REVIEW: Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper & Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Ah, Mikkeler, purveyors of all beers weird, wild, and most importantly, delicious. It's been too long since I've checked out one of their brews. Today I'm taking a look at Santa's Little Helper, a Belgian style strong dark ale aged in cognac barrels. And to pair with it, the Rankin Bass classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

GUEST REVIEW: Mikkeller Funky E Star

We're wrapping up this week with something special, another guest review! Today we get the thoughts of the lovely and talented Meredith Johns on quite a wild beer, Mikkeller's Funky E Star. A Belgian stong pale ale aged in chardonnay barrels. I'm just going to step aside here and let Meredith take it away. To the beer!

REVIEW: Mikkeller Mexas Ranger

So far this week I've looked at a stout brewed with Oranges, a Belgian ale brewed with Sea Salt. Neither of those beers have anything on the wild ingredients used in this brew. Mikkeller, who we've looked at before, are no strangers to pushing the boundaries, but Mexas Ranger is most definitely the most daring of their beers that I have had the pleasure to enjoy. Mexas Ranger is brewed with spices, almond milk, cocoa, chilies, black beans, avocado leaves and is then aged in tequila barrels! I couldn't look myself in the mirror if I left that beer on the shelves. I just wish I had some tacos to go along with it! To the beer!

GUEST REVIEW: Mikkeller It's Alive

We're trying something a little bit diffrent for today's post. You're not getting my thoughts on a beer today. I know, I know. Try to contain your grief.  Instead we have a guest review, in video form, from my brother and sister-in-law Cart & Elizabeth! They are taking a look at Mikkeller's It's Alive. A Belgian Strong pale ale fermented with wild brettanomyces yeast. Hence the term wild ale. I had planned on getting a bottle myself and taking a look at it with them but I couldn't find any in the area so we'll just have to rely on Cart & Elizabeth. Lets see what they thought. To the beer!

REVIEW: Mikkeller Citra Single Hop IPA

Sorry today's post is getting up a little late. Full disclosure: I just got back from seeing The Avengers. It was in-freaking-credible. Go see it. Anyways, what were we talking about?  Oh yeah, beer. So lately a trend that I've been noticing more and more of is single hop IPAs. What this means is that a beer has been brewed using only one hop variety. Most beers are brewed using a combination of different varieties to add different aromas, flavors, and bitterness. A single hop IPA really showcases the flavors of a specific hop variety. The most prevalent example is probably Founders' Centennial IPA which is brewed with, you guessed it, Centennial hops. Sixpoint, with their Spice of Life series, brews a different single hop for every month of the year. Today's beer comes from Mikkeller and is brewed using only Citra hops. To the beer!

REVIEW: Mikkeller Hop Burn Double Imperial IPA

Up until now I've kept this blog American beer centric. Part of that was a conscious decision. I know American beer better, I feel more confident discussing it. But in doing that I'm cutting off myself from a whole world (literally!) of awesome beers. Today's beer is from Mikkeller, a very interesting brewer. They are headquartered in Denmark but are a "phantom" brewery meaning that they brew beers at other brewery facilities in multiple countries including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and the United States. When people in the craft beer community talk about the best breweries in the world Mikkeller is often at or very near the top of that list. I've heard tales and legends of their great beers for some time had not even seen any of them let alone tried them. Recently I found a bunch of their beers at The Party Source in Bellvue, Kentucky and knew I had to jump at the chance. To the beer!