December 17th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Single Hop Series APA Citra by Mikkeller – Refreshing citrus and tropical fruits in the nose. Taste is much the same with Citra hops at center stage. The beer itself is quite simple, but that’s just right for this one. The flavors of bread and citrus and tropical fruits blend nicely with the relatively pronounced bitterness. A nice straight forward pale ale!
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Patrons Project 5.07 // Ricky Lightfoot // Scafell Pike // DDH IPA by Northern Monk – Full-blown hop flavors in the nose. Ripe tropical fruits and some citrus dominates followed by a malty-sweet aroma. Taste is citrus and sweet peaches and apricots followed by some pine. Mouthfeel is full and supports the fruit flavors very nicely. Following all these impressions are flavors of melon – maybe honeydew – and some passionfruit. This is a really tasty New England IPA.
Today’s hoppy beers are both loaded with my favorite hop – Citra. Citra all over makes me sure that there is a chance I’m happy when drinking these beers. And boy am I happy! Single Hop Series APA Citra by Mikkeller is a very nice American pale ale. It’s not too sweet and it’s not too bitter. It’s just about right. Patrons Project 5.07 // Ricky Lightfoot // Scafell Pike // DDH IPA by Northern Monk is so much more than just about right. It’s a seriously tasty New England IPA with very evident flavors of Citra, Columbus, and Azacca hops. It’s tropical and citrus flavors all over the place and a very nice creamy mouthfeel without that overpowering sweetness that sometimes spoils a great juicy New England IPA. This is by far the best beer today.
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 16th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Dessert by Mikkeller and Lervig – Vanilla and chocolate in the nose paired with something that reminds me of a “bleeding” chocolate cake with caramel. Taste is huge vanilla flavors with roasted malt, some bitterness, dark chocolate, very dark caramel. Sweetness is a bit over the top to me and I usually like sweet things. It’s still a nice pastry stout, but if brewed again I think I would prefer the sweetness to be dialed down a bit.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Barrel Aged Frogichlaus 2019 by Hoppin’ Frog Brewery – Malty and sweet aroma with hints of bourbon and a tiny bit of caramel and chocolate. Taste is malty sweetness with bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a bit of milk chocolate. The beer is by no means too sweet. It’s a very nicely balanced experience that reminds me of a great barley wine in some ways. Taste is much more “clean” though. Probably what you would expect from a lager style beer with a 12.4% ABV. A very tasty beer. If this is a Christmas beer I want many more before it’s all over in a week and a half!
An actual Christmas beer in my calendars today – with the level that Barrel Aged Frogichlaus 2019 provides, it’s totally okay with me. In some ways it reminds me of a bock of some kind, but this beer is endlessly much better. It’s actually just shy of being perfect. Again the Mikkeller calendar beer doesn’t stand a chance against my wife’s homemade calendar. Beer Geek Dessert is not a bad beer at all. It’s just up against a beer from the highest shelf. On any other day I would easily be satisfied with Beer Geek Dessert, but today it just seems a bit rough and unpolished compared to the smoothness of Frogichlaus’ velvety soft bourbon barrel aged niceness.
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 15th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Brunch by Mikkeller and Lervig – Coffee and chocolate in the nose – almost like a chocolate espresso. Taste is very balanced coffee and sweet dark chocolate flavors – much like a spongy chocolate cake with coffee icing on top. The mouthfeel is just about endlessly smooth and quite creamy. I could easily see this beer with a great brunch.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Patrons Project 19.02 // Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs // Psychopomp // Multivitamin Tropical Juice IPA by Northern Monk – Huge Citra and tropical fruits in the nose – almost like the aroma of multi-fruit juice. Taste is really like drinking freshly squeezed juice from ripe mango, pineapple, guava, and mandarin. There is next to no bitterness and mouthfeel is very creamy and soft. This is milkshake IPA at it’s best – a true fruit-bomb!
Today brings the first milkshake IPA in this X-mas calendar – and what a beer it is! It’s so incredibly juice and fruit flavors are everywhere. It’s easily the best milkshake IPA I have had. Don’t be mistaken, Beer Geek Brunch is not a bad beer – I like my imperial stouts with coffee and chocolate flavors – Patrons Project 19.02 // Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs // Psychopomp // Multivitamin Tropical Juice IPA is just an amazing beer with so much fruit flavor to offer that you might think there is a whole plantation in just this can. It’s a mind-blowingly fruity 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 14th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Awful Gato by Mikkeller San Diego – Coffee, a bit of vanilla, some sweetness and a tiny hint of citrus in the nose. Taste is full-blown coffee at first followed by vanilla and chocolate flavors. Bitterness sneaks up just before you take the next sip. Between every sip, this beer makes you mouth water flow. This is a super easy drinking beer. It’s definitely one of the best brown ales I have had in a very long time.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Brewer’s Reserve Vanilla Bean Stout by Central Waters Brewing Company – Evident bourbon barrel and some vanilla hit the nose followed by a faint note of dark chocolate. Flavors of coconut are dominant at first followed by evident bourbon and quite a lot of vanilla without overpowering anything else. Somewhere in between all this is a bit of oak and a tasty mix of faint chocolate and licorice. This is really a sipper that changes as the temperature of the beer is rising. This is a super tasty beer!
