Lagerboy Speaks – Mikkeller Czechet Pilsner
It’s Lagerboy’s station in life to chug his way through waves of yellow fizz – indeed, that’s what he thrives on. But just because he restricts himself to the see-though end of the spectrum doesn’t mean he has to sacrifice quality. Lager – that glorious process that results in cleaner, crisper beer – need not involve corn or rice. Crafted, bespoke lagers are out there now more than ever, and when it comes to reviewing them – there’s only one person fit for the job.
So it was that we let the froth-forward hoodlum loose on a lager from the most prolific (and talked about) brewer in Europe – Denmark’s Mikkeller. Founded in 2006 by two homebrewers – Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller, they have released such noteworthy beers as 1000IBU, Beer Geek Breakfast, and Big Worse Barley Wine. Mikkel now runs things on his own, and with no brewery to call home, flits from one mash tun to another all over the continent.
It must be wonderful – essentially he can do pretty much anything he likes, brewing with contacts and collaborating with the likes of Stone, Alesmith, BrewDog, De Molen, Amager, and Nøgne Ø. The majority of Mikkeller beers are produced at De Proefbrouwerij in Belgium – and boy does he keep them busy. Last year, Mikkeller released almost eighty beers. And yes, at least one of those was a lager.
Mikkeller Czechet Pilsner is the recreation of an older beer of Mikkel’s – Tjekket Pilsner, which was originally produced in 2009 for a restaurant in Copenhagen. The new version is very similar – a Bohemian-style pilsner loaded to the gills with Saaz hops. It pours a deep, clear golden colour, and has a subtle grassy, fruity nose. The taste is crisp, and finishes with that sweet hop spice characteristic of the Saaz. Slightly earthy, the dry finish really makes this one stand out from the crowd…
