Mikkeller BACK & BETTER than ever!

Well, seemingly a week can't pass without some form of HUGE release.

This time we have news of shipment #2 of Mikkeller beers direct from Denmark. The exciting thing is that this shipment will include no less than 10 NEW BEERS!

Pricing & quantities are yet to be confirmed, however we suspect that they will be in line with the first shipment.

Stocks will be limited! So, if you wish to pre-order any of the below beers, email: chrism@cloudwine.com.au

Mikkels Monster (13%, 600ml)
Collaboration with Norrebro (Denmark) - Barleywine coming in at 160IBU! Brewed with maple syrup & aged in Bordeaux and Port barrels.

Struise/Mikkeller (9%, 330ml)
Collaboration with De Struise (Belgium) - Belgian-style DIPA, brewed with belgian ale yeast and a number of spices.

Beer Geek Breakfast (7.5%, 500ml)
Oats & Coffee = breakfast beer, it makes sense to me!

Oatgoop (10.5%, 650ml)
Collaboration with Three Floyds, brewed in USA - Oat(barley)wine, brother of the Hvedegoop wheat(barley)wine

Drikkeriget DIPA (10%, 330ml)
Pilsner, cara-munich & munich malt as well as Simcoe, Amarillo & Tomahawk hops.

Its Alive! (8%, 750ml)
It's Alight's bigger brother - a tribute to the trappist classic orval. Belgian strong ale with brett yeast strain

USAlive! (8%, 750ml)
Belgian strong ale brewed with US hops and brett yeast strain

Funky E-star (9.5%, 750ml)
Special easter brew - Belgian strong ale with brett yeast strain

Single Hop Warrior IPA (7%, 330ml)

Single Hop Nelson Sauvin IPA (7%, 330ml)

Christmas in May/June/July?

HOLGATE CHRISTMAS ALE 8.5%abv

Over the past week or so i've had this brew a couple of times and i have to say that im in love! We had it over Christmas and it came in and dissapeared off the shelves without any real fanfare. But this time i've decided to make a big fuss!

From the brewery: “This release is brewed as a “wee heavy” at 8.5% ABV. We aged it on French oak for three months and infused it with a touch of spice. It’s a Christmas pudding in a bottle! Best enjoyed at 12 degrees Celsius from a brandy snifter or red wine glass to fully enjoy its heady bouquet. This beer will age well for several years if kept in a cool, dark place.”

From Slowbeer: Have I gone crazy? Not exactly, I’m well aware it isn’t Christmas, however this beer should certainly make it into your cold weather favourites rotation. Definitely a sipper though!

Pours dark ruby tending to amber with a small cream coloured head. Aromas of fruit and spice are in abundance with support from sweet caramel malt. Palate delivers a great degree of stewed red and dark fruits with caramel upfront, before darker malt carries some sweet toffee. Finishes with significant spice (cinnamon, clove, ginger) and fruity esters, sweet malt lingers. Alcohol is present but handled perfectly for the style.

While on paper it sounds far too sweet to work, the spice presence really brings it up to a whole new level. I would imagine that this isnt too dissimilar to alot of US bourbon barell aged barley wines. Big call i know, but this is really something special!

Cool Weather Warmers

Holgate Christmas Ale - 8.5%abv
Odd choice you say? Well try it now and thank me later! Some more of this great brew has just become available once more. Christmas in July anyone?

Pours dark ruby tending to amber with a small cream coloured head. Aromas of fruit and spice are in abundance with support from sweet caramel malt. Palate delivers a great degree of stewed red and dark fruits with caramel upfront, before darker malt carries some sweet toffee. Finishes with significant spice (cinnamon, clove, ginger) and fruity esters, sweet malt lingers. Alcohol is present but handled perfectly for the style. While on paper it sounds too sweet to work, the spice presence really brings it to life!

Red Hill Hop Harvest - 6%abv
The cold weather beckons and you know what that means? Hop Harvest release followed by Imperial Stout release!

Pours a murky amber with nice beige collar of foam. Aromas are quite bold, with caramel/toffee malt supported by apricot and marmalade notes and resinous hops. Palate lets the darker malt come through early before some fruity esters pop up. Finish is driven by fresh, resinous hops. This is definitely Red Hill’s bread & butter, and they continue to impress with it year in, year out. Great robust example of the style!

Emerson's Taieri George - 6.8%abv
Every year, this is probably one of slowbeer’s most anticipated releases. The punters just never seem to get enough of it. And with good reason, there is little doubt that this is among the most unique brews produced in Australia & New Zealand.

Pours dark red/brown with a nice tan coloured head. Nose is quite peculiar. Very overt spice notes, surely additions and not yeast driven. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & perhaps some cardamom. Also some fruit cake-like dark malt. Palate tones down the spice notes a touch, allowing the chocolate malt & dark fruit notes to come through. Finishes with lingering spice notes, but not in the traditional phenolic sense. Really interesting, I’m definitely hiding a few of these away for the winter months!

