December 10th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Owls In The Marshes/Ugler I Mosen by Mikkeller – Nice fruity hop aroma with hints of pithy citrus and a bit of sweetness. Taste is a very citrus forward crisp, dry and quite bitter pale ale. This is a nice standard pale ale. It’s not bad at all, but it’s not something extraordinary either.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
GRYLA by Cervisiam – Coffee and a smoky note is dominant in the nose with a bit of vanilla and a slight hint of pecan and maple in the background. The first sip is oily thick and sweet with flavors of coffee and vanilla. On the following sips pecan and maple pairs well with the coffee-vanilla mix. This is a very sweet pastry stout, but loads of adjuncts bring some bitterness that is balancing the sweetness well. This is a beer with very distinct flavors, but still a tasty beer.
I like a good pale ale and I like a good imperial/pastry stout equally much, but today I have to go with the stout. GRYLA is a solid pastry stout that actually is sweet and thick enough to mimic a piece of pastry. GRYLA is not the best pastry stout I have had but it does what it’s supposed to do – showcase the adjuncts. The pale ale – Owls In The Marshes/Ugler I Mosen – is a quite bitter pale ale, like the once from yesteryear. To me it lacks some juiciness to play against the quite firm bitterness – I like bitterness in beers, but this one is maybe a bit too one-dimensional.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
This blog post is in Danish since Beer Blog Awards is a Danish thing. Use Google Translate if you want to read it – thanks for understanding.
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Årets anden kategori i Danish Beer Blog Awards 2019 er årets øloplevelse. Jeg tager igen udfordringen op og kommer herunder med mit bud på en vindende øloplevelse.
Ølåret 2019 har for mit vedkommende været fyldt med en lang række spændende øloplevelser. Jeg har besøgt diverse bryggerier, ølbarer, taprooms og ølfestivaller. Jeg har deltaget i en række lækre smagninger i forskellige sammenhænge, blandt andet sammen med Danske Ølentusiaster i Silkeborg. Jeg mødes også jævnligt med en gruppe gode venner, hvor vi smager på yderst velsmagende og ofte lidt nicheprægede øl – altså øl der er med til at flytte grænser og udvide ølhorisonter. Hvor var vi desuden, hvis vi ikke kunne dele vores interesse for øl, med gode venner.
Sidste år landede jeg på en kåring med forbindelse til mine indkøb af øl. Årets øloplevelse er dog at hente i en lidt anden boldgade.
Tilbage i maj måned deltog jeg for første gang i Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2019 (MBCC’19). Jeg var afsted sammen med min kone, som også sætter pris på godt øl, og Anders fra Ousen om øl og Rene fra BeerShoppen i Kolding. Det blev en uforglemmelig dag i fantastisk selskab, hvor vi blandt meget andet smagte på fantastiske øl fra Modern Times Beer, 3 Sons Brewing Co.., Speciation Artisan Ales, Penyllan Brewery og udsøgt mjød fra Superstition Meadery. Hele oplevelsen i Øksnehallen var fantastisk, selvom min beslutning om at købe billetter til to sessions på samme dag var at gabe over lidt rigeligt. MBCC var et utroligt velsmurt og velgennemført arrangement med en helt absurd mængde af verdensklasseøl samlet på et sted. Jeg vender tilbage til MBCC 2020 selvom MBCC’19 ikke var min største øloplevelse i 2019.
Anders Ousen (https://ousensoel.com/), mig selv og Frank Hilmer fra Mikkellers Webshop til MBCC’19
I løbet af tre uger i juli var jeg på tur med tog og færger over Stockholm, Åland, Turku, Tampere, Helsinki, Sankt Petersborg, Tallinn og retur. Undervejs oplevede jeg mange forskellige ølbarer, brewpubs, taprooms og bryggerier. Det var en tur der bød på virkeligt mange velsmagende øl i fantastiske omgivelser og i selskab med mange forskellige mennesker jeg ikke havde mødt før. Øl er fantastisk til at få folk til at snakke med nogen de ikke kender på forhånd. Vil du læse mere om mine oplevelser med ferie og øl, så læs med i mine tidligere opslag.
