Gyldenkam

Brewery: Munkebo Mikrobryg

Type: American Pale Ale

Alcohol: 5.2%

Country: Denmark

There has been a lot of buzz about this new brewery Munkebo. When I heard it was a successful homebrewer going commercial, I was really intrigued. I also learned I had had one of his beers in the past, Gleipner black IPA, brewed at Midtfyns Bryghus. I remember liking it so I was excited for when I could get my hands on some of the new beers. Now Gyldenkam was probably the one I was most excited about. Named after a rooster from old norse mythology, Gyldenkam is a hybrid between a classic German weissebier and an American pale ale. It had a world premiere at my favorite local bar, Christian Firtal, and everyone raved about it. So time to kill the rooster.

Alex translates the label: The best of two worlds. Brewed like a Bavarian weissbier, and flavored with fresh American hops like a pale ale. The rooster Gyldenkam sits every morning in the tree Yggdrasil, wherefrom he wakes the vikings for a new round of fighting and feasting.

Pours a very hazy orange, much like the weissbier it claims to be a hybrid of. The head is good size and off color white, nice and foamy and thick. Massive blast of cascade and simcoe on the nose. This is an incredibly fresh beer, and I am drinking it only a few weeks after being bottled so the nose is amazingly fresh. Lots of pine and floral and a slight fruity sharp note. The taste is massive with simcoe domination. Fruity lemon and pine with a subtle sweetness. Malt is subdued by the fresh hoppy flavor. Little bit of toasted bread sweetness comes through but mostly it is all about the green stuff. Not a lot of that weisse yeast shines through, if anything at all it might add to the fruitiness, or lightness to the taste, but I think it is more a factor in the mouthfeel. So getting to that, this beer is like velvet water. It drinks incredibly smooth. I would attribute that to the wheat more then anything, but I am willing to bet the weisse yeast had something to do with it. Smooth, slightly watery mouthfeel is highly drinkable, but still has enough body to not be chuggably thin. All in all a refreshing and drinkable pale ale/wheat ale. I could imagine plowing through a few of these on a hot summer afternoon (the fact it is cold and dark outside is slightly depressing). It is a good balance between that hop heady american pale and the drinkability of a wheat. Highly recommended to try.