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Before I get started, I should probably explain the concept of Mikkeller's Single Hop IPAs... or at least my understanding of why they were made. Hops make an IPA, and there are many different kinds of hops out there for the brewers of the world to experiment with. Mikkel took the experimentation to its natural conclusion: create a base IPA beer recipe then change out the hops to showcase the unique characteristics of a particular hop. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. (I've done a similar experiment with yeast strains in a couple of carboys of the same homebrewed stout, and I was pleased with the results.) Anyway, on to the tasting notes...
First up was the beer I had with dinner tonight: Mikkeller Tomahawk Single Hop IPA. I forgot that Tomahawk is another name for Columbus, which has a higher alpha acid percentage ("bitterness" to make it easy). That bitterness carried through past the other flavors on my palate... meaning it blew away my palate, makng everything else harder to taste. Pairing it with the somewhat bitter Lacinato kale—the veggie in tonight's dinner—was probably a mistake, as the nuances of bitterness and flavor were mostly lost. As I like to drink my beers on the "warmer" side, I should have let it warm up to about 40 degrees F. Also, I think the "best by" date is exaggerated for the international market, which further exacerbates the lost subtleties of the hop characteristics of this beer. I know better... drink IPAs fresh, slightly warmer than the 'fridge temp, and in a good tulip glass to accentuate the hop aromas. Sorry Mikkel, I know this beer is good, but I didn't treat it properly. [RateBeer.com: 98 pts]
Tonight's second beer is Mikkeller East Kent Golding Single Hop IPA. I'll start by saying I made the same mistakes with all six of the Mikkeller Single Hop IPAs I have left (drank a few back in late December). Now that I gotten the "baggage" out of the way, I can say that I really enjoyed this beer. I can taste "through" the age to what this beer was when it was fresh: another fine beer. The bitterness was less than the Tomahawk (duh!), with a subtle fruity-hop sweetness still present. There is a bit of grassy hop flavor present, but I'm struggling to get the rest of the flavors quantified from my "flavor-memory" of an hour ago. [RateBeer.com: 90 pts]
Since I decided to indulge the tasting notes request, I figured I should add a third beer to tonight's list to round it out. Normally I stop at two beers on weeknights, sometimes having just one, but tonight, well, what the heck! The third beer is Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA and... uh... Wow! Nice, especially given the "baggage" that I know is dragging down this beer. I'm tasting... grapefruit and... hmm... something tropical in the hop flavors. The malts, like the other beers listed above, are present but not overpowering or massive like in an Imperial IPA. I am glad I'm drinking this now, as the beer is on the downward slope of its flavor peak. Among the three beers tonight, this is the best in my opinion. [RateBeer.com: 98]
Tonight's Tasting Notes soundtrack (highlights):
- Ramasutra - Daisy
- Enigma - Seven Lives
- Nikkfurie de la Caution - Thé à la menthe
- Nine Inch Nails - The Good Soldier (instrumental version)
- Add N to (X) - Poke 'er 'ole
- Crystal Castles - Alice Practice
- Oingo Boingo - Ain't This the Life (from the vinyl "Urgh! A Music War")
Far more in depth than I'd expected, but very good read and informative. Dunno if it'd make me like IPAs any more, but at least I understand more. Perhaps it's due to so many brewers (especially locals like Founders and Great Lakes) overdosing us with Hopocalyptic proportions.....
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