1000 IBU - Mikkeller ApS

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Prepping myself- 12oz to snifter, no freshness date

Pours a very murky brown with a finger and a half of foam. Absolutely no visibility anda tiny bit of visible carbonation. Good lacing and retention

Smells incredible. Very rich dank acrid hops, lots of grapefruit, citrus, sort of like smelling a litter box..in a good way. Very sweet malt brings it all together. Very reminiscent of LoF Super ipa, and Pliny. I'm pretty sure this is loaded with simcoe

Taste delivers what it promises. Strong citrusy hops, grapefruit, some lemon, alcohol, and a sweet malt that flashes briefly before it's drown in bitterness

Mouth- I knew this would be bittern, but holy shit. Almost grainy how it goes down, bitterness sticks around for quite a while. Five minutes after a sip and it's still quite present. I'm, impressed, this is the holy grail of bitter ipas

Overall crazy idea that really pushes the bitterness we love from our ipas. Tremendous stuff

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 01:39:38 | More by lordofstarside

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

375 mL bottle poured into an Allagash chalice.

Appearance - Murky amber body with a huge off-white head. Impressive retention and beautiful lacing.

Smell - Pine bomb of a hop profile. Slightly dank with some sugary caramel malt backup.

Taste - Almost immediately bitter, but it doesn't culminate until the very end. Lots of pine and resin. A fair bit of sweetness. The bitterness builds up at the end pretty quickly. In the middle, it's pretty balanced, but very bitter in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Thick, sweet, extremely bitter. Medium carbonation.

Overall - So many things wrong with this, but still it seems to come together. Decent hop profile, but extremely intense in the back end. No surprise at 1000 IBUs, if that's really accurate.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 02:15:01 | More by Alieniloquium

shand

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Gotta say I wasn't 100% sure how to pour this guy - I figured it was a DIPA with a boatload of potentially unfiltered hops, so I just gave it a full bottoms-up, hell to any yeast sediment there might be in there. Rewarded with the muddiest pour I've ever seen with a ton of sediment particles hanging out in there. Maybe that wasn't the best choice ever. To it's credit, the lacing is awesome though - not that I really care about lacing though. The aroma is big and hoppy for sure, with a huge pine hit. It's not really that much hoppier on the nose than many American DIPAs.

The taste? Well, I thought it was going to let me down with a pretty strong hoppiness with a solid caramel malt base until the beer lingered on the palate for just a bit longer. And damn, do these hops ever linger. Just one sip leaves a huge hop presence that honestly lingers for minutes - like biting into a hop pellet. Maybe there was some credit to my bottoms-up pour after all. 1000 IBU isn't a beer you're going to want every day. But ten-twelve bucks for a novelty like this is surely worth the purchase price. The crazy, three minute lingering aftertaste is really the star of the show here. This is not a beer you want to pair with food. This is a beer you want an hour or two to devote to in order to fully enjoy. Relax, sip slow, and let the hoppiness wash over you.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 22:30:25 | More by shand

MatthewPlus

Florida

3.91/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

poured from a bottle into a Wakefield chalice.

I had tried this at Taberna Lupulo in San Juan about a year ago on draft and had been searching for it to revisit since. found it this week, tried it again last night.

A- Pours predictably thick, burnt umber hue. left the yeast bombing last 1oz in the bottle, but still opaque. muted garnet head, dissolved away quickly.

S- caramel malt sweetness upfront quickly gives way to dominant hop presence. resin, pine, some citrus, maybe grapefruit. mostly sappy resin...

T- woof. bitter bitter bitter. i remember that it took me about 45 minutes to drink a chalice of this beer in PR last year, and this was the same experience. Big malty backbone but its just simply overwhelmed by bittering hops. 1000 IBU? i doubt, but still easily the most bitter beer ive ever had, and i spent a long time searching for said beer.

M- light, but appropriate carbonation. very heavy mouthfeel for the style. finish is the most bitter aspect of the flavor profile. its very intense and lingering.

