Dogfish Head - 90 minute Imperial IPA

Well well well, after blogging the 60 minute IPA yesterday I thought it was only fair and proper to write uhmmm give this one another try instead of just saying it was excellent according to my pre-blog notes. That would be cheating and as there is a good few from this breweries range available locally for probably only a limited time I just had to buy a few. That's the excuse I gave the wife anyway...Time to  stop the waffling bullshit and get on with it, eh ?...

Quite subdued aroma coming from the pour of sweet malt, hops, grass and alcohol.

This beer pours clear amber copper with a creamy off-white head. Medium sweet malt on the intake with caramel, citrus, spices, hops and warming alcohol while the finish is dry, bitter and hoppy. This leaves a dryness in the mouth while the bitter hop aftertaste has grapefruit and citrus lingering. Softly carbonated the mouthfeel is smooth and creamy.

Normally I would mention the alcohol above if it shines through or not at this level of ABV but I will go into here. It is very 50-50 in my view, while you certainly can feel the warmth of it and you can taste it through the brew it does not overtake any of the other flavours until it gets to about room temperature so drink it quickish ! which I must have done first time around not to notice it. :) Like the 60 minute yesterday I really like the malty base to this as it creates in this hop heavy beer a good balance to counteract the bitterness. I reckon this is the perfect beer for when you are sitting outside on an Autumn night when it starts to get chilly. No need to be a wimp, just keep it t-shirt only and be cool whilst supping a few..until you need to stand up and stagger to the toilet. Sorry, way off track...No problem here buying and drinking another, just not two or more in a row. Summing up, excellent IPA worth looking out for to try even if only the once.

This scored a generous 9/10 on the ' is it hot in here or is it just me ?' Beerometer

Alc : 9%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V

Amager Bryghus / Three Floyds - Arctic SunStone

A newly released collaboration brew from Amager Bryghus. Instead of some meaningless lines of filler let's just get on with it after the blurb....

The sunstone - much disputed among scholars. Did the Viking navigators really have such a tool that would help them point out what was east and what was west - even on a less than sunny day? We certainly believe so. Many years later no sunstone was needed when Amager Bryghus was invaded by what very much looked like Viking ancestors of American descent. Hailing from Munster, Indiana, Chris Boggess and Barnaby Struve of Three Floyds Brewing arrived not with a vengeance but with very loud King Diamond on their portable mp3 player. This was not a day for slaughter but for brewing. And brew we did. The mellow and dangerously quaffable Arctic SunStone is proof that even Viking warriors can have a more subtle side to them. All hail to Three Floyds. 

Wafts of tinned mixed fruit syrup, peach, citrus and a little pine from the pour.

Arctic SunStone pours hazy amber orange with a fluffy off-white head. A very fruity tasting intake with malt, caramel, peach, the man from del monte's tinned fruit in syrup again and faint pine all leading  into a hoppy and bitter finish. Lots of citrus peel and a grapefruit linger in the aftertaste. Softly carbonated the mouthfeel is smooth.

Now reading the above you might wonder if it is too sweet ? Not at all, the sweetness of the fruity intake is blasted out the water by the hops and bitter finish. I hate the saying 'well balanced' as it screams 'bore the arse off you in one minute fair isle wearing beardy idiots' but it applies here. I enjoyed it although I'm not sure if I would go for two in a row as all the fruit for me would become tiresome. I have no problem buying and drinking again. Summing up, if you like your ying and yang or need a beer to fulfill your five a day then give this one a try.

This scored 7.5/10 on the 'The man from Del Monte, he says Yes' Beerometer.

Alc : 6%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh and Ølbutikken both had it in stock at time of writing.

Dogfish Head - 60 Minute IPA

Most people will have heard of Dogfish Head from the Discovery Channel series Brew Masters. Looking up their beer menu on their website there is quite a few extreme beers to choose from, just the thought of the stewed ale turns my stomach. Not my first time with this brewery as I have tried the 90 minute IPA which was excellent. So how will the little brother to it do ?......

Very nice aroma of malt along with hops, citrus and peach from the pour.

60 minute IPA pours hazy amber orange with a creamy white head. Sweet malty intake with pine resin, citrus, caramel and light floral hops while the finish is dry and bitter. Lots of fruit in the sharp and short aftertaste with grapefruit and orange peel most prominent. Quite highly carbonated the mouthfeel is gassy and watery.