Mikkellerbar Stockholm
Danske Ølentusiasters Ølfestival i Lokomotivværkstedet tilbage i maj var en god oplevelse med overraskende mange velsmagende øl og i godt selskab med Anders og René fra Malt og humle. Beers Behind Bars i FÆNGSLET i Horsens i oktober, hvor jeg serverede øl for Amager Bryghus, var også et ret udmærket arrangement blandt andet stablet på benene af Thor Abildgaard (find ham f.eks. på Instagram som @thorbeers).
Årets øloplevelse skal vi dog helt frem til 1. november og Aarhus for at finde. Den nye ølfestival Rowdy Hops arrangeret af Martin Heebøll Kreutzfeldt var en kæmpe succes. Jeg deltog i begge sessions sammen med Simon (HopDaddy) og havde en fantastisk hyggelig dag. Jeg mødte ualmindeligt mange mennesker fra den danske ølverden og fik snakket helt ustyrligt meget. Jeg fik dog også smagt på en mængde godt øl. Der var en skønsom blanding af det bedste danske og udenlandske øl – ofte serveret af importørerne eller bryggerne selv. Rowdy Hops var delt op i to sessions og den første var med færre deltagere end den sidste, hvilket gav bedre plads, men også lidt mindre stemning end den sene, som måske i virkeligheden også skyldes at en god del af deltagerne var gengangere fra den første session. Når Rowdy Hops forhåbentlig bliver gentaget i 2020 vil jeg helt sikkert igen være at finde blandt deltagerne. Rowdy Hops var virkelig velgennemført og børnesygdomme var der ikke umiddelbart nogen af.
Rowdy Hops er den nye dreng i ølfestivalklassen
Årets øloplevelse 2019 er altså ølfestivalen Rowdy Hops.
Vil du se mere om mine smageoplevelser, så følg endelig med her på Facebook eller ovre på Instagram
December 9th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Breakfast (2019) by Mikkeller – This is a Mikkeller classic! Aroma is loads of coffee, some caramelized sugar and a bit of soya sauce. On the palate, it’s full-blown coffee that’s nicely balanced with a fair amount bitterness, some sweetness and a bit of licorice. All of this is backed up by a very well-executed imperial stout. No surprise this is a Mikkeller classic!
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Carolyn (Vintage 2017) by Penyllan – Aroma is wine, Brettanomyces, some fruity citrus, a bit of bread and something like wet iron…? Taste is in-your-face acidity followed by a nice wine-like flavor with apricots, orange blossom honey and something like orange pith. Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a lot of bubbles. This is yet another very tasty beer from Jessica (brewer and master blender at Penyllan) and the island of Bornholm.
Once again the beers from Penyllan amazes me with their complexity and very harmonic flavors from the barrel aging and being blended to something just short of perfection. Jessica sure knows what she is doing and boy am I happy that I have been able to taste that many of the tasty beers from her hands. The Beer Geek Breakfast by Mikkeller is so much a defining beer for that brewery. It’s one of the beers that made them what they are today. The barrel-aged versions and the one with Vietnamese coffee are extremely tasty beers, but this one is also a very nice one. Coffee and stout in an almost holy union. If I’m forced to choose between the two beers Carolyn is the winner. It’s a fantastic blend of golden ale and red wine flavors – the 18 months in the red wine barrels has done magic to this beer.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
This blog post is in Danish since Beer Blog Awards is a Danish thing. Use Google Translate if you want to read it – thanks for understanding.
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Nu er det igen blevet den tid på året hvor diverse kåringer stikker hovedet frem. Jeg har igen i år taget udfordringen op og kastet mig ind i Danish Beer Blog Awards 2019. Første kategori er årets udenlandske bryggeri 2019.