O- Im very happy to have tried this beer again, but damn. it IS a bit over the top, but certainly worth a try if you're into extreme beers. at $14.99/bottle, however, this will likely be the last time i purchase it.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 13:26:27 | More by MatthewPlus

Brad007

Vermont

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy amber, which seems unusual with a huge fucking head into my glass. Pardon my french. There's a ton of lacing. Beautiful presentation but a little too much amber for the style.

Like inhaling fresh pine needles. What else do you expect? What I want to know is, how is it possible to make a beer with 1000IBUs? Wouldn't that be like, the bitterest beer known to man?

Holy shit! Biting, stinging, bitterness with a sharp pine edge attacks the mouth. My taste buds are down for the count here! So damn bitter. Shouldn't be possible.

Lingering bitterness with a decent alcohol burn. Malt? What malt? This is all hops, baby!

Ok, I doubt that any beer could theoretically top 1000IBUs without being highly undrinkable. This beer is quite honest about its' intentions. It will lay waste to your taste buds (temporary)!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 01:40:54 | More by Brad007

beertunes

Washington

1.94/5  rDev -50.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Thanks to Sarah and Chris for picking this one up for me. Shared the bottle with fellow BA OKComputer, and it was a good thing I did. The beer was a cloudy orange brown color with no head or lace. The beer even looked syrupy.

That syrup was foremost on the nose, with some bitter hops following, a noticeable alcohol scent, and just the faintest hint of pine. The taste was nearly identical, with a bit of pine that didn't show on the nose.

The body was very thick, sticky and, you guessed it, syrupy, with an unpleasantly sticky finish. Drinkability was very low, near to a drain pour by both of our estimations. Overall, this is a novelty beer, and the gimmick isn't enough to carry the weight. Avoid this beer, unless, like me, you want the tick.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 22:45:11 | More by beertunes

RockAZ

Arizona

4.46/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

First of all I am thrilled to have two 12.7oz bottles of this, and although there is no bottle date, at least the supply chain dates of just over a week from the brewery have been documented - it has not been sitting around in this country at least and it just might be a fresh batch. Short of asking Mikkeller, I don't know how to verify its freshness. The only other beer I can compare it to is "Gubna" and it is so much more intense than that, like they brewed it without any water in the boil - just whatever moisture the hops had to give.

Strong smell of bitter hops, the taste built with every sip becoming something very unique. As my taste buds started to die off, I got a salty taste, followed by not just the piney resin but also grapefruit rind. Then the black pepper, some other spices. It reminds me of an herbal and vegetable puree that has a lot of carbonation that sticks like thick paint on the side of the glass. Odd orange color, thick consistency to both the foam and the beer.

Amazing beer, glad I had it. Really had trouble with the ratings tho - could not drink this beer very often, it kinda burns and I am worried about my digestive systems reaction to it. Thinking seriously about putting the second bottle down for 5 years to see what happens.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 17:18:54 | More by RockAZ

janubio

Spain

4.46/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

500 ml. bottle.Opaque brown color with a good amount of foam that seems to stick forever to the glass. Smell of hops mostly, as one could expect, but there are also spices (pepper), fruits (including tropical and dark fruits) and there is mal too, in the form of caramel. Round body, very bitter and astringent palate. Taste is the same as smell, lots of hops, lots of fruits, very bitter but with some real good sweetness, chocolate... this is a hell of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 21:24:04 | More by janubio

watsonmd

Georgia

4.34/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

No bottle date.

A: Dark, golden color, thick head, sticky lacing.

S: Hops, hops, HOPS! cirtus and pine, mostly pine

T: Follows the nose. striking, bitter, and in your face.

M: dry, but sticky. lingering bitterness. I wonder what the actual IBU rating is on this one.

O: Interesting. Would buy again, and try it as fresh as possible. It was very hoppy, but I have had it on the shelf in the cellar for at least 4 months.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 12:04:50 | More by watsonmd

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12.7 fl oz. bottle, with no bottled on date present. I know this beer is already listed as retired, but I dgaf, I couldn't be more excited to have landed one of these beers as I have been eyeing this bottle for a long time now! Expecting good, bitter things!