This one ticks all the boxes for me from what I think an IPA should taste like. I am not quite sure I would class this a session beer as they suggest as the ABV is over the limit of what I personally class a session beer but hey, that is just me, a few jars maybe then that would be it. ;) I really liked this one and have no problem buying again or saying 'yes please' to another. Summing up, rock solid IPA worth looking out for to try.

This scored 8.5/10 on the 'Please sir, can I have some more ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 6%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V.

Brewdog - Fake Lager

It has been a while since I last posted a brew from Brewdog.  Not that I have not drunk any as punk ipa is a regular in my house. So I picked this one up today and the first thing that struck me, no pretentious label blurb to laugh at. Like come on, is the label fake as well ? So I hunted down the description...

Fake is the new black. Fake is where it is at. Fake Art, fake brands, fake breasts, and fake lager. We want to play our part in the ugly fallout from the Lager Dream. Say hello to Fake Lager – a 21st century faux masterpiece.

Awwww they never let me down, brilliant ! :) I quite like their 77 lager so how will this bohemian Czech pilsner compare...

A light waft of sweet malt, grass and hops from the pour.

Fake Lager pours hazy orange gold with frothy white head. Very nice malt taste on the intake along with biscuit, grass and hops ending with a mild to medium bitter finish. The aftertaste is more malt and hops, saaz and ? The mouthfeel is as expected, watery.

Much like the 77 lager this is a good step above the usual industrials. The amount of malt surprised me and there was nothing crisp about it, more of a sharp hoppy ending. To me this tasted like a cross between a malt heavy German and a saaz laden Czech. I enjoyed this one and would have no problem buying or drinking again. Summing up, a huge step above mass produced industrial crap.

This scored 7/10 on the 'Fake chinese digital' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.7%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V

Coisbo - Brooklyn Fall

My first encounter with this brewer/y. (website in danish only) This is a smoked beer so as ever I'm looking forward to this...

Mild aroma of smoke, malt and coffee from the pour.

Brooklyn Fall pours clear dark brown with a quick fading beige head. Sweet intake with malt, coffee, caramel, chocolate and mild smoke in the background while the finish has a dry sweetness. Licorice and coffee linger in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is smooth and a tiny bit oily.

I enjoyed this one but there is a few personal gripes. More smoke and less sweet please ! Halfway down the glass and I felt it was all getting a bit samey. Not that I had trouble finishing it nor would say no to another, I just would not rush out and buy one. Personally with smoked beers I like the feeling that I am drinking bonfire with half a kilo of bacon on top while this is more like subdued roasted ham thats been burnt a bit. Summing up, decent enough one to try if you like lightly smoked beer.

This scored 6.5/10 on the 'bacon, you can never have enough' Beerometer.

Alc : 6.5%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V

Lagunitas - Imperial Red Ale

Another day, another empty bottle for the collection. I have not had a bad beer yet from Lagunitas so quite looking forward to this one...

Wafts of malt, hops and some pine from the pour.

Red Ale pours amber red with a frothy off-white head which had good duration.  Sweet malty intake with caramel, pine and hops while the finish is fruity and bitter. Floral hops, malt and caramel linger in the metallic bitter aftertaste. The mouthfeel is a bit oily though not unpleasant. No alcohol shone through.

Nothing wows me here but it is a good solid ale that was very easy to drink. I did like the malty base to this as it lingered a good while in the mouth in the aftertaste. I should say I do like malty brews anyway but that is just a personal preference. I would have no problems drinking this again although it is not one I would rush out to buy. Summing up, yet another very decent brew from Lagunitas that is well worth a try. Do they make a bad one ? Answers on a postcard please.

This scored a generous 7.5/10 on the ' I'm running out of ideas what to say here now' Beerometer.

Alc : 7.8%
Where to buy CPH : I can't remember where I got this one. I will edit if I do find out.

Fort Collins - Rocky Mountain IPA

After having two lazy weeks holiday I need to start writing a hell of a lot more frequently as A -  I have a huge backlog, B - I have a christmas stout in the fermentation bin and C - I need the empty bottles. Not my first meet with a Fort Collins brew. I bought this one at the same time but kind of forgot I had it, let's see what it is like....

A light aroma of malt, biscuit, caramel, pine and citrus from the pour.

Rocky Mountain pours an orange amber with a creamy off-white head. Biscuity malt on the intake along with floral hops, pine and citrus while the finish is dry and quite bitter. This has a short aftertaste with pine, citrus and more of that malty goodness. Light to medium bodied the mouthfeel is light and creamy.