Yesterday’s beers were black. Today’s beers are brown and black. I think it fits the season quite well. Coffee and vanilla seem to be the keywords today, but then bourbon enters the stage and takes over completely. Brewer’s Reserve Vanilla Bean Stout really is a treat. If you like imperial stouts aged in bourbon barrels this is a beer you need to find. The balance between bourbon barrel and vanilla is superb. This is a beer that makes me wanna buy some more to store for the future. Both beers today are way above average and if you really force me to choose I have to go with Brewer’s Reserve Vanilla Bean Stout by Central Waters Brewing Company since is just absolutely amazing.
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 13th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Milk Stout by Mikkeller – Aroma of coffee and sweetness is what hits the nose at first followed by a smoky note. Bitter coffee and quite a lot of sweetness is dominant in taste followed by that good old smooth stout feeling that you probably know? This is just a well-executed stout and that evident coffee taste is apparently from roasted malt – no added coffee.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Double Negative by Grimm Artisan Ales – Espresso and chocolate are dominant aromas followed by a bit of black currant. Mouthfeel instantly is extremely creamy and smooth and gives way to coffee and chocolate flavors followed by a tasty lingering bitterness and nice notes of roasted malt. By the way, the tan head falls very slowly to a lingering lacing that stays all the way to the bottom of the glass. This is a very tasty imperial stout!
Friday the 13th and only black beers! Today it’s not a bad omen, but just about as tasty as Friday can be! Both stouts are tasty beers and it’s nice to have a milk stout that’s just plain and simple, but nonetheless, a great representation of the style such as the Mikkeller one is. Double Negative by Grimm Artisan Ales is just the better beer today! It’s a downright delicious beer that’s insanely smooth and with a coffee flavor that’s balanced to something just shy of perfection. If I had to choose an imperial stout with coffee flavors to bring as my only beer on a deserted island Double Negative could easily be the one. Today’s beers are once again the proof that life is great!
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 12th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
Beer Geek Fudgesicle by Mikkeller and Lervig – Loads of chocolate fudge in the nose with a tiny bit of roasted malt in the background. Taste is equally great flavors of chocolate fudge and a bit of butterscotch and some roasted malt. This beer is quite sweet, but still the feeling of liquid chocolate cake with lumps of chocolate fudge is very nice. This is like a liquid dessert.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Internationally Known by To Øl and Finback Brewery – Huge juicy grapefruit hop aroma. Taste is equally juicy with loads of citrus flavors from both Centennial cryo hops and from the Citra hops. Tropical fruit flavors also takes a place in this super tasty hop-loaded double IPA. Mouthfeel is extremely smooth and bitterness is just about right. This is yet another double IPA as I like them – not too sweet and with a fair amount of bitterness. Another killer DIPA!
Today I feel incredibly lucky once again. Both beers are amazing and boy am I lucky that have these two great X-mas calendars. Internationally Known is another super nice DIPA that just make you wanna have one more sip as quickly as possible. The juice-factor in this beer is extremely high and makes all my thoughts about overly sweet DIPAs disappear in an instant. Beer Geek Fudgesicle on the other hand is extremely sweet, but it fits this beer very well. The feeling of drinking liquid chocolate fudge is very evident. This is a very well made pastry stout and actually it’s not too sweet. It’s just downright tasty.
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 11th and this is what was in my two X-mas calendars:
🎄The Great Mikkeller X-mas Calendar🎄
K:rlek Höst/vinter (2019) by Mikkeller – Nelson hops are very evident in the nose paired with different kinds of fruit. Tropical, floral and hoppy flavors are center stage in taste on top of a quite crisp, but still juicy and smooth pale ale. This beer has enough bitterness to stand out in the modern crowd of very sweet New England pale ales. Nice change of pace.
🎄My wife’s homemade X-mas calendar🎄
Confirmation Bias by Cloudwater Brew Co. – Fruity, tropical and floral notes tickles the nose with a bit of malt sweetness as a sidedish. Taste is very juicy fruits in a nicely balanced double IPA. Mouthfeel is soft and smooth with enough bitterness to make this beer almost dangerously easy-drinking. This is a killer DIPA!
Today’s beers are all about hops. Both beers are loaded with nice fruity hops. K:rlek Höst/vinter (2019) has the bitterness to make it a welcome change from sticky and sweet X-mas beers. Confirmation Bias is a double IPA as I like them. Great hop flavors on a wall of malt and smoothness that’s not overwhelmingly sweet. It a very balanced DIPA without that boozy or cloyingly sweet feeling that sometimes make me regret that I opened another DIPA. As you probably know by now I like my hoppy beers with enough bitterness to make them shy a bit away from being pure juice.
