Mikkeller Spontanredcurrant

On this September eve we're enjoying the last of our Danish spoils, a red currant lambic from Mikkeller.

Claudia: Clean, sour beginnings. The color of a brass doorknob. Malty finish, yet nothing overbearing. Manages to be light yet full-bodied at the same time. An understated bitterness is the end product of a delightful platter of sour stuff. I think this is a really good beer, but it's too sour to drink successively. It's too pungent of an experience -- you can't really mellow out with it. 8/10


Grayson: It's ripe and juicy. What is a red currant? Is it like a cranberry? Because I'm being punched with something like cranberry juice. The flavor spreads out in my mouth and leaves me with a long stretch of  cranberry bitterness. I like this one but it's not quite as complex as the other one we had in this series, Spontancassis. 8/10

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

We've had quite a hiatus but we figured that now's a good time to make our return: we're on vacation in Copenhagen. After an excellent trip to the famed Ølbutikken this afternoon, we have in our glass a fine lambic from Cantillon that's apparently unavailable in the States: St. Lamvinus.

Jay: A dusty fruit smell welcomes and invites: I can tell this is going to be memorable. After the first sip, it's clear that this is about as close as you can get to wine-beer. A pure sour red-grape flavor persists from start to finish, gently electrifying the roof of my mouth as I swallow. There's no vinegar-y aftertaste; just the smooth, pleasant sourness that's characteristic of Cantillon's beers. I'm reminded of mild pinot noir, but I think I'd take this over almost all red wines. Excellent. 8.5/10

Claudia: Like wine, honeysuckle, and orange peel. A journey through a long morning. Reminds me of cherry Dum-dums. Cloudy and opaque; this beer would go well with brie. I like it. 8/10

Ithaca 12 Anniversary Ale

Claudia: Mmm -- so good! Maltiness, slight bitterness, some licorice flavor. I'm getting subtle hints of fruit: blackberries boiling in cinnamon. This beer tastes complex yet is still light enough to be drunk without any serious repercussions. I'm also getting some faint butterscotch. I think it'd go really excellently with a sour cherry pie. I really like this beer, but maybe that's because I haven't had good beer in a really long time. Also, maybe I'm giving it really high marks because I've been stressed out and this is helping out a lot. 8.5/10

Jay: Hm. I think I'm a little rusty at reviewing, it's been so long. This beer has a classic quadruple taste: figs, wine, nuttiness, astringency. I left it out long enough to warm up to about 55º. At this temperature, it's incredibly smooth and balanced. This is good and it's nice to be drinking a complex beer like this after such a long break, but I'm not sure it's as good as the heavy-hitting quadruples like the St. Bernardus. 8/10

Mikkeller Duel: Simcoe Single Hop IPA & Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA

We're enjoying this warm Saturday night with our friend Eric and a couple of the Mikkeller single hop varieties.

First up is the Simcoe:

Claudia: Sourness comes through at the end of this hoppy number. At first sniff, I detect peaches, apricots, and a slew of summer fruit. Maybe a pie with a crumb topping. But this soon gives way to a faint leathery smell . I feel that this beer would go well with Ritz crackers. This is a medium-bodied beer; I'm pleased with the carbonation; I would find it a little bit more drinkable if it weren't so bitter. That said, I like this beer. 7/10

Jay: Ahhh. Smells skunky and kind of like apricots. Moderate level of bitterness comes through right away. There's a bit of astringency in the finish. Overall the taste isn't complex but it's solid and very drinkable. I feel like this would go well with a sliced meat platter- maybe some salamis and some hams, a spicy Italian meat. 7.5/10

Eric: Starts with a ripe blood-orange and other sweet citrus flavors and ends with fresh cut grass. But the flavor's a little muted and it could be a bit more fragrant. There could be more malt to speak with which is good if they're showing off the hops, but I could use a little more. Not very complex. 7/10


...and the Nelson Sauvin:

