Mikkeller: Not Just Another Wit (Denmark: Belgium Style Witbier: 7.6% ABV)
Visual: Very hazy in a mix of colours from dark lemon to a hazy apricot. The body is shimmering in its hazy styling and sports a very solid cinnamon influenced off white head that has about an inch of froth bubbles within it. Some bubble suds are left as the beer descends.
Nose: Lemon. Cinnamon on doughnuts. Pineapple and custard. Condensed cream or possibly vanilla ice cream. Orange peel. Lemon curd and peaches.
Body: Tingly orange fresh. Coriander and lemon. Very citrus packed. Wheat flavour and a lovely just slightly gripping texture to contrast the smooth flavours. Lots of vanilla ice cream. A balanced hop bitter hidden underneath, subtly influencing the beer.
Finish: Lemon meringue. Peach and light bitterness. Wheat.
Conclusion: Oh wow. Definitely wow. This is how you do a wit bier. Fresh, full flavoured with almost an afterthought of hop bitterness just hinted at to give it a bit of spice. The aroma rolls out of the glass, far more evident that most examples of the style, and brings a fresh and just slightly tart tantalising smell to lure you in.
When you get into the body the abv is evident in the punch it gives the flavour, not the burn of alcohol. You know it has punch as it would be hard for a weaker body to sustain the flavour, but it does not otherwise give a hint of the alcohol.
The craft influence is cleverly restrained, with light hints of the hop style and pineapple and peach hop character. It just adds that fresh touch. Instead of pushing the craft style where it would overpower the original elements they instead turn the traditional style up to 11 and it works fantastically.
Really refreshing, amazing to share and packed with fruit flavour. A gem and masterpiece of a beer.
Background: Picked up from Brewdog’s guest beer section. As always Mikkeller is a big draw for me, being one of the early craft brewers I encountered. Mikkeller do not have a brewery of their own, doing all their work at other breweries. Mikkeller refer to it as an Imperial Wit and I would find it hard to disagree. The beer has been spiced with coriander seeds and orange peel.
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