Another which is very malty for an IPA, though I don't mind that at all. Quite a mix of flavours which gave the tastebuds a good kicking with the bitter hops in the finish. I enjoyed this one so no hesitation with buying or drinking another. Summing up...starts all nice and friendly with malt biscuits, ends aggressive and bitter. Worth looking out for.

This scored a generous 7.5/10 on the '1 down , 59 to go' Beerometer.

Alc : 6.2 %
Where to buy CPH : Seen in Fakta last week.

Mikkeller - Sort Gul

With my holiday coming to an end I might as well get back into the swing of things again.This one is styled as a black IPA.....

Light aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, hops and licorice from the pour.

Sort Gul pours black with a thick tan head. Sweet roasted malt on the hoppy intake along with dark bitter chocolate, sharp grapefruit and sweet licorice which leads into a dry and bitter citrusy finish. This leaves a long aftertaste in the mouth of grapefruit, pine and licorice. Lowly carbonated, the mouthfeel is soft and oily though not in a bad way.

Quite a weird tasting beer this one though I did enjoy it. I'm not quite sure of the all the licorice through this which of course is what I personally taste, someone else could taste something totally different. I would drink this again although it is not one I would rush out to buy. Word of warning, I ended up with a huge amont of sediment floating about in the glass after as was not paying attention when pouring, no matter to me as I don't mind however if you like it sediment free, pour carefully. Summing up, a nice enough beer if on the lookout to try something different.

This scored a generous 7/10 on the 'my least favourite Mikkeller in a long time ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 7.3%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V

Traquair House- Jacobite Ale

Playing safe on choosing this as a lazy and rainy afternoon sipper while vegetating ? I have had this one hiding at the back of my beer cupboard for around 3 years now. I think they put a 10 year best before date on this as this was has dec 2019 printed on...

Lovely aroma of port wine?, roasted malt, plums and dark fruits from the pour.

Jacobite Ale pour dark ruby red with a quick diminishing tan head. Roasted malt, raisins, chocolate and spices on the sweet intake. The finish is quite bitter and spicy. This has a long fruity christmas pudding type aftertaste with ripe plums and dark berries. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Although you can feel the warmth of the alcohol it does not interfere with the taste of the ale and is well hidden.

What a cracking ale that was a pleasure to drink. I wonder when this is at its absolute best ? I really enjoyed this one and would have no problems with buying a few of these and just letting them age. Summing up, in my view a perfect strong ale/winter warmer for drinking by a roaring fire..or in my case a tepid radiator.

This scored a jaw dropping 9/10 on the 'I'm lost for words' Beerometer.

Alc : 8 %
Where to buy CPH : Seen in Høkeren, Ravnsborggade 13, Kbh N the last time I was in.

Krenkerup - Classic

Still have a weeks holiday left so new blog posts will be scarce for another week. I have used the time off well so far on a homebrew project, more about that at a later date.

I have written this before in a earlier blog but will say again..I'm a big fan of Classic or Vienna Lager as it is known in the rest of the world. If done right it is a simple tastier lager that you don't have to think about too much while drinking.

Wafts of roasted malt, burnt toast and caramel from the pour.

Classic pours a hazy dark amber with a creamy off-white to beige head. It has a moderately sweet intake with heavy roasted malt, caramel and hops in the background. The finish has a very light grassy and spicy bitterness. This has a short sweet and sour aftertaste with caramel and a bit of smokiness going on. Softly carbonated, the mouthfeel is light without being too watery.

A very easy drinking, darker than usual vienna that hophead beer geeks would run a mile from. I do like the roast malts and the bit of smoke/burnt toast in this, it is almost a bit nutty. This reminds me a lot of the Fur Volcano Classic that I have blogged about previously. Coincidence being, that there is a host of made for supermarket 'craft' beers in the same price range. No problem for me with buying or drinking another as I have tasted this one a good few times now along with the Krenkerup Rauch, which is also quite good as an alternative to the heavier smoked beers from Germany.

Summing up, a decent enough Vienna as an everyday beer.

This scored 6/10 on the 'this means nothing to me...oh vienna' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.8%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen & Kvickly.

Deschutes - Mirror Pond Pale Ale

This is one that has been hiding at the back of my beer shelf and bought in the now infamous American craft beer week at the start of July. Having tried the Inversion IPA which I really enjoyed I am looking forward to this....

For me, this has a mild pleasant aroma of malt, citrus, hops and rye bread from the pour.

Mirror pond Pale Ale pours hazy orange amber with a creamy off-white head. Quite a sweet malty intake with caramel, pine and hops. The finish is dry and has a mild hoppy bitterness. This has a very nice malty caramel aftertaste with some citrus bitterness.  Lowly carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth and light creamy.

