Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2022

The annual trip to Beer Mecca is back on!

After pretty much recovering from Covid, as well as some other rather demanding circumstances, the report from this year’s legendary Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen is ready. Following the extensive challenge that bears the name Covid-19, the world seemed to have been put on hold for quite some time… Luckily, the agile bunch at Mikkeller knew when to strike last year and saved the day for many a beer geek-soul.

However: It was somewhat untraditional to head off to this (still) joyful event in the start of winter, rather than the classic season trade-off in spring. There’s something so lively about this happening, about the whole beautiful town, about the joyful spirits uniting in the name of high-quality craft beer, all the fun and laughs. So- for 2022 to bring MBCC back on track, with a raging storm of a line-up, there was no reason to look back on already somber times from the previous couple of years. Let’s face it: It’s all good with trying to recreate it all with some friends in the living room, but nothing really beats the authentic feel of entering Øksnehallen at this time of the year… Just- Magical!

Insaaane line-up

As usual, there was a bunch of cool activities going on, such as tattoo-stands, food, wine and much more. For variations sake, it is great that there are some other features, even though the fact that just short walks will take you to several great dining possibilities and whatnot in stunningly beautiful (& exciting) Copenhagen.

Some new stars on the foamy beer sky for me personally (and I know for sure many of my peers agrees), was amongst others: Pulpit Rock (absolute kings&queens!), LUA (which I’d never tasted anything from before- insanely great stuff!), lest not forget the highly anticipated stand from the folks at Moksa brewing- whom sure did not disappoint), as well as grand maestro-works from Forager, 3 Sons, Lervig, the mead-masters at Superstition to name a few. I also love it when I discover hitherto unknown breweries such Brazilian Spartacus (them lads & lasses all the way from down in South America doesn’t only have Sepultura making killer music- they make awesome beers too!) Mikerphone had some seriopusly tasty stouts going on and the sweet neighbor from up here in Scandinavia, namely Omnipollo knows how to stir things up with great exitement. (Gotta love a crazy queue, when there’s enough for everybody, right?) Which it absolutely was of most here this year.

As for them taste buds which are more lenient towards the sour on the palate: There was plenty for you too here. The Dutch legend Tommie Sjef was there with none other than his mum (she was really nice!), keeping levels busy with the hordes of curious beer-geeks ready to devour. And he was in no way alone here- a little further down the line of stands, you would find Bofkont, pouring at all cylinders. Really good stuff!

Over the two days that the festival spans over, it is indeed a longed for- event. Many that didn’t go for the last edition held in autumn last year had found their way this year, and something that should be just as intriguing for the arrangers especcially- was the fact that many of the breweries themselves expressed explicit joy over participating. Amongst others, I spoke to Adroit Theory’s representative here, who was astonished over how great the event is. And he was not alone as such- for instance the people at Ology, Transient and Voodoo seemed to have a great time as well, both behind the tap tower as well as out-and-about. So many styles, so many – this melting pot of beer related features really stands out as something of its own, for sure. Having just celebrated its 10th anniversary, MBCC have proved themselves to be a well-organized, oozing with professionality and agility- something which hopefully will help them maintain their position in the beer environment for years to come.

And with so many nationalities united in one culture, everything from the trivial everyday life to global challenges and struggles are put on hold for a little while. It really brings out the best for a day/weekend/week for those souls daring enough to extend the stay in magnificent Copenhagen at this time of the year.

A brilliant way to greet summertime welcome and to celebrate beer, joy & life.

X-MAS TEST, Norwegian x-mas beers 2021

Hi there fellow beer lovers!

Here’s a report of this year’s 🇳🇴 Xmas beers- enjoy!

 

 

 

AASS «Vellagret Juleøl» (9%) 5/6

Booking beautifully dark red in glass, pouring creamy head. Nose is clearly maltdriven, and there’s some Dark fruit in here too… almost a little mulled-style here.

