The Canadian Dream - Mikkeller Brewery (Denmark - Copenhagen)

The Canadian Dream - Mikkeller Brewery (Denmark - Copenhagen) 4.6%

An orange amber colour in a glass with a big off-white head of foam. A sweet and citrusy aroma with some resin and ever-so-slightly musty wood tones.

Very hoppy taste, cedar and light resin. Some citrus and tropical fruit flavours: I pick up papaya (think of those dried orange cubes in trail mix), some grapefruit and maybe tangerine. While this beer has sweet tastes at times it is also quite bitter and leaves the tongue tingling a little as a result.

There is a bit of confusion as to the alcohol content of this beer, the label claims 4.6% but I have seen it registered at 5.5% in several places on the internet. I think it is more likely to be 5.5% because this would otherwise be the hoppiest and lowest alcohol beer I ever had by a longshot. Roughly speaking, a higher alcohol content requires more sugar for the yeast to eat. Also, for a beer to be this hoppy without being overwhelmingly bitter there has to be a fair amount of balancing sweetness, this is something that I just don't think could be accomplished in a conventional beer that is only 4.6%. Regardless of the ABV, this is a very nice American Pale Ale.

Faxe Amber (Denmark) 5.0%

Faxe Amber (Denmark) 5.0%

Sweet, honeyed, lightly caramelized malt aroma with a bit of dry hops. A brown tinted amber in a glass.

A moderately caramelized malt flavour which is to be expected from an Amber: a little bit like the crust from dark bread. Also quite bitter and the taste of alcohol is there occasionally despite it only being 5.0% ABV. Unfortunately there's a unpleasant sour taste that comes through sometimes which is not nice. Overall, it's not bad for a mass-produced Amber (which isn't saying much) except for that sour flavour which can be really off-putting. Actually, between the sour flavour and the oddly unmasked alcohol taste Faxe Amber isn't very good. Some other Faxe products are just as cheap but actually quite a bit better.

Euro Lagers - Part 2: Scandinavia

Regular readers will know that my blog really got going during half of a year I spent in Norway (Norwegian Yule Beers). Here are a few other lagers and pilsners that I came across during my time in Scandinavia.

Fredrikstad Pilsner (Norway) 4.5%

Thin tasting, a little sweet (a kind of honey sweet) but very mild. It tastes lighter than 4.5% and isn't bad. However there isn't much to its flavour, good or bad. Cool label.

CB Pilsner - Christianssands Bryggeri (Norway) 4.7%

Thin but with a strong malty taste. It's unique but not terrible good: the flavour is one-dimensional and the beer is not very refreshing.

Dahls Pils (Norway - Trondheim) 4.5%

This is a dreadfully thin beer. It tastes of beer flavoured water with a hint of cardboard. The redeeming qualities are few and far between: it is cheap for Scandinavia and it has a nice looking bottle cap. Avoid this one.

Lundetangen Pilsner (Norway) 4.7%




A very sweet beer with a malty aftertaste. It's a little too sweet to be properly refreshing but in general not bad.

This beer is brewed by the Aass brewery but the recipe is from the now defunct Lundetangen brewery who's demise bankrupted the father of Henrik Ibsen, Norway's most famous playwright.

Nordlands Pils 4.5%

Nicely drinkable with a bitter (and delayed) aftertaste that I didn't mind. Somewhat sweet but definitely a solid Euro lager/pilsner. At 15.90 NOK it is on the expensive side of local beers but only by a few dozen cents per bottle.

Tuborg Green (Denmark - Copenhagen) 5.4%

A surprisingly lively pallet for a pilsner: a little bit fruity, a little sweet, a little bitter. Lightly carbonated and lightly, sparkling gold in a glass. Refreshing but mostly unremarkable.

Tuborg Pure Gold (Demark - Copenhagen) 5.5%

A dry hoppy smell. That hops character comes through in the flavour as well as sweet, smooth maltiness. This beer is a lovely gold (who would have thought Tuborg Pure Gold would be gold coloured!), well carbonated with a moderately bitter finish. All in all Tuborg Pure Gold is quite smooth, fairly refreshing though quite malty and is, on the whole, well balanced.