An ale dominated by the malt and caramel, which is ok in my book as it is not overly sweet and is balanced out by the mild hops. Light and easy to drink I enjoyed this one without being blown away by it. I would have no problem buying or drinking another. Summing up, very decent pale ale which is worth looking out for.

This scored 7/10 on the ' I thought I had drunk this one, bonus !' beerometer.

Alc : 5%
Where to buy CPH : Unknown at time of writing.

Haandbryggeriet - Norwegian Wood

Continuing the Nordic theme, this one from Norway. Not my first encounter with Haandbryggeriet  as I have tried their Dark Force Imperial Stout before which i thought was tremendous. On to the beer in question which is styled as a Traditional Norwegian Smoked Ale. Blurb below...

Once, every farm in Norway was required by law to brew its own ale. All of that ale had a natural smoky taste because the malt was kilned by fire, and most of it was spiced with juniper berries. Norwegian Wood, a recreation of that traditional style, is made by the "Hand Brewery" - four guys brewing in their spare time, on an absurdly small scale.

Beautiful aroma of smoke, wood, malt and spices from the very lively pour.

Norwegian Wood pours a dense muddy brown with a creamy beige head. Moderately sweet intake with roasted malt, caramel, smoke and juniper berries. The finish is mild hoppy bitter and has a woody dryness. It has a pleasant sweet aftertaste with smoke, caramel and juniper. Quite fizzy and slightly oily mouthfeel.

Not the best looking beer but a very tasty smoked ale and I really enjoyed drinking this one. A lot lighter than I expected. If buying, be careful on the pour or you will end up with a lot of sediment floating about. No problem for me buying and drinking another. One gripe, I thought the carbonation was too high. Summing up, a light and tasty smoked ale which left me very impressed.

This scored perhaps a bit low 7.5/10 on the 'I still have not forgiven them for AHA' Beerometer.

Alc : 6.5%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V

Omnipollo - Nathalius

Concentrating on a little Nordic breweries theme just now, I picked this one up in my now famous corner shop. I have seen their beer for sale in various bottle shops but have never found the urge to buy and try one. The first Swedish beer to appear on this blog, quite incredible as I am a frequent visitor to Malmø/Helsingborg area and the state run off-licenses Systembolaget, which have an incredible amount of good craft beer to choose from. Contrary to belief, prices are not that bad and quite similar to the bottle shops in Copenhagen give or take a few kroner here or there.

On with the beer in question, this Omnipollo is styled an Imperial IPA and labelled here as IPA. Time to get on with it.....

Funky aroma coming from this on the pour which at first I was going to say cat piss ! but it is more tangerine/clementine peel, peach, wet hops and yeast.

Nathalius pours a cloudy golden orange with a creamy white head that has good retention. Greasy and oily intake with grapefruit, citrus peel and floral hops while the finish is moderately dry and bitter. Long and quite unpleasant citrus oil aftertaste with a grapefruit bitterness left lingering. Extremely oily mouthfeel which leaves a coating on the mouth akin to the greasiness left in the mouth after eating an xl 'meal' deal at burger king etc. No alcohol shines though.

Not a bad tasting ale and I do like the bitterness but the mouthfeel completely ruined it for me and I struggled to finish the bottle. Not one I would buy or drink again although I do want to try others from their range as I have heard very good things. Summing up, if I want something like this without alcohol I would buy a bottle of rapeseed oil and infuse some citrus peel for a few days. The resulting taste and mouthfeel would be the same.

This scored a generous 3.5/10 on the 'a whole range of good beer yet I chose the duffer' Beerometer.

Alc : 8%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53 and Ølbutikken, Istedgade 44, both Kbh V

Mikkeller - U Alright ?

Bloody right I am, combined with a lazy sunday and officially now on holiday I can sit back and relax for a couple of weeks. As I wrote previously posts will be less frequent over this period. Back to beer, yet another newish beer from the unstoppable Danish brewer Mikkeller, this time styled as a Belgian Wild Ale....

Big punchbowl fruit aroma from the pour on this with pineapple, citrus, peach, pine, yeast and floral hops.

U Alright pours hazy orange gold with a soapy bubble white head. Light and thin bodied, the intake is dry and with a touch of sweetness along with citrus, peach, pine and a sharp malt taste while the finish is bitter and dry. Floral hops and citrus linger in the dry aftertaste. This has a light and watery mouthfeel.

