Beer – #348 – Amager/Mikkeller – Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch Barrel Aged

Same but different this is the Amager/Mikkeller Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch – the  Barrel Aged version.

Brewed by Amager Bryghus in the style of an Imperial Stout and not new to me, being the second beer –  from Kastrup, Denmark

Again – 10.7% ABV beer in a 500mml bottle, making it about 321 calories and this would be 4.2 standard drink units.

Selfie

This is a unique blend of two of the best imperial stouts. We have brewed Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and Amager Brewery Mr. Frederiksen separately and then blended the two brews. This has given a very balanced, harmonious and full-bodied beer.  An imperial stout brewed with: water, barley malt, wheat malt, oat malt, sugar, hops, yeast and gourmet væselkaffe.

This then to labour the point is the Bourbon barrel-aged edition.

You can tell, the label is white not yellow. You can tell I also discovered the underline, bold and colour buttons 🙂

Different more sour aroma on opening for this one.

Pours the same pitch black pour but the head is creamier and thicker, go on I could be telling you truth!, I thought it was darker too.

In the glass there is more a vanilla aroma, the head settles to more a coffee film.

Totally different profile from the standard one. This is a bit sour and confronting.  having one then the other you notice that this finishes with more cigar smokiness for instance, and that the up front taste is totally different.

Gone is the sweetness, still there is the alcohol. So then,  deep breath.

The Bourbon, its the bourbon, it really is there, and you know how I know, I don’t drink bourbon, and I know the taste, so for me it’s really making a presence. Really.

None of the polite coffee and fruits things going on, although the aroma does still have some coffee/chocolate notes going on. Alcohol astringent is still up front and not in the back like sometimes you get with Belgium beers as part of the finish.

This then is the same but different, I can pick that this has bourbon or hard liquor in in as a thing, I can still pick the coffee/chocolate notes, and the sweetness is there but less present.

It is still dangerously drinkable and will get you in a world of pain. 

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 9.25 on the scale of it’s own making.  Why though, why is this not a 10?  I can’t tell you why. Actually I can. There is still the sourness in this. and although this has more body and is a better beer it still isn’t a total delivery.

That wager that you should enjoy it or I’d pay you back might apply to this. I know that ‘infused’ or ‘Barrel Aged’ beers are a thing, for me this works because the ‘thing’ isn’t my usual thing.

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes, yes I am
2. Would I have another? I thank you for asking, I will
3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yup. Invite me over, I’m brining.

Musically we moved on, it was MrsPhil’s turn to pick – and so –  Snow Patrol, Songs for Polar Bears. And I sang along as I know most of the words, or I’m good at improv. Judge me.

IMPERIAL STOUT
Imperial stouts are usually extremely dark brown to black in color with flavors that are intensely malty, deeply roasted and sometimes with accents of dark fruit (raisin, fig) or milk sourness. The bitterness is typically medium and often the low sie of that. Imperial stouts are strong and often exceed 8% by volume.