Gull (Iceland) 5.0%

A warm somewhat sweetly-toasted bread taste with a somewhat bitter aftertaste for a lager.

Viking Gultur (Iceland) 5.0%

A very ordinary international lager, slightly more malty and bitter than average.






In case you missed it, here's Euro Lagers - Part 1: The Czech Republic.

The Faxe Three

Faxe Premium (Denmark) 5.0%

A gold colour in a glass this beer has a nice head but went flat quickly. Fairly bitter, malty and somewhat thick and sweet. While certain characteristics of this beer aren't bad the mix is not appetizing at all and despite the low price of this beer this is not one that I would recommend.

Faxe Fest Bock (Denmark) 7.0%

A dark brown beer. It is malty, roasty and very bitter (almost sour) and a little sweet. It's reminiscent of Yule Beers which appear on shelves all over Scandinavia in the months leading up to Christmas (check out these reviews and these and this one, for an idea of what Yule Beers are all about).

Unlike its 10% brethren that includes glucose syrup amongst its ingredients, this Faxe is made with only water, barley malt, and hops. Like the 10% Faxe it is very cheap (selling for $2.85 for 500ml including tax and deposit) but unlike the 10% Faxe it's actually pretty good.

Faxe Extra Strong Beer (Denmark) 10.0%

I was surprised to see a complete ingredient list on the side of this 500ml can of beer. I was even more surprised to find glucose syrup as the third ingredient. I guess they needed something to make the yeast pump out enough booze to make this beer 10% ABV. It's bitter, sickly sweet, gold in a glass and very cheap. Very cheap is likely the only reason this thing sells and only to people who are looking to get drunk ... and those who are on a mission to review every beer they can find.

Three Beers For Beer Geeks

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Traditionally Crafted Legendary Ruby Red Beer (England - Oxfordshire) 5.2%

Fairly red, fairly bitter. Kind of fruity and caramel-ey. Generally mild in flavour despite the grandiose name.



Beer Geek Breakfast - Mikkeller (Denmark) 7.5%

Black, black in a glass. Smells bitter and faintly of black olives (?). Tastes malty and quite pleasantly bitter and most unsurprisingly of black coffee. Really tasty, I would recommend drinking this out of a wine or brandy glass if possible.







Erdinger Alkoholfret (Germany) 0.0%

Sweeter than most wheat beers, though I usually find that most no or low alcohol beers are sweeter than their counterparts (because the sugars weren't changed into alcohol by yeast? mayhaps) but still it has a mild wheat beer taste. A bright gold in a glass. Nice to look at, nice to taste, nice to have as a middle of the day alternative to alcohol bearing beer.

Carlsberg & Carlsberg's Elephant (Denmark)

Carlsberg 4.6%

Probably not the best beer in the world (despite what their slogan says). It has a slightly malty taste which is a little bitter for an international lager but all in all it does not feature a very interesting taste. Not the worst of the generic beers out there but you might as well get a cheaper (a.k.a. local) one that has a full 5.0% ABV since I don't see why you'd only be drinking this for the flavour. That is unless you are in Denmark, because as they say: " When in Denmark, drink Carlsberg (at least once)!" No really they say that over there all the time...

Carlsberg Elephant 7.2%

The first thing I notice with this beer is its almost, but not quite, syrupy texture. It tastes a little of almonds and toasted bread; a little bitter and a little sweet. It makes me think of a "grown-up's" version of Colt 45: it's main feature is its high alcohol content but spend a little bit more money to get a better flavour. It doesn't taste like 7.2% but it packs a wallop.

Certainly worth trying if you are passing through Denmark and want a strong beer without much flavour (good or bad) but if you miss it, well, you are not exactly missing a unique or special beer.

Carl's Porter (Carlsberg - Denmark)

Now THIS is an authentic porter. Smooth, barely carbonated, and bitter with strong flavours of black coffee and peat smoke. High in alcohol (7.8%) and opaque in a glass ... really opaque: if you have more than an inch in a glass you can't see through it.

