18. Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA

The Mikkeller Brewery is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. There’s some sort of cheesy Shakespearian joke implied in the location of Mikkeler, something about hauntings or spectres of the past looming. Or maybe I’m just channeling Bob and Doug McKenzie. Take off, eh? Worst Hamlet rip-off ever.

Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA is a bottle-conditioned beer; it has a cloudy tan color with some yeast bits evident inthe glass even though we were careful in pouring out the beer. The creamy off-white head matches well with the musty and piney nose. In terms of flavor, Mikkeller Simcoe starts smooth with minimal malt sweetness—the mild malty body works well to set up later hops flavors, and the subtle but sharp carbonation also works to accentuate the hoppiness of the beer. From here, the beer moves into a bitter and hoppy middle that has floral and pine notes. The building bitterness ends clean, although there are resiny hop flavors that linger on the palate—you can taste the bitterness on the back of tongue. The body has a bit more yeastiness that a traditional American IPA; while not a distraction, it is worth noting in relation to thinking about this beer as a European interpretation of an American IPA. Overall, an enjoyable and interesting take on an American IPA.

From the Mikkeller website: “Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium. The first in a new series of single hop IPA's from Mikkeller. Brewed with Simcoe, known for many great US micro-brews. An extremely fresh-hopped IPA.”

Ingredients:Pilsner malt
Cara-crystal malt
Munich malt
Simcoe hops

ABV: 6.9%

(7/18/2009)