Beer Advent Calendar Day 2- To Øl/Mikkeller Sleep Over Coffee IIPA

Good evening all. It's time for today's advent calendar post, and the first of potentially many Mikkeller beers over the next 25 days. It's Sleep Over Coffee IIPA, a DIPA collaboration between To Øl and Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark) that utilises espresso coffee in the brewing process to create an interesting DIPA/Black IPA hybrid. I'm a big fan of both of these gypsy breweries; virtually all of their output is fantastic, and even the less successful offerings still have some merit to them, so naturally expectations are high for this beer. Review after the pics....

Sleep Over Coffee IIPA (10.5% ABV) pours a cloudy orange colour with a bubbly head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer; there's also some lacing during the early stages. The aroma is unusual but very interesting, with coffee, grapefruit, mango, resinous pine, a light smokiness and a background smell similar to oily pimento olives. The olive aroma is something I've come across before (Goose Island Pepe Nero immediately comes to mind), but fortunately it's in the background and only becomes apparent once the main aromas pass. The coffee hits immediately and almost masks the influence of the hops, and they only become noticeable after a few inhales with the usual tropical fruits and some piney notes. No real sense of the malt/beer base either; some smoked malt seems to come along every once in a while but this might just be the coffee. Nothing much else to report regarding the aroma, but it's shaping up to be an interesting spin on the DIPA style. The taste delivers much of the same, with coffee, resin, caramel, grapefruit and a nice dose of bitterness during drinking and in the finish. As with the aroma the coffee is the most immediate flavour, but it doesn't let up as readily this time and so impedes the hop flavours until the finish, where some grapefruit and a hint of mango lingers on. Aside from this and the aforementioned coffee there's not much else going on, but this isn't a criticism as it makes a change from the usual DIPAs. There is some sweetness during drinking, and the bitterness can be pretty intense as expected, so it certainly ticks all the usual boxes! The mouthfeel is quite thick and the beer is well-carbonated, which is perfect for the flavours on show. Overall, this is another great collaboration between two Danish brewing titans; the coffee compliments the hop-derived fruits nicely, and the whole experience is a pleasant departure from the usual crop of DIPAs. Definitely recommended; similar beers include Mikkeller Koppi IPA and The Kernel Coffee IPA. 

Until next time....

To Øl Final Frontier DIPA

Good evening all. It's my penultimate evening in Devon before heading back up to Guildford for the beginning of the intense conclusion to my degree, so I'm going to continue a tradition I inadvertently started last summer by having one of To Øl's IPAs- more specifically Final Frontier DIPA, an Imperial IPA that builds upon their flagship IPA First Frontier with a bigger malt base and more hop additions. Looking forward to this one a lot as I thoroughly enjoyed First Frontier! Review after the pic....

Final Frontier DIPA (9.0% ABV) pours a light amber colour with a thick white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. There's some lacing present during drinking, and agitation of the beer renews the thick head relatively easily. The aroma is composed of pine, citrus fruits, a caramelised sugar sweetness and a herbal quality once the nose has become accustomed to the hoppy aromas. The piney hops and citrus fruits hit at first, backed up by a caramel sweetness that mixes well with the hop-derived fruits. This initial burst gives way to herbal, vegetative aromas that are more reminiscent of bittering hops, with the sweetness still residing in the background. Returning to the beer after a brief respite brings back the power of the fruity hops, and it's certainly a fantastic aroma. The taste is predominantly composed of resinous hops, with some citrus fruits popping up every so often to cut through the pine flavours, and there's also a dry vinous dimension during drinking that works as a good transition into the slightly bitter finish. The herbal flavours also make themselves known after the resinous hops have diminished, and these mix well with the bitterness as it makes itself known. The mouthfeel is quite thick and the beer is well carbonated, which compliments the stickier hop flavours. Overall, a very good imperial IPA with plenty of fresh oily hop flavours supported by a noticeable sweetness, culminating in a nice injection of bitterness that doesn't overload the palette. To Øl certainly know how to make a decent IPA, and I'd happily get this offering again in the future.

Until next time....