Rare Beer Club – May 2013 Les Trois Mousquetaires Sticke Alt & Mikkeller Mexas Ranger (Skip)
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MyBeer Buzz
From the former Michael Jackson Beer Club…
May 2013 offerings….
Les Trois Mousquetaires Sticke Alt
Brossard, Québec, Canada
Les Trois Mousquetaires got its start back in 2004, shortly after its three founders had lost their jobs when a production plant was moved to Ontario. Using their experience as production engineers, they decided to purchase a small brewing operation, and over the years the company has expanded its lineup from a pair of lagers to its current, expansive focus on German-style creations. Their Sticke Alt was inspired by a visit to the famous Uerige brewery in Germany, which (for most imbibers) is often one’s first and only encounter with sticke altbier. Aside from through The Rare Beer Club, Les Trois Mousquetaires Sticke Alt currently has no planned distribution in the U.S. so we’re pleased to be able to offer our members this atypically apt rendition of altbier.
Les Trois Mousquetaires Sticke Alt (“sticke” translates to “special”: a less frequent and more potent variety) pours a deep amber color topped by firm, off-white foam: miniscule bubbles, strong retention, and lacing that coats the glass. The aroma is forward in its mineral bitterness, showing hints of pine needles, some modest and vinous alcoholic warmth, and ripe, red-apple character melded with caramelized notes. Mineral and herbal hops hit the tip of the tongue first, offering a strong bitterness that’s well presented and never errs on the side of astringency. There’s lively carbonation while an earnest follow-through of red fruits, lightly toasted malts, caramel, and a touch of grape-like brightness play out through the mid-palate and beyond. This is a prime example of what the heftier versions of altbier can bring to the table, with an expressive bitterness that’s never overwhelming and slowly recedes to a mild, toasty finish.
Mexas Ranger
Mikkeller – Copenhagen, Denmark
The flexible gypsy-brewing model followed by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø affords him creative flexibility in other ways as well, and Mikkeller has deservedly become known for its use of nontraditional ingredients and concept-driven efforts that, well, actually work. This month’s selection was born from the ongoing artistic partnership between Mikkel and de Proef’s owner/brewmaster Dirk Naudts. Very limited quantities of Mikkeller Mexas Ranger were exported to the U.S., with only 60 cases released for the whole country earlier this year, and the remainder set aside for our members.
Mikkeller’s Mexas Ranger tends to defy expectations derived from its ingredients list: ale brewed with spices, almond milk, cocoa, chili, black beans and avocado leaves. Instead of a spice bomb, or chili-heat-seeking missile, this tastes like an especially well-appointed sweet stout or strong porter around 8+% ABV (though it’s merely 6.6%). This impressive brew pours a pitch-black hue, and the deeply colored brown head is formed by small bubbles that linger endlessly on the sides of the glass. The black beans and almond milk will offer up fermentable sugars, but will also tend to leave some residual sweetness behind while adding remarkable body. The aroma prominently showcases the cocoa that manifests as the chocolate-focused, robust midsection of this beer, as well as a welcomed amount of specialty-malt bitterness. In the mouth is where the spices play out, offering a lightly peppery counterpoint, while a mild touch of fiery heat tempers that core chocolate-layer-cake sweetness and helps the various bittering elements steer things.
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