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours a beautiful, clean dark rich bloody ruby color, with a wonderful thick three finger doughy tan head sitting on top with excellent retention. Looks very nice, indeed! Very nice looking rings of lacing coming down the sides of the glass.

S - Bitter sticky resinous pine needle hop smell wafts it's way past the head. Has a slight sweet smell to it also, so it's not all entirely bitter. Fruity and juicy in the vein of citrus fruits like pineapple and blood orange. Burnt brown sugar. Slightly bready.

T - Extreme blast of bitter hops. My palate is surely to be doomed after this experience. A truly bitter experience meant to please only the most extreme of hopheads, yet this beer isn't really the true monster you would expect. Hoppy, bitter, and tartly dry like all hell, but it really isn't much more intense than many other imperial IPA's to be had out there. Not for the IPA beginner though, that's for sure. Slightly spicy and peppery in the finish. A tasty beer, but fairly one dimensional in it's attack - a bitter hop assault on your palate.

M - Very bitter resinous mouthfeel follows the taste nicely. Sweet, sugary aftertaste is very pleasant. Nice thick medium bodied feel, and a nice level of carbonation. Very dry feel in the end.

Overall, not a beer for the unadventurous, but a beer for those who enjoy their IPA's at the most bitter level possible. A tasty brew that does not taste like it is packing a 9.6% abv at all. A very good beer, and definitely drinkable, but probably more of a novelty experience in my opinion. Would I pay $15 for another bottle of this? Probably not. However, I would probably pay another $15 to try the Mikkeller 1000 IBU Barrel Aged version, if I could ever locate one. Either way, if you see this beer I advise you to pick it up while you still can!

Mikkeller 1000 IBU ---4/5

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:36:50 | More by mfnmbvp

CHickman

New York

3.81/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very cloudy dark orange brown/amber color with a ton of huge sediment chunks floating in it, a 2 finger foamy tan head that was full of bubbles that faded very slowly, leaving good spotty lacing and rings as it went down. This may been the winner of the coveted most crap floating in the beer poured from a bottle award.

Smells of juicy citrus and hops up front, with pineapple, mango, orange, guava, sweet malt, caramel, piney hops, brown sugar, dark fruit, light herbs, floral hops, syrup, biscuit, and more sweet hops like wet citra hops were dropped in the glass. Pungent hop nose that is powerful and inviting, but the graham cracker sweetness adds balance to the piney and citrus notes that come out aggressive but then settle down. The hop sweetness hides the ABV in the nose, allowing the caramel essence to shine as well. It was a shock that this did not just smell like a hop, and the malt presence was very nice.

Tastes just about like it smells, very sweet and hoppy up front, but with distinct booze kicking in unlike the aroma. The flavor is a blend of citrus hops, pine cone/piney hops, pineapple, mango, grapefruit, orange, guava, lemon, sweet malt, caramel, toffee, biscuit, brown sugar, dark fruit like plum and cherry, light herbs, floral hops, syrup, butter and more sweet hoppy notes that trail off with the bitterness to be expected; it is a very sweet beer, with strong piney and citrus hops, but the malt and booze (almost like rum) tamed the hops, adding more sweetness and some balance while driving down the bitterness. It is bitter, but not that bitter for a DIPA. The juicy hops and malty balance made this somewhat drinkable for such a heavy beer.

Mouthfeel is thick, smooth and buttery, with a chewy, heavy body, mild carbonation and a very sweet and slightly bitter finish. Not 1000 IBU bitter.