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New Releases & Fresh Stocks

Australia:
Alpha Queen - $3.00/$16.00 6pk
Beard & Brau Golden Paw - $4.00
Beard & Brau Red Tail - $4.00
Bridge Rd Harvest Pale Ale - $4.70/$25.00 6pk
Bridge Rd Beechworth Pale - $4.00/$21.50 6pk
Bridge Rd Bling IPA - $4.30/$23.00 6pk
Holgate Christmas Ale - $6.50
Holgate Nut Brown Ale - $4.00
Holgate Hopinator - $4.70
Holgate Temptress - $4.30
Red Hill Hop Harvest - $5.50

Canada:
St Ambroise 2009 Vintage Ale - $10.00
St Ambroise Pale Ale - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
St Ambroise Apricot Wheat - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - $4.70/$16.90 4pk
Unibroue Don De Dieu - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue Maudite - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue Trois Pistoles - $7.50 ($17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde - $7.50 (17.00 for 750ml)
Unibroue 17 - $22.50 (750ml)
Unibroue Terrible - 22.50 (750ml)

Norway:
Nogne O IPA - $14.50
Nogne O Saison - $14.00
Nogne O Wit - $12.00
Nogne O Amber - $13.00
Nogne O #100 - $16.00
Nogne O God Paske - $14.50
Nogne O - Dark Horizon #2 - $64.00

(YES, THATS ALL THATS LEFT FROM OUR HUGE ALLOCATION!!)

UK:
Brewdog Punk Lager $65.00 per case! (Normal RRP $120)
Meantime Winter Time - $9.00
Meantime IPA - $22.00
Meantime London Porter - $22.00

US:
Rogue Brutal Bitter $15.00
Rogue Jazz Guy Ale - $15.00
Rogue 100m Track Town Ale - $15.00
Rogue Shakespear Stout - $15.00
Rogue St Rogue Red - $15.00
Rogue Choclate Stout - $15.00

Crafty Harvest Ales

Red Hill Hop Harvest - 6.1% abv
Every year this is one of our most hotly aniticipated releases and with good reason! Red Hill grow their own hops on site and this brew is chock full of them!
An traditional style ESB, briming with caramel toffee & biscuity malt, maramalade notes as well as a tonne (not literally!) of resiny hops.

Bridge Road Harvest Pale Ale - 4.6% abv
A new brew for Ben & the guys up at Beechworth. Much like Red Hill's, this Harvest Pale Ale radiates hop presence but certainly in the new world mould. Masses of tropical, citrus & stonefruit supported well by a touch of caramel and biscuity malt.

Holgate Anniversary (macadamia)Nut Brown Ale - 5%
Who needs beer nuts when you have a beer with nuts?!...The use of roasted macadamia nuts ensures this beer has great depth of flavour. Its a great twist on a classic style!

STOCKS OF THE ABOVE BEERS WILL BE ARRIVING IN STORES THIS WEEK!!

BIG Beers to fight the cold!

Three Floyds/Mikkeller Hvedegoop
Was unsure what to expect, being a wheat-wine. Pours slightly hazy red/copper with a nice off white head. Aromas are quite robust, with a very american hop profile - citrus, stonefruit and pine supported by caramel and toffee malt. Also a slight sour dough character hiding beneath the hops. Palate is as expected. Sweet dark malts early before rather aggressive citrus and pine hops take charge. No real sign of wheat that was promised on the nose. Finishes with medium/high pine hop bitterness & a nice abv kick.

Be sure to give this one time, don't drink it too cold! The more i drank it the more i noticed the layers of subtle complexity beneath the overt US hops. I suspect if this was classified as a 2IPA people would be going nuts for it, there are some strong similarities. Semantics aside, i really enjoyed it! Would be interested to see how it ages, i’d expect the wheat characters to become more evident as the hops fade. Watch this space...

Baladin Noel
Pours red/brown body with a nice, solidly packed tan head that stays for some time. Nose has dark malt, both roasty and sweet with dark fruit & spice supporting. Palate translates well with a little more dusty, dark chocolate coming into play. Finishes long with a good balance of lingering sweetness, roasty dark malt and spice. ABV pops up a little towards the end, very nice!

Emersons Taieri George
Pours dark red/brown with a nice tan coloured head. Nose is quite peculier. Very overt spice notes, surely additions and not yeast driven. Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & perhaps cardomom. Also some fruit cake-like dark malt. Palate tones down the spice notes a touch, allowing the chocolate malt & dark fruit notes to come through. Finishes with lingering spice notes, but not in the traditional phenolic sense. Really interesting!!