Mikki tickin'

Gosh there sure are a lot of Mikkeller beers around these days. I still think of the Danish contract brand as the high-end, epitome-of-craft that it was a dozen years ago so it's slightly jarring to see it presented as keenly-priced every-day beer. Still, the product is generally good and I've been filling my basket.

First today is Hallo Ich Bin Raspberry Berliner. I was underwhelmed by its mango sibling in 2017. Let's see if a more orthodox fruit suits it better. It's an attractive cherry-red colour, for a start, with quite a decent head on top. The raspberries provide the aroma, one which is missing the promise of tartness to come. Sure enough it's only mildly sour, with the sweet ripe berries parked squarely in the centre of it. It's a clean sherbet sweetness to begin but turns to sticky candy and then jam as it warms on the palate. A sugary residue is left behind when it exits. It's only 3.7% ABV and as such is easy-going fare -- the syrupy side never quite becomes awkward or unpleasant. I had been hoping for something with a bit more of a kick, though.

The next three are all low-to-medium strength pale ales, which has me wondering if there really are lots of different Mikkeller beers around after all.

Lightest of the lot is Evergreen which purports to be a "New England style session IPA". Do they make IPAs at 3.5% ABV in New England? I doubt it. It looks very watery: a wan yellow with just the faintest effort at haziness. The aroma is a pleasant mix of lemon and vanilla -- a meringue, or possibly even a posset. The biggest surprise is that it's not as thin as it looks. They've utilised the bulking effect of New England yeast to fill out the texture nicely, giving it a smoothness that fits its sweet side well. The flavour is balanced, continuing the lemon dessert theme, though also showing a more assertive bitter stream, the sort that might have come across as harsh had the mouthfeel not been so accomplished. I went in sceptical but was utterly charmed by this little fellow.

Something a little more ordinary to follow: a straight-up pale ale called Side Eyes, at 4.6% ABV. This is a clear amber colour with a handsome head, features which would have been entirely non-noteworthy previously but have become rare here in the Haze Age. On sniffing and tasting I deem this below merely "ordinary" and into downright dull. There's an echo of the lemon sweetness from the previous beer, to the point of me thinking that it's actually a leftover and that this one is so characterless it offers nothing to replace it. I get a certain pale-malt crispness of the sort found in plain mass-market lager, and the very faintest of hop oils, but no real bitterness and no fruit either. I had reached the end of the glass before I was able to pick out any distinguishing features. On the plus side there are no flaws but I still wouldn't recommend it. Definite side eyes from me.

Last up is Heated Seats, another pale yellow one, this time pretty much opaque. Our ABVs top out at 4.9%. The aroma is similar to Evergreen -- lemony and dessertish. Its texture isn't as full, though again it's perfectly acceptable: light and clean without being thin. Rather than lemon, the flavour is orangey. First impression is of fizzy vitamin C tablets, then a fresher, real sense of mandarin. There's a modicum of dankness with this, and the finish is quick. This is simple and tasty; refreshing and quaffable; a gulper not a sipper. It's as enjoyable as Evergreen but not as impressive within the ABV. Nicely done, overall.

So I guess Mikkller is just an ordinary brewer now, making a mix of good and less-good beers. This is what it looks like when a hype merchant grows up.