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.

Klosterbryggeriet - Scullery Brew Christmas Extra Stout

Continuing once again with the festive theme….This one came recommended for me by a very picky, when it comes to beer anyway, friend to try out so I have my hopes up for this one…..

Light waft of roasted malt, chocolate, milky coffee and caramel from the pour.

Extra Stout pours pitch black with a brown tan head. Sweetish dark malty intake with chocolate, caramel, coffee, dark cane sugar and cinnamon while the finish is bitter orange with light spicy hops. Coffee and chocolate linger in the aftertaste. Softly carbonated, the mouthfeel is quite smooth and oily. Despite the strength, no alcohol shines through.

Well well well, what a huge improvement on yesterdays brew. Everything seems to blend in well here and nothing is totally dominant in the flavour department. One thing that popped in my head while drinking this was it's like terry's chocolate orange ( uk confectionary, popular at xmas) in liquid form but using bitter orange. All said and done a really nice christmas stout. I have one small gripe, either I did not drink this quick enough but it was totally lifeless in the glass halfway down. I would have no problem buying/drinking this again. Summing up, definitely worth a try.

This scored a very respectable 7.5/10 on the 'picky friends are not just for christmas' Beerometer.

Alc : 7.5%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V
Web : Scullery Brew (danish only)

Nørrebro Bryghus - Dronning Louises Hvid Jul

ENG : Queen Louises White Christmas.

Not one I have had the pleasure ? to try before but the bottle caught my eye while in the local supermarket. I have one wish, I wish they would put some of these brews in normal sized bottles, well depending on the beer of course. Seeing it is friday and the weekend I think it's safe to crack this open. Blurb roughly translated below….

Queen Louises White Christmas is a refreshing light relation (wtf ?) to the dark christmas season. A christmas blond brewed for the people that wish an alternative to the dark traditional heavy christmas beer, but pursue a wish to serve a rich beer that has body and character enough to complement the Danish christmas dinner. (serving suggestions followed but sod that, i detest that shit written on beer labels)

Righty ho ho ho, on we go….

Very pungent waft of malt, spice and a little minuscule hint of hops when popping the cork and pouring.

Hvid jul pours clear golden with a frothy white head. Sweet intake with malt, wheat, caramel, a hint of black pepper and herbs while it finishes dry, malty and mildly bitter. In the aftertaste I'm reminded of my youth sucking on a barley sugar, though not as sweet combined with more malt. A light mouthfeel to this without being watery.

Ok, this beer confuses me. Take the bottles label away and I would not guess this was a seasonal brew as it is one that I would have no problem drinking in the height of summer. Very simplistic compared to the usual seasonal brews and not a huge amount going on with it, maybe that is the point ? I do have a gripe, why label this one with a christmas brew label when you have a couple of other christmas brews out already at the same time (julebryg and stjernestund). Stop that shit please, it's milking it too far..unless your name is Thisted Bryghus.

Summing up, I did enjoy this one and as said would have no problem drinking this again if labelled properly. It is worth a try, like the brewdog in the last post if you want a change of pace from the heavily spiced seasonals that are out just now.

This scored a generous 5.5/10 on the ' the north bridge is falling down, falling down' Beerometer.

Abv : 6.8%
Where to buy CPH : Føtex.

Krenkerup - Juleøl

Still a bit slow with new blog posts around here but I'm crammed with work. The second seasonal beer here I am expecting a more seasonal Danish brew than the Konrad fraud. I tasted this last year, made no notes at the time but thought it was very nice. Time to see if my memory is playing tricks with me or not ….

Wafts of christmas spice, caramel and fruit from the pour.

Juleøl pours dark hazy amber with a quick vanishing off-white head. Sweetish malty intake with cinnamon, star of anis, caramel, coriander and cloves leading into a dry,light bitter finish. Orange peel, cloves and cinnamon linger in the long, quite fruity aftertaste. Mildly carbonated and the mouthfeel is quite smooth.

Arrrrgghh, this was not the one I tried last year which was a Vienna Lager, my mistake and a totally different beer as there was two different brews released by them last year. I knew something was up when pouring this into a pint glass, doh. So how does this one do ? Well, all the flavours of a traditional danish christmas brew are there. None of the flavours are too dominant and it all blends in pretty nicely. Not one I could drink a lot of nor one I would bother with again as there is far better one's out there. It is worth a try if you have not tasted it before, don't expect any wow factor though.

