Mikkeller time

I stumbled into Pangaea Two Brews Cafe this past weekend and whoa! All kinds of Christmas Day action, including a handful of fresh bottles from Danish brewer Mikkeller. There were lambics—three in fact, including Spontantkriek, a tart, cherry-lemon brew with a pink head. Snobs on RateBeer say it’s masquerading as a Cantillon Kriek—of course it is, and I’ll drink it, anyway. With a bottle of bourbon-barrel-aged Monk’s Brew, I did the wise thing and stored it in the Miller “cellar,” a.k.a. my closet. Will sip it this winter to save on the PG&E bill. As for now, I split a Mikkeller Overall IPA with a friend—dry and piney but with a sour grapefruit punch, these 12 ounces put bitter and tannic West Coast IPAs to shame. Pangaea Two Brews Cafe, 2743 Franklin Boulevard; (916) 454-4942.

Beer: Old Numbskull (barley wine)
Brewer: AleSmith Brewing Company
Where: Nugget Market, 2000 Town Center Plaza in West Sacramento; (916) 375-8700

Beer: Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema
Brewer: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Where: Burgers & Brew, 1409 R Street; (916) 442-0900

Beer: Hop Notch (draft)
Brewer: Uinta Brewing Company
Where: The Shack, 5201 Folsom Boulevard; (916) 457-5997