Mikkeller Red/White Christmas

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Copenhagen, Denmark

Serve in Tumbler, Weizen

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UPDATED: NOV 28, 2012 1.5L bottle (Pikkulintu, Helsinki, Olutopas Pikkujoulu 2011) - shared by someone generous - thanks! (6:3:7:4:13=3.3)
6 Super sweet mandarin peach and toffee aroma.
3 Sludgy, but we were at the bottom of the bottle, after many pours.
7 Exceptionally toffee-ey taste, lots of fleshy fruits too.
4 Full, sweet, sticky body. Again, not aided by being at the end of the bottle, but if Mikkeller think it’s a good idea to put beer in bottles this size, they’ve got to expect people to judge it after it’s been tipped up 20 times.
13 Don’t get me wrong, this may have been unclean to the eye, and stodgier on the tongue than what the guys who cracked it open for, but by no means was this unpleasant, it was very drinkable. Covered the alcohol well.
Rerate: 1.5L bottle (Drink Shop, Tallinn) (6:4:6:4:13=3.4)
From the top of the bottle this time - and it’s a lovely clear red. Apart from that difference, it’s mostly the same as before. Things related to teh slidginess are gone, and the toffee aspects too - this is drier. A real zingy bitter bite, but also smooth. Tasty - I like it, but it might be a little bit too agressive in places.

Tap. Pours hazy ruby with a medium, creamy white head, medium retention with excellent lacing. Aroma is citrus, pine, resin, and spruce hops, light biscuit malt, fruity esters, and spicy alcohol. Flavor is spicy alcohol, medium malt, heavy hops, moderate bitterness, and a dry finish. Full body, medium warmth and carbonation.

Nice, stable, cream-coloured head over hazed red-amber beer. Nice C-hops, USA to the fore, some ureum, smelling somehow sticky, if that makes sense. More C-hops, but balanced by some nice cakey sugars. Ends on fruity notes, as nectarine and grapefruit. Spritzy, to near-fizzy, and yet full-bodied, yet the texture seems light. Superb beer, very much in the American style, and I can find very litte witbier character, here.

Amberish pour. Citrus hops, honey, and spices. Flavor is dominated by hops but has enough malt to balance it. Pretty good stuff.

A Mes rate. Bottle at Chris O’s Night of the Gaylords.
A very attractive orange amber with a thin but lasting white head. Just utterly incredible hops. Spruce, cranberry, red current, marvelously tropical, faint spice and pepper and just all round bloody outstanding. Glorious palate, long dry finish. Yet another reason to love Mikkeller.

1.5L bottle, at least a couple years old: pours a clear dark amber bronze with a large over-carbonated froth of white head. Has a lightly sweet pale malty nose with some biscuity notes and fresh coriander. Starts with good fullness and effervescence with sweet light caramel and coriander spice with lots of resiny hop flavor and bitter balance before a drier bittersweet finish. A unique and well-balanced brew.

1.5 litre bottle, for Americans that’s twice the size of a good bottle of Scotch. I was not expecting it to be so hoppy, and good hoppy, with a ittle spiciness in the seondary. The aroma is the same. Good mouthfeel. Yellow with huge bubble head, lacey. Yeast comforting in the finish. High alpha. This is the final beer of the night, and closer to sipper. From Half Time.

UPDATED: NOV 4, 2011 Hazy orange with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and rather hoppy - grapefruit and pine. Flavor is quite sweet and rather bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish. 031111

My Bottom Line:
Herbs and conifers spice up this festive brew’s aroma, as rose water, orange zest and cherries slowly step aside for rising resinous hop bitterness. There is a lot going on here, but it is amazingly harmonious and well rendered.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-Generous foam stays atop the cloudy pale amber.
-Light alcohol burn reminds you that this is not meant to be drunk quickly. The attractive spice and hop combo make you forget about this alcohol though...
-The fluffy, pillowy mouthfeel serves the flavor profile admirably.
-The yeast and base malts add cake flour allusions which are quite pleasant.

From a magnum.

The pour is orange in color with a white head. A strong citrus peel aroma, mostly candied orange. A mild spice note, some fruity esters such as pears and apples, and a hint of yeast. Quite a lot of candi sugar, brown sugar, and caramel, too. The flavor is decently sweet, but also has a hint of pine and citrus peel bitterness. Candied orange, brown sugar, and sweet caramel maltiness. Very mild ester notes and a hint of bread and yeast.