This scored a respectable 6/10 on the ' I'm really off to a bad start here' Beerometer

Alc : 6.3%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen etc.

Mikkeller - Beer Hop Breakfast

Before I launch into what will hopefully be the first of two or three blogs this week I might as well get all the pre-waffle into this one....Nope, can't think of anything to say after a really crappy monday at work. I've a good idea what I'm going to get from this beer, let's just get on with it...

No wait...shopping for tonights evening meal in the supermarket they had a range of christmas beers out already, a bit early is it not ? I refuse to have a xmas brew at least until the 1st Nov. 2 years ago I did a 100 different xmas beers before xmas challenge thing, last year I did 50 (i was still recovering from an intestine infection, friggin painful btw). This year I will pick and choose very carefully as last years were to be honest, mainly crap due to over use of orange peel in a whole lot of brews. According to pre-blog notes, Delirium - Noel got the biggest nod last year.

Ok, now let's get on with it...

Big citrusy hop and pine aroma along with roasted malt, coffee and chocolate from the pour.

BHB pours black with a creamy brown head. Quite a sweet intake with strong coffee, dark dark chocolate, roasted malt and grapefruit leading to a heavily roasted and hoppy bitter finish. Long lingering aftertaste of strong coffee, dark bitter chocolate again and some floral hops. Low carbonation, medium bodied and has quite a light oily mouthfeel.  Despite the warming presence, no alcohol shines through to disturb any of the flavours.

It says black IPA on the bottle..I dunno why it does not just say extra hopped coffee stout :) I can't remember ever drinking a duffer from Mikkeller, maybe the Tjekket pils was a bit boring, but apart from that I have enjoyed and liked nearly everyone I have drunk, this being no exception. Very tasty and easy to drink despite the highish abv. While not quite reaching the level of the beer geek brews I would have no problem drinking this again. If you can find it it is worth a try.

This scored a solid 8/10 on the ' beer geeks, we're just not for christmas you know' Beerometer.

Alco : 7.5%
Where to buy CPH : Bought at Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard 53, Kbh V about a month ago.

Carlsberg - Imperial Stout/Gamle Carlsberg Porter

I have to admit, I'm having a hard time just now with new blog posts as I have seemed to lost the urge to try new to me craft and not so craft beer since I have started brewing my own. I do have about 30 untried and untasted stashed away so hopefully I can start churning posts out again, certainly 'she who must be obeyed' will be pleased as I seem to have beer everywhere at the minute. Having a fermenting vessel in the kitchen and one in the bedroom is doing me no favours whatsoever on the wife acceptance factor scale. Writing blog posts describing how good..or bad my own beer is is not my style as apart from family and friends no-one else is going to taste it so what is the point ? I will say though that my own version of a vienna seems to be a real winner with a few colleagues at work wanting to buy a case load.

So, on to this one which I noticed started appearing in kiosks and supermarkets a couple of months ago. I have no idea if it is a re-release as information is sketchy. If it is anything like Carls Porter then I'm onto a winner. It still makes me wonder why they don't export beer/brew it in the UK like that one. Coming from Scotland my initial impression of Carlsberg was cheap lager pishwater or cheap lager pishwater aimed at alcoholics(special brew). I do not get why they do not try to change the image and at least release one of the stouts/porters or any the better ones from the domestic danish market over there...ok, the last bit I might have took too far :).

Gamle ( Gam-le) = Old. Right, let's get cracking..

Wafts of roasted malt, licorice(arrrggghhh) and raw cane sugar from the pour.

This Imperial Stout pours pitch black with a beige to brown head. Sweet intake with dark roasted malts which are almost smokey like, chocolate, toffee, plums and only a dab of licorice(pheeew) which lead into a roasted bitter finish. Dark fruits, berries and chocolate linger in the short aftertaste. Lowly carbonated, the mouthfeel is quite rich and creamy. Although you can feel the presence no alcohol shines through.

