - spicy and a little floral + citrus. An extremely bold nose on this beer.

T: The flavors of this beer were hops forward with a malty finish - but maybe not quite as hoppy as I expected or wanted. There were hints of spiciness from the hops and the taste of alcohol was well masked. There was only a light amount of bitterness present in the taste of this beer.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation, this beer coats your tongue in a very pleasant manner.

O: Enjoyable and I imagine this beer would pair very well with a hearty winter soup or oven roasted root vegetables. I might have enjoyed just a little more hoppiness and bitterness in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 15:29:04 | More by dbrauneis

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy deep yellow in color and poured with a finger high frothy white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a quarter-finger high head covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of spicy hops in the nose.
T: The beer has flavors of spicy hops along with notes of bready malts.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate with a little crispness and a low to moderate amount of carbonation. The beer has a light amount of bitterness and coats your mouth a bit.
O: This beer has some refreshing properties and hides its alcohol very well. It has a rather good balance between the malts and hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 23:26:35 | More by metter98

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy golden orange with a tight white head that laces deep into the glass.

S: Aromas of lemon, grass, biscuits, honey, and orchard fruits are very present on the nose.

T: Notes of lemon, bitter orange, grapefruit, honey, grass, pear skin, biscuits, minerals, and candy sugar are present in the mouth. The finish is dry, crisp, and bitter with a pleasant combination of honey, lemon, grapefruit, and pear skin flavors.

M: Medium-bodied, crisp, and dry. Carbonation is firm and active. Alcohol presence is subdued. Regardless of whether one considers this a malt liquor or an imperial pilsner, it feels great in the mouth.

O: I find this to be a near outstanding strong lager that capably straddles the line between a boutique malt liquor and an American imperial pilsner. Very drinkable compared to other beers of this type, this lager is bound to impress.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 16:48:48 | More by mrfrancis

paulozanello

Brazil

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very hazy dark yellow / orange color. The head is foamy white with good retention and lacing.

The aroma is very good and strong. Bready, grainy malts upfront with loads of hops that smell like ripe fruit such as peaches, mangoes and pears.

Taste is a spike of flavor. Little grainy malts followed by hops again with fruity peaches and pears dominating. Also some spiciness and earthy bitterness. It finishes extremely dry and a little astringent.

Body is medium to high and carbonation is also high.

Great imperial lager with a nice strong aroma and a spike of hop flavor ending very dry and mildly bitter. Interesting take on this new style.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 06:20:03 | More by paulozanello

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a crisp golden yellow color with a two fingered white, fluffy head with moderate carbonation.

S - weak, Weak, WEAK!! Light herbal, grassy lemon aroma with some light crackery malt.

T - Crackery malt and an extremely dry finish, lightly earthy, rather tasteless on non-eventful. Honey. For a pilsner, this is very malty and not crisp, but the ABV seems to be pretty well hidden.

M - Thick for a pils, a little syrupy, and smooth on the tongue.

O - Meh, had better, sorry to say.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 06:56:15 | More by jzeilinger

ehammond1

California

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle

Port Bottle Shop
Carlsbad, CA

A murky, hazy golden brown with a very small off-white head and very little visible carbonation. There are sheets of lace left on the glass.

The best aspect of this beer is its aroma. It's a nice combination of earthy hops, bright white fruits, and sweet honey. The sweetness shines through more and more as it warms.

The flavor isn't quite as successful, though the honey sweetness and white fruit character are present throughout. A moderate level of bitterness round the flavor out.

Medium to heavy bodied moderate carbonation.

This was far better than I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 22:37:20 | More by ehammond1

dansmcd

Australia

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pale, golden/orange/amber colour with excellent clarity and an uprush of bubbles. Two fingers of soapy white head and blobby lacing.

S - Great depth and complexity here. Ripe plum and peach, supersweet icypoles, lemon and lime, sweet crunchy red apples with just a hint of booze.

T - The peach and sour lime do their best to cut through the alcohol, however there isnt much else that can overcome the heat. A tasty experience but disappointingly doesnt match the aroma.

M - Thin to medium bodied, a bit syrupy, highly carbonated.

O - A fruity, boozy delight.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 23:42:06 | More by dansmcd

DavidST

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a pilsner glass. Pours a nice hazy light gold color with a massive white head. The smells are pretty good, crisp, floral, citrus. Feel is medium with decent carbonation. The taste is as it smells, crisp, nice hop bite at the end.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 03:25:39 | More by DavidST

ChugginOil

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy orange color with a thin ring of white head. Sticky spots of lacing.

The nose is nicely amped with hops and has a balanced malt bill. Sweetness from the malt is noticed.

The taste is hoppy and quite bitter up front with a sweet malt taste is subdued by the bitterness. There is some pine resin involved within the hoppy yumminess.

The mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing with a semi-dry finish. Nicely carbonated.

Overall, this is a fantastic pilsner with awesome hop presence. Enjoyed big time

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2011 01:06:32 | More by ChugginOil

wcintula

New York

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Woohoo! I love Pilsners and that goes for Imperial Pilsners, I didn't know what to expect out of this one. The bottle says Malt Liquor and BA says Double Pilsner. I'll make it more relate-able: Victory Prima Pils on steroids...maybe some meth.

Pours with a hazy golden color and a big ass head. Aromas range from boozy to hoppy/grassy. This beer is awesome and drinks like a hop-infused liquor with hops punching through in bitterness, flavor and aroma. This beer is delicious, so don't knock it because of categorization, label or otherwise. It's an awesome beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 19:10:37 | More by wcintula

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

light amber with a nice cap of white hanging over the top of the glass. Nice rich looking head of foam on the top of the glass here now as well, nicely done I have to say. Aroma immediately is a bit boozy with hints of grass, touches of hops, and a light fruit note that seems to pick up the warmer it gets. Interesting flavor profile as well here. Not at all what I was expecting. Hints of citrus, a touch of herbal, floral notes and a really nice and well laid out malty background. Quite nicely done

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 01:36:12 | More by mikesgroove

stewart124

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Dutch's.

Orange-Golden yellow with decent head in the snifter.

Big nose of fruity, citrusy hops to go along with some wafts of alcohol.

Bigger body than expected but then again this is a double/imperial pils here. Lots of bready/malty characters with some big spicy yet citrusy hops. This is chewy.

Really a nice take on this style. I was pleased with the American Hops introduced and yet it doesn't take away from the malts.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2011 13:53:08 | More by stewart124

eric5bellies

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from my Duvel Tulip.

A - Pours a cloudy Honey colour witha tight two fingered White head that retains and laces.

S - Pungent mandarin, tropical passionfruit and mango aromas. Really great stuff.

T - Nice tropical flavours up front and the finish is nice bitterness with some citrus. Very well balanced indeed and lingers on the tongue without being sticky.

M - Light to medium body with medium to full carbonation.

O - A cracking beer and no sign of the 8% ABV. The balance in this beer is to be applauded.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 13:12:14 | More by eric5bellies

Atlas1

Texas

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up on a recent trip to San Antonio. Haven't seen here in the Rio Grande Valley yet, but hopefully it will find its way down at some point.

Pours cloudy with a huge head on top. Reminds me of the slogan on one of the Southern Star Brewing Company's beer cans that says "Clarity is overrated." Agreed. Still, beyond the great head, there's not much to the color. Sort of a dirty blond color. Great nose on this beer, though. Very fruity with a bouquet of peach, apricot, and orange. Some spice as well. But it's subtle in the delivery. Doesn't hit you over the head with anything, but delivers a lot very evenly. The taste is subtle too, with some of the fruity overtures it offers in the aroma, but less so. Malty with a pleasant dryness and a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. Slightly boozy, which, at 8.00 ABV, is to be expected.

I like this beer, but I don't love it. It's possible that I may really grow to appreciate this even more than I do right now, and I am more than happy to revisit this in the future. An interesting brew for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 23:52:30 | More by Atlas1

spicelab

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

330mL bottle thanks to Chris@Slowbeer.

Bright and clear apricot, with a huge head of fine white bubbles. Retreats slowly with some sticky lace trails.

Lots of floral, tropical and citrus hops, with some resiny and candied notes. Moderate amounts of bready malts, hints of white pepper and a mild generic metallic grain character. Pretty nice.

Tangerine, pine resin, lemon sherbet, marred by the strength of the underlying metallic character and a chalky, toothpastey bitterness.

Above average but well hidden carbonation. Crisp but thanklessly bitter finish, due to the mouthwashy character.

Bit of a mixed bag. Drinks pretty well for an 8% Pilsener, but I can't warm to flavours and sensations that remind me of going to the dentist.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 09:35:59 | More by spicelab

laituegonflable

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale golden colour with whispy cloud of head. Not a lot of lace. Steady bead. Fairly decent.

Smell is rich and malty. Thick golden syrup malt overlain with hops for a slight salty aroma. Hints of seawater, oyster mushrooms and sharp orange zest. Intriguing, and I like it.

Taste is light on the front with a well-attenuated malt base. Biscuity with a touch of oatmeal, before hops take over - pine, lemon and orange with more mildly savoury notes, saltwater and fresh pine bark. Slight starchiness and also slight Benedictine-esque clout of booze late-mid. Again, intriguing and again I like it.

Not a bad bod at all for a lager, smooth but thick and a slight tingle to it.

A bit of an odd beer, but plenty to like and keep you drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 23:42:13 | More by laituegonflable