A whole bunch of flavours appear in this despite the lowish alcohol with the yeasty dryness present from start to finish. Light, refreshing and easy to drink I would have no problem drinking another few of these. Summing up, an excellent summer ale that might be a bit too light bodied for some.

This scored 7.5/10 on the ' by the time you have read this there will be a new one released' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.5%
Where to buy CPH : I was given this one as a gift but I have seen it in Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53  and Ølbutikken, Istedgade 44, both Kbh V.

Braunstein - Viking IPA

Braunstein for me is another micro that churns out lots and lots of mainly average organic beer in various disguises, very similar to Ørbæk . I have blogged about Økologisk Sommer not that long ago which I did not think a lot of. I do like the fact they list all the ingredients on their website (in danish) which gives me the information this is brewed as a single hop, Amarillo. That is something that I wish more breweries would do. I have tried this one before when it was non-organic so I am wondering if there will be any differences...

From the pour, next to nothing on the aroma front on this, apart from some malt and faint hops, which is a bit worrying for an IPA.

Viking IPA pours a cloudy orange gold with a white head. Sweetish fruity intake with malt, grass and light floral hops in the background. The finish is dry and mildly bitter. Light flowery hops and a touch of grapefruit linger in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is thin and a bit watery.

I looked back at my pre-blog beer notes and I have the non-organic version as citrus, hoppy, grapefruit....this version has basically none of that. Non-Organic FC  1 - 0  FC Organic. Not one I would buy or drink again. Summing up, dull as dishwater 'IPA' that if blindfolded would never guess it was styled as one.

This scored 2.5/10 on the 'if the vikings were as tame as this they would have got the shit kicked out of them everywhere' Beerometer.

Alc : 6 %
Where to buy CPH : Bought in Netto but also available in other supermarkets.

Aldi Special - Karlsquell Weizen & Maternus Premium Pilsener

Scraping the bottle of the barrel here but curiosity got the better of me on a recent trip to Aldi. Not a shop I visit very often as it is the worst of the discount stores here mainly because it has not adapted to Denmark and the local produce however I am a big fan of their imported Nurnberger sausages, brilliant for the barbeque ! Walking up the small discount beer laden aisle I spotted these two in PET bottles. Both with German labels but on closer inspection there is a catch, one is actually brewed in Belgium. So, how good or bad can these be ?

Karlsberg ?- Karlsquell Weizen

I had to look this one up and some sites say Karlsberg while on the bottle it says brauerei braunschweig, which leads to Oettinger then hits a blank. No matter, lets twist the cap...

Light wafts of banana, wheat, fruit and cloves from the pour.

Karlsquell Weizen pours hazy orange with frothy white head. Moderately sweet and fruity intake with wheat, banana and just a faint touch of cloves while the finish is with a dry and sour citric bitterness. Not a lot going on in the short aftertaste apart from some mild citrus and cloves. Lively carbonated and the mouthfeel is light and watery.

Not the worst wheat beer I have drunk and a bit better than I was expecting. A bit too lively in the carbonation department for my liking and I did not really like the sour finish. Not one I would buy or drink again. Summing up, it is drinkable but that's about it.

This scored a generous 3/10 on the 'well, that's my first wheat beer from a plastic bottle' Beerometer.

Alc : 5%

Where to buy/avoid CPH : Aldi

Martens - Maternus Premium Pilsener

German label and brewed to the German purity law... in Belgium and styled as a Czech Pilsner, confused ? The label blurb says ' Fresh and aromatic pilsner in premium quality with a fully developed taste. Brewed with choice ingredients'. Are your alarm bells ringing ? Time to twist that cap...

Lights aroma of malt, herbs, hay and wet cardboard.

Maternus pours a very pale urine yellow with a washing up liquid white head.  Malty and very grainy rough intake with wet cardboard and herbs. The finish is lightly bitter some faint hops. Next to no aftertaste apart from a little of the weird hops/herbs lingering. Thin bodied and watery in the mouthfeel.

It is drinkable but I am not that impressed with this. I like the herby profile which at a good stretch almost reminds me of a Jever or Dithmarscher pils. I don't know where the Czech bit comes in as to me it tastes like a very cheap version of the two afore mentioned pilsners. Not one I would bother buying or drinking again, at this level I would rather have a Perlenbacher from Lidl for a cheap German pils. Summing up, thank f... I only bought one.

This scored 2/10 on the 'that's not discount, THIS is discount' Beerometer.

Alc : 4.9%

Where to buy/avoid CPH : Aldi