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Mikkeller Stateside IPA

JLAudio

Mareva, Lancero, and Minuto Whore!
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
1,113
Backround: I'm an obsessed hophead...and have been for years - enough said!

Favorites: American Style IPA including Stone IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, and Alesmith IPA


Mikkeller is relatively new in my area and once I saw their IPA on the shelves, I bought them up (have had some of their other more "proclaimed" beers already including barley wine, jackie brown, imperial stout, etc.). Price tag = $8.99 (1 PT .9 FL OZ)

Poured a fantastic burnt orange color (into a pint glass) with a very slight haze to it with a fantastic off-white head (3-fingers). The immediate impact of citrus into my nose got my psyched up...hints of grapefruit, mango, and pine were abundant. The upfront flavors were nicely bitter, and then faded into the caramel-bready-doughy medium body, with significant bittering hops on the aftertaste. It had a very slight "green" flavor to me, like a typical "harvest ale" would, but obviously with much less impact...I think it was due to the over-abundance of aromatic hops ( I especially detected the chinook & cascade) The mouthfeel was excellent, not overly carbonated either. The lacing was fierce, as you could tell exactly where the beer had been throughout the glass.

I served this relatively cold, but opted to let it warm up a bit so I could pick out the other nuances in it...it definitely became a different beer, showing increased mango flavors, and an exceptionally smooth caramel backbone, with a hint a alcohol burn down the throat. It really became much more complex. I ended up liking it so much, I had another one, but with a tulip glass instead (it deserved it). Very solid performance based on it's 7.0% ABV...believe it's also around 60 IBUs (could be mistaken though...as I didn't check)

Overall, very very good American style IPA...brewed in Denmark. I have to say, the balance was perfect...however, I don't suggest pairing it with your favorite cigar, as it really overpowered my cigar (Don Pepin Serie JJ Sublime)...however, it did cleanse my palate thoroughly! ;) So maybe it isn't the worst cigar pairing afterall!

I'd definitely drink this again, and again. Not in my top 5 IPAs, mayebe not even in my top 10, but definitely in my top 15. Well done Mikkeller.............A-
 
Nice review, by all of your accounts it seems to have the typical IPA profile. Your review is honest and straight forward, thanks for the review. :thumbs:
 
Nice review, by all of your accounts it seems to have the typical IPA profile. Your review is honest and straight forward, thanks for the review. :thumbs:

Yeah I probably should have compared it against the prototypical american style IPA...

For me, it's pretty straightforward. It doesn't lack anything per se, but "could" be more complex, both in the hop profile & the malt backbone...and on the other hand, it does definitely possess all the characteristics I look for in the style...i.e. Bold, aggressive hop profile (both bitterness and aromatics), beefed up malt backbone that melds well with the hops profile, and a beautiful mouthfeel. The lack of complexity doesn't neccessarily hurt it in my eyes, because all too often this style has "too much" complexity (or unique) characteristic that changes the outlook of the beer completely. I'm just glad they interpreted our american style, and brewed a top notch beer with the finest ingredients.

IMHO, I like this beer, but for the pricetag, it seems more like that occasional IPA I grab instead of the everyday one. It is very drinkable...wish I could sample it on tap. Guess I'm off to Orbaek, Denmark to see for myself!
 
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