This was a roll of the dice and I knew this could have been a world class winner or a train wreck based on the title and high IBU expectations, but overall I found it much less bitter than expected, more malt balanced in every way and a little less hoppy than I hoped for and expected. It's not too bad, but it did not overly impress me either. There are plenty of other IPA’s and DIPA’s that I’d drink before I got this again, and the very expensive price locks this in as a one time beer for me. It was good, and I bought this because I really like this brewer but it was not the hop-bomb I thought that it would be.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 04:35:52 | More by CHickman

ngeunit1

California

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark amber-copper color with a finger of frothy off-white head. Fades fairly quickly.

S - Grapefruit, tropical, citrus, pine, grassy, floral hops, sweet caramel and bready malts, a bit of booze.

T - Grapefruit, pineapple, tropical, orange, citrus, pine, and grassy hops, lots of resiny bitterness, sweet caramel and bready malts, brown sugar, a bit of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied, moderate carbonation. Smooth with a dry, bitter, and resiny finish.

D - Big, bold, and hoppy. Great complex hop profile and bitterness throughout.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 06:07:57 | More by ngeunit1

GossageBrewery

Missouri

4.61/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured this Imperial IPA from a 375ml bottle into a pint glass. This IPA poured a cloudy orangeish color, produced a thick tannish head, and it featured above average retention and off the charts lacing. The aroma of this IIPA is full of hops. Everything I would expect with the name 1000 IBU- Despite all of the hop citric and piney aroma there is a nice bit of caramel malt that comes through. Medium bodied, a baseline fresh baked bread gives way to Piney ( and I mean Piney), citrus flavor. This is a very bitter brew, and i will add that the bitterness just does not show up for a moment and abruptly leave- the bitter flavor sticks to your mouth and throat almost the same way as its lacing sticks to the pint glass. (A LONG TIME) This is the most "bitter" IPA i have sampled thus far.Finishes dry, warming alcohol effect as you swallow. Excellent session beer,for anyone who loves hops....I suggest that you must try this. Shot out to my boy the St. Charles Whisker Biscuit for picking this up for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 17:30:36 | More by GossageBrewery

TheBeerCarl

Idaho

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: This beer has a reddish-amber clear body. It pours with a yellow-brown head with good lace and decent retention.

S: The scent of sweet caramel, strong pine and heat are the major notes backed up with some subtle floral characters.

T: This IPA has an interesting flavor profile. It starts out tasting like a very subtle IPA with some hoppiness and sweetness but then slowly the bitterness builds like a spicy pepper with increasingly intense piney hop flavor which is then balanced by the caramel sweetness that lingers on the tongue.

M: The beer has a medium body with light carbonation.

Overall this is a good IIPA but it could use a more complex hop flavor and use a bit more carbonation to balance that flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 08:49:08 | More by TheBeerCarl

pezfiend

New York

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured into Captain Lawrence tulip glass, nice 1 inch head retains to a half inch all the way through. Light red/amber color and lacing around the top.

Smell: Pine resin, citrus, grapefruit.

Taste: Earthy pine neetles, toffee, caramel

Mouthfeel: Sticky, very chewy for an IPA.

Great beer in general, I've had this before but not for about a year. Grabbed the bottle on a whim since it's been so long. Solid beer and even burps up nice too! ... Excuse me....

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 00:02:22 | More by pezfiend

vandemonian

Maryland

2.9/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Mikkeller 1000 IBU is a sweet bitter DIPA. It's a fun novelty beer but I would never choose to drink it again. Maybe it'd be different fresh... not sure.

A: Dark red colour and a 1 cm head that lasts very well. 4.5

S: Nice citrus hop aroma. Pretty strong but not complex. 4

T: Malty with immediate strong bitterness. It tastes like citrussy grass juice. It's not really that pleasant. Very sweet aftertaste. 2.5

M: A little flat for a DIPA. 2.5

O: 2.5

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:53:50 | More by vandemonian

