Amarillo Single Hop IPA - Mikkeller ApS

tronester

Oklahoma

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a cloudy burnt orange, with a super rich creamy light tan head. Aromas of minty hops, and a bit of dried fruit. Taste is some apricot up front, then some citrusy floral hops. An earthy bitter finish. Mouthfeel is rich. Overall quite a good IPA, but for the price, it falls a bit flat.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 22:35:31 | More by tronester

heygeebee

Australia

3.41/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

FroM Jim's. BB into 2014... Hmmmm.

Pours a a hazy bronze. One finger head stays nicely. Clumpy lace.

Aromas are of citrus, and some odd notes, nutmeg maybe?

Taste is well into APA territory. Some lychee notes, a little citrus, and moderate rather than overpowering lifted floral hops follow. As the beer goes down, the hop finish fades and overall sweetness takes over. Odd for style.

Mouthfeel is creamy, medium bodied, also at odds with style.

Unsure about single hop IPAs but this is a welcome learning experience. Wont buy again, but....

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 09:36:34 | More by heygeebee

DocJitsu

California

2.88/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75

Pours a dull, very cloudy orange amber color. There are bits of vegetable matter floating thoughout the beer. A light caramel colored head appears. Foamy lace streaks the glass through the entire beer. There is always at least a 1/8" cap of suds sitting on the top. Quite disappointingly, the aroma is indicative of an overly aggressive grain bill. Toffee with little pick up of any lovely amarillo. The mouthfeel is akin to a good wee heavy. Smooth and full, with just a scratch or two of carbonation on the top middle of the tongue. The flavor is nothing but flat sweet wort. Where's the amarillo?? You'd barely know this beer was hopped at all if it weren't for the floaties and the slight hop hotness on the back of your throat. Why are Mikkeller's beers so grain-heavy? Not a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 03:19:47 | More by DocJitsu

Ego

New Jersey

3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on the cap: 8351103

eyes...
wow, 3 fingers of goodness, perfectly constructed micro bubbles slowly meld into each other, lots of carbonation going nuts in this causing the yeast to make this look like some sort of beer snow globe (sans the tacky winter scene), a hazy burnt orange hue, and just like the sorachi I just had the head forms a cap/plateau in the top middle of the crown, lacing is super, damn, this is one fine lookin' beer!

nose...
toasted caramel with herbal tones but not much else.. usually amarillo is a bit more aggressive/distinct

taste etc...
this almost mirrors the sorachi ace I had earlier, except this has a bit more bite in terms of lip smacking freshness, it 'snaps' in a sense, it drinks lighter than sorachi but still within range for the style for sure, definitely has a nice bitter edge to it especially in the after glow, this drinks like a europeanized-APA if there is such a beast, it has some euro tasting qualities but a much more pronounced bitterness... not the same you would expect from amarillo hops here from my experience.

verdict...
has some punch, it seems mild and meek but packs a subtle punch. Enjoyable if not sneaky. pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 06:10:38 | More by Ego

StonedTrippin

Colorado

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

yet another of the single hop series, i want to try them all. this one pours a little darker than the others ive had, copper to bronze in color, slighly hazy with some suspended yeast particles and a foamy and persistent tan head. the nose is pretty bitter, but with a touch of light fruit, maybe apricots or something, and then the yeast. flavor is bold but generic in some way, perhaps this hop variety is integrated into a lot of beers, but its just sort of hoppy to me, without any distinct features of its own. it has a short lived bitter punch felt mostly in the finish, but im not sure thats special to the amarillo. it would make a fine bittering hop, and the aroma is indeed nice with that touch of fruit, but its hard to pick out anything special about this hop, other than this beer is friggen delicious and i think the amarillo may be more of a complete hop, more versatile in a single hop beer than some of the others. this is a bold ipa, one that im enjoying very much. well carbonated and just past medium on the body, i could drink this all night.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:57:34 | More by StonedTrippin

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

P: Pours a apricot color with a huge crown of bone colored dense creamy froth. Retention is good and clings to the edges. Multitudes of floating yeast.

