Mikkeller: Amager: Hr. Frederiksen Væsel Brunch (Denmark: Imperial Stout: 10.7% ABV)
Visual: Black. Dark chocolate froth.
Nose: Roasted. Sour dough. Bitter coffee. Smoke.
Body: Bitter. Very bitter chocolate. Chocolate cake. Raw coffee beans. Oats. Lots of roasted nuts. Complex coffee elements as it warms, Chestnut mushrooms. Smoke. Salt touch and rocks. Toffee.
Finish: Bitter coffee. Milky coffee touch as well. Raw chocolate. Oars. Roasted nuts. Kiwi. Very long lasting. Molasses. Liquorice. Smoke.
Conclusion: Years on Beer Geek Brunch Weasel is still one of my favourite beers despite immense competition, and as an Imperial Stout it has faced some immense competition within the style. Since this is partially that beer, mixed with another huge beer, we must ask, are they better together? Two becoming larger than the sum of their parts?
Well…No.
However it isn’t bad like say, a mix of tories and lib dems shall we say. Thank fuck. I’d have to wash out my tongue with bleach if it was that bad. Anyway, random political non sequitor that has probably pissed off half of my readers now over and done with. So, the beer!
The coffee that defines Brunch Weasel is here in full and rounded flavour, and similarly it has much more complexity that can be defined in just the word “coffee”. It has all the layers of fine quality coffee as well as all of the beer itself. The limitation comes in that the base beer does not feel as thick and creamy, instead tending towards more roasted and smoke filled flavours. Without that counterpoint this is a much more bitter and more harsh flavoured beer, still smooth to drink texture wise, but rough on the taste.
There is some toffee and chocolate cake sweetness, but for the most part even the chocolate is bitter as hell, and leads into the long lasting, drying and smoke filled finish. The oatmeal of the beer seems more an actual flavour than a texture element that I usually find it as.
So a heavier and harsher beer, more towards a standard Imperial Stout in roasted style and sour dough notes, and more towards Speedway Stout in bitterness level. Probably that description has made someone realise that this is just perfect for them, but it is laying it on a bit heavy for me.
The thing is, despite that not being my preferred style, I am enjoying it. That shows a level of craftsmanship I can respect. There is a lot of flavour, lots of salt and smoke, complex and interrogatable coffee, sour dough and roasted stout style, chocolate, toffee and more. That is huge and on a smooth texture with the alcohol feel floating as a warning but without compromising the experience.
So, not my particular thing, but despite that has very much earned my respect.
Background: This was another contender for my thousandth review slot. Beer Geek Brunch Weasel was one of my earliest anniversary beers and still one of my favourite. This being a blend of that beer and Amager’s Hr. Frederiksen huge Imperial stout made it sound like an excellent beer to celebrate with. Best I know not many bottles of this were made, though I couldn’t tell you how many (Brewdog says 200, but another source says that is only the yellow wax topped version which has more coffee). Drunk while listening to a bit of old school punk with “The Germs”
