Mikkeller Weird Weather Hazy IIPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.3% ABV (C$8.96 at Collective, 500 ml, best before 18-Jun-2019, acquired 17-Nov-2018, reviewed 26-Nov-2018)
Appearance: hazy pale straw with two fingers of rocky white head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: grapefruit zest, stone fruit, apples, grainy malt, hint of pine & cattiness. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, sweetish slightly sticky finish. (4/5)
“Weird”, check, but I dunno what weather’s got to do with anything. Ditto “hazy”, but I’m not entirely sold on the “New England Style”. Sort of, I guess, but it’s not really the opaque juice bomb example of the style I prefer. On the other hand, the “IIPA” part is actually fairly impressive, since it drinks like something much lighter than its 8+ ABV. On the other other hand (yes, that’s three hands) the sweetness and apples, especially in the finish, are reminiscent of sweet Belgian Tripels, which are my least favourite interpretation of that style. I can’t find any details of the hops used here, but there’s a hint of cattiness that makes me think Citra or Simcoe. While that cattiness isn’t necessarily a negative in all cases, I’m not used to encountering it in an alleged NEIPA, in which the dry hopping process seems to avoid that characteristic (which I hypothetically associate with overextraction of the hops in the boil). Ultimately, yeah, it’s juicy and hazy, with mild bitterness, but the sweetness in particular prevents it from really wowing me. Which seems to be the case with far too many Mikkeller beers these days – hey Mikkel, buddy, here’s an idea: instead of 40 or 50 beers a year, how about you produce only 20 or 30, and make them not suck? (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