S: Tropical fruit, syrup laced barley, toasted caramel, tart white grapes, clove, amaretto, and honey.

T/M: Flavor follows the nose but delivers nice bitterness of herbs and floral essence along with a great yeast balance. Mouthfeel is light-medium and a tad sticky with moderate carbonation that's very nice and relaxing. Finish is chalky and dry lingering subtle citrus soap.

O: A great blend of malts and hops. The yeast really develops this beer and adds a brilliant depth of flavor. I was really expecting the hops to shine but they were slightly subdued. I would love to have this in a six pack but since its sold in singles I'm not sure I will revisit this. All in all I enjoyed the flavor and simplicity. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 17:42:13 | More by Hopswagger

TheBeerCarl

Idaho

2.55/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Deep orange-brown amber color and completely hazy and opaque. The beer was poured with a cream colored head that had good retention and tiny bubbles. The reason for the 3 was that the style should have a lighter color and less haziness.

S: Next to no nose. Some caramel and heat with a very slight hint of citrus acidity.

T: Nice bittery hoppiness with some earthiness and a slight citrus flavor. Lingering notes of maltiness.

M: Light bodied, almost watery with sharp carbonation.

Overall this beer lacks body and the typical strong citrus notes associated with the amarillo hop variety. Also the lack of a strong hoppy nose defeats the purpose of creating a single hop IPA. If you want to display the characteristics of a hop variety, try and bring out the hops aroma, flavor and bitterness. This beer failed at 2 out of 3.

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2012 07:31:11 | More by TheBeerCarl

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.05/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours caramel with a thumb of tan head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Leafy hops, apples

T: Pears, leafy & herbal hops, some woody notes & green apples up front. More green apples & woody hops as this warms along with a bit of lemon zest & grapefruit in even smaller amounts . Finishes with woody & herbal hops, a touch of pears & not much else

MF: Medium bodied, slight carbonation, okay balance

Easy enough to drink, but this doesn't really make me think Amarillo Hops, may be an old bottle, but the dating code is too f-ing cryptic for me

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 03:04:15 | More by russpowell

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

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

11.2oz bottle served into a snifter

A - Cloudy burnt orange with 2 fingers of creamy head that settles into a cap of fine bubbles. Not alot of lacing.

S - Spiced oranges, clean floral, soft woodiness, candied caramel, yeast and biscuits come out when warm

T - Spicy off the top, toasted grain, orange blossom, lightly sweet with a mellow caramel base. The spiciness is aggressive and almost dominates but there's a delicacy with the floral and citrus notes. There's an oak flavor on the finish.

M - Fine carbonation, soft feel, medium body.

Amarillo is a great variety to do a single hop beer. I think they pulled it off very well. The nose is very aromatic and the flavor is bold and spicy while still pulling delicate flavors out against a nice malt bill. Unfortunately it's too expensive to drink alot of these.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 01:34:22 | More by StaveHooks

isaiahcutright

Oklahoma

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Hazy golden amber, light tan 3 finger head. Nice and creamy foam beautiful lacing.

S: Citrus, grapefruit, hops nice aroma mostly hop driven.

T: Citrus grapefruit/clementines super citrusy clean hop taste, a nice clean bitterness, great balance between aroma, flavor and bitterness, with a neutral malt base. Clean finish. Lots of clementine on the end.

M: Clean neutral yeast, great balance, dry finish leaving me wanting more.