Mouthfeel is supersmooth. With a mediumbodied profile, this shines astonishingly great! Starts off with a complex, sweet start, gradually evolving into exciting middlepart. There’s dates, there’s baked chestnut, blending in beautifully. Then, in Perfection- the heat slides in and carries the whole total carefully on the palate. A definte contestor is what we’ve got here. Yes, AASS it was.

 

AASS «Juleøl» (4.6%) 3/6

 

A transparent, light red ale pouring great bubbly head in glass. Nose reminisches subtly of coffee, even more subtly caramellish. Taste is clean, body thin and lightly spiced with a subtly bitter end to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TUBORG “Juleøl» (4.5%) 2/6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red and a little murky, pouring huge head-HUGE, bubbly head. Quite sterile is what I get from the nose. Very little aroma, hardly anything at all. As far as taste goes: small bubbles from carbonation. Very very light bodied, sweet subtle intro with a tad of sweetness to it. The expected level of bitterness that you get from an everyday lager, and quickly fading aftertaste. It’s all right, and an easy thirst quencher.

 

RINGNES «Nordlands Juleøl» (4.5%) 4/6

 

 

Beautiful red transparent for the eye. Pours nice small head and gives away a nose of delicious sweet malts. Great fizz, Refreshing, clean and mild. Very mild cara-Sweet middle that balances this light-weighter out very well. A smooth subtle bitterness rounding of this all around beverage from the north of Norway.

 

 

 

 

 

RINGNES «Juleøl» (4.6%) 3/6

Pours gentle lean head. Dark red looks, with a very subtle nose of wet basement/wood, dried fruit and grain. As for the taste, it’ has hot some bubbly action in it, and a quickly passing flash of malted barley. Yet so brief one can almost dedect it, before it’s gone… very light-bodied. This helps if you’re gonna have several throughout the night, but is also undoubtedly a bit watery and light.

 

E.C. DAHLS «Juleøl» (6%) 4/6

 

Dark brown coffee cooler with small head when pouring. Nose gives away a very subtle vinous impression, albeit dark roasted malts are detected.

On the palate: small, subtle bubbles, but bold mouthfeel! Coffee, roast finalized with caramel fat in the back. This is a great alternative to both food pairing as well as the extra nightcap.

 

SAGENE «Sterk jul» (6.5%) 4/6

 

Brown-red’ish with quickly fading head. Sweet aroma heavily dominated by malt & brown sugars and caramel. Light to medium mouthfeel.

Taste is Dark bread, roasted coffee with a tad of bitterness, working well in connection with the sweetness. Little bubbly action, still well tasty.

 

 

SAGENE «Hvit jul» (0%) 3/6
It sure looks like the real deal… Smells nice too.
Kind of meet expectations as an extremely light-bodied and subtle taste, this works just fine as a thirst-quenching replacement for the driver during the Yuletide-get togethe dinners.

SAGENE “Tannhjul” (8%) 4/6
Darkish-murky, pouring small head. Giving a nose of coffee & sugars. Spices, enhanced coffee, fading into subtle fruityness, before the sweetness takes some weight off in the middle.  Full bodied, great feel.

 

SAGENE «Rød jul» (4,7%) 4/6

Pours a nice white/bright, creamy head. The beer has a red/Amber colour, with nose being maltdriven, emphazising caramelly notes.

The actual tasting-experience: The beer itself is light-bodied and will work very well with accompanying lighter dishes in these yuletide-times. An easygoing all-around’er as a good alternative.

 

AMUNDSEN «Ashes to ashes 2021)
(10,5%) 4/6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Super-sweet, even on the nose! Lots of vanilla, enriched with caramel and toffee notes. I remember this one from last year. That said, not a bad thing- so lets taste this black, coffee-foamy sugar- frenzy!
At first, I do notice that this has some freshness to it, which was kinda unexpected. Has there been slight tweaking going on? If so, not for the worse- the body/mouthfeel is a tad lighter than previous year, and the sweetness is calmer than what the aroma presented. Quite a good sweet dessert.