What a cracking VFM beer. I think I like this better than the afore-mentioned Carls porter, though I think it fall short against it's cousin Wiibroe, which coincidently also is 8.2 abv, hmmm...though it is a different recipe as they don't taste the same. I have absolutely no problem buying this and drinking again. Summing up, one of them beers that if it had a fancy non-macro label it would be marked up.

This scored 8/10 on the 'don't tell anyone who makes it, pour it in the kitchen, dish out and let people make an arse of themselves' Beerometer.

Alc : 8.2%
Where to buy CPH : Basically anywhere.

Skovlyst - Oktoberfest

With Oktoberfest on, time for a 'fest bier' or two. Things have really gone downhill for german beer availability recently, well since the closure of Getrænkeland, which sold mostly standard german brews but there was a good few crackers to pick up every now and again. The biggest miss is they had a good selection of oktoberfest bier, so they are sadly missed here.

So, having to settle for mostly for domestic interpretations, let's see what this is like...

Bottle blurb translated.

A German inspired festival lager beer, brewed according to the German Reinheitsgebot using only malt, hops, yeast and water. A thirst quenching and fresh beer despite the powerfully malted body and the dark amber golden color.

Uh huh...We'll see....

Light aroma of sweet malt from the pour along with caramel and dusty hops.

Oktoberfest pours clear amber gold with a frothy white head. Sweet and malty on the intake with caramel and herbs while the finish is dry and mildly hoppy bitter. There is nothing much in the short aftertaste apart from some sweet malt. Medium carbonation, the mouthfeel is light and soft.

Well, all the tastes of a oktoberfest are there, but for me it is all a bit of a light edition, more of everything please next year ! Saying that, I still would have no problem drinking a few of these in a small session..if there is none of the real mccoy about, which due to the afore mentioned demise of getrænkeland seems the case this year. I guess I can pack away the cheap pretzels from lidl and borrowed dirndl, I'm joking !...Uhhhmm summing up, quaffable oktoberfest beer light edition.

This scored 5/10 on the '5 Bratwurst und 5 bier bitte ' Beerometer.

Alc : 5%
Where to buy CPH : Superbrugsen and other large supermarkets.

Nørrebro Bryghus - X

X in this case meaning a ten year birthday for this local Copenhagen brewery which has produced some very nice brews over the years. I'll translate the bottle blurb on this so you don't have to use google....

X - To celebrate Nørrebro Bryghus's 10th anniversary we have created this celebration brew that is refreshing, but also complex 6.5% dark milk ale (eh?)with a light smoked aroma that blends in harmony with the notes of vanilla. The smell is spiced from dry hopping with a background notes from the dark malts.

Confused what that means? I was .....So it is a milk stout/porter lightly smoked, vanilla and roast malts with a prominent aroma hop ? Time to find out what this is organic brew actually is...

Light wafts of roasted malt, vanilla, dark dried fruit and baby milk powder from the pour.

X pours black with a creamy beige head. Baby milk powder(or I could just say lactose) and slightly sweet intake with roasted malt, dark chocolate and a touch of spice. Fruity and very lightly smoked finish with blackcurrant and raisins and  a dab of eucalyptus ? in the long aftertaste. Low carbonation and the mouthfeel is silky and light creamy.

To be honest and fair I am all over the place with this one as I think my tastebuds have gone haywire and the above may possibly be way off the mark. I still enjoyed it though, ain't that the main thing ? Very fruity for a stout/porter, almost to the point of saying more like a christmas brew/winter warmer. Not one I will re-visit any time soon but no problem drinking another if offered.

This scored 7/10 on the ' I've made up enough baby milk bottles in my lifetime to know that smell..do you get organic milk powder ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 6.5%
Where to buy CPH : Bought in Irma.

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.

Thisted - Malthe

Probably the most confused/confusing brewery in Denmark. What I mean with that is they never seem to be consistent with the naming of their brews across their range. Forever changing brew names, labels, having organic and normal versions of the same brew, calling one beer something in a 33cl bottle and a different name in a 50cl bottle.. and so on. For gods sake, simplify the bloody range please ! Whoever is in charge of product management needs a good kick up the arse. Enough said.

They do produce one of Denmarks best value for money beers though, Thisted Limfjords Porter, which is superb for the price. Ok, time to move on to their latest creation, an organic dark lager or dunkel if you want to be proper, which no doubt has probably changed name and label by the time your read this...

