Mikkeller Struisse Brouwers DSB

This beer, just recently retired, is a collaboration between two Europe's finest brewers: Mikkeller and de Struisse Brouwers. This beer was first created in 2007 by combining a super hoppy Mikkeller beer and a strong blonde from de Struisse. It was first created as part of ratebeer.com's worldwide master series and is heralded as the hoppiest beer brewed in Belgium.

The alcohol content is high, which you can really taste. It has an overwhelming hop flavor that really binds well to the alcohol lending a sort of heaviness to the bitters when they kick in at the end.

A crisp yeast cleanly carves out the light malts the bolster the hops. I'd say the yeast is a little too involved in the flavor for my taste buds, but the beer exhibits a masterful craftsmanship. The residue flavors have the perfect leftover citrus rind, it dips down and smoothly glides back up for that last kick. The whole beer moves like a perfect ellipse, never losing it's flavor, but always building throughout the tasting experience.

Mikkeller Struisse Brouwers: ****1/2

Dry Hopped Christoffel Nobel

I'll be writing a some tasting notes about a couple of the beers I tried in Amsterdam. This is the first.

Some interesting flavors reminds me a bit of the Winter Solstice because of the fresh almost peppermint qualities. Although the fact that it's called "Christoffel," and a green and red label might also be contributing to the subconscious idea of a Christmas seasonal. I taste some english hop stylings down in there somewhere, but it seems a little too watery and the yeast adds a fruity quality that when combined with the mintyness makes this beer entirely too light bodied.

Dry Hopped Christoffel Nobel: ** 1/2