Årets udenlandske bryggeri er igen i år en svær størrelse, da der stadigvæk er ufatteligt mange lækre øl at vælge imellem. Rækken af udenlandske bryggerier der har gjort det fremragende er ret lang. Mange af dem jeg tidligere har omtalt kan stadigvæk være med og så er der – heldigvis – kommet mange flere til. I rækken af dem jeg kommer til at omtale vil der sikkert også være værdige kandidater jeg har glemt eller overset, men her er mine tanker om årets udenlandske bryggeri 2019.
Oplevelserne med udenlandske øl har været mange i et år, hvor jeg har været på en ferie i udlandet, som inkluderede diverse øloplevelser og desuden deltaget i Mikkeller HQs MBCC’19, Danske Ølentusiasters Ølfestival, Beers Behind Bars og den fantastiske nye århusianske ølfestival Rowdy Hops. Rækken af lækre udenlandske øl er ikke blevet kortere af alle disse oplevelser, men jeg vil alligevel nøjes med at fremhæve de bryggerier der har gjort størst indtryk
Rowdy Hops i Ridehuset i Aarhus den 1. november 2019
På Mikkellers ølfestival MBCC’19 stiftede jeg for første gang bekendtskab med øl fra amerikanske 3 Sons Brewing Co. som i den grad gjorde indtryk som noget der skal dykkes dybere ned i. Samme sted smagte jeg også øl fra ligeledes amerikanske Speciation Artisan Ales, som også gjorde et meget velsmagende indtryk med deres syrlige frugtøl. En anden og ualmindeligt velsmagende oplevelse på MBCC’19 var Superstition Meaderys frugtmjød, som virkelig fik mine øjene op for denne til tider overordentligt velsmagende drik. Det er dog ikke blandt bryggerierne på MBCC’19 at årets udenlandske bryggeri skal findes.
MBCC’19
Hvor jeg sidste år kiggede over på den anden side af Atlanterhavet for at finde årets udenlandske bryggeri, så er jeg i år rykket tilbage til Europa. På min ølrejse i sommer kom jeg blandt andet forbi Põhjala Brewery i Tallinn, Estland. Põhjala brygger noget virkeligt velsmagende øl – især det sorte og det fadlagrede i deres Cellar-Series – som du bør unde dig selv, hvis du får muligheden for at smage det. De løber dog ikke med æren, men skal have ærefuld omtale. Det samme skal to bryggerier, som jeg er kommet til at kende gennem Niels fra Flâneur Liquids. Det er hollandske Brouwerij de Moersleutel, der laver en række nærmest absurd lækre sorte øl og flere virkeligt lækre fadlagrede (og enkelte dobbeltfadlagrede) øl. Det andet er ungarske Mad Scientist, som har overrasket mig positivt med både deres øl og deres forskellige frugtmjød.
Põhjalas bryggeri og taproom i Tallinn, Estland
Vinderen af årets udenlanske bryggeri kan takke René fra Malt og humle for at jeg overhovedet blev opmærksom på dem. På DØEs ølfestival fulgtes jeg med René og med Anders fra Ousen om øl. René havde lavet en meget velbegrundet liste med bryggerier han gerne ville omkring og et af dem var fransk. Lige først må jeg da indrømme at jeg var en smule skeptisk, men da vi først kom hen til standen og fik smagt på forskellige syrlige øl med frugt og imperial stouts med forskellige overraskende tilsætninger – alle af meget høj kvalitet – var jeg omvendt. Frugttilsætninger i både syrlige og sorte øl var ekstremt velafstemte og gjorde øllene til små mesterværker hver især. Den mest overraskende øl jeg smagte hos franske La Débauche var Thai Cargo – en imperial risstout med gurkemeje, citrongræs, grøn chili, galanga, kokos og lime. På papiret en øl der ikke skulle fungere, men La Débauche formår at balancere deres tilsætninger på en måde hvor det hele bare går op i en højere enhed.
Den formidable øl Thai Cargo fra La Débauche
La Débauche er altså årets udenlandske bryggeri 2019 og fortjener helt sikkert et nærmere bekendskab i fremtiden. Bryggeriet har desværre ingen dansk importør, men opfordringen er hermed givet videre.
