Day 358: Green Gold

Name: Green Gold

Brewer: Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Classification: American IPA

Alcohol: 7%

Thoughts: Have you heard of Mikkeller? If you haven't then you need to recheck your thinking on beer. Mikkeller was founded in 2006 by home brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller with the intention of "challenging the Danes’ taste buds with intense taste adventures." These guys don't have their own brewery. They travel around the world using other people's breweries, such as BrewDog, Three Floyd's, Stone and a number of other prestigious breweries around the world. A year or two ago Keller left the business because Mikkel wanted to get crazy with beer and Keller wanted to stay with the same stuff they had been doing. It was a sad moment in beer, but it has worked out just fine. Here we have their Green Gold! Probably their flagship brew. Despite being called gold, it pours a  cloudy deep copper, almost amber color with an outrageously fluffy tan head. It is a different look for an IPA. The nose was uniquely intense.  A pungent, spicy hop aroma with notes of pine, grapefruit are present as well as dark caramel and bready malts. A lot is happening in the nostril area and the palate gets similar tribute. There are hops all over the tongue and throat. Like the nose suggested, this one is bitter and there is also a leafy hop presence providing a "green" flavor in the beer. After the hops a brief caramel sweetness provides just a little bit of balance. The finish is big and bold and a load to handle. This was my first experience with Mikkeller and it is only the fringe of what they have already accomplished. I cannot wait to try even more of their brew. 

Rating: 87/100