Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Brewed By: Mikkeller in Copenhagen, Denmark (Brewed at Lervig Aktiebryggeri)

Purchased: 12oz single bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, Illinois; 2014

Style/ABV: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, 10.9%

Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with the second Beer Geek beer of the night...About Mikkeller: 

Mikkeller is that European brewery that does things like an American craft brewery. The brewery was founded in 2006 by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a humble math and physics teacher who enjoyed craft beer and homebrewing. Mikkel and his childhood friend Kristian Keller bought a few American books about brewing, and began brewing beer and entering it into competitions (and winning!) for two and a half years. Eventually, Mikkel and Keller began brewing beer at the Danish microbrewery Ørbæk, and Mikkel's twin brother Jeppe began selling their beer at his beer shop. Mikkeller's first big break came with their infamous "Beer Geek Breakfast." Since then, the brewery exports beer to over 40 countries, and brews the majority of their beer at de Proef Brouwerij in Belgium. However, Mikkeller is also nicknamed the "phantom" or "gypsy" microbrewery, as they brew at a number of host facilities in many different countries; they have also brewed over 100 different beers in a wide variety of styles. You can read more about the brewery here. 

The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel should not be confused with the Beer Geek Breakfast. The Brunch is amped up at 10.9%, clocking in at true Imperial range. The Beer Geek Brunch Weasel is brewed from with "one of the world's most expensive coffees, made from droppings of weasel-like civet cats." Yup, this is a shit beer. Literally. I already reviewed (and loved) the De Molen Kopi Loewak, so the bar is set. Will this top the fantastic Kopi Loewak? 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

I could be totally making this up, but I think the Brunch Weasel actually pours out darker than the Breakfast. The head is certainly a bit darker. Dem Black Patent Malts, amirite? Seriously though, unlike the Breakfast, the head does not hang around on the Brunch Weasel. Swirling the beer kicks up glossy alcohol legs, and you can revive the head -- but it's short-lived. 

The aroma on the Brunch Weasel seems more blunted than the Breakfast. I'm getting coffee, dirt, ash...the coffee is slightly less bitter and acidic here. There are some woody and roasty notes on the nose, with some hints of meaty roast. I'm getting a little baker's chocolate as well. 

Wow! This tastes nothing like the Breakfast...in fact, there is some much needed sweetness here. Not only am I getting coffee, but I'm getting some vanilla, espresso, and even a hint of mocha. There's some chocolate in here, with definitive chocolate sweetness on the back end. The beer finishes roasty and bitter, much like the Breakfast. There are some hints of earthy nuts in here, along with hints of boozy fruits. 

This is the full-bodied experience I was craving in an Imperial Stout tonight, and you feel the weight of this beer, 10.9% and all. I'm getting some booze, which I welcome from my Imperial Stouts at this ABV. Palate depth is really outstanding, but again I feel this could dial up the complexity even more. This tastes hoppy and bitter, and I wonder if aging this for a year would mellow this out. Unfortunately, that would be at the expense of the coffee. Up front: big sweet coffee, espresso, mocha, vanilla sweetness, chocolate; the mids roll into more espresso and mocha sweetness, straight legit coffee shop; the back end fuses mocha and espresso with hoppy sweetness, and the beer goes into roast, ash, dirt, bitter coffee, and finishes bitter and dry. The finish is one or two degrees away from being offensive, but it holds it together. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average here...at the respective price of $10 for the Brunch Weasel single, and $6.99 for the Breakfast single...I just can't justify these beers. They are good, but there are better coffee Stouts available. The Brunch Weasel definitely beats out the Breakfast. It's a bigger, bolder, sweet beer...and I want to pair this above beer with dry chocolate cake, chocolate chip pancakes, tiramisu, or even an aggressive burger or steak. This beer is probably worth checking out once, but yeah. Serious hesitation if I'll pick this up again.

Random Thought: I love Spring storms. A storm came through tonight and dropped marble-sized hail with some impressive lightning. It was quite the spectacle.

