An American-style pale ale from the great European brewing capital of Belgium? Trust Mikkel Borg Bjergso to break some rules. The "Gypsy brewer" from Denmark collaborates with various facilities in Europe and the United States to craft unusual, cross-cultural recipes, including this superb one from the Flemish brewery De Proefbrouwerij, which has become the peripatetic star's de facto home base. A former math teacher, Bjergso began tinkering in his Copenhagen kitchen in 2006 and quickly found a devoted following. Teaming up with childhood friend Kristian Keller, who helped grind malt and play around with various yeast strains and hops in a basement lab of their apartment complex, Bjergso eventually went commercial and now exports to 40 countries, winning medals at beer competitions and high praise from critics around the globe. He even earned a seat of honour as provider of house beers at the Michelin-starred Danish restaurant Noma. (Keller ultimately departed to edit a music magazine, leaving Bjergso on his own to lead the cult.)
Green Gold embodies Bjergso's passion for the heavily hopped beers of the U.S. West Coast. Measuring 7-per-cent alcohol, it's hazy-toffee-brown in colour and gloriously pine-like (green gold indeed), with solid bitterness expertly balanced against a luscious core that suggests caramel, peach, apricot and lively citrus. Think of it as an evergreen forest crossed with a fruit orchard. Available in limited quantities in Ontario.