#mikkeller bar

[thedaily-beer]

Mikkeller’s Henry Hops on tap at Mikkeller Bar in SF. A 3 of 4. A pretty standard, good, IPA. Has some nice grassy/pine qualities as well as some lighter lemon/citrus notes, and a balanced body with a clean finish. This is good, but pretty simple.

[thedaily-beer]

Temescal Identity Crisis IPA on tap at Mikkeller Bar In SF. A 3 of 4. A pretty standard West Coast IPA with a dominant pine/citrus hop profile and nice thick, sticky lacing on top. Firmly bitter in the body and some nice caramel malt sweetness.

[thedaily-beer]

Mikkeller SD’s Windy Hill NE IPA on tap at Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco. A 4 of 4. A great hazy IPA with all the characteristics you’d expect. Nice and sticky and has a ton of tropical fruit and juicy qualities up front, as well as a bit of resin and herbal notes in the finish. Not exceedingly bitter, but a great example of the style.

[thedaily-beer]

Fieldwork’s Broken Clouds Double IPA on tap at Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco. A 3 of 4. A really nice DIPA that has a nice balance between the more juicy, fruity hop qualities and a big resinous body. Some nice malt sweetness balances, and while it is 8.5%, it seems to taste bigger than it is. The thicker, sticky body is quite nice.

[thedaily-beer]

Tahoe Mountain’s Evolution of the Gueuze on tap at Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco. A 4 of 4. One of the best in the style I’ve had in a long time, full stop -- not just from the US. Really great funk in the nose and an obvious tartness. Some nice lemon qualities and quite a lot of tannins from the oak. Nice and restrained and delivers the qualities you’d expect in an excellent package.

[thedaily-beer]

Cellarmaker’s Cloud 9 IPA on tap at Mikkeller Bar in SF. A 4 of 4. Simply a great IPA - lots of fruit juice and some floral notes up front. Not incredibly bitter, but there’s some great citrus and some herbal notes as well in the body. Decent fruity sweetness throughout, easy-drinking, and finishes dry. Excellent.

[hoptards]

On the move

Investigating. You have probably noticed by now that we have "favourite places" to drink at. It's just by chance we end up in Fermentoren - both in Aarhus and Copenhagen. In Aarhus because it's one of the only decent alternatives to Studenterbaren  and in Copenhagen because it's plain cosy. 

The tourist take on Copenhagen made us end up in both Mikkeller Bar and Mikkeller & Friends. This last one takes the cake between the two branded bars, not only because it has a greater beer selection, but also because it's nicely designed, furnished and has a better vibe to it. Probably because it fits more people and the musical background is more consistent.

With that being said, I'd like to announce already one of our New Year's resolution - take you to a fantastic Copenhagen craft beer tour in the following weeks, together with places and brews' review.

Keep in touch!

[hoptards]

Copenhagen

Before getting all adventurous and diving into the Mikkeller bar hidden (okay, not hidden, but buried somehow) in a basement in Viktoriagade (apparently a part of the Meatpackers' district - I just HAD to say it) I had to have a lunch pit stop. Before taking all the credit for this discovery I must say that my friend was the one suggesting what I later discovered to be - probably - the best sandwich place in Copenhagen. If you don't believe me, just Google "best sandwiches Copenhagen" and Smagsløget will pop up as the second link. Scout's honour! Now I wasn't very inspired so I just went for the Smagsløgets hit, which was a roast beef delight, filled with chilli pesto and some manchego cheese that swiped me off my feet - both because of its deliciousness, its size and the fact that it was toasted. Now the place might not look like much from the outside, but the fact that they're basically slicing the roast beef, chorizo or cheese right in front of you makes it more authentic. And it's cheap.

Now after this kind of feast I just HAD to have a good beer. So I steered towards the Mikkeller bar. I wasn't impressed by the looks of the bar. It didn't strike me as cosy and the music was rather random and weird. But hey, who am I to judge?! After all I was only there for the beer. And beer I got...a bit pricey for the 20cl glasses, but then again I was there to "enjoy". My friends and I were a bit unimpressed by the lack of stouts (only two) on the menu, but we had to admit that the hot summer day called for different kinds of beer - kudos for adapting the menu to the heat. 

I only had two beers at the Mikkeller bar. One was the I Hardcore You Double IPA, brewed together with Brew Dog, which proved to be a hazardous choice for a first beer - a full taste, intense, bitter -sweet...more sweet than bitter, a hint of dried, confit fruit - a bit too much in my opinion, but then again it was a double-quadruple IPA sort of mischief by two breweries that know no boundaries when it comes to intensity. Well I might say that if for some this beer scores a 99, I would not go over the 20cl glass, even on a day where I hunger for taste. Intensity doesn't equal a good beer and sometimes less really is more...But then again, I'm the type of person who sees a meat lover pizza covered in sausages and kebab meat as an abomination. So what do I know?

I took a chance and decided to clear my buds and refresh my soul after the debauchery of a double IPA and went for a curious thing - a Mikkeller Vesterbro Spontan Ale, a lambic that is exactly what it needs to be - sour and fresh, not too intense, no pretentiousness, just a plain good beer. A thing that is so hard to achieve by Mikkeller. Not to dish the fantastic brews, but on a summer day intensity can be dangerous. I was pleasantly surprised but it might be that some others could find it too dry or too sour. I think it's exactly what I needed after a delicious lunch...

So if you find yourselves in Copenhagen on a sunny afternoon, go for a sandwich at Smagsløget and a beer in Viktoriagade. Do that even if the afternoon is not sunny. The sandwiches are warm and Mikkeller is bound to have a nice stout on tap.