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

this is an epic brew, easily the best ipa ive ever had, including heady, pliny, and all the rest of them. this is sensationally powerful and different, and is deserving of much more recognition. it pours a perplexingly dark copper color, more red than brown or orange, with some yeast floaters and a prominent off white head that leaves so sticky lacing on the glass. the nose major. it smells like ive put my face in liquid hops, its so oily and dank, bitter as hell, but also supported by some darker malts that give the beer a real mature and sophisticated aroma. the flavor is like nothing ive ever tasted. its high alpha for sure, just like fresh hops through a juicer, but somehow concentrated, its piney mostly, but theres some really bitter citrus in there as well, like the pith from a grapefruit. its got some malt backbone under all of the hops, but it plays only a supporting role here. the hop profile of this beer is so intense, its so fresh, and man oh man is it bitter. this is my fantasy playing out, i swear to god its so so so hoppy. the mouthfeel is perfect, the body is full, the carbonation is just enough, and the hop bitterness is almost caustic, almost burning the insides of my mouth. its not puckery like a sour, but it literally is contorting my face somehow. the alcohol is strong but it fits in nicely. i taste this even half an hour after my last sip. its impossible to describe how good this really is. easily the biggest, meanest ipa out there right now. incredible!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 21:20:16 | More by StonedTrippin

beer2day

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big splurge from Bottle Rev in Raleigh.

Grainy, earthy orange-to-brown pour with a 1/2 finger of darker cream head. While there is not much head to start with, what is there lingers well into the glass. Thick lace all around the glass.

Nose is a little more subdued than I was expected. Tons of biscuit malt, a bit of caramel malt, and then lots of fruity hop esters. Plenty there, just expecting - perhaps unreasonably - more.

Whatever I missed in the nose was made up for and more in the taste. Crazy bitter. Biscuit malt with a touch of caramel start things off and then the craziness kicks in. Grapefruit and pine, lots of it. Bitter pepper, ripe yellow onion, resinous hops - and then the afterburn kicks it up. Intense alcohol and hop burn in the finish.

Feel is grainy and thick. Liquid bread comes to mind. Quite substantial for even a DIPA.

If the price point were lower, I'd get it again. Given that a 12.7oz bottle is more than I'd pay for most really good sixers, I'll be one and done on this one - unless Santa is nice to me this year. Definitely glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 01:57:41 | More by beer2day

Cyberkedi

Georgia

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

Strong, hoppy aroma has a firm overtone of sour citrus, equal parts Mandarin orange and grapefruit. It pours a clear, dark coppery brown with a thick, fluffy, copper-tan head that leaves some good lacing. Flavor is - HOLY GUACAMOLE, ATTACK OF THE HOPS! The bottle (and name) claim 1000 IBUs, and damn, I believe it. This is one fiercely hoppy and ferociously bitter beer. It’s like drinking liquid hops with a side of grapefruit juice. This is definitely not for the faint of heart - or taste buds! Firm body has plenty of fizz, and finish is woody and very hop-bitter. Nevertheless, a whisper or two of fruity sweetness sneaks through. One fierce IPA that only the bravest should challenge.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 21:43:09 | More by Cyberkedi

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

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

Reviewed from session notes.

Poured out a clouded coppery brown color with a stunty off-white foamy head that lasts for a minute or two, minimal lacing left behind on the glass surface.

Smells and tastes the same : Psuedo-Barleywine. By which I mean a rich caramel / toffee sweetness that plays with an intense herbal / floral / grapefruit peel and pine resin spectrum with a side dish of medium levels of dankness and onion / garlic hotness. Boozey alcohol does rear up somewhat but only in the finish for me, and only once the glass has warmed up. This booziness seems to be what helps the hops hammer the finish down into dryness.

Heavier side of medium thickness, lightly carbonated, somewhat sluggish on the tongue.

It's pretty damn good, but I've had just as good for a more reasonable pricepoint. So, once is enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 17:45:54 | More by WastingFreetime

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle wrapped in green paper. Picked up from local liquor store that just got it in this week. Poured into CCB snifter.

A- Pours a dark slightly reddish mahogany brown. About a quarter finger of white slightly foamy head that recedes fairly fast to leave a little bit of head, but not much. About average carbonation. Leaves very nice spidery lacing.