December 8th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄 Blow Out by Mikkeller – Simcoe, Idaho 7 and Galaxy hops are very evident in the nice aroma of this beer. Taste is nicely hopped and slightly bitter, with citrus and pine at center stage and melon flavors on the side. This is a highly drinkable beer with as much balance as an IPA can muster.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄 One Man Wolfpack by Galway Bay Brewery and ToØl – This beer has a huge melon aroma with a bit of pineapple to back it up. Drinking it makes melon even more evident paired with a rather soft malt feeling. Pineapple is nowhere to be found in the taste image. Being a DIPA it could be overly sweet, but it’s not. Alcohol is a tiny bit harsh in the beginning but fades completely when the beers warm up a bit. This is a tasty Irish-Danish collab DIPA.
Before I had these two beers I was not very familiar with Idaho 7 hops, but I now know for a fact that I like them a lot. The melon and pineapple flavors are super nice in these IPAs and make me wanna dive way more into these super tasty hops. Blow Out is very fresh and easy drinking where One Man Wolfpack has to be opened up with a little temperature to be the very tasty beer it actually is. Over the years I have often found DIPAs to be cloyingly sweet and in some cases not very pleasant to drink. One Man Wolfpack is so far from this and is a very nicely balanced DIPA with a subdued bitterness and a highly likeable creamy mouthfeel. Today’s winner is One Man Wolfpack!
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
December 7th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Trippelbock Frederiksdal Cherries by Mikkeller – The deep red, almost purple color of this beer is amazing. Cherry aroma is fruity and sweet with an almond-like note. Taste is a bit acidic like a wine, but with a little of that trippelbock sweetness to back it up. The acidity makes this beer quite drinkable being a trippelbock and the 12.9% ABV considered. This is one of the tastiest trippelbocks I have ever had!
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Tizzle Tazzle By Duckpond Brewing – Huge blackcurrant and raspberry aroma with a slight yogurt note. Loads of raspberries, blueberries and blackcurrants and pronounced acidity. This is a very nice fruited Berliner Weisse with next to no bready wheat flavor. This is nordic summer in a glass. Pro-tip for this beer: Let the beer warm a bit to have the full taste-experience and a fuller mouthfeel.
It’s a bit crazy how the two calendars can keep giving me beers that are so close to each other flavor-wise. Today’s beers are no exception since they are both fruited beers with some kind of red berries. Tizzle Tazzle is a super tasty beer with amazing fruit flavors and really one that I would like to try on a hot summer day. Trippelbock Frederiksdal Cherries is loaded like crazy with the super tasty cherries from Frederiksdal. and is fruity like few. Bock and trippelbock in particularly is normally not something that I like very much, but this cherry-loaded one is a very tasty beer. Forced to choose one of the two I think I’ll have to choose Tizzle Tazzle since I find it more balanced and with a super tasty berry-flavor.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
December 6th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Vanilla Maple Shake by Mikkeller and Lervig – Kind of aggressive maple hits the nose and is mixed with a bit of dark chocolate and a tiny hint of vanilla. Taste is intense maple on top of vanilla, coffee and a tasty smooth imperial stout with a creamy mouthfeel that almost reminds me of milk-foam on a cappuccino. This is a seriously nice beer!
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
8th Anniversary Pecan Cookie Stout By Westbrook Brewing Co. – This is a crazy beer from the moment it hits the glass. Aroma is cookies all the way with slightly burnt sugar, pecan, and chocolate. Taste is equally amazing! Chocolate chip cookies with roasted pecans is the first thing that springs to mind. This beer is sufficiently thick and oily without being too much or turning cloyingly sweet. Every adjunct is nicely balanced and makes this beer a pure joy to drink!
