Mikkeller It’s Alright!
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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If the team at Mikkeller says one of its creations is merely “alright”, then we’ll assume it’s just modesty talking. Then again, there is that exclamation point to consider.
“It’s Alright!” is billed as a Belgian wild ale, so I assumed I would be in for a funky saison — but this Belgian pale ale comes across as “sour lambic meets Duvel”; the combination of brettanomyces, pale malt, and smooth hops create a charming and refreshingly dry combination.
The nose gets you first. That funky brett isn’t too pungent, but clearly dominates the otherwise citrusy and lightly hoppy nose. A straw-like, pale body filled my tulip glass, topped by an eager and effervescent white head that quickly faded to almost nothing. Some agitation of the glass resurrected the head on command.
(As an aside — in the accompanying photos, the beer appears far more golden than my pale-straw description would have it. I believe the beer is actually taking on some of the color from my paisley background.)
This is a “Mikkeller session beer. Low in alcohol, dry, light, sour and refreshing.” — that, according to the Mikkeller website. And I’ll concur, but it’s impossible for me not to elaborate.
In the mouth, Mikkeller’s It’s Alright! starts with a splash of wild-tasting brett yeast, tempered by papery hops. It’s a dry, sour taste. Lightly citrusy, with some tart strawberry flavor. The beer starts of reminding me of a blended lambic — and yet, there’s a strong, pale malt backbone that quickly emerges. That malt and a dose of hops, along with the help of sweet rock sugar, temper the wild Belgian ale taste. All flavors combine in the finish: dry, sour, and refreshing. Those last adjectives are Mikkeller’s words, but they do so fit the bill.
This beer has a big brother that called “It’s Alive!” — a tribute to the Trappist institution called Orval. While It’s Alive and It’s Alright share ingredients, the latter doesn’t seem to nip at the heels of Orval in any significant way besides the use of brettanomyces. I’m hoping that It’s Alive! is indeed a fine tribute, because I’ll be seeking out a bottle as soon as I can.
It’s Alright clocks in at 4.5% ABV — easy to drink, not too controversial, yet light and refreshing.
It’s good to be Alright.
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1 Comments
July 26th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Mikkeller rocks, though I’m mostly a fan of his bigger brews. Cheers!