Mikkeller 黑 / Black

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

Dear God! Bottle from Bello. Dear God, I say! Another great example of a beer that is just too big. This 13 oz bottle ought to be split amongst 10 people. Thick aroma of apple, plum syrup, sweet chocolate, charcoal; flavors to match. Man. What a huge, painful beer.

Thanks to hopdog for the opportunity... Appears a pitch black with dark brown edges that slowly fades into a small tan head that seems to hold tight. Smell is of heavy alcohol that burns like nailpolish remover with some notes of roasty nuts and malty fruitiness that’s is outweighed by the huge abv that is overly evident. Taste is of the same aromas with some molasses and astringent roasty burnt nuts. Notes of berries, sugary coffee, play dough...I dunno. I think this one is in some major need of age. Mouthfeel is full bodied, chewy, astringent, bitter, huge abv, intense hops, coffee. What the "f" hapened here? To me, this is undrinkable right now. If it is given the proper aging, of say, 10 years, it may be ok. 100% un-rusty trombone review!

Sampled a split of this at my first imperial stout tasting. Pours a very shiny, oily black with zero head. I shook it a little right before opening and it even looked like it had almost no carbonation in the bottle too. Smells like booze, like cheap vodka mixed with kahlua and cola. WHOA! Hot in the mouth and on the tongue. Way to much heat from the alcohol which takes away from any beer flavors you could have gotten. Once you get beyond the booze you get a little burnt toast, some coffee and... booze. Hot hot heat on the end and not a lot else. Just a bit too extreme for my taste, not subtle in any way.

Poured from a 12.7oz corked and caged bottle and served in a snifter. This stout poured an opaque black with a one-finger thick head of creamy, dark tan foam that would not fade. A solid sheet of lace coated the entire glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of burnt malts, coffee, licorice, and a healthy dose of sweet, perfumey alcohol. The flavor consisted of charred malts, burnt sugar, black licorice, cold coffee, bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and a huge, sweet alcoholic finish. Lots of nice flavors, but it was hard to get past the alcohol. The mouthfeel was heavy and full-bodied with minimal carbonation. A fun beer to try, but I think this would be really good if the alcohol was cut back to about 12%.

Bottle. Wow this beer has some punch. Pours a pitch black mystery to revel a green bottle (why would you but a beer this thick and black in a green bottle?!). Oak flavors fill the nose. Tastes like you are drinking BBQ sauce, the most delicious BBQ sauce you’ve ever had but BBQ sauce none the less. Doesn’t taste that strong on the tougue but it hits you half way down and leaves lingering burn. Perhaps better with age but worth the try. If not for the price tag it would be fabulous to cook with!

Heavy malty burnt aroma. Huge, frothy, light brown head. Excellent lacing. Fully lasting longevity. Black body. Harsh bitter initial flavor with a long finish duration. Medium palate and creamy texture.

Bottle pours black with a smallish tan head and good lace. The aroma is coffee, oats, soy, dark fruits, and just plain over the top. The flavor is over the top everything. Too sweet, alcoholic, bitter, burnt, chemical, and vanilla. The palate is thick and rich. This really needs a few years to try to get to a drinkable state. Right now, it is like coffee, cherry cough syrup, and grain alcohol. Ugh. Perhaps the most expensive drain pour in my books.

Blacker than black pour with a thin espresso head. Aroma is very strong chocolate and booze. Flavor has more chocolate, black jelly beans, cherry, alcohol, