Here’s what Evil Twin Brewing of Denmark has to say about their Bikini Beer…
Named after atom bomb test grounds, designed by a French car engineer – the bikini was to many a disturbing and degrading creation but fortunately for others a symbol of emancipation. This is attractively light bodied, seductively well balanced and very drinkable Bikini Beer is anything but a sissy beer.
And here’s my take…
I’ve heard of Evil Twin Brewing, but I can’t say that I’ve ever tried any of their beers. Much like Mikkeller, Evil Twin is based in Denmark. Also, much like Mikkeller, Evil Twin is a “gypsy brewer”, i.e. they don’t have their own brewery and essentially use various facilities around the world to brew their beers. Interesting concept, but is their beer any good? That’s what we’re here to find out!
When I picked up this can of Bikini Beer, I had no clue what I was buying. I liked the graphics and the fact that it was in a can, plus it was from a brewer whose beers I had never tried before, so this was essentially a must buy.
When I grabbed the can from the fridge for a Friday night beertography session, I finally read the back of the can to find out a bit more about this beer. When I discovered that this beer had an ABV of just 2.7%, I immediately mentioned this to Mrs. G-LO. Here’s what she said:
2.7%??? What the hell is that gonna taste like?
I gotta admit, that first sniff piqued my curiosity! The nose is very grapefruit pithy with a definite bitterness coming through, but there’s also some lightly sweet biscuity malts in there to lend some balance. As far as the actual taste, I was expecting thin and watery, but was pleasantly surprised that a beer this low in alcohol can have such a substantial mouthfeel (just so you know, Miller 64 has an ABV of around 2.8%, and let me tell you, that beer tastes like flat, beer flavored seltzer. Actually, comparing it to seltzer is an insult to seltzer). Starts off bitter as any IPA should, then sweetens just a touch at the middle. Ends on a slightly bitter and mildly astringent note.
Given the thousands of pieces of Lego that are strewn throughout my house, and the very positive things that we’ve said about that other Danish gypsy brewer’s offerings, I would say that the Booze Dancers are very Denmark friendly (are you listening Bang & Olufson?). Evil Twin’s Bikini Beer definitely shatters my preconceived notion that flavorful beer has to have a high ABV. It’s far from spectacular, but it’s still pretty darn good.