Made by the Carlsberg brewery this is a really nice porter, certainly not a beer that anyone who doesn't like dark beers is going to like, but this is a dark beer for dark beer lovers. Also, considering it is such a strongly flavoured and so dark (have I mentioned it's dark?) this beer is surprisingly light.

I paid 10 DKK (which exchanges for a little under $2.00 CAD) for a 0.33 l bottle of this from the Carlsberg Brewery gift shop. Which I consider a steal of a deal. If you have the chance and like porters I recommend this one.

Beer Tasting on the DFDS Crown of Scandinavia

This beer tasting consisted of five good sized samples of different beers brewed by the Skands Brewery of Denmark. The samples, served in the cozy environs of the Red and White Wine Bar on Deck 8 of the Crown of Scandinavia while sailing from Oslo to Copenhagen, were presented and described by the bartender (and self-described Wine Guy) Peter who did an excellent job of guiding me through the flavours.

(Peter, manning the bar and doling out helpful tips, as well as delicious wines and beers)

The tasting itself is also well designed working up from the more subtle flavours to the stronger tasting beers; I really recommend this tasting. So, if you find yourself planning to travel by boat on any DFDS ships check to see if they have this service. It's much cheaper if you buy it ahead of time, when ordering your ticket online, but still isn't very expensive (for Scandinavia) if purchased on board: 120,00 (DKK) or around $24.00 (CAD).


First up:

Humle Fryd (Hops of Joy) 5.5%

This is a hoppy, lightly flavoured beer with a measured but lingering aftertaste. It's very pale in a glass and while it isn't bad it pretty well just tastes like any other international lager.

(I drank it before I remembered to photograph it ... I was thirsty!)

Elmegade IPA 6.2%

This IPA smells a bit like apples or cider and tasted the way an old fort converted into a museum sometimes smells, musty but with an interesting history. This sounds like a terrible condemnation but I swear it isn't. Elmegade IPA is bitter but not overly, actually quite refreshing. Has a faint herb taste in the background of the flavour that I couldn't pin down (maybe coriander) but enjoyed. A tasty IPA this may not be exactly what was rolled onto the India bound sailing ships of the British Navy those hundreds of years ago but it tastes like it should be and if it was: lucky sailors.


New Stout 5.8%

Peter: " A modern interpretation of stouts and porters: lighter so you can drink more of it."

And drink more of it you will! Eminently drinkable I heartily recommend this one. Still has smoke, and coffee and caramel flavours and although dark in a glass it is not opaque. It is also nicely carbonated and certainly light enough to enjoy with food and to drink several of them. Of the beers in the sampler this is the first I made plans to order more of. It really is a wonderful interpretation of heavier stouts and porters because it manages to keep the full flavour without being heavy like traditional stouts and porters, and without being watery as some other dark beers that are striving to be more drinkable.

(I drank this one before I photographed it also but had to order a full bottle of this one!)

Bla Chimpanse (Blue Chimpanzee) 6.5%

A Danish attempt to mimic the beers made by the Belgian brewery monks of Chimay. A fruity bouquet, creamy with a complicated taste, more sweet than bitter. Cloudy and a deep amber in a glass. A taste of clover and a hint of caramel. This is a good beer but the Belgian original is better.

(On the return trip this one was worth trying again)

Last but certainly not least:

Esrum Kloster 7.7%

Brewed by Skands but spiced with herbs from the very old monastery after whom the beer is named.

A sip of this beer is a veritable blast of flavour: jasmine and sage pound the senses of the unwary. A sweet and gingery aftertaste left me intrigued and very pleased to have a whole glass left. This lovely beer has a taste like what every gardener who plants beautifully smelling herbs intends/wishes/hopes/dreams their backyard will smell like. No hint of the high alcohol content except that it reminds me a little of a particularly potent Swedish mead.

If you can only try one of the beers from this sampling make it this one. I enjoyed the rest (particularly the New Stout) but this one is far and away the best and indeed one of the best beers I've ever had to pleasure to drink.

(Mmmm....)