Mikkeller: Koppi: Tomahawk and Guji Natural Coffee IPA (Denmark: IPA: 6.9% ABV)

Visual: Brown and amber. Large frothy head of mocha froth colour that leaves lace.

Nose: Light bitter coffee, crushed rocks and grapefruit. Bitter hops. Bitter chocolate. Hazelnuts. Slight zestiness.

Body: Gritty and bitter as hell. Pineapple hides behind that onslaught but only barely visible. Milky coffee and orange juice.

Finish: Bitter hops and coffee traces. The bitterness sets up home and refuses eviction. Rockiness and sea breeze. Nuts again.

Conclusion:  “Coffee, crushed rocks and grapefruit”? Seriously, if you told me I’d end up writing stuff like this a year ago I’d have laughed in your face. Then again, if you mentioned a coffee IPA six months ago you would have got a similar response.

Cool idea though. The coffee comes in top and tail for the most part, with the uber bitter main body making it so little else can make it through.

This is what lets it down. The body is pretty much just a bitter punch.  Now normally that wouldn’t be something I hold against a beer, but here it lacks subtlety, and when your main draw is the cool extra ingredients, you really want to see what they can bring to the game.

So a cool idea, but this shot at making a beer of the idea doesn’t hold up too well.

Background: I’m a huge fan of oddities, so a coffee IPA pretty much instantly hit my “To try” list. Mikkeller do many odd mad mixes, and are a craft brew team that I’ve got a good amount of time for.  Drunk whilst listening to “Meditation Field” from the Paprika OST, a tune that can’t help but put me in a good mood for the coming review.