Suddenly
Vinmonopolet had several new India Pale Ales available, so I bought some of them and had an IPA session.
From Denmark, Herslev Bryghus IPA is probably the palest IPA I have tasted. It looked like a pale lager in the glass, and there was some carbonation and a medium sized head. I felt some grapefruit and apples in the nose, while the beer tasted of apples, citrus and some pine before a partly bitter finish. This was a nice beer, but I was a bit disappointed that I did not feel the grapefruit promised from the aromas when I tasted it.
Skands Elvegade IPA is also from Denmark. This is a cloudy beer with some carbonation and a small head. In the nose I felt apples and some sour citrus. In the mouth there was lemon and some bitter hops. The beer was quite alright, but it was not what I expected from an IPA.
Southern Tier IPA is an American beer. This cloudy beer had a small head and nearly no carbonation. In the nose there was some assertive grapefruit, and the grapefruit also dominated in the mouth. The finish was bitter with a touch of grass. This was a great India Pale Ale and my favourite of these three.
To finish the session I went for a wheat beer with a hoppy twist. Schneider Weisse TAP 5 was a cloudy beer with a nice, white and large head. There was some carbonation, and the aromas were very hoppy. I felt grapefruit and some banana. In the mouth this was a beer with an assertive fruit cocktail in the lead. Some bubble gum and sweetness danced along before a finish with a touch of sweet pear and a touch of hoppy bitterness. This was a very good beer, but I felt that a half litre bottle was too much. As a Weizendoppelbock with an alcohol content of 8.2%, this is a strong beer.
In the glass, this was a very pale beer. Sol had some carbonation and a large head. The beer had aromas of sweetness, malts and cardboard. There was not much flavour from this beer. I felt some cardboard and grass before a watery finish. This was a boring beer.
The Danish Skand brewery has several interesting beers in its line-up. I found Esrum Kloster at a Vinmonopolet outlet. This is a beer with 7.5% alcohol, and it is supposed to be from a classic monastery beer recipe. In the glass, Esrum Kloster had a dark copper colour. It was nearly black. The beer had some carbonation and a small head. In the nose I felt cold coffee and some sweetness. The beer tasted of caramel and lots of spices and herbs. The spices and herbs were difficult to pinpoint. Some were sweet, and some felt a bit bitter. I liked the beer in the beginning, as I felt it was different. In the end I got bored of it, and I guess this is not a beer I will buy very often.
