Mikkeller American Dream

OK, another Mikkeller "lager" to try - and this time it comes with the dubious accolade of being the top rated lager on ratebeer to boot.

I have to admit on first tasting as per the photo above, this beer really failed to impress. Could be either a bad choice of glass, a less than top quality bottle, or just some sort of bad mood I guess (the beer obviously, not me). I got a less than impressive nose, mid malt and pepper, ever so slight passionfruit, and a bit of lingering, slightly earthy bitterness.

Tried a second time, this beer was a bit of a revelation, putting me in mind of a hybrid cross of wet hopped Little Creatures Pale Ale and Feral Hop Hog with a crisper finish. Both of which are great, but .. neither of which are lagers. So we arrive at the very same impasse. I don't think this is a lager, it's either a pale ale or an IPA in terms of style. It's tempting to think that by this logic, anything with a bit of hops or flavour to it will be automatically disqualified as a lager, thereby preventing anything with character from appearing.. but beers like Knappstein provide an exception to that rule.

So.. this is a nice beer and delivers a lot of flavour for its low %. And you should drink it, assuming you get a good bottle, and assuming you're not really after a lager per se. 7.5