PDubyah

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Beer - #348 - Amager/Mikkeller - Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch Barrel Aged

Same but different this is the Amager/Mikkeller Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch - the Barrel Aged version.

Brewed by Amager Bryghus in the style of an Imperial Stout and not new to me, being the second beer - from Kastrup, Denmark

Again - 10.7% ABV beer in a 500mml bottle, making it about 321 calories and this would be 4.2 standard drink units.

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Selfie[/caption]

This is a unique blend of two of the best imperial stouts. We have brewed Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and Amager Brewery Mr. Frederiksen separately and then blended the two brews. This has given a very balanced, harmonious and full-bodied beer. An imperial stout brewed with: water, barley malt, wheat malt, oat malt, sugar, hops, yeast and gourmet væselkaffe.

This then to labour the point is the Bourbon barrel-aged edition.

You can tell, the label is white not yellow. You can tell I also discovered the underline, bold and colour buttons :-)

Different more sour aroma on opening for this one.

Pours the same pitch black pour but the head is creamier and thicker, go on I could be telling you truth!, I thought it was darker too.

In the glass there is more a vanilla aroma, the head settles to more a coffee film.

Totally different profile from the standard one. This is a bit sour and confronting. having one then the other you notice that this finishes with more cigar smokiness for instance, and that the up front taste is totally different.

Gone is the sweetness, still there is the alcohol. So then, deep breath.

The Bourbon, its the bourbon, it really is there, and you know how I know, I don't drink bourbon, and I know the taste, so for me it's really making a presence. Really.

None of the polite coffee and fruits things going on, although the aroma does still have some coffee/chocolate notes going on. Alcohol astringent is still up front and not in the back like sometimes you get with Belgium beers as part of the finish.

This then is the same but different, I can pick that this has bourbon or hard liquor in in as a thing, I can still pick the coffee/chocolate notes, and the sweetness is there but less present.

It is still dangerously drinkable and will get you in a world of pain.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 9.25 on the scale of it’s own making. Why though, why is this not a 10? I can't tell you why. Actually I can. There is still the sourness in this. and although this has more body and is a better beer it still isn't a total delivery.

That wager that you should enjoy it or I'd pay you back might apply to this. I know that 'infused' or 'Barrel Aged' beers are a thing, for me this works because the 'thing' isn't my usual thing.

Am I enjoying it? Yes, yes I am

Would I have another? I thank you for asking, I will

Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yup. Invite me over, I'm brining.

Musically we moved on, it was MrsPhil's turn to pick - and so - Snow Patrol, Songs for Polar Bears. And I sang along as I know most of the words, or I'm good at improv. Judge me.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWsln8EtS0w&w=420&h=315]

IMPERIAL STOUT
Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.

Beer - #347 - Amager/Mikkeller - Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch

Tonight I'm kicking off with the extended named Amager/Mikkeller Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch - which is an Imperial Stout beer.

Brewed by Amager Bryghus in the style of an Imperial Stout and new to me, this is from Kastrup, Denmar. The label points out that this is brewed with coffee.

This is a 10.7% ABV beer in a 500ml bottle, making it about 321 calories and that makes this 4.2 standard drink units. Not to be taken lightly. Buy hey I pushed myself for a 5km run today so I did enough, right? That and I made bread to go with the dinner tonight.

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Selfie[/caption]

This is a very highly rated beer, but you know that I will tell it as I see it and I'm not going to ooh and agh because the everyone else did.

Aroma on opening does not give a lot away, perhaps a hint of coffee, although I would be wishing that.

Deep dark pour with a mocha coffee head of some thickness and creaminess. Smokey coffee aroma in the glass. Head settles back.

Then there is the initial surprise in the taste, this is very sweet, much more sweet than you'd be expecting, and it kind of brings you up a bit short. In a good way.

Alcohol astringent is apparent in this from the get-go, but it's the noise at the front before the crash of the coffee, chocolates, sweets and the sour bitterness that carries this along to a lovely feel in the mouth. Almost poetry! Me that is not the beer.

Lots of fruit notes in this as I drink it, and thinking about it makes it all the more complex.

Alarmingly this is avery easy drinking beer, which you can attribute to the smoothness of the delivery added to the sweetness of taste, the nice carbonation and for me the coffee and fruit tastes. The only down note I could pick on would be the slightly sour finish, and that there isn't a lot of depth, the flavours are all bright and clamouring for the front.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 9 on the scale of it's own making. It's not a 10 though, it does not have a knock out punch or a real depth of taste that would make this a complete delivery, it is however spectacularly good.

This could be one of those beers that I'd wager you'd enjoy and that if you didn't I would refund your costs, but I'm not sure.

Am I enjoying it? Yes very much so

Would I have another? I would buy this with my own money

Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, this would be a great conversation carrier.

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The Amp, the iPod and the jar of caps[/caption]

I was re-loading my iPod after a user-error saw all the songs deleted, and I stopped at Kings of Leon which I then dialled up to 11 --- Need Somebody.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnhXHvRoUd0&w=560&h=315]

IMPERIAL STOUT

Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.