Mikkeller Warrior Single IPA

I've never had a Danish India Pale Ale before, and due to curiosity I didn't want to read any information about the bottle of Mikkeller Warrior IPA that I had in front of me. Are Danish IPA's more European in nature, or are they modeled on the American version? From the stories I've heard, and from the articles I've read, I'm guessing (before I pop the cap) that this bottle of IPA would be more hop forward (American) then the traditional IPA's found on the other side of the ocean. And it helps knowing that the Warrior hop strand is of the American variety.

Off goes the top and the beer flows into the glass from the pink labelled bottle. What a beautiful head. Three good inches of the delicate white oxygen fighter look lovely atop the orangey, hazy, unfiltered IPA. The nose is a hop bouquet, very citrusy and zesty, with some floral notes, and a nice touch of toasted biscuity malts working together with a hint of sweet caramel, helping to strike a nice balance. I'm also picking up some barnyard like aroma's, something like rain soaked fence posts (I grew up on a farm). Very inviting and interesting indeed. The first drink supplied a nice Warrior hop wallop that immediately awoke my sleeping taste buds, providing them with the taste of a citrusy punch - think tangerine and lemon. The bitterness is up front, but fades off into a solid and lingering sweet aftertaste, coying me to have another drink. The highly carbonated, medium bodied IPA is nice and crisp, yet it leaves a stickiness on the tongue which has me smacking my lips for minutes after the bottle is done. I like it. I could drink more of this. I like how the hop (warrior - hence its name) stands out in both the aroma and taste, but also how it plays nicely with the malts and the carbonation to create an easy drinking, subtle American IPA.

The Warrior Single Hop IPA will be one of the 9 beers being served tomorrow at the Danish Beer Dinner at beerbistro, hosted by the Roland and Russell Import Agency. The latest word is that there are very few tickets available, so if you are sitting on the fence, now is the time to give beerbistro a call and get a pair today.

Mikkeller Warrior Single Hop IPA
Brewed De Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium
American Style IPA
Bottle: 33cl
Alcohol: 6.9%