Mikkeller All Others Pale

Mikkeller
Brewed at Ørbæk Bryggeri
Style: American Pale Ale
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Cloudy light brown coloured beer. Pale large bubbled head. Nice soft taste in the beginning. Strong bite of hops in the end.

What looks to be a best by date on the cap of December 2009; Sampled June 2008
A healthy pour yields a frothy, initially three finger thick, tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The head forms some light lacing on the sides of my glass as it subsides. The beer is a clear, amber-copper color that shows a brilliantly clear, full copper color when held up to the light. The aroma has a punchy herbal hop character noticeable as I pour this brew, but that becomes much more fruit focused when I stick my nose in my glass. Punchy, smooth, tropical fruit notes and sweet citrus character contribute hop aromas of lychees, apricot, bergamot, candied ruby-red grapefruit zest and bright tangelo. There is a quite noticeable malt character here as well; it intertwines with the more dominant hop notes, but is definitely quite noticeable throughout the aroma profile. Toasty pale malt, crisp - crushed cracker notes and light biscuit grain notes are quite noticeable. I really like the punchy, fruit focused hop character that the nose has & the malt adds a nice touch of complexity.

Much lighter in heft than I was expecting; this is quite light bodied, though I wouldn’t quite characterize it as thin or watery. The beer has a distinct, phenolic note of burnt plastic, that while subtle, still lingers throughout the flavor profile during my first sip. The note turns to a more solvent, or acetone like note that gets somewhat magnified in the finish and becomes a very vapor-driven, aromatic flavor. Grassy, herbal notes seem to be accentuated by this off flavor during the front part of each sip, but it causes the herbal notes to take on a sharp, almost harsh edge. Don’t get me wrong though, this beer is dominated by clean hop notes; a nice, nay ample bitterness runs throughout (especially in the finish) and there is lots of ample fruity hop character here. Flavors of apricot, lychee and bright orange zest are substantial, but not as over the top as they might be if the beer had a bit more body and sweetness. In the end though the plastic / acetone flavor is just a bit too much for me.

The nose of this beer is quite nice with no hint of the problem flavor notes. Even the flavor is not totally dominated by these notes (many will probably miss the off flavors), but since I have noticed them they become particularly distracting to my enjoyment of the flavor.

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Cloudy straw-amber. Peachy, slightly orangey aroma. Somewhat husky malts. Quite bitter, with a little orangey note. Long finish is pithy hoppy.

Pours a semi cloudy amber with a medium off white head. Aroma is medium sweet grapefruit, pineapple, caramel, bread and light honey. Flavor is grapefruit, pine, spicy, orange and caramel. Finishes nicely bitter and somewhat long. Light to medium body, chewy texture.

A new bottle to hit the Atlanta shelves. Pours a clear copper color and the first impression is of a hop forward pale ale bordering on IPA. Red fruit, pine, and slight caramel aroma. The flavor is decently malty with a piney bitter hop finish. Subtle sweetness is there in aroma and flavor. The pine resin hops are balanced by a caramel malt and some sweetness. Nice one from these guys. Well done representation by the europeans of this classic american style.

Pours a deep hazy golden amber with a small dense off-white head. A swirl of foam lingers around the top and retention is good. Smell is of citrus hops with a bit of grass and a fairly strong bready malt sweetness in the background. Taste is dominated by the citrus hops up front with grapefruit and lemon playing major roles. This gives way to a subtle sweet, bready malt background with strong hints of caramel which leads to the hop bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium with solid carbonation and prickly with the hop juices. This is a top-notch APA and a great beer for a warm spring afternoon. Very drinkable and highly recommended.

25 cl. specially decorated (black paper fringe) bottle, from Olbutikken, in Copenhagen. Pours a hazy orange amber color with a mostly creamy, smallish beige head that leaves nice lacing. Bracing aroma of floral and piney hops, smells like an evergreen forest after a light rain, toasty malts and a little must as well. Flavor is also hop dominant, again with a bit of toasty malt evident, but quickly overpowered by the brash citrus rind, bitter herb and pine needle character of the fresh hops, with a resiny and earthy finish. Medium body and crispy carbonation. A Danish APA, proudly living up to it’s pedigree. Quite good.

Pours a very lightly hazy medium orange-amber. A large, foamy, pure whit head settles slowly to a thin blanket, leaving sticky sheets of cobweb lacing on the glass. Aromas are like those of a traditional, American style IPA. A bevy of grapefruit and orange hops, with some grassy hops as well, make for a sharp, bitter element to enhance a lightly sweet, biscuity, toffee malt backdrop. Flavors, too, are intensely hopped, with bitter grapefruit and orange again dominating. Grass lends a signature "green" feel, while the toasty malts do their best to balance things out. Intensely sharp and borderline astringent, this one rivals some of the boldest American IPAs in terms of bitterness. Medium-plus bodied, moderate to highly carbonated, and dry on the finish. The bitterness lingers for ages. A very nice pale ale, but be prepared for some serious bitterness.