AMUNDSEN «Choco orange ginger cinnabun tart» (12,5%) 4/6
Black as night. Clearly orange features, already in the nose- accompanied by x-mas pastry’s. Mild, superb impression already from the start. The oranges shines clearly through, with ever-imminently thick’n cost mouthfeel. Exciting and really good stuff!

AMUNDSEN «Sticky toffee cinnabun» (12.5%) 4/6
Black-Dark brown, no bubbles. Relatively thick, vanilla. Tasty chocolate with slight mild bitter edges. Sticky sweet, super Sweet middle. Slight essence twist, still deliciously good.

AMUNDSEN «BA Sticky toffee cinnabun» (13%) 5/6

Much more balanced nose! Complex fusion in time for Xmas. Black as tar. Taste is supersweet with delicious vanilla & pastry (for those who’s into that kinda thing). The barrel aging has taken off the synthetic twist too, making this one of this years winners for me.

 

 

 

 

 

LERVIG “No worries- Driving home for Christmas” (0,5%) 3/6

 

 

 

 

Dark brown visuals with creamy, light head. Subtle nose of burnt/roasted malts. The beer is fresh and easydrinking. Light-bodied, with traces of Xmas pastries provides the right seasonal assocciations.

 

 

RYGR «I svarta nattå granskudd NEIPA» (8%) 5/6
Wow, surprising colour indeed! Super-dark w/cremé lookin’ hat, one would definetely go to the assumption that this was in the darker, sweeter territory. But: Wrong!
Really fresh, forest/piney nose, deliciously enhanced with floral, earthy notes. This seems o be very right for this season, judging by the aromas. And tastewise?
Distinct sprucetips, burnt, flaked oats, X-mas pastry, subtle hint of sweetness towards the end. Surprising? Check. Good? Yeah- and then some.

RYGR «Jolemandarin IPA» (4.7%) 3/6
Well, it certainly looks like some Juicy thing, topped with a quick-evaporating hat. Nose is distinct orange, freshy feeling going on… let’s taste this. Light, hoppy (very bitter, as a matter of fact!) Even in the aftertaste. Very little orange/mandarin in the taste. Still, quenchable though.

HAAND  «Julestout» (12%) 4/6
Black , tar-like looks. Sweet nose. Fresh for so thick to bee. Taste is Sweet at first, then the Bourbon- sting sets in. Quite thick to medium mouthfeel & good balance of the elements.

HAAND «Bestefar» (9%)
A bit of rustiqueness /tobacco/wood in the nose. Pours nice head. Nutty taste,lots of spruce/bitterness, light strike of bitter coffee combined with sweetness.

HAAND “Halvors Jul” (8%) 4/6
Forest-assocciations is what comes to mind here. Brown chestnut-like looks. Some great malty hop beam in the aroma. Smooth medium-to-full bodied, with hop balancing greatly on top of the woody-nutty feel.

MJØDERIET «Julemjød» (12%) 6/6
Apple, cinnamon and X-mas pastry is easily detected within the nose-spectre, definite Xmas vibes. Mouthfeel is medium fullbodied, refreshing and delicate. Smooth! Not overly Sweet, just insanely well-tasty. Delicious fruity middlesection, followed by a light and Sweet, wonderful long aftertaste. This is a fantastic work of art as a matter of fact! Will definetely buy more of these this X-mas. Absolutely splendid!

 

AASS «Uten» (0,5%) 3/6
Deceivingly good looks, even pours nice head. Is this one gonna bring any X-ma spirit then?
Nose is malty, sweet & deep. And taste? Actually pretty nice indeed. Less sweet than expected, with fruity notes and great overall taste. Okay drivers- you’ll be just fine with this one.

LERVIG «Julebock» (4.7%) 3/6
Lightly brown, pours nice creamy head. Nose is first nutty and fruity. Taste is moderately maltdriven, with a lightstruck sense of dates. Lightbodied and fresh.

