Mikkeller: Three Floyds: Majsgoop (Denmark: Barley Wine: 10.4% ABV)
Visual: Hazy dark gold. Medium off white head.
Nose: Peach. Digestives. Bubblegum. Milky. Soft hop bitterness. Soft lemon. Very evident from a distance.
Body: Peach and syrup. Lemon and cream. Very smooth. Malt chocolate and orange. Fudge, malt biscuits. Pineapple. Grapefruit. Kiwi.
Finish: Light bitterness and hops. Lemon curd. Peach syrup. The bitterness grows over time. Malt choc orange. Toffee and caramel. Orange, or maybe tangerine.
Conclusion: Damn. Normally I am wary about beers with adjuncts, they are usually the sign of someone trying to turn out a beer on the cheap. Then Three Floyds and Mikkeller do it.
Damn. Again. This reminds me of a halfway point between an IIPA and a barley wine. The hop flavor is absolutely huge, fruity, citrus, and such a range of flavours, but the actual bitterness is way down. The feel is much more towards a sweet smooth barley wine, with an emphasis on the sweet fudge like base.
The beer is so incredibly smooth – is this what corn is meant to do when it is not being used in a shoddy beer? Or is this just a show of the brewers amazing skill at their craft? This thing, at over 10% and while it tingles slightly, that is all you get from the alcohol – a tingle, not really much more than you would get from hop effects. You are aware of the alcohol but it never intrudes.
Yeah. Very impressive.
Frankly, at no point does this disappoint – The only thing I can hold against it is there have been similar, but just slightly better beers. Just slightly. Tiny amount. That is the worst criticism I can give.
Top notch.
Background: The firth big Mikkeller and Three Floyds *goop collaboration. Each one using a different extra ingredient, this time corn being the odd adjunct used. This is the version made by Mikkeller rather than the Three Floyds version as they both brewed a batch. The label on this is awesome – I will have to keep the bottle for a while. Drunk while listening to a bit of the Foo Fighters. Thankfully they seem to have given up denying HIV causes aids now, which put me off supporting them for a while