As the name might suggest, a whole lot of malt with some chocolate and dark fruit coming off this from the pour.

Malthe pours dark brown with a ruby tinge in the glass along with a light beige creamy head. A medium sweet malty intake with dates, dark sugar, prunes(eeek) and licorice, thankfully well in the background while the finish is slightly dry. There is no hop/bitterness to this at all. The mouthfeel is light and bordering on oily.

I have to admit I'm writing this on the second bottle of this I tried, the first I drank quick straight from the fridge a couple of days ago and initial thoughts were it was not bad. This time however I've taken more time and the beer has went through the temperature changes while I pondered what an original IPA actually tasted like(last blog post), thanks to someone who gave me a good couple of suggestions btw.

For anyone that reads this blog regularly you will have noticed I hate two things in beer, well one is okay if it is in a stout...Prunes and licorice, the latter is the okay one. I ####ing detest prunes and the taste became more apparent as the beer warmed up. Of course, that is what I taste, your own mileage may vary.

Not impressed with this at all.. unless drunk at 4c quickly. Not one that will pass my lips again as there is far better dark lagers available in any larger supermarket. Yet another organic let down.

This scored 3.5/10 on the 'the most time I've taken writing any post...ever' Beerometer

Alc: 4.8%
Where to buy/avoid CPH : Any larger supermarket.

Wiibroe - Porter

So what is all this about you brewing I hear you not ask ? Well, it is a simple project of mine to learn about brewing and go from absolute novice to being able to produce a good standard everyday beer that I would be happy with...a pretty low goal to set myself but of course there is the hobby factor which I am enjoying, well apart from all the cleaning and sterilizing...and bottling. So far I have brewed using beer kits, extract recipes, partial mash, steeping speciality grains, adding extra hops and dry hopping.

No doubt I will take the plunge and go all grain sometime in the coming months but so far I am happy/comfortable with what I've done so far. The first brew, a golden ale, is just passable to drink. The second, a stout, is very promising although it needs a good amount of conditioning still. The third, a mongrel amber concoction/vienna/steam beer is not long bottled, the sample pint I drank from the fermenting vessel while bottling was very tasty so I have great hopes for it, using san francisco lager yeast seems to have paid off. The fourth, an extract belgian ale is fermenting away like mad and the whole place stinks of malt, not so good wife acceptance factor with this one as the fermentor is in the bedroom with the windows closed to keep the temperature up :/ I have an IPA then a red ale to do after then I will take stock and probably buy a lot more equipment than the 2 fermenting bins and soup pot I am using just now.

Ok, enough about this, lets get back to the ready made beer from Wiibroe, owned and brewed by Carlsberg....

Mild aroma of malt, chocolate, coffee and cigar !? from the pour.

Porter pours black with a quick falling brown creamy head. Mildly sweet roasted malt in the intake with  hints of smoke, heavily roasted coffee beans and touch of licorice which leads into a dark chocolate bitter finish. This has a very nice long chocolaty aftertaste. Lowly carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. No alcohol shines through.

Absolutely solid and simple imperial stout....for the price. This has such a well rounded taste, for me it is perfect for sipping while contemplating why I bother paying five times more for a local craft beer or an import. Definitely in my top five of Danish great value for money beers. No doubt, a regular again in my house in the coming autumn and winter months. Summing up, superb Danish value for money macro stout which puts a lot of the micro breweries to shame.

This scored 9/10 on the 'this came from an industrial, really ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 8.2%
Where to buy CPH : Most larger supermarkets.

Jacobsen - Høstbryg

Høstbryg = Harvest brew.

A new one from the house brewery at Carlsberg, this one being styled a vienna lager. I hope there is a bit more to it than the carly semper ardens weiner which was also just released. Being friday, less chit chat and get onto the beer in question eh ?....

Malt aroma from the pour with caramel and light citrusy hops.

Høstbryg pours a clear amber to copper with a white creamy head. Medium sweet very malty intake along with caramel and again light hoppy citrus while the finish is dry and mildly bitter. Can you guess the short aftertaste ?....yep, more malt which with the caramel is almost chewy butterscotch in taste. Light bodied, the mouthfeel is a tad watery.