LERVIG «Naughty & nice» (8%)
Red-brownish looks. Very subtle taste. Good carbonation. Some sweet nutty subtle taste, evolving into some slight bitter notes.

KRECHER «Gynjerdread» (11%) 4/6
Ultra-Dark/black visual impression.
Nose: Cinnamon, clearly Sweet christmas pastry. Tonka beans. Tastewise: heavily cinnamonified! Quite bitter too, especially in the aftertaste. Nicely carbonated, medium bodied. Good heat from the alcohol.

RINGNES «Julebokk» (9%) 5/6
Deep Dark brown colour. Caramel and figs in nose and furthermore caramel in taste. Deep, rustique feel, woody basement.medium to light body. Long aftertaste.

RINGNES «juleBRYGG» (4.6) 3/6
Light brown & transparent looks. Pouring light head. Light aroma of malt. Super-light, thin and bland

EC DAHLS «Lille Bjørn» (4.6%) 3/6
Brown/red looks. Toothpaste aroma(?) spices. Lightly fruit-nutty intro, before the caraway sets in , albeit subtly executed though.

E.C. DAHLS «Kong Vinter» (7%) 4/6
Brown/red’ish with great foam hat. Caramelly nose. Heavy malt-driven sliding into gently hoppyness.

E.C. DAHLS «Juleøl» (4.5) 4/6 nose is Anise & Xmas spices. Super-dark. Nice sweet subtly spiced. Very well balanced. Great, advanced long aftertaste.

EIK & TID «Juleheliks» (7.2%) 5/6
Light brown-yellow visuals. Beautiful acidic notes of Apple and vinegar. Bubbles going on. Taste is delicious sour fermented fruit! Peachy, apple’ish. Very, very good!

GOUDEN CAROLUS «Christmas ale» (10%) 5/6
Dark brown looks. Liqorice, Xmas spices to da max.great carbonation. Resonnates great! Sweet, transforming into spiced. Superb balance, exciting daredevil’ish profile.

BREWDOG «Hoppy Xmas» (6%) 4/6
Dark golden transparent. Fruity nose with citrus features. Light-to-medium body, lightly fruity-bitter at first. Then, citrus takes over. Smooth, light and nice.

OSLO BREWING «Flåklypa juleøl» (6.5%) 4/6
Lightly Dark brown. Sweet malty nose of toffee. Lightbodied, maltsweet taste with a tad of floral notes midway. Fades quickly, but a very tasty christmas beer that I’f drink again.

OSLO BREWING «Voksenjulebrus» (6%) 3/6
Papaya, pomegranade and Lemon nose. Nice bubbly head. Lactose gives a fullbodied impression. Quite acidic. Unbalanced.

OSLO BREWING « Christmas cookie bock” (4.7%) 3/7
Deep dark brown looks, with the slides foamy head. Slightly fruity caramelly nose.
Great carbonation. Lightbodied, quite tasty, albeit a bit acidic in bottom. A bit too watery.

OSLO BREWING “Christmas red” (4.7) 3/7
Yellow-golden looks, pilsener malt nose. Light as hell mouthfeel. Sweet mild hop taste. Easy drinking albeit a tad bland.

OSLO BREWING “Christmas lights” (4.7%) 3/6
Light yellow with great foam. Smooth, clean Pilsner. Mild and lightbodied. Really easy-drinking, pairing well with most foods for the season.

ST. HALLVARDS «Reserve-Jul» (10,5%) 4/6
Stingy mild Aquavit nose with fruity undernotes. Pours good head. Sweet quick intro, before oak takes over and develops into a sharp bitter alcoholic Aquavit sense slowly is creeping up on you. Looong aftertaste.

ÆGIR «Julepott» (4.7) 3/6
Light brown visuals. Malty nose. Fruity, almost like a crossover between a Dark lager/Amber ale. Light bodied. Short outro, easily quenchable.

