Mikkeller 黑 / Black

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Imperial Stout
Copenhagen V, Denmark

Bottle shared by footbalm. Pours a swirling black body with a thick dark brown head. The aroma was quite nice; a fruity mix of dates and plums, also a bunch of coffee and sweet candy, oh and there is alcohol. The taste was dominated by a up-front sweetness, coffee, rich chocolates, sweet fruits, and a smooth body. Later is morphs into a bitter coffee bean and alcohol finish. Not bad at all, but as others have mentioned a bit off, perhaps it needs some time, like 5 years.

(Bottle) Pours black with a dark brown head. The aroma has a graceful roastiness from the malt with tones of dark creamy chocolate and cocoa up front but there is also some room for burned notes of coffee, tar, liquorice, rubber and caramelized brown sugar. Sugary with notes of dark caramel, dark syrup, honey and molasses. The alcohol is present but quite soft for 17.5. Light grapefruity, floral and orange-like hops in the background. Undertones of earthy tobacco, soy, blackberries, prunes, dried figs, caramelized almonds, liqueur and port. The flavour is heavily sweet, cloying and very sugar/honey/dextrose-like. Not even the massive and complex burned/roasted malt and bitter hop profile can balance this. Tones of dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, liquorice, coffee, orange, grapefruit, flowers, shellfish, blackberries, prunes, mead, liqueur and sweet port. The mouthfeel is smooth and oily but a tiny bit too sticky. Light carbonated. Well disguised minty alcohol. Medium to full bodied. A sipper.

Bottle at decaturstevo’s Februmergency Tasting for those of us that missed out on Sexual Chocolate ’09. Thanks to lithy for getting us all fucked up! Pours a near black with the smallest ring of brown head. Great aroma of milk chocolate, roast, expresso, sweet vanilla, and some alcohol. However, the alcohol on the aroma is nothing compared the amount on the flavor, as well as anise, bourbon, and roasty chocolate. Very cool deliver of such a high amount of alcohol. Best mikkeller beer I’ve had.

Bottle split with BossHossBikes.. . .thanks, man!!!! Pours black. Seriously, black, not much head. The aroma is powerful and reminds me of liquor. Lots of burn and wood in the nose along with coffee and a bit of molasses. The carbonation is low and the mouthfeel is semi-thick. Alcohol burns throughout but the other flavors are just as strong. The finish is nicely sweet with hints of creamy coffee and smoke, that’s the tamest thing on this one. The initial palate is rife with powerful alcohol notes, but it all seems like a fine sipping whisky just with more molasses and coffee. This is a beast of a beer, but I don’t think I could enjoy more than one of these at a time. No grace or subtly or attempt to hide the alcohol on this one. Still, for a sipper it is very nice.

hapjyduece brought this to PP bottle shop. Thanks Justin! Recipe for Mikkeller Black: One cup of espresso + 1 cup sugar + 1/2 cup Everclear. Incredible nose burning aroma of tons of malt. Espresso with tons of sugar. Way over the top flavor. Tastes severly underattenuated. Syrupy texture. Great tasting beer, but very low drinkability. Not sure whether to rate high or low.

Bottle. I had this beer sitting in my cellar for the past 2 months and it got me thinking "will this beer be any better in 3-8 years?". Only one way to find out and that is to open it now and see if I could somehow predict if it will cellar well, meaning will it be better with some age on it?

Poured a deep thick, oil like black liquid and formed a thin head leabing some foam resyting around the sides of the glass. Looks great.

Aroma - a combination of coal, soy sauce, hops, and chocolate. I debated giving this a 7 or an 8 but felt that the 8 best represented my overall feel of the aroma. In short - I liked it.

Flavor hits right away with a soy sauce similarity fading into a very hoppy, and robust stout. Slightly dry with some roasted coffee being present. Alcohol is present but not as over the top as I wouold expect from a 17% beer. Much smoother than I thought it would be, especially from all the roller coaster reviews I have read comparing it to a fresh World Wide Stout. Will this age and mellow out well? I think so. I may have to pick up another bottle to find out...

Dutch tasting session Bunnik. Bottled. Opaque black. Earthy and malty aroma. Extremely bitter flavour. Pretty extreme. I can’t drink a whole lot of this, but when limiting yourself to a few sips it could certainly be interesting.

Bottle courtesy of GMCC2181. Pours a crude oil black with a thin tan head but that does leave decent lacing. Nose is sweet dark fruits and alcohol. Taste is molasses, dark fruits, caramelized brown sugar, roasted malt, powdered cocoa, coffee and booze. Lots going on in this one. Surprisingly sweet – way too sweet for my taste, but that does cut the big ABV somewhat. Medium creamy mouth feel. Big beer for sure. Thanks G-Whizzle my Nizzle.