Brewery: Mikkeller
Country: Denmark
Size: 37.5cl
ABV: 7.7%
Price: 60kr
Systembolaget: 1692
I find most breweries fall into 3 different categories. Let‘s call them “The Good“, “The Bad” and “The Up n Downs“. The Good breweries are those who consistently churn out great products time after time, with very little in the way of a bum note. The “Up n Down” breweries are very much as the name suggests, with it almost being a coin toss whether you end up with a delicious or poor beer from them. Then there is the last category: “The Bad.”. There are just some breweries I just don‘t get on with and find very little of value in their beers. As you might have already guessed, Mikkeller falls into this final category for me. Now before you start with the “Dave, you‘re crazy, Mikkeller are amazing!” rhetoric, remember this is just my opinion. Nearly ever beer I have tried from this brewery has been quite frankly boring or overrated. I want to like their beers, and I always go in with an open mind (no one wants to actively search out bad beer especially when they are that expensive). I wanted a fruit lambic in the tasting and so with an open mind I decided to include this in the tasting.
This poured with a dark red hue whilst forming an energetic light pink foam that was dense in character. The aroma was tart blackcurrant, funk, cellar and cherry vinegar. It was potent to say the least! Upon sipping, its powerful taste completely took over the palate. Unripe blackcurrant surged over the tongue, with lashing of balsamic vinegar, sour cherry, funky yeast and acidic redcurrants. The bubbles circulated around the mouth, waking it up in the process. In the first mouthful you really felt that big acidic tartness but it slowly died down slightly as your mouth acclimatized to the sourness. Rather thick in body, this beer was intense and left the mouth like it had been slapped.
Did I like this? I would love to say yes, but this was another no from me. I just found it way to acidic for me. I‘m sure a lot of sour beer experts would love to get their hands on this, but it‘s not something that I would like to try again. Even sharing this would be too much for me. I will keep looking for a good Mikkeller and hopefully I will find one that I look soon enough!