LERVIG «Hipster for christmas» (13.1%) 5/6
Deep brown colour, with close to no head when pouring. Nose reminiscent of burnt oak barrels, barley, lightly fruity and with caramellish undertones. So taste then? Little bubbly action, suitable for the style’s character. Medium bodied. Spiced intro with assocciations of Yuletide, super-delish Sweet Bourbon-infused middle, with long lasting aftertaste. Super-heat in the aftertaste. Stunning!

HAAND «Even S’more Xmas (11%) 4/6
Sweet, vanilla, chocolate, Dark fruits aromas. Thick bodied, low carbonated, heavyweight champion this one. Nice tingly backline from the Aquavit-barrel.

HAAND «Julepils» 4.5% 4/6
Hasselnøtt aroma. Frisk, nydelig light to medium bodied lager of the best kind. Refreshing and smooth. Delicious & easy drinking.

JACOBSEN «Naked christmas ale» (7.5%) 4/6
Red/Dark brown, pouring creamy small head. Lightly spiced & malty nose. Fresh & bubbly. Sweet, liqorice midway. Opening up with more spices. Nice, smooth balanced taste. Sweet & lightly hoppy aftertaste.

E.C. DAHLS «Julebrygg» (4.6%) 3/6
Lightly brown, pouring little head. Subtly Sweet malty nose. Very subtle nose and little carbonation. Sweet and a little thin/bland.

 

 

 

 

NM i hjemmebrygging (Norwegian homebrewing championship 2014)

imageThe annual Norwegian championship in homebrewing took place in Kanonhallen at the eastside of Oslo on the 1st of February. There were approximately 100 contestants participating in the championship, serving their brews in hope of winning the prices (consisting of brewing barrels & giftcards for brewing equipment) and- perhaps more importantly, the audience’s attention and appreciation.

A large number of beer geeks of all kinds turned up to have their taste buds teased, with a wide range of different beers- being dominated by IPA’s (which in no way is a negative thing itself), but also beer categories such as several stouts, porters, bocks, pilsners, Belgian and even a couple of fruit beers… The latter ones particularly being much appreciated after the palate has gone numb from three majestic imperial stouts in a row. Luckily, some stands accompany their presentations with goodies like brownies, canapées, biscuits) to maximise the tastespectre.

The voting process has varied a bit from year to year, but the basic principle is still the same: The tasters gets 3 voting coins which they can give to the beers that they appreciate the most- if desired, all coins to one, or one coin to three individual beers. Inside the venue, there are buckets in which excess beer can be poured and glasses washed and rinsed (in addition to clear water, should need be).

The game is on by 18:30 to 22:00, and the hall’s curfew is 01:00. Amongst the contestants, were- in no (chronological) order: Neko Pico, Ring 3, Strand-øl, Puffin, Søylegården, Brættrei, Vlander, Kristiania haandbryggerlaug, Nedre Romerikes bryggerlag, Bryggolfs, Beer Brew crew, Spotted brewery, håndbryg.dk (Nicoline Leonhard), Amish (Wolfgang Eick) and many more. It is a high level of fun/comical touches to some of the contesters’ props at the stands, and some innovative beer names going on here (and believe it or not: The “Sheep Shagging Bastard IPA” does taste fantastic).

Some of the ones that stuck out the most, was Puffin’s “Imperial stout” (aged on portwine barrels), the 15% heavyweight (clone of Nøgne Ø’s Dark Horizon) “Deepwater Horizon” (served with a suiting delicious ice cream made with the aforementioned beer) and Brættrei’s “Raspberry with Brett”. However- it somehow feels almost unreasonable to pick out so few separately, as the level of the competition has reached such a high now- there are a lot of high quality brewing going on, which with little problems could have competed with what’s out on the market in Norway today. Having said that; There are still also some questionable beers going on- take for instance “Hot & godt” (which is recommended with a squeeze of lime)… Which – without saying it doesn’t work, tastes more like a cider to me.