Now I've had a pop at raters/fair isle jersey wearers using the saying 'one dimensional' , this one is a definite candidate for that saying to be used as it is a good chunk of sameness all the way through. However, it is a Vienna which is quite a simple brew so what do people expect ? Considering the brewer, to me this tastes like a luxury version of tuborg classic(bad comparison), with a different hop profile, which I've said before is decent when poured from a great height to knock all the co2 out ;).  Not one I would bother to buy again although I've no problem drinking another if offered. Summing up, an average simple and malty vienna.

This scored a generous 6/10 on the '+1 for all the malt/remembering me to get some oktoberfest beers in' Beerometer.

Alc : 5.9%
Where to buy CPH : Føtex

Carlsberg - Semper Ardens Porter

On offer in Netto of all places this week marks the return of the Semper Ardens range from Carlsberg. Why it went away, Christmas Ale excluded, I don't know but perhaps they were concentrating on the Jacobsen brand. So I picked this one up along with the weiner and kellerpils. As a lover of stouts I was a big fan of Criollo Stout which I thought was bloody excellent. For me, it was one of them beers that if blindfolded you would never have guessed it came from a huge industrial brewer. So, how will this replacement ? porter live up to that ........

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

This Porter pours black with a dark ruby tinge and has a creamy beige head. Quite sweet on the intake with dark roasted/almost burnt tasting malt, dark chocolate and a dab of licorice while the finish is bittersweet. This has a pleasant long-ish aftertaste of malt, licorice and milky coffee. Smooth mouthfeel though a bit oily with no alcohol shining through.

Summing up first...decent one bottle only porter that is worth a try. The reason I say one bottle only is mainly personal as I drank two bottles of this while writing this post (I did have other things going on) but during the second I thought it was beginning to be a bit dull, your own mileage may vary of course. While pretty good value for money, bought for 10 dkk, it is not a patch on the afore mentioned Criollo Stout. I don't know if it is a capacity thing but I've always wondered why the Semper Ardens/Jacobsen line do not, to my limited knowledge, get exported ? Answers on a postcard please. I have no problem buying and drinking this again.

This scored 7.5/10 on the 'oh, a macro brew, I must mark down' Beerometer.

Alc : 6.8%
Where to buy CPH : Netto

Mikkeller - Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

With all the Mikkeller posts someone asked me about this one and if I would blog it. Well here we go, much hyped and rated in various places in the top 25 beers in the world. Not that I have much time for ratings sites as I am very skeptical of beer tickers, the numbers game and comments of 'one dimensional' and 'boring' 600 times but hey, if that is how some people get their kicks out of beer then fair play to them.

Onto the beer in question. I can't say I am going in blind as I have had this before pre-blog. Blurb first...

This imperial Oatmeal stout is brewed with one of the world’s most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civetcats. The fussy Southeast Asian animals only eat the best and ripest coffee berries.Enzymes in their digestive system help to break down the bean. Workers collect the bean-containing droppings for Civet or Weasel Coffee. The exceedingly rare Civet Coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma.

Big aroma of coffee, heavy roasted malt, chocolate and light hops from the pour.

Brunch Weasel pours pitch black with a creamy light brown head. Heavy dark roasted malt on the sweet intake with strong coffee, bitter dark chocolate and a touch of pine while the finish is quite hoppy and bitter. This has a long lasting aftertaste of malt, coffee and dark chocolate. Softly carbonated, the mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. While you can certainly feel the warming presence of the alcohol it does not shine through to impair the flavour.

For quite a miserable monday..what a start to the week ! Now I am not the greatest fan of coffee in stouts as some can be overpowering and in some cases I'm left wondering if they chucked it in for the sake of it however with this I can only come to the conclusion that the world needs more coffee bean eating weasels ! I really really, no really enjoyed this one and it was a total pleasure to drink. Definitely one you could drink as a treat for yourself. Summing up, if I had only 25 beers to drink before my lights go out this would be one of them. Hunt it down and give it a try.

This scores a perfect 10/10 on the 'did you expect anything lower on this, the 'raters' got it right this time ?' Beerometer.

Alc : 10.9%
Where to buy CPH : Kihoskh, Ølbutikken, Fish & Beer & Høkeren all stock it.

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.

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

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

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.

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.