It seems that both calendars continue to hit the same beer styles on the same day. Today as well as the other days it’s no pitty. Both beers today are amazing and if I’m forced to choose one over the other I think it must be 8th Anniversary Pecan Cookie Stout. It’s just a tiny bit more smooth and maybe also a tad more balanced than Beer Geek Vanilla Maple Shake. Going to a deserted island and only being able to bring a lifetime supply of stout both would be acceptable choices. Today is the day of Saint Niclas (Santa Claus) and these two beers seem appropriate to celebrate this day.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
December 5th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄 Organic German Pilsner by Mikkeller – Aroma is bready with a bit of floral hops as expected in a German pilsner. Taste too is what you would expect in a well-executed German pilsner being clean and crisp with a firm bitterness and light floral hops. This beer is what it is supposed to be. A well-brewed lager with evident bitterness. I’m a fan!
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄 55|Double IPA – Mosaic & Citra by Brew By Numbers – Wow! Hop aroma is instant when the can is opened. Huge Citra and Mosaic punch in the nose – this is what an IPA should smell like! Taste is loads of tropical, stone and citrus fruits with a bit of pine. Mouthfeel is smooth and bitterness a bit above average for hazy double IPAs which makes this a super tasty beer.
Two very different beers today and that makes for a tough choice. Organic German Pilsner is great for the style but it never becomes super exciting. 55|Double IPA – Mosaic & Citra, on the other hand, is a super exciting DIPA. The mix of Citra and Mosaic hops seems to be great no matter what you do to it. This beer packs so much aroma and flavor that it’s enough for a full year’s production of boring macro lagers in Denmark. To be true the Organic German Pilsner doesn’t stand a chance against 55|Double IPA – Mosaic & Citra. It’s a clear (but hazy…) winner today, but don’t be mistaken, Organic German Pilsner is a very nice beer.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
December 4th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄 Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse Raspberry by Mikkeller Very evident and kind of sweet raspberries in the nose. It almost smells like sweet raspberry jam. Taste is equally loaded with raspberries and has a nice yoghurt-like acidity to it. This is a super crushable fruited berliner weisse, but to my taste it would have been even better with a mouthfeel that was a bit lighter. Still a tasty beer though.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄 North X Northern Bloc – Sorbet Sour by North Brewing Co. – Heavy raspberry and rhubarb aroma. This smells insanely nice! Taste is raspberry and rhubarb galore with a very nicely balanced acidity t back it up. I definitely get that sour sorbet feeling. This is a really tasty and highly drinkable fruited sour. The fruited sours from North Brewing Co. just never let you down!
Today was really close both of these fruited sour beers were very tasty. The North X Northern Bloc – Sorbet Sour from North Brewing Co. was maybe a bit better than the other, but a very close call. The feeling of raspberries and rhubarb was just crazy. With beers of this quality it’s not needed to choose one over the other. It’s just to sit back and enjoy both of them.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
December 3rd and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄 Henry & Irma Hazy Session IPA by Mikkeller Initial fruity hops in the nose paired with some bread/wheat. Being a 3.5% ABV hazy session IPA the mouthfeel is a bit thin as I would expect it to be. The flavor is citrus/grapefruit hops, a bit of bread and a rather present bitterness. This is a quite nice session IPA.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄 Deep Space Xmas Party by Põhjala (and Kihoskh) – Imperial chocolate porter with a clear coffee aroma on top of some milk chocolate and rye bread. Taste evident coffee, milk chocolate from the cocoa nibs, vanilla beans lend some sweetness and oak is just there to stay until the end. This is a quite nice imperial chocolate porter. Once again the Põhjala guys deliver a tasty black beer. I actually don’t think I have ever had a porter or stout from their hands that wasn’t tasty!
This was the first day with a clear difference in the level of the two beers. Don’t be mistaken that these are both well-executed beers, but to my taste, Deep Space Xmas Party is just way more interesting than Henry & Irma Hazy Session IPA. Session IPAs are often suffering from being thin and watery and in that light, it’s really no surprise that my favorite today is the Xmas coffee porter from Põhjala.
All through December, I’m opening my two X-mas beer calendars. The two calendars are The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar and my wife’s homemade X-mas calendar.
A Word On Beers 