Overall: a rock solid brew it show cases a popular hop, and makes it shine. A great beer, hop simplicity at its best.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 01:41:56 | More by isaiahcutright

kojevergas

California

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

One of my favourite hop varietals, my number one favourite brewer. Picked this one up at Vendome Liquor. Cost was $5.49. 11.2 fl oz brown glass bottle served into a Uinta pilsner glass in me gaff in Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average; the brewery is amazing but this single hop series has been a failed experiment. 6.9% according to my bottle (not 6.8% as currently listed on the site). Brewed at De Proef. Imported by the Shelton Bastards. No wonder it's so expensive.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a five finger beige-khaki colour head of nice cream and thickness, and good retention for the ABV. Body colour is a semitransparent pale copper. Translucent. Some fine yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Carbonation seems good. The retention time seems to be about seven minutes - quite impressive.

Sm: Amarillo, fantastic malts, heavy Belgian biscuit malt, some incredible bright fruit, and Belgian biscuity yeast. Wow. A hell of an aroma for an American IPA. This blows me away. Unexpected. An average strength aroma. The fruit actually reminds me of a good Belgian quad. So damned evocative.

T: Heavy amarillo. Grassy. A full bodied biscuit malt foundation. Floral and lightly bitter. Everything I look for in a hop build. I think this beer helps me settle it: Amarillo is my favourite hop strain. Brilliant and tasty. A hint of hop oil. Flavourful finish. Much more complex and full-bodied than the other single hop series beers I've had from Mikkeller. I dig it. Very well balanced and built.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Ideal thickness for the style and flavour profile. Just a touch oily. Excellent carbonation. Suits the flavours quite well. Bolstered by cream throughout.

Dr: Very drinkable for the style. Among the best IPAs I've had. This single hop series disappointed me heavily until this beer came along, reminding why I love Mikkeller in the first place. As a homebrewer, I'm glad I tried this just to learn more about Amarillo. IPA fans will dig this one. I'd love to try this on-draught. Worth its somewhat high price. I used to think Mikkeller only brewed great dark beers. Now I know better. Hides its ABV incredibly well. Really tasty. Wow. Refreshing and delicious. I'll definitely be having this one again. I'd recommend it to friends.

A-

Serve cold.

This challenges Sculpin for status as my favourite IPA. In fact, I think it beats it. Though there is that one IPA from Diamond Knot...

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 05:43:20 | More by kojevergas

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

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

A: Poured a fluffy one finger head with great foaming qualities and glass retention. Color is a deep hued burned orange. Some particulate can be seen swirling about.

S: A bit lacking in the nose, as the beer warms I detect some dry biscuit, malt, and light citrus. I wanted just a little bit more.

T: Delicate flavors of pine, citrus, rock candy and malt.

M: Carbonation is perfect, stickiness great. Mouthfeel is really standout for this beer.

O: I really liked the balance of this brew. Given the price, I wouldn't get it again, but it was nice to taste the purity of the single Amarillo hops.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 03:42:53 | More by cooler4life

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

11.2oz bottle from the Potsdam IGA for 6$

Appearance - Hazy copper colour with a huge size fizzy beige coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes and there appears to be some particles floating around.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, grapefruit

Taste & Mouth - There is a higher amount of carbonation and I can taste hops, malts, and caramel. There is also some light pine and some buttery notes with a hint of grapefruit. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with a bit of a lingering hop bitterness.

Overall - The best before date on the cap had rubbed off.. so I'm not sure how fresh this is, but I'm assuming its a little older. The flavours aren't very vibrant and there isn't much of a punch. For the price, I'd reach for some fresh somewhat locally made IPA's next time.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 00:08:43 | More by spinrsx

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is veiled, copper color with a nice sticky head on top of it. The foam is dense. The aroma is all citrus hops with some grapefruits... Typical of Amarillo hops. Some pines in there too. Very nice aroma. A good base of malts is also presents. On the taste, it's all hops. Piny and citrusy. Full bodied. Finish is quite bitter but well balance by the malts base. Heavy beer... Another good one from mikkeller.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 11:56:56 | More by ZorPrime

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into a 13.5oz tulip.

