Top Shelf Thursday, April 2014: Brother vs. Brother

It’s hard not to take interest in the lives of Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø & Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the identical Danish gypsy-brewing twins.  That description alone should whet your appetite.  The story of the minds behind Evil Twin & Mikkeller, respectively, has been the stuff of legend.  How much of the rivalry talesares true?  Are they really never in the same room?  Maybe it’s a Tyler Durden scenario – who knows?  What we do know is this – their labels are hard to miss, & they design some damn good brew to back them.

I use the word “design” deliberately – it’s a stretch to say they “brew” the beer, though “make” is closer.  They create the recipe, choose the ingredients, & leave the actually brewing to the brewers at De Proefbrouwerij, Westbrook, Anchorage, or whoever is hosting their latest project.  Such is the nature of the gypsy brewer: ever nomadic, without a brick & mortar to call home.  Mikkeller (originally the project of brother Mikkel & friend Kristian Klarup Keller, thus the name) pretty much made gypsy brewing a thing, with others also adopting the ethos – among them brother Jeppe, in part, possibly, to serve as a thorn in his brother’s side. 

The fixation on these two has been long-withstanding, & an article in the New York Times magazine not too long ago spurred my interest further.  Why not use the Top Shelf Thursday platform to indulge this fixation?  All systems go!

If Evil Twin has a “flagship”, it’s probably their Hipster Ale, an American-style pale ale.  It hit familiar notes, with a citrusy overtone & a dry finish – maybe the only truly distinguishing thing about it was its place as the first canned beer poured at a Top Shelf Thursday.  Familiarity soon vanished with the second beer from Evil Twin, a smoked pilsner known as The Cowboy.  The idea of a smoked pilsner was new to pretty much all in attendance, & the flavors of the smoked malt overlapped well with the earthy & sulfur-like notes of the pilsner’s noble hops. 

We ventured into entirely different territory with Mikkeller’s Beer Geek BreAKfast (note the ‘AK’), Mikkeller’s famous coffee imperial stout tweaked by the brett-&-barrel-heavy Anchorage Brewing.  The coffee notes were prominent, complemented by the dry finish of the brettanomyces.  Brett figured into the next two beers from Mikkeller, as well.  American Style IPA, created in collaboration with fellow gypsy Prairie Artisan Ales, was fermented 100% with brett.  The strain they used was a relatively clean one, foregoing the expected barnyard funk & instead imparting a fantastic pineapple flavor to the hopped up ale.  It’s Alive, Mikkeller’s tribute to the renowned Orval, displayed its brett in a different way.  This one definitely had a funky, herbal nose, delivering more classic brett character. 

Perhaps the award for best label of the night went to Keith Shore’s fluorescent design for Mikkeller’s 1000 IBU.  While perhaps hyperbolic, many understood how Mikkel arrived at the name of this abrasive double IPA. 

Evil Twin’s Yin, described as a “Taiji Imperial Stout”, hit familiar strains of dark fruit, roast coffee, & a bracing malt & alcohol backbone.  Yin was conceived as a complement to Yang, a “Taiji Imperial IPA”, meant to be drank as a black & tan, though it worked perfectly well solo.  Booze played a role in Evil Twin’s Freudian Slip, as well.  This American-style barleywine bore a strong but balanced hoppiness that interplayed smoothly with the characteristic barleywine heat.

There were many looks of recognition when we broke out Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Brunch Weasel, a beer whose reputation precedes it for its use of kopi luwak coffee beans, processed through the digestive system of an Asian palm civet.  Though many had heard of this brew, few had tried it, & were impressed by the rich chocolate flavors & velvety mouthfeel.  And many questions arose around the final beer of the night, Evil Twin’s Lil’s B: what’s the ‘B’ stand for?  Who’s on the label?  Is it a young man?  An old woman?  Lil’ B left no doubt in the minds of attendees as to its deliciousness, an imperial porter that definitely satisfied.

Thanks again to all who came out to this Top Shelf Thursday during Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week.  If you haven’t read the New York Times article (& have a half-hour to spare), I strongly recommend it.  It paints the picture of the twins’ complicated relationship, & their place in an increasingly complicated craft beer world, poignantly.  As always, though, the beer speaks for itself.