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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I dag er Danish Beer Blog Awards 2019 nået til den tredje kategori, som er årets ølbar. Årets ølbar er jo lidt en sjov størrelse, for hvad er egentlig en ølbar. Dækker det brewpubs, taprooms og også de meget små steder, der måske kun har få øl på kortet. Jeg vil ikke lægge mig fast på en af de nævnte, men hellere sige at det må være op til ølnyderen selv at afgøre. Kvaliteten af øllet, og ikke mængden, er vel det vigtigste?
Sidste år landede jeg selv på en kåring af et meget lille sted, da jeg kårede HAANDPLUK i Klitmøller som årets ølbar 2018. I år er jeg kommet langt omkring i oplevelserne med ølbarer, taprooms og brewpubs. Min sommerferie til flere forskellige nordiske hovedstæder gjorde at jeg kom forbi mange spændende barer og taprooms. Resten af året har også budt på adskillige gode baroplevelser i Danmark.
Når man som mig er bosat i Silkeborg er det begrænset hvad der er af muligheder for at gå ud og opleve god øl påen bar. Der er selvfølgelig de lokale bryghuse, hvoraf to holder fredagsbar, men ellers er det vist også det. Man har jo lov til at håbe at 2020 bliver året hvor der bliver lavet om på det.
Relativt tæt på Silkeborg giver Aarhus efterhånden rigtig mange muligheder for at besøge gode ølbarer. I løbet af året har jeg både besøgt, Mig & Ølsnedkeren, Erligs Jazz- og Ølbar, Highlanders Bar og Mikkellerbar Aarhus. I 2020 blliver der desuden også mulighed for at besøge Åbens nye bar, som jeg forventer mig en hel del af – og forventningerne er ikke blevet mindre efter at Åben fuldt fortjent løbet med titlen, som årets bryggeri i Danske Ølentusiasters nylige kåring. Tillykke med det!
For at finde årets ølbar skal vi lidt længere væk fra Silkeborg. I årets løb har jeg besøgt flere af de københavnske barer, blandt andet Hop House Amager, Mikkeller Viktoriagade, WarPigs, og Amager Bryghus Taproom Nørreport. Amager Bryghus Taproom Nørreport er i øvrigt et rigtig dejligt sted, med en behagelig og afslappet atmosfære og altid med gode øl på hanerne. De andre københavnske ølbarer er alle dejlige steder med gode øl på hanerne.
På min ferie i sommer kom jeg forbi en række gode ølbarer og taprooms med højdepunkter mange steder. I Tallinn var det specielt Põhjalas taproom på bryggeriet der gjorde et virkeligt stort indtryk. I Finland var der flere steder med rigtig godt øl, men specielt Gastropub Nordic i Tampere og Mikkeller Helsinki udmærkede sig med et virkeligt lækkert øludvalg.
Omnipollos Flora i Humlegården, Stockholm
Vinderen af kategorien årets ølbar skal dog findes i Stockholm, hvor jeg besøgt en del forskellige – og alle virkeligt gode – ølbarer. Man in the Moon havde det imponerende flaskekort og mange haner med lækkert fadøl. Mikkellerbar STHLM var, ja, Mikkeller med alt det gode øl der hører til og et virkeligt lækkert udvalg af smørrebrød, som vi spiste med velbehag mere end en gang. På omnipollos Hatt fik vi nogle virkeligt lækre pizzaer og en række lækre øl, blandt andet nogle af de berømmede (0g berygtede…?) soft-serve øl, med øl-slush-ice på toppen, hvilket var fantastisk i 34 graders varme.
Vinderen er dog sæson-baren Omnipollos Flora i Humlegården på Östermalm. På Omnipollos Flora kunne både fås mad og en række af Omnipollos egne øl og øl fra andre gode bryggerier. Som på Omnipollos Hatt kunne flere af Omnipollos egne øl får som soft-serve, hvilket i mange tilfælde forhøjer oplevelsen af øllen en hel del. Stemningen på stedet var meget afslappet og behagelig og de lune svenske sommeraftener gjorde helt sikkert også deres til at løfte oplevelsen til noget ekstraordinært. Åbner Omnipollos Flora igen til næste sommer, vil jeg meget gerne komme tilbage og nyde nogle øl på stedet.
Årets ølbar 2019 er altså Omnipollos Flora.
Vil du se mere om mine smageoplevelser, så følg endelig med her på Facebook eller ovre på Instagram.
For at finde de øvrige kåringer kan du søge på #BeerBlogAwards2019 på Facebook og Instagram.
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.
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.
A Word On Beers 