A - Big foamy, slightly off-white head; definitely bottle conditioned. Hazy bronze-amber body. Typical looking Mikkeller IPA. Thick, frothy head retention with sticky webs of lace.

S - Smell is a little subdued. Mainly floral hops, with a touch of bright fruitiness, pine needles, and spice. Mild bready malt, but not much balance. It's got this slight acetone character to it, sort of sterile, but it's light.

T - Opens up surprisingly malty, with toasty caramel malt, earthy spice, and dank woodiness. The finish is grassy and herbal, with mild bitterness. Alcohol is oddly detectable, but nothing too abrasive. Minimal pine, citrus, or tropical notes, with a bigger focus on earthy herbal hops and malty balance. The slight acetone-like quality from the aroma also shows up in the taste a bit.

M - Surprisingly low carbonation, but what's there is fine bubbles providing a nice smoothness. Medium bodied feel, with a finish that's slightly dry.

D - A decent and drinkable IPA, but Mikkeller didn't quite bring out the highlights of the Amarillo hop like Phillips did in my review from the other day. The hop profile is also a lot different in general here. The lack of depth from only using one hop also shows a bit. An average IPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 00:57:12 | More by Converge

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a pretty good IPA. Definitely balanced and well done. Has a hearty tone to it that mixes with the minimal earthy spice tones from hops. The carbonation is a bit full, but that's barely a detractor in the grand scheme of things, and not really one at all when you add it up to how nice the beer is. Suggested.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 06:17:18 | More by RblWthACoz

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a deep amber with a dense, sticky tan head. It's got more body/malty sweetness than expected, but I suppose it will add to the accentuation of this wonderful hop. It has a very elegant presentation with an everlasting and fluffy head that perches on top of this beers deep amber body. Unfortunately, this beer fails short in its nose... there isn't much aroma at all in fact. I was expecting vibrant hops balanced by sweetness and alcohol, but instead I got a slightly burning alcohol.
The taste doesn't disappoint though with a fruity sweetness and semi-dry finish. The hops are center stage with a concord grape-like fruitiness that really didn't have a chance to shine in the nose. It's quite drinkable and has a completely balanced mouthfeel.
I think if I had this beer a little fresher there would have been a lot more aroma...I'm giving this beer the benefit of the doubt based on how well it drank.
I probably would not try this specific single-hop again for $6/12oz, but it was worth trying once.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 01:33:14 | More by ThePorterSorter

SLeffler27

New York

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

Pours cloudy, honey gold on the brownish side with a slight head that leaves a fine coat of lacing.

There is a mix of floral and grapefruit with a background of caramel. Warming brings out syrupy honey.

Bitterness makes a big snap up front with lots of grapefruit. The finish is long with a sharp bitterness. Warmth brings out some orange flavors.

This is a fully bodied beer with some alcohol, a woolly texture, and ample carbonation. Overall, it is fairly cleansing.

This was enjoyed as part of a self training exercise to distinguish hop varieties, but it would still make a fine component to a meal.

Sampled from a Harp Nonic, alongside a Cascade Single Hop IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:35:34 | More by SLeffler27

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle into a pint glass- pours a slightly hazy copper/orange color with a beautiful and creamy one-finger off-white head. Exceptional retention and nice sticky lacing.

Smell is sweet and hoppy- nice pale malt, a little caramel, good grapefruit hops and a little candy.

Taste is fantastic- it's got everything; sweet, spicy, and a little something extra. To me, it seems like there's a kick of spearmint at the end. Up front, nice malty sweetness and caramel, followed by some floral and citrusy hops, finishing semisweet/semidry.

Mouthfeel is great- very refreshing. Light to medium body with moderate carbonation (not prickly, very smooth and creamy). This is a fantastic example of the style (and it's brewed by Europeans at that!)- not a bold one but a very delicate balance of flavors. GET IT NOW!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 23:17:23 | More by Hopdaemon39

beergoot

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice copperish color, very effervescent, and produces a thick, sticky off-white head.

