Mikkeller Single Hop Series

Welcome to Christmas at the Rizzolo Household. 

Each of these 12 oz. bottles was split between my brothers, my dad, my sister's boyfriend, my sister-in-law, and myself. As can be expected, that didn't leave a whole lot of beer to taste per person, but in the case of the Mikkeller Single Hop Series (MSHS), this isn't that bad of a situation, considering there were 13 of them. For those who don't know, the concept behind the MSHS is that they make the same exact beer, changing only the hops. Since each hop variety is very different, each beer has its own unique flavor, bitterness, and aroma. Shockingly, hops are generally categorized as aroma, flavor, or bittering hops, indicating what they do for the beer. The MSHS is probably best served as a tasting, like how my family drank them. Some of the varieties don't do the beer any favors. Some are extremely bitter, but have no flavor. Since all of the beers are American IPAs, the really aromatic, flavorful hops, like Cascade, work the best. This is definitely something that a new home brewer or a budding Cicerone would want to do. 

All in all, some of the MSHS were fantastic IPAs, others were weak, but definitely worth a try.

Something to look forward to is the Mikkeller Yeast Series. This will be a Belgian Strong Pale Ale that is fermented with a variety of different yeasts, including Brettanomyces, Weisse, Belgian Trappists, US ale, and lager yeasts.

If you want me to look at a particular beer or have anything to say to me, email me at monksandmalts@gmail.com.