Amager Bryghus - Julebryg 2013

With the Danish named Hurricane Bodil approaching a winter warmer is in order so….Back to the festive beer again. Amager, once again changes style as the 2012 version I had last year was a very decent brown ale. This year they have brewed an abbey dubbel without any seasonal spices added.

Light nutty aroma with roasted malt, dried fruit and caramel from the pour.

This one pours hazy dark amber brown with a creamy off-white head. Semi sweet slightly roasted malty intake with figs, nuts, chocolate and caramel while the sweet finish is quite dry with a fruity and yeasty sourness. Mild chocolate short aftertaste with figs, raisins and roast, bordering on smoked malt again. Very softy carbonated, full bodied and the mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. No alcohol shines through.

Well, this one certainly went up in status as it warmed up, 30 mins out of the fridge and it was so so when pouring while finishing up at room temperature it was extremely enjoyable, maybe because it's all toasty in here while the wind batters the windows, talk about a time and place for a beer. Yet another danish christmas beer without all the spices. It seems to be a trend from the opposite of last year when everything was heavily spiced with orange peel, coriander and star of anise. As you might gather, I enjoyed this one and have no problem buying/drinking another. Summing up, decent craft abbey brew.

This scored 7.5/10 on the 'monks…do it better' Beerometer.

Alc : 7%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V. Also seen in other bottle shops.

Amager Bryghus/Cigar City - Xiquic And The Hero Twins

This is my second of Amager's latest collaboration series, first one here. This one being an Imperial Stout, blurb below....

Who Xiquic was, is a bit hard to explain - but we all know the hero twins: Wayne Wambles and Jacob Storm - headbrewers of Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL and Amager Bryghus, Denmark respectively. Since his first visit at Amager back in 2011 Wayne has been quite the idol for us. We don’t believe it’s possible to find anyone with a bigger heart in brewing - combined with the utmost passion and sense for detail. Therefore it was a great honor to us that Wayne accepted our invitation to come brew at Amager Bryghus - even on his birthday! A recipe was created from what seemed like an endless stream of emails. The Cigar City signature cedar wood was ordered and a birthday cake was baked. We had a fun day - we hope you’ll have fun enjoying this double mash cedar infused black pepper Imperial Stout, yeah, no kiddin’. It’s a bit of a beast - but a gentle one. 

Nice aroma of roasted malt, mild coffee, chocolate, black pepper and wood from the pour.

This one pours pitch black with a creamy tan head. Spicy ! intake with roasted malt, hops, dark bitter chocolate and coffee while the finish is dry, sweetish and hoppy. Cocoa powder and mild chili pepper spice linger in the long aftertaste. Lowly carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Alcohol is noticeable but more as a warming effect than masking the flavours.

Wow, extremely busy beer with a whole lot going on. One minute I had something down as juniper berries, the next it was gone and replaced with something else. I'm also sure there is a spice in there that is in a lot of danish xmas beers but I failed to pin it down. If I drank another bottle another day I could pick up a whole lot more different flavours...which I might just do. This is certainly a beer to make you think. I really enjoyed this one, no problem here drinking another. Summing up, a cracking complex beer that will make you think, well worth trying !

This scored 8/10 on the 'yaaaas !, no licorice' Beerometer.

Alc : 9.0 %
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh and Ølbutikken had it in stock at time of writing.

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.

Amager Bryghus - Summer Fusion

Another one from Amager so soon I hear you ask ? Well yes, I wanted to try this one as it is a low alcohol beer (3.5%) which I can safely drink out in the sun without getting a splitting headache, basically a thirst quencher ! This is styled as a Steam Beer, a bit controversial I refuse the California Common label which in my mind is another make it up as you go along style. The only other one of this style I have tried I can think of having before is Anchor Steam Beer. The label says style : Steam Beer so that is how I am labeling it. Instead of me rambling on I might as well include the label blurb.....

We wanted to prove that we could make a low alcohol beer rich in taste... and we named the outcome "Fusion". As the name indicates it is a true fusion beer due to the fact that our inspiration came from different styles and countries. The yeast is classic German pilsner yeast, which we - against its will, fermented at 71.6°F. This is a technique know from the American styles "California Common" a.k.a. "Steam Beer". Consequently, we were able to combine the crisp freshness from lager beers with a portion of the fruity freshness found in top fermented beers. 

Our choice of malt is somewhat unusual as we selected an English Mild Ale malt adding a dark, roasted character to the beer, as well as a couple of handful of German caramel malt adding sweetness and a soft touch to the beer. 

And it wouldn’t be a true beer from Amager Bryghus, if we hadn’t been generous with the hops. We chose classic American aroma hops such as Centennial, Chinook, and Amarillo - you know, the ones which really massages your taste buds. Additionally, these hops leave behind the most pleasurable, citric-like freshness. 

Are you confused? No reason to be as our Fusion is the answer to the many people who over the years have asked for an American/English/German top and bottom fermented pilsner ale, which has lots of taste but is low on alcohol! 

Fusion was 1st runner up at the Copenhagen Beer Festival 2007 in the competition of brewing a beer at maximum 3.5% alcohol.

Right, let's get on with it...

Light wafts of floral hops, grass and peaches from the pour.