S- Caramel malts, citrus hops, grapefruit, a little bit of lemon, a tiny bit of booze, etc. A little bit sweet and citrusy. About average aroma strength.

T- Bitter/citrusy lemons, a little bit of grapefruit, caramel malts, a tiny bit of honey. Definitely very bitter but balances well with the lemon taste.

M- Medium bodied, average carbonation, well balanced, goes down easily especially for it's bitterness and high abv.

O- I was a little bit skeptical about this beer since I don't like beers that are overly bitter. This beer was definitely very bitter, however the bitterness was balanced very nicely with the lemon flavor. The 9.6% abv was also very well hidden. Overall not sure if I'd pay almost $15 to get a bottle again, but definitely a nice experience. I recommend trying it out.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 03:40:55 | More by jaasen64

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 375ml bottle into a duvel glass.

A: pours a rusty brown ruby/amber, with a massive, slightly carameled puffy white head, that dissapates slowly and leavs an absurd amount of lacing... Wow...

S: deep resinous pine, tropical citrus, mango, grapefruit, and caramely malt backbone... Touch of sweetness.... Smells hoppy as nuts, especially as it warms they really come out.

T: as expected, a hop bomb! Sweet, slightly burnt caramel malt backbone, assaulted by chewy resinous pine, and loads of citrus hop notes, very bitter, very delicious, loads and loads of hop flavor, just what I was hoping for here.

M: bitter... Medium/heavy slightly slick body, lightly syrupy but not to much so, it reminds me if drinkin hop resin, that coats your mouth and goes to town on your palate. Long bitter aftertaste.

O: an awesome beer! Just be prepared for a very bitter, very hoppy experience, as should be obvious through the name of this beer. Loads and loads of deliciously bitter hop aggression!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 05:31:36 | More by PeterIngemi

WillCarrera

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Local Option in Chicago. Served in a tulip glass.

A- Pours an orange/copper color with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention, leaves good lacing.

S- Huge juicy citrus aroma, grapefruit and orange, also has a pretty big malt background, which is sweet and caramel-like. All this is beneath a huge crushing hop aroma of pine resin, some booziness in there as well.

T- Big caramel bready malt, which over a few seconds becomes submerged in increasingly bitter piney hops. It's very bitter, but the bitterness is somewhat blunted by the malt sweetness, they seem to clash a bit in my opinion. Boozy warmth in the finish.

M- Full-bodied, very sticky, viscous, almost oily, some alcohol warmth at the end, very good feel for such a huge mean beer.

O- An interesting beer, it's extremely bitter, but drinkability is a bit reduced by the huge malt and ABV, which probably could have been better with less.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:38:53 | More by WillCarrera

mrtripod

1.7/5  rDev -56.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a cloudy, dark orange/amber color. I got some off white head that faded very quickly.

NOT much of a "hop bomb." But plenty of malt on the nose. There are some hops, but there are more bready malts - YEASTY.

Medium bodied and OK but definetly not a true american DIPA.

Money better spent elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:27:43 | More by mrtripod

mrfrancis

Kentucky

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

A: Pours a hazy, ruddy amber with a thick, lingering off-white head.

S: Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, pine, spruce, lemon, lime, grapefruit, mandarin orange, tangerine, and nectarine are present on the nose.

T: Notes of lemon, lime, tangerine, mandarin orange, nectarine, mango, grapefruit, caramel, biscuits, pine, spruce, and brown sugar overwhelm the palate. The finish is long, bitter, and extremely resinous with huge pine and citrus flavors underscored by prickly alcohol.

M: Relatively full in body and sticky. Carbonation is fairly firm. Alcohol is very noticeable. Nothing out of the ordinary for the style.

O: This is more approachable than I was expecting. To be honest, anything over 90-100 IBUs is a bit much, so I was expecting just a muddy wash of bitter hop flavor. Mikkeller, however, somehow manages to make the flavors separate long enough for each to be savored. Very nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 13:32:50 | More by mrfrancis