A strong, spicy and pungent hop aroma greets the nose. Citrusy with hints of orange and lemon. A bit of light malt aroma.

Malt and bitterness. Light biscuit flavor. A very subtle orange flavor. Bitterness is well-blended with the malt character with finishing bitterness shiny through softly at the finish. Smooth, wet and clean mouthfeel.

A very pleasant AIPA. Nicely balanced with a good degree of complexity. Alchohol content is hardly noticeable, so flavor is strictly a malt/hop affair. Well worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 23:31:16 | More by beergoot

quirkzoo

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -30%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I picked this one up with the Mikkeller Citra IPA as they were new in stock in a store that gets good turnover, but they didn't taste very new, alas.

Pours a nice dark orange with two fingers of sticky off white head that lingers as a thick cap. The smell is pleasantly fruity, it took me a moment to place the smell but when I realized it was lychee that was all I smelled. The taste was merely bitter with an alcoholic bite, all the sweet tropical fruit from the nose has dissapeared. The mouthfeel was strange, bubbly and flaccid. Overall the unique lychee smell on the nose was pleasant but the poor taste and drinkability of this beer made it not worth finishing.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 04:55:06 | More by quirkzoo

Drab1ne

4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

For an Amarillo which I've been told means double hopped IPA(might be wrong) this deceptively smooth.

A strong beer marked as 6.9% but doesn't seem to be knocking me over with the bitterness as some of the recent American IPA's (my current taster of choice) have been doing.

Almost as if to say you want to give your friend a strong IPA to taste test this could be the go.

Creamy, Lovely look and soft smell as well as an appertizing taste and mouthfeel.

Somewhere between 4 & 4.5 stars.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 08:28:30 | More by Drab1ne

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know... It's old. But it's been in my fridge for over 2 years (first batch).

A: Ohh yes... another amber colored single hop beer. This one, again, has about one full finger of off-white head that settles into a rocky layer along the top of the beer.

S: Sweet caramel malt, some musty grapes, a bit or orange peel, and just a dash of spice.

T: It starts out sweet, with some of the must and orange coming through in the middle. The finish is pretty bitter, but not over the top. The hop profile on this one seems really subtle.

M: Medium bodied beer. Sweet, but not cloying. The finish is bitter, but doesn't linger for too long.

O: Again... a decent beer, but this one is fairly forgettable. The flavors are really subtle and nothing jumps out at me. I'm happy to have tried it, but I would pay for this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 01:05:18 | More by trxxpaxxs

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was a hazy dark amber color with a thick white head. There was a good deal of lace.

A pleasant sweet aroma. A lot of citrus, and a little bit of pine.

Citrus forward in the taste. Grapefruit and tangerine. Still fairly sweet. Some piney hops late.

Hoppy, but not overly so. A little bit viscous.

This was a nice beer to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2012 10:32:25 | More by lordofthewiens

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a 330 ml brown bottle, abv. listed at 6.9%. Pours out a hazed light amber hue, tall spongy white head with excellent retention.

Mild toasty grains on the aroma, floral and perfumey notes, fresh hay, tangerine, pomelo, dry pith.

That malt sits lightly in the background of the flavour, hinting at toast and caramel, while the Amarillo delivers with dried spicy orange rind, floral notes, and dry, astringent pith. A spike of sweet orange punctuates the last traces of the finish, while the dry citrus continues on into the aftertaste.

Medium-light bodied mouthfeel, slick texture with moderate carbonation.

Now then, Amarillo are one of my favourite hop varietals, and on their own are quite good, however it's when they are partnered with other certain types of hops that they truly excel, by enhancing and accentuating the combination. That being said, in this single hop IPA they're enjoyable, but are only capable of going so far on their own, which means this IPA is decent based on the hop content alone, yet nothing noteworthy beyond that.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 04:04:23 | More by IronDjinn