2-4-T: Mikkeller Breakfast Beers

1. Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

Beer and breakfast are two words that you normally don't use in the same sentence...unless it's something like, "ughhh I drank too much beer last night, I don't think I can handle breakfast." Regardless, the social stigma of drinking alcohol in the morning/mid-afternoon does not stop us from an occasional libation for Sunday brunch. But why restrict it to a mimosa or bloody mary? Many beer styles are excellent for pairing with traditional breakfast food. Take this one, for example, a hoppy version of Mikkeller's Beer Geek Breakfast. This brewery has a wide array of beer geek breakfast/brunch beers, a couple of which I reviewed before with utter elation. Since the base beer is an oatmeal stout, I can't help but be reminded of the recent surge of black IPAs on the market. Also, since this is an imperial oatmeal stout, they had to successfully add a liberal amount of hops in order to create any balance with the dark, chocolate, roasty notes of the beer...and they did. This beer had some nice hop flavor and aroma to it. Great balance. Great way to start your day. I'd pair this one with an omelet.

Overall Rating: A

2. Mikkeller Rauch Beer Breakfast

Apparently this beer is an alias for Mikkeller's "Beer Geek Bacon." Why you would need an alias for a beer called "Beer Geek Bacon" is beyond me but I'll go with it. Either way, there's playful bacon-y word art on the label. I suppose THIS name, the alias, is more for the beer purists because "rauch" infers smoked beer, a genius style perfected by the Germans. Smoked beer often smells and tastes like bacon, thus me describing it as a "genius" style. So this is a great style for a breakfast/brunch beer. This beer takes that style to a new level though because it's a smoked oatmeal stout with coffee. I may be on more of an IPA kick lately but this beer is flat out delicious. Smoky chocolate with a hint of bitterness and a creamy head. This beer is part of a nutritional breakfast. I'd pair it with sausage and eggs.

Overall Rating: A+