Mikkeller Spontanwild-strawberry
Earlier this week, I posted a review of Mikkeller’s Spontankriek with the complaint of an off-putting medicinal character that was a bit too prevalent to fully ignore. Well, we’re back with another in the brewery’s “Spontan-” series with this bottle of Spontanwildstrawberry.
Perhaps my palate was off the day I tried these two beers, but I also picked up the same odd flavored trait in this beer that caused me concern in the Spontankriek. The Chloraseptic® Spray character was at a much lower level, but it was still there. I’m not sure if it’s due to the yeast that’s employed for each product that’s causing the flavor to appear in the finish, but something isn’t 100% right with either of the beers.
Appearance
Spontanwildstrawberry poured with an ever so slight haze through it’s pinkish amber color. The white head faded quickly to a thin, patchy film on the surface.
Aroma
Strawberry juice, a light tartness and subtle yeast notes fill the nose smoothly.
Taste
The beer doesn’t come across as fruit-juicy as the nose lead me to believe. There’s still a solid level of strawberry within this beer, but it’s of a more natural state as the prickly mouthfeel and active carbonation bounce the fruit flavors and tartness across the tongue in a lively manner. The dry finish carries with it a similar medicinal trait as the Spontankriek, but on a much lower level so it was less distracting in the long run. The 7.7% ABV is no where to be found.
Overall
Like I said in the other review. If the price were much lower on these two beers, I’d give them another opportunity to see if, perhaps, I had an off pair of bottles. I’m thinking that the likelihood of that is minimal and it’s a side-effect of the yeast that brings out the medicinal flavors. At any rate, I’m sure there are folks that dig on these two beers, but they just weren’t meant for me I suppose.
Rating: 3.25/5