The list of what I did try (there are some- that for some reason, is not included here):

Julebokk vellagret, Deepwater Horizon (Dark Horizon clone), Humlesnurr, Imperial stout (Ring 3), Hot og godt, Cookie Monster brown, Imperial stout (Puffin), Skumbag/Skumberry, Amish Rug IPA, India Brett Ale, Dansk kokos porter, Biere de Garde, Dansk NYPA, Dubbel (Vlander), Sheep Shagging Bastard and London Ale.

Can’t wait for the next year’s edition to come!

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CBC (Copenhagen Beer Celebration) 2013

Hosted by the Danish legend Royalè himself, Mikkeller, this event of greatness kicked off in Spartahallen on the 3rd and 4th of May 2013. With world- renowned names, such as Surly, Lervig,Brewdog, Firestone, Merciless (De Molen) and of course Mikkeller( amongst others), the thousands of visitors for every session were in for a liquified joyride.  Blessed with a glass, participants walked through several of the best breweries, serving tastes of delicious beverage, which flowed freely throughout Spartahallen. Here we got tastes of premieres: Cheeses made with beer, spirits, coffe and of course beers of the highest quality. Worth mentioning from a subjective point of view, was Darkness (Surly), Farmhouse stout (Lervig), AB: 13 (Brewdog) and Blood Stains (Merciless), for those fond of tumbling around in the dark.

Every single session presented the breweries with different kinds of their brews, and the vibe in the venue was great. Between the sessions, there were breaks with live music and room for getting some fresh air. If one were to complain about anything, it’d be the toilet situation- apart from that, this is an event that will see many of it’s attendancees returning next year.

On the day after the festival had ended- the 5th, there was also a street party (same street as Mikkeller, Vesterbrogade 8- who naturally participated) with food, street markets and of course, beer. Just what one needed to accompany and mark the end of a memorable weekend in the beautiful, peaceful Copenhagen.

A special thanks goes out to Surly & Mikkeller for this great experience!

 

WILKINSON BROS – Ginger (3,8%) 2/6

Naturally enough, it is easy to trace ginger in this beer, in both smell as well as taste. The start tastes something like beer, before the ginger takes over with it’s dominating taste. It can best be described as a mixture between 80/20 Ginger ale and lager. Fine freshness and ok taste.

BREWDOG – Sunkpunk (7%) 5/6

This beer has perhaps the coolest label I’ve seen on the bottle, for starters. With it’s light red colour and a smell pointing directly towards citrus fruit, the aroma reveals a distinct freshness. An OD of taste! This IPA has a very sourish body, delicious orange and lemon/lime, freshness transcends into the great second of malt before an incredibly fruity middle before it all fades out. Amazing, incredibly good.

NØGNE Ø/BREWDOG/MIKKELLER – Black Tokyo Horizon (17,2%) 6/6

Wow. This incredible stout looks thick concistency, and judging by the aroma, it reveals a hint of soy sauce, cereal granules. And the taste, what is this like? Dried Fruit, grapes, sweet cherries and chestnut- all wrapped in a candysugarish malt- veil. The absolute beautiful balance provides to a long and full body, topped by a tingling sweet&sour head. Food- accompagny wise, this mukst be a perfect beer.

CHRISTER LYNGSTAD – Solbraa XX IPA (7,8%) 5/6

imageThis homebrew, holding IBU 144, has a sweet, fruity aroma to it. It is a double/Imperial IPA brewed with Centennial and Amarillo hops. The taste also reveals a nice fruit taste, after the subtle introduction… All of a sudden, it takes off with a massive maltbody, before the big bad hops comes for you. Incredibly good, spanning from sweet to exiting spices to extreme. As a friend put it: This beer hosts an evil bitterness!

ANCHOR – Merry Christmas & happy new year 2010 (5,5%) – 4/6

Archaon
Archaon – Beerblogger

A taste of Christmas, really so. Pine needle is distinctively present here in this dark and sweet beer, taste and smell invites to lazy christmas holidays in front of the bonfire- all adjusted by a hint of bitterness that suits it.

ABV: 5,5%

4/6