Mikkeller Citra Single Hop IPA

Good evening all. Apologies for the fairly lackluster review this evening- it's been a less than ideal week so I'm not completely committed to hop-related prose at the moment. The show must go on though, so let's delve into the cellar and pick something interesting. It seems it's time for another single hop IPA from the gypsy brewing supremo Mikkeller- in particular, an offering centered on a hop type that garnered a lot of attention for its tropical fruit flavours and dual-purpose nature when it was released in 2008. The hop in question is Citra, and you can expect the review after the pic....

Citra Single Hop IPA (6.9% ABV) pours an amber colour with a white head that retains itself well during drinking. The aroma is resinous and piney, with some floral character and a background sweetness. These are all quite subtle though, and don't become pronounced as the beer warms up. The taste is composed of citrus fruits, malt, flowers, caramelised sugar and a grassy character, with a subdued bitterness in the finish and a candy floss aftertaste. The mouthfeel is quite thick and well carbonated. Overall, a solid single hop IPA that demonstrates the versatility of Citra very well. It can impart a surprising amount of citrus/tropical fruits with a pleasing yet noticeable bitterness, and produces a very decent IPA on its own. I wouldn't get this beer again but it is worth trying once, even if the only purpose is to increase your understanding of what different hop types can contribute to a beer.

Until next time....

Mikkeller Sorachi Ace Single Hop IPA

Good evening all. I had this beer last night after purchasing it from Beers of Europe (http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/) about a month ago, and at the time I was surprised to discover Mikkeller had produced a single hop IPA utilising this particular hop. As I've mentioned before, last year I managed to purchase 14 out of the 19 single hop IPAs that Mikkeller produced, and each beer provided an incredibly useful insight into how certain hop types contribute to the flavour and aroma of a drink. However, I didn't know at the time that one of the five I missed out on was made using Sorachi Ace, a Japanese hop type that came out around 2007-08 that I happen to be quite a fan of. A couple of days after visiting the website, I had a bottle of it in my hands, along with a bottle of the Citra Single Hop IPA as I missed out on that one too! I was looking forward to this one so much that I couldn't resist making it my mid-week beer. Review after the pic....

Sorachi Ace Single Hop IPA (6.9% ABV) pours a hazy dark amber colour with a thick white head that settles to a thin coating over the surface of the beer. The aroma consists of resinous and citrus hops, bubblegum, caramelised sweetness, a hint of lemon and some background funk. The overall combination is very reminiscent of a saison, with plenty of musty, earthy tones and some fruity esters. The taste brings out more of these esters, with malt, bubblegum, citrus fruits, piney notes and some grassy flavours. The finish is only slightly bitter, with a grape-like aftertaste. It's actually more tart/sour than bitter, but not as excessive as a lambic or a wild ale. The mouthfeel is quite thick with a decent amount of carbonation. Overall, this beer is a very good showcase of the Sorachi Ace hop type. Reading further into Sorachi Ace, it seems that it's famed for its lemony aroma and flavour, but I was only picking up very subtle hints of this every so often. For me, this hop is all about pine flavours and subdued earthy funkiness. A very interesting beer- I probably wouldn't get it again but it's definitely worth a try. 

Until next time....