Last Thursday, Taps Beer Bar host an event called “Meet the Brewer: Mikkel from Mikkeller!”. The brewmaster of Mikkeller – Mikkel Borg Bjergsø present at the event. No speech nothing, just most of the beer fan boy meeting him in person. I was suppose to have an interview with him before the event start, due to some bad planning I wasn’t able to make it in time.

Is nice to able to meet up the man behind the brand that I respect a lot. As I like a lot of their beer. From the casual chat, I learned that he is opening a Mikkeller bar in Thailand, opening sometime in December. Which I can’t wait to go there, as they will have around 30 taps to play with.

After some light conversation, decided to bring him nearby Taps beer bar to explore some street food. I brought him over to the secret Kuey Teow Soup place for him to try some comfort food after some drinks. Rather then just chat about beer, the conversation is more on the relationship between each brewmaster. I bet people asked him all the time about his beer, what is his inspiration and where he got his inspiration. So I decided to ask a bit unconventional question to make him don’t feel that bored.

He did said about brewing Riesling wine in Germany now. As wine is one of his favourite drink too. Can’t wait to try it out and see how the result goes. One of his craziest ingredient is Black Truffle which he spent USD8k just for that brew which end up with not much Truffle character in there. Craft beer scene is not big Malaysia, yet was happy to see so many people turn up to meet Mikkel in person and snap picture with. I bet he feel like a rockstar for a while.

There is saying, never trust a skinny brewmaster but honestly if someone can brew beer that good, who care if he is skinny or fat. Mikkel for sure earn my respect. He for sure one of the top brewer out there for daring to used or try different ingredient to create some of the most awesome beer out there. We will meet again soon in Thailand. Cheers!

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The Better Beer Festival is back! The Festival will be held at Taps Beer Bar, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 7^th September 2013. Doors open from 2pm onwards. This is the largest selection of craft beer available at a single location in Kuala Lumpur.

NO GIMMICKS, NO SLOGANS… JUST BETTER BEER!

The Festival will feature over 100 different craft brews from Australia, England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Singapore, USA, Belgium and Germany. The Festival will keep you entertained with live music, beer talks and lucky draws.

Entry is a RM5 donation to Taps Beer Bar’s charity partner, the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Association, and this entitles you to one free beer taster. Festival beers are priced from RM20. There will be other beverages and food available.

Festival tokens can be purchased in RM50 lots. Credit cards (Visa and Mastercard only) will be accepted on a minimum RM100 transaction.

For more info, please email us at [email protected] or contact us on +603-2110-1560.

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I know new year just started but I believe yesterday I tried one of the best beer this year. The Tokyo series from BrewDog is already quite famous with few collaboration with few breweries. One of the famous collaboration is Black Tokyo Horizon with Nøgne Ø and Mikkeller.

Tokyo Rising Sun is a product by accident. Inside 2 different cask, a highland cask and a lowland cask. The bottle they give to me is the highland cask bottle. In the world only have 2237 and I manage to have one.

Tokyo
This beer have that strong alcohol vapour with sharp sweetness with a fume of petrol like aroma.

For first few sips it may have different effect of the taste. Heavy concentrated sweetness and the smooth creamy body is part of the character of the beer, with nice roasted aroma. The thickness of taste really make the beer stand out more then most. you can say that at 18.2% the beer should taste that way. But to make the alcohol balance in beer is not that easy. The beer is great but is not for those that haven’t advance in strong ale. Paying the price for this bottle is not cheap but the drinking experiences as a beer is really awesome.

You still available at Taps Beer Bar.

Tokyo Rising Sun
If Tokyo have that sharp sweetness then what about a accident forgotten product. For starter, the aroma of this beer is simply too amazing. The nice peat smokey with roasted smell in it. Light grassy and tar like fragrance and top with sweet chocolate.

The entry of this beer is awesome with grassy flavour of burned grass with sharp roasted and sweet chocolate. As the beer got warm, the flavour swap around. At some period the beer taste like a thick flavour of coffee. The finishing is also top class with nice flavour lingering at the back. Is just not for the faint hearted of light beer drinker. As the beer get warmer, Tokyo character can be easily detected. Although as it get warms it lost the peat, smokey flavour it does add on a light sour and sharp roasted flavour.

I’m sure, I’ll miss this beer very much. Quite confident this is one of my top ten beer I tried this year. Worse scenario, is not going to be easy to be able to enjoy this beer again as who ever have it will treasure it badly. Is really amazing and respect that beer can taste so good. It take a slow hour to finish this 3 person shared bottle of 330ml.

Even writing it right now is making me miss the beer badly. Good accidental job for producing this beer! Cheers to BrewDog!

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When the beer poured out?
Have a nice pleasant aroma of light sweet malt.

How’s the taste?
The entry have this kind of taste that remind me of the chinese cough mixture. Body is not that thick, have a wine like smoothness to it. It end with some light grape flavour. As the warm get warm up a bit, can taste cranberries syrup with the like of bubble gum. As you drink a long the beer give a tart warm on your throat. A bit of citrusy at the end, at 8% abv the beer is well balanced.

What’s the colour of the beer?
Pale yellowish brown.

Where to drink?
Drank it at Taps Beer Bar @ Jalan Nagasari.

My Opinion:
This beer live up to it’s name. Is kinda alive. I don’t like the beer when is too cold, as the beer warm up different stages of taste and aroma start to reveal stage by stage. It’s something I didn’t expect. I would have kept this beer in the bottle and see how the beer mature further in few years time. Overall this beer is a love and hate thing. I love how the beer reveal itself. Taste wise, I still think it can slowly mature for few months to balanced up the flavour. Have a try and let me know what you thought of it. Cheers!

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When the beer poured out?
Sharp citrusy aroma.

How’s the taste?
Very fruity of sweetness with light sour and sweetness of lychee fruit. At 3.6% abv the beer have a light bitter end. Refreshing carbonation with nice balance of taste, not much after taste.

What’s the colour of the beer?
Golden pale.

Where to drink?
Drank it at Taps Beer Bar @ Jalan Nagasari, KL, aslo available at Ales & Lagers.

My Opinion:
With such nice flavour, opening with starter food like salad and soup with be very nice and refreshing. The beer is not overpower at the same time have nice refreshing taste. Love it as starter beer.

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