Eric: Wow. A much better smell. A lot more fragrant than the last one. A lot tastier too. I'm getting red currant or a berry flavor, almost like berries in tea, upfront at least. But much more pronounced bitterness than the last one too and more flavor. Not much in the way of malt, though. It has a piney finish. I really like that. 8.5/10

Jay: Smells stronger than the Simcoe; mostly of spruce. Citrus and berries at the beginning: maybe raspberries or pomegranates. Nice, even, straightforward bitterness with a sticky, bitter, herbal finish. I like the complexity and overall taste of this variety more than the Simcoe, and now I want to try all the others. 8/10

Claudia: Much more pungent smell in this beer than the last. Sourness is not as apparent in this one, but it is present, and it's much more hoppy. I taste notes of basil, thyme, and pomegranate, and a much fuller body. This beer seems like it would be good to drink on a snowy day. It's a little too heavy to drink casually, however, it seems much more well-crafted and has more depth. It covers more bases than the Simcoe. 7.5/10

Pisgah Vortex I

This is another bottle from City Beverage, that store we praised in an earlier entry. Pisgah is a microbrewery in Asheville with very limited distribution, so we were lucky to find this one.

Jay: This "triple pale ale" is almost pure hops. Smells of raisin and apricot. Thick, sticky apricot taste up front with a lingering sweet bitterness afterwards. The hop-malt balance is impressive for such a strong ale. This tastes almost identical to a beer I've had before; I think I'm thinking of Stone's Double Bastard Ale. I'm pretty pleased with this, and look forward to trying more of Pisgah's offerings when I can find them. 8/10

Claudia: Explicit bitterness. This beer makes no qualms about being hoppy, and in fact, it's the only flavor I can taste immediately. Notes of peach, green grape, pretzel, and maybe some quinoa. I don't really care for this beer that much; maybe it's because I feel like I've tasted many beers like it before. Oskar Blues Gordon (I think) comes to mind: they did the same thing better. 6.5/10

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Jay put his name on a list to be called when this highly sought-after beer arrived at our local store. The call came just before St. Patrick's Day, and we've been holding on to three of the four beers since. We're finally getting to reviewing it two months later, and tonight we've enjoyed it with the sweet counterpart of bourbon molasses mashed sweet potatoes.

Claudia: Full-bodied round presence. Immediate taste of coffee, molasses, chocolate (as any good stout should have), licorice and almost something grape-ish. There's moderate carbonation, but it only serves to lift the beer up, rather than make it heavier. It retains a deep, syrupy texture while still being highly drinkable. This is one of my favorite stouts I've ever had. It's so perfect. 9.5/10

Jay: Sweet, powerful bourbon aroma. I can already tell this one's going to be great. Syrupy, smooth mouthfeel is the first thing I notice. Taste is composed of bitter coffee, bourbon, chocolate, oatmeal and various spices. Definitely boozy, but pretty well hidden for an 11.2% stout. Aftertaste sticks around for quite a while. This definitely lives up to the hype. 9/10

Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vielle

We took our first trip in our new car this weekend and headed up to Radford, VA. On the way, Jay insisted we stop at City Beverage in Winston-Salem, which turned out to be possibly the best beer store we've ever visited (and we've been to plenty). We picked up our usual assortment of ales and lagers, but I longed for something sour, so, lo & behold, I plucked up a fancy lambic. Below are our reviews.

Jay: Smells like those cinnamon-clove apples you cook around Halloween, combined with a yeasty Belgian funk. Tastes like apple-peach cobbler at first, then a complex blend of spice and sourness. Sour cherry lingers on the palate. Mmm. Apples and cloves. 8.5/10

Claudia: Immediate scent of cinnamon and yeast upon inhalation. Cherries waft forth as if being cooked in a cobbler. But any slight skunky odor quickly gives way to a light taste of ripe cherry, mulling spices, and bitterness. This is one of the most sour beers I've ever had, and it lacks the depth of something like Duchess de Borgone; that isn't to say it isn't good, it's just a whole different ballgame. I'm quite pleased with this selection. 8.5/10