Beer Advent Calendar Day 13, 14, 15 and 16- Two Mikkellers, one De Struise and a Kernel in a Pear Tree

Good evening all. I was pretty exhausted last night following an epic weekend of jamming and drinking Iron Maiden wine with an old 'Nam buddy, so I had no desire to review a load of beers in order to catch up with the advent calendar. Fortunately I'm feeling it tonight, so I'm going to review four beers now and do two tomorrow; by which point I should be able to resume normal service from the 19th up to Christmas Day. Tonight's beers are as follows; The Kernel/Brodies' India Pale Ale SCANNERS, De Struise Brouwers' Pannepeut Old Monk's Ale, Mikkeller's Monk's Elixir (Barrel Aged Red Wine Edition with Brett) and Mikkeller's Black (Tequila/Speyside Edition). For the sake of clarity I'm going to use the capsule review style for each beer, so at least you won't have to read as much this time round! Reviews below....

The Kernel/Brodies India Pale Ale SCANNERS

Style: India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.9%

Appearance: Hazy pale golden colour, inch of white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass.

Aroma: Mango, grapefruit, acetone, caramel/honey sweetness.

Taste: Mango, grapefruit, peach, pine, very light coffee notes, decent amount of bitterness in finish. Sweetness during drinking, none of the flavours have particular dominance.

Mouthfeel: Slightly thick, light carbonation. Lacks that nice tight head and effortless drinking quality of most Kernel offerings.

Verdict: Not as amazing as I was expecting, particularly when considering the hype it's garnered recently, but it's still a decent IPA. Personally I'd rather choose any other Kernel IPA over this one, but it's still worth trying at least once.

De Struise Brouwers Pannepeut Old Monk's Ale

Style: Belgian Strong Ale

ABV: 10.0% ABV

Appearance: Dark brown, thick beige head that settles to a thin film over the surface of the beer.

Aroma: Candy sugar, plasticine, blackcurrant, marzipan, phenols, rich malt, caramel. Nice and luxurious yet well-composed and light, very similar to a Quad.

Taste: Dark candy sugar, yeast extract, fruity tartness, Belgian yeast character (phenols), caramelised sweetness, warming quality from the alcohol. As with the aroma it's very light, has some woody tones and fortified wine. No sense of alcohol during drinking but a nice hit during finish, sense of hops in aftertaste. Very Quad-like.

Mouthfeel: Thick, well-carbonated. Very smooth and interacts with flavours nicely. 

Verdict: Great beer; plenty of flavours on show, wrapped up in a very drinkable package. Definitely recommended.

Mikkeller Monk's Elixir (Barrel Aged Red Wine Edition with Brett)

Style: Quad

ABV: 10.5%

Appearance: Dark brown colour, thick white head that maintains itself well throughout the beer. Some lacing in the early stages.

Aroma: Plenty of brett funk, vinous, almost like a Flanders Red or an Oud Bruin with the lactic acid quality. Some sweetness from the wine, quite hard to discern anything else due to the power of the wine and brett.

Taste: Vinous, loads of brett, candy sugar, tart fruits, yeast extract. Very powerful wine and funk character, a light Quad profile in the background (malt, marzipan, subtle Belgian yeast).

Mouthfeel: Thick, beer is well-carbonated- compliments vinous qualities and funk power.

Verdict: Pretty intense offering- lots of stuff going on but the extraneous additions certainly take dominance. These can be a bit unbalanced and overpowering now again, but despite this the beer is certainly worth trying at least once as there's nothing else quite like it out there.

Mikkeller Black (Tequila/Speyside Edition)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 18.8%

Appearance: Black with a brown tinge, short-lived off-white head that settles to a thin halo around the inside of the glass.

Aroma: Smoky/peaty whisky, plenty of booze, licorice, smoked malt, caramel, brown sugar. Very complex and carried a powerful alcoholic hit, some yeast extract, malt, dark fruits.

Taste: Tequila booze and alcoholic burn, caramel, smoke, alcohol hits along sides of the mouth and creates a harsh tartness/warming quality in chest. Licorice, burnt sugar, yeast extract, chocolate, tequila hits bottom of mouth heavily. Finish is relatively flavourless but alcohol continues on long after drinking.

Mouthfeel: Slightly thick, although volatility of alcohol thins it out slightly, moderately carbonated.

Verdict: Truly a one-of-a-kind beer- tequila barrel-ageing supplies a lot of alcoholic intensity whilst whisky barrel-ageing provides a nice smokiness which mingles with the base beer well whenever it manages to push through. Highly recommended.

Until next time....

The Kernel India Pale Ale Double Citra

Good afternoon all. It's been a fun day today, with any potential progress on my project effectively ground to a halt indefinitely due to radiators leaking all over the analytical instruments, so I'm fairly confident I'll be having something strong tonight to quell the anger. Now that I've aired that grievance, it's time to review the beer I had last night. It's another hoppy beast from the masters at The Kernel, this time with a double injection of Citra, which might be why they chose to call it India Pale Ale Double Citra. Review after the pic....

India Pale Ale Double Citra (9.8% ABV) pours an amber colour with a bubbly white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. The aroma is amazing, with lots of tropical fruits, some pine/resin, a caramelised sweetness and a slightly boozy quality in the background supporting everything. In typical Kernel fashion the hops smell incredibly fresh and oily, which is always a delight to encounter. The taste is just as fruity, with piney hop flavours, citrus and caramel. There's a slight bitterness in the finish but  surprisingly this isn't excessive, despite the increased hop content. The mouthfeel is quite thick with moderate carbonation. Overall, yet another brilliant IPA from The Kernel that demonstrates the extreme fruitiness of Citra, but also shows how it can be used on its own to create a perfectly proportioned IPA that packs lots of fruit and pine and a noticeable yet very pleasing bitterness. Makes me want to visit the brewery again to pick up another bottle of this stuff- highly recommended!

Until next time....

The Kernel India Pale Ale Chinook

Good morning all. Another post already, aren't you lucky? This beer was consumed on Friday and is from one of my favourite UK breweries, The Kernel. I've managed to have a few of their IPAs over the last year, and each one blows me away with its balance and the freshness of the hops being used. This particular offering has been brewed with Chinook hops, and naturally I have high expectations based on the prestige of the brewery and previous experiences, so let's get to it. Review after the pic....

India Pale Ale Chinook (7.1% ABV) pours a pale golden colour with a thick white head that settles to a patchy covering over the surface of the beer. There's a small amount of lacing during the first half of the beer, something I haven't seen for a while with all of the stouts I've been having! The aroma is fantastic, with resinous hops, flowers and a decent malty presence in the background. Plenty of fresh oily hop aromas that are well-balanced and not too imposing, typical Kernel brilliance. The taste is composed of light piney hops, grapefruit, citrus, malt and a slight sweetness in the background. The finish isn't overly bitter, and the hop flavours linger on, accompanied by a grape/apple aftertaste. The mouthfeel is well carbonated and quite thick, which supports and boosts the hop flavours and aromas very well. Overall, another stellar IPA from The Kernel- further proof that they are one of the finest breweries in this country right now. They produce a variety of fantastic beers, but the IPAs in particular are beyond belief. Highly recommended!

Until next time....