De Molen Kopi Loewak Coffee Stout

Brewed By: Brouwerij de Molen in Bodegraven, Netherlands   

Purchased: Single 11.2oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (Bottled on: 04/18/2012)

Style/ABV: Imperial Stout, 11.2%

Reported IBUs: 85

Tonight's beer was kind of a random shelf purchase. I do love coffee beers though. About Brouwerij de Molen:

Brouwerij de Molen or "The Mill brewery" is a Dutch brewery based out of Bodegraven, Netherlands. The brewery was founded in 2004 by Menno Olivier, who began as a homebrewer. The brewery is located inside the Mill "De Arkduif," which was built in 1697. The brewery focuses on small batch brewing, with a capacity of 500 litres. They brew American, Belgian, German, and English-style beers, and focus on bold flavors. The bottles were - at one point - bottled by hand. And they still might be. For more info, check out their brewery page and website. 

The Kopi Loewak is an Imperial Stout made with Kopi Luwak/civet coffee. Kopi Luwak are coffee berries that have been eaten and shit out by the Asian Palm Civet. The coffee is supposed to taste extra good and rare, but many people regard it as a gimmick. Like many practices in strange Asian countries, it probably has something to do with fertility or making your dingle tingle. Personally, I think the appeal of eating/drinking shit coffee is overrated, but what do I know. It's also worth noting that the Kopi Luwak is super rare...so there's lots of fake stuff floating around. Hmmm. It probably doesn't matter. Tonight's beer punches in at 11.2% and packs 85 "EBUs." I'm not like a home brewer or whatever, but that sounds fancy. Anyway.

De Molen Kopi Loewak Coffee Stout

I am digging the minimalist bottle art...and yeah. Also, DAE bottle conditioning? I popped the cap off which yielded some rising smoke, and then the carbonation started creeping. I suppose that's a good thing, but this poured like amateur hour with 3+ fingers of bready, dark tan head. The body of this beer is pitch black, and you have to tilt your glass like a drunk scientist to pick up hints of brown tones on the very edges. There be legs AND lacing, and the head is fucking that 11.2% whale like a champion. 

I'm not gonna lie, this aroma is BOLD. I'm talking a canned Folgers orgasm. Imagine the smell when you rip open that silver Krypton vacuum seal shit on your coffee, only the coffee actually smells good and not like Folgers. I'm trying so hard to not make shit jokes...or poo jokes...but this shit is legit. The coffee aroma is just huge! Huge espresso, ground coffee beans, coffee shop, some creamer, hazelnut, nuttiness in general (hue hue hue); there's also some hints of wood, roast, almonds, truffles, earthy dirt, and some chocolate. 

Wow...this is spectacular, with huge layers of depth and flavor, and tons of complexity. My initial thought is that this would pair so well with barbecued ribs or something with a smokey kick. There's a smokey element to this beer, with rich roast and dirt that just unravels in layers. The lively carbonation kicks up front, providing some assertive acidity right away. There's big charcoal, dirt, lighter fluid, and grill stuff; that rolls into huge coffee, espresso, hazelnut, with hints of fruits; the back end is all coffee, hazelnut, and nuttiness. There's hints of smoke as well. The whole thing is padded with a huge Stout body and 11.2% of welcomed cloying booziness. 

The assertive carbonation almost grounds this beer, but as you drink this you know something is amiss. This is still full-bodied stuff in the end, but it drinks very well for 11.2%. I would complain that this is over-carbed, but the carbonation just goes so well with the espresso/coffee. Palate depth is outstanding, but what really works here is the complexity. This is a layered beer. Up front is tons of smoke, charcoal, grill, barbecue, earthy dirt; that rolls into big coffee, hazelnut, espresso, dark fruits; that fades into lingering coffee, roast, hints of chocolate, some kisses of boozy complexity, and some nice dryness. I dig this.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

So here we are: a Decent Divine Brew. This is an excellent coffee beer, and an excellent coffee stout. This is right up my wheelhouse, but yeah. There's some really good stuff going on here, with lots of layers of rich, earthy, dirt/charcoal, and tons of coffee. I would definitely pair this beer with grilled meats. Smokey ribs, slow-cooked ribs, braised beef, pulled pork...anything barbecue. Honestly, I want to go grill me up some ribs right now. At around 10-12 bucks a pop, this beer is worth picking up for one of those special nights.

Random Thought: I don't know if the whole coffee poop thing is legit with this beer, but I do know that whatever De Molen is doing is working. I look forward to trying more of their stuff.