The names given to their beers can be quirky, zany, even silly.  But once you drink some of their stuff, Mikkeller becomes memorable.  I wouldn’t exactly call their beers cheap; in fact, many might call them overpriced.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that I always look forward to drinking a brew by these guys, especially because they started as homebrewers.  In this case, I actually picked up two of their barley-wines.  One was for immediate sipping and the other was for 5 or more years of aging.  I’ll let you know about the other beer later.  (If you’re interested, here are some other Mikkeller reviews.)  As for now, here is what I thought of a fresh Bad Worse.

The Pour: Typical of many barley-wines, Big Worse really had no head to speak of.  Lower levels of carbonation are part of the equation, but the style often pours with the appearance of flatness due to the lack of head.  It’s okay; it’s style appropriate.  Also typical of Barley-wine, Big Worse was murky and opaque.  To me, it looked very much like a glass of orchard-bought apple cider…a glorious site in mine eyes.  Thomas Hardy’s barley-wine came into my mind immediately when I saw the brew.

The Nose: The aroma of a this style is like nothing else.  Atypical of English versions, Mikkeller decided to use candy sugar in their brew. I suppose you could catch those aromas to a degree, but that’s not what struck me.  What really caught my attention was how similar this beer smelled to Thomas Hardy’s Ale.  The funny thing is that there were no Maris Otter malts that are so fundamental for the English brew.  Still, the juicy, acidic, and apple (and cherry) like aromas are picturesque for this style.  Touches of the 12% ABV certainly made their way to the nose.  Like other barley-wines, Big Worse was also pretty amped-up on the hops.  Plenty of those citrusy Cascades, Centennial, and Nugget hops lent to a perfumey nose.

The Taste: Big Worse was acidic and juicy in its taste profile.  A splash of that alcohol warmth was immediately evident.  The perfumey and thickly hopped body was sweet but not cloyingly so.  It was not as sweet as the classic Thomas Hardy’s Ale or even J.W. Lees.  Plenty of warm breadiness also made its way to the palate.  Rich caramel and dry fruits lingered in the mouth.  The beer was full and satisfying.

Overall, I can’t complain–Mikkeller always makes good stuff.  However, I think the beer would have benefited from a bit more residual sweetness and complexity.  Personally, I think the use of candy sugar thinned the beer more than I like for a barley-wine.  As I said, complexity was a bit lacking.  The parts that were noticeable were a bit disparate in the brew.  I would drink Thomas Hardy’s 99 times out of 100 if I had to choose.  I do think the beer will shape up, become more complex, and really come together after even a year of aging. I’m waiting for my next bottle so that I can prove how good this beer really could be with more time.

Paring it up:  Any blue cheese would be great with this brew.  Caramel desserts and maybe even lemon bars would be a nice pairing.  A big, loaded (onions, tomato, pickle, lettuce, blue cheese, bacon…whatever you put on it), fatty burger would also awesome with the brew.  Save a cigar for it as well.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among Other Barley-wines: ★★★★☆ 

Among Other Ales: ★★★¼☆