Beer of the Weekend #422: Mikkeller Warrior

The beer tonight is another edition of Mikkeller’s single-hop series: Mikkeller Warrior, brewed by Mikkeller of Copenhagen, Denmark.


Warrrrrioooor… Come out and plaaaay-yay! (I just had to do that. Honestly, though, I have never seen the movie. I doubt anybody in my generation knew about it until I Love the 70s.)

Serving type: 330 ml (11.2-ounce) bottle. A batch code is printed on the cap but there is no discernable freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is cloudy amber. There are a few very small specks of sedimentation, but nothing like the blizzard from the other single-hop bottles I had. One finger of eggshell-colored head dissipated fairly quickly to leave a spotted and bubbly lacing, a razor-thin skim, and a ring around the edge.

Smell: Grapefruit and orange citrus with earthy graininess, which imparts an astringent bitterness. There is a solid malt foundation with caramel, honey, and toffee.

Taste: The flavor is coy and evolves in stages, thankfully reaching a tasty climax. There is little flavor at first except for light malts and earthy bitterness. However, the citrus emerges and the hops crank up the bitterness. Grapefruit, orange, a splash of lemon, caramel, honey, and toffee. The bitterness lingers on the tongue and cheeks long after each sip.

Drinkability: It is a pretty decent brew. Understandably, it suffers from that unfinished quality, but it still turned out pretty solid.

Fun facts about Mikkeller Warrior:

-Style: American IPA.

-Price: Probably around $4.50/bottle.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 6.9 percent ABV.

-“Theoretical IBU”: 115.


The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.

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