Texas Ranger (Chipotle Porter) - Speyside Barrel Aged - Mikkeller ApS

yesyouam

New York

4.47/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mikkeller Barrel Aged Chipotle Porter is an opaque black beer with a dense, thick brown head that has awesome retention and lacing. The aroma has notes of chipotle, wooden barrel, chocolate, vanilla. It the mouth, it's full bodied, soft, smooth and dry with a slightly chalky finish. It tastes dry, chocolaty and salty with some chipotle and an aftertaste of peat. It's complex and unique.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 20:43:49 | More by yesyouam

Kenzie

Utah

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

04-22-2013 06:58:45 | More by Kenzie

beerdrifter

Germany

3.61/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at my favorite beer store in Belgium, Dranken Geers. Pitch black pour with a one finger, creamy, tan head with decent retention and lacing. Roasty, smokey nose with hints of dark chocolate, espresso, booze, and just a subtle touch of chili. The taste follows suit with lots of cocoa, dark chocolate, and roasted malt. As expected, the flavor from the Speyside barrels is much smokier than with the bourbon barrel version. As it warms, the chipotles begin to emerge and make for an enjoyable combination with the peat from the barrels. The mouthfeel is a bit thin and chalky with a subtle warming finish. Overall, it's a step down from the Bourbon BA version and it lacks depth, but is still a solid Porter.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 14:55:05 | More by beerdrifter

maximum12

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another lovely Christmas present from my lovely wife, who intentionally seeks out odd, obscure bottles that I might never quite have gotten to. European green bottle of 12.7 ounces, split with said wife.

Pour is black black; no leakage around the edges, & a quick-collapsing head. After a suitable period to warm, nose is sharp peppers, warm chocolate, & a smoke from a distant fire. There are worse things than these three. Nice.

Texas Range Chipotle Porter aged in Speyside Barrels sounds like an aggressive little bastard, but he ain't. The chiles push to the forefront of the tastes, but they are quiet, & balanced out by mild chocolates & sleepy sweetness. Mid-section is moderately smokey, sliding into a close of peat. The chiles make themselves known further south, as my stomach begins to warm. That warning might limit my consumption of this beer.

With the promised smoke & whiskey & peppers, I was hoping for a triple high off the wall, but this is more balanced than blast. Good.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:31:18 | More by maximum12

AltBock

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Odd 12.7 oz. undated green bottle with a dark mahogany label with the standard Mikkeller bearded man, but with a cowboy hat on his head. In front of him are 2 red hot peppers making an X. Right below the peppers is the ABV%, the Government warning, and the only description of the beer. It's aged in Speyside Whiskey barrels. There is a back label, but it's useless unless you're a shop owner. That's where the barcode is. This beer is too special for an ordinary pint glass. Snooze! I decided to pour this barrel aged beer into a Cycle Brewing snifter.

Well, it looks like a barrel aged Porter to me. It's as thick as molasses and as black as an all black cat at midnight. Holding this beer up into the light is not a good thing. It's so thick and black that light will just bounce off it. It might blind you if you're not careful. On top was a fluffy 3/4 of an inch dark tan almost coffee colored head of foam. It had good retention that left behind some rings around the beer and only a streak or two of lace. Loved the color!

The aroma was just as nice and dark as the color of this beer. The first aroma that came to me was the sweet scent of whiskey. It wasn't an overpowered boozy whiskey aroma. It was just right! Directly behind the whiskey was the dark roasted malt, roasted coffee beans, and the bitter dark chocolate. After the roasted elements had their time in the sun, in comes the sweet caramel, molasses, a few raisins, a plum or two, and then it finishes up with a subtle spiciness. Wonderful and complex! Nothing overshadowed anything. Everything had the same amount of time to shine.

Instead of the whiskey starting off, the roasted elements started off the taste. That consisted of the dark roasted malt and the dark roasted coffee beans. After that is when the whiskey stepped in. Again, it wasn't boozy or overpowering. Just right! Directly after the whiskey was a short lived sweetness. That consisted of dark chocolate, caramel, molasses, and a little black cherry and raisin. This beer then finished up with a nice spicy punch. It wasn't so spicy that I needed a glass of water next to me to extinguish the fire in my mouth. Great taste! I got plenty of roasted flavors, whiskey flavor, and even a little peppery spice.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied and full of flavor. The aftertaste had plenty of roasted malt, roasted coffee beans, whiskey, raisins, caramel, and more spiciness. The spiciness left some heat behind. Not so much that it ruined it. It was just right.

I honestly thought this was going to be a novelty beer. It wasn't! It was a nice roasted spicy beer with enough whiskey flavor to keep you coming back for more. Like every other Mikkeller beer, it's on the pricey side. Is it worth it? This one is.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:02:13 | More by AltBock

Chadhowie

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

02-14-2013 06:30:42 | More by Chadhowie

ngeunit1

California

4.16/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black with a hint of brown and a thin finger of frothy khaki-chocolate colored head. Fades fairly quickly.

S - Sweet dark chocolate malts, oak, vanilla, whiskey, chipotle, roasted coffee, black licorice, bit of molasses, some booze.

T - Sweet dark chocolate malts, bit of milk chocolate, vanilla, oak, Whiskey lightly spicy chipotle peppers, roasted coffee, black licorice, molasses, and a bit of booze.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a spicy, warming, and sweet finish.