Summer Fusion pours hazy amber orange with a weak creamy coloured white head. A very light intake with grass, hops, some citrus peel and peaches again. This has a dry and grassy bitterness in the finish. Citrus peel and light floral hops linger in the dryish aftertaste. The mouthfeel is light and watery.

Well, it is very light, crisp and a real thirst quencher and a very nice summer ale and a ...but, there is always one but, if you like a bit of malt taste to your ale this one has none. Not that I am bothered as I enjoyed drinking this one sitting in the sun out in the backyard on what is a sweltering hot day. Not one I would bother buying again but I have no problem drinking another if offered. In the same circumstances like weather etc I think I would rather just drink a good cold English Cider to be honest, blasphemy for some no doubt. Summing up, a very light summer ale which I would class a lawnmower beer.

This scored 4.5/10 on the ' I was tired of it by the time I reached the bottom of the bottle ' Beerometer.

Alc : 3.5%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen and bottle shops.

Amager Bryghus - IPA

I was happy to see this one and others from the Amager Bryghus main range in the supermarket today. Perhaps they have increased brewing capacity to do so or it was a beer friendly supermarket franchise manager that got them in especially ? At least the price of a bottle was a good bit lower than bottle shop prices which in some cases are ripping the piss out of people...in my own opinion of course. Anyway, a welcome addition to the beer aisle from a good local brewery.

Not wanting this to be a habit but the the blurb on the label goes...

'Forget about India Pale Ale being an English beer, which should be robust enough to withstand the long sea voyage from England to India. Our version of an IPA is totally inspired by the new interpretations, especially those found on the U.S. west coast. A solid malt base, combined with Simcoe, Amarillo and Cascade hops and then just dry hopped enough to ensure that the hop burn is thorough. It is fruity and fresh, it’s bitter like hell and it is strong enough to give you a little kick if you drink a couple of bottles or three. This is how we make a great IPA at Amager. We don’t have a single doubt that you will enjoy our IPA , because it is a damn good beer. Cheers!'

There you have it, will it blend ?...

Very nice wafts of peach syrup, malt, grapefruit and hops from the pour.

IPA pours a cloudy deep dark amber with a creamy off-white head. Roasted malt, bitter bitter hops, grapefruit and pine on the intake while the finish is very dry and spicy almost down to the pit of the stomach, hop burps anyone ? Grapefruit and some floral hops linger in the long dark bitter aftertaste. Quite an oily mouthfeel on this one without being too cloying. Despite the highish ABV no alcohol shines through.

Now and again you find a gem of a beer in the supermarket aisles that put a smile on your face. The last time around it was the American craft promo which was a total bonus as far as I was concerned. This time it is one very much closer to home and extremely fresh ale to boot. As much as I like this it is not one I could drink a lot of, the hoppy bitterness would get too much in the long run. I have no problem with buying or drinking another...which I already have by the time you read this. :) Summary, extremely, with capital letters, decent way above average IPA that might be a bit of a bitter hop bomb for some.

This scored 7.5/10 on the 'don't try kissing the wife after burping this, she will not be happy' Beerometer.

Alc : 7%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen

Amager Bryghus - No Rice & Curry

I love the name of this and the story on the back of the label which is in Danish and a bit long winded so I'm not going to translate. I picked this one up from my once a fortnight trips to Kihoskh though I have seen it in a few places.

No Rice & Curry is a Premium Lager. It says India Pale Lager on the label so I was thinking perhaps it could replace distinctly average beers like Cobra and Kingfisher to go with the world europe denmark copenhagen vesterbro skydebanegade famous chicken tikka masala I'm making for a few guests we have around tonight. I guess I better taste it to find out, which in my book is as good an excuse as any for trying a new beer.

Wafts of citrus zest and floral hops from this when pouring.

No Rice & Curry pours a cloudy yellow gold with a big soapy bubble white head. Quite sweet on the intake with citrus fruits, hops and light malt with a pine and hoppy bitter finish. Grapefruit lingers in a mildly bitter aftertaste.

Quite a humdinger of a Premium Lager and very crisp. I have no problem with hiding the other four bottles from my guests...'Cobra ? '

This scored a whopping 8/10 on my ' This is a real PREMIUM lager ' beerometer.

Alc : 5%

Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53 - Ølbutikken, Istedgade 44..Both Kbh V.

Amager Bryghus - The Sinner Series - Greed

If you have followed before I was off to Irish Day At the Races today instead of the Copenhagen Beer Festival. So I chose a day where the not so cheap bad draught Guinness served in plastic was flowing, ' look mate, if you put a shamrock on that head i'll....bloody for the tourists that trait is, stop it'. Never picked a winner all day, wife managed to pick one and my wee lad even picked one as well... Anyway, a fine day out and good crack but bad beer, so I have some making up to do before the champions league final ko and the boxing later. I'm waffling, on with the show...

This is actually the last one I had to taste to complete the series as I've tasted all the others before starting this blog. The six others being Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Envy and Pride with Envy and Pride the stand outs of the series for me.

Greed is brewed as a no nonsense German Pilsener according to the blurb. Pours cloudy yellow/gold with a fluffy white head. Floral, herbs, grass, malt and bitter hops on the intake while leaving a grapefruit and slightly dry short aftertaste. Very fresh tasting, I could easily sit and session with this. 7/10 on the beerometer.

Alc : 4.6%
Where to buy : Fish & Beer