D - Nice spicy porter. The chipotle adds some nice heat and the barrel adds some nice complexity.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 06:21:16 | More by ngeunit1

sjones5045

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1%

01-01-2013 17:48:43 | More by sjones5045

SadMachine

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

12-26-2012 05:49:57 | More by SadMachine

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%

12-25-2012 04:34:46 | More by tobelerone

CaptDavyJones

New York

4/5  rDev +1%

12-23-2012 03:53:26 | More by CaptDavyJones

kylehay2004

Florida

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

A: thin dark brown head on a jet black body with nice lacing.

S: scotch, oak, roasted malt, vanilla, sweet toffee and butter.

T: scotch and oak up front moving to chocolate, smokiness and mesquite flavors finishing with more scotch whiskey, vanilla and chiles. Nice transition between flavors.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation

Overall: this one was a lot more drinkable than I was expecting. nicely complex, a lot of flavors that mingle surprisingly well.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 05:35:06 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with a small head of light brown foam on top of an opaque, black body. The head settles fairly quickly and leaves decent lace on the glass.

S - A rich, complex aroma of chocolate, peanut butter, whiskey, smoke, vanilla, wood, leather, and so much more.

T - Thick, dark malt up front with some brown sugar, molasses, and smoke. Spicy whiskey notes with a touch of cinnamon in the middle. Finishes with dark chocolate, smoke, nutty caramel, vanilla, and lingering chili sweetness with just a touch of spice in the back of the throat.

M - Medium thick body, moderately high carbonation, and a sweet, but balanced finish.

D - This is a weird beer, but it works so unbelievably well! The whiskey barrel works perfectly with the chili and all of it is supported and enhanced by the base beer. Well balanced, extremely complex and really, really good. This is probably the best mikkelller beer I have had to date.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 05:33:09 | More by nickfl

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -24.2%

10-29-2012 01:56:34 | More by t0rin0

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

extraordinary! i a a sucker for all of the mikkeller beers, they are so creative and i get excited to try every new one i see. you always know you are in for a trip. this one is wonderful. it pours a luxuriuos black color, smooth as butter, and with a short mocha colored head that fades out rather quickly. the smell is very alcoholic, cant believe this is only 6.6% abv. smells like about 10%. theres just the smallest hint of peppery heat, but theres tons of roast on the malt, a good dollop of dark chocolate, and an earthy peaty intensity from the barrel. the flavor has all the same characters, but they come in different orders and proportions. first the chocolate, then the boozy, and the speyside whiskey meshes with the chipotle only in the finish, which is long and a little sweet. there is so much going on in this beer, i wish i bought two. i hate to admit it was worth the 14 bucks i paid for a small one, but it is. its got a full full full body, with only enough carbonation to keep it moving. i was left wanting more of this. absolutely worth checking out if you like clever porters. also the barrel has added something special to this, not like any whiskey barrel brew ive ever tasted.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 20:16:04 | More by StonedTrippin

codsmith

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours dark black with a slight caramel head

S: Spicy sweetness and hot alcohol aroma

T: Very slight residual whiskey flavor. Taste is a lot like the smell. Kind of left open ended and seems to be missing something to round it out. Finish is was an odd bitterness and a charred wood character.

M: Medium-heavy mouthfeel that seems to sit a little heavier than it might need to

O: I was hoping a little more from this. The flavor it distinct...but maybe not in the best way.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 04:08:44 | More by codsmith

womencantsail

California

2.05/5  rDev -48.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

The pour is black in color with a tan head. Aroma isn't very good. Green apple, paint thinner, and alcohol. Some roasted malt and maybe a bit of dark chocolate. Really quite abrasive. The flavor is a touch better than the nose, luckily. Green apple, chocolate, roast, alcohol, and maybe just a hint of whiskey. There's a weird chlorine flavor to it, too. I don't really get any of the peppers. Too bad as the regular version was quite good.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 22:38:46 | More by womencantsail

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another bottle shared by Liam.

Basically jet black in colour, tan head with some lace on the glass. Smell has a lot of oak and whisky notes with a huge roasted malt presence lurking behind it, burnt and a bit smokey as well, dont get too much pepper in the nose but it is there. Taste has more heat from the pepper, whisky and oak, deeply roasted malt and some chocolate as well. Medium carbonation, med-full body, good feel. This was really good, lots of interesting flavours here and it all works really well.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 21:40:59 | More by peensteen

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from wordemupg, 375ml into a tulip. Holdbar til 17/08/17.

Black with a brown head. Great retention and lacing. Dark fruity notes in the nose, light oak and whiskey character. Some dark chocolate. Tastes like a sweet chocolatey and lightly roasty porter. Some oak and whiskey, chipotle heat way into the finish. Quite good, but not as much heat (burn) as the original. Very drinkable however.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 05:22:43 | More by liamt07

CliffBrake

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +1%

07-15-2012 13:13:55 | More by CliffBrake

KMcG

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1%

07-15-2012 01:41:31 | More by KMcG

WesM63

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

A: Pours a very dark brown, almost black with a 2finger mocha looking head. Decent retention and lacing.

S: Smells of oak and chipotle.

T: Chipolte oak up front, some whiskey and roasted malts in the middle with a bit of heat on at the end.

M: Medium to full body with medium carbonation.

O: Defiantly a interesting beer. Complex but to me it's missing the backbone. The underlying beer, a porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 03:45:29 | More by WesM63

pixieskid

France

4/5  rDev +1%

05-30-2012 16:02:53 | More by pixieskid

samEBC

Belgium

4/5  rDev +1%

05-20-2012 19:56:16 | More by samEBC

polishkaz

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%

05-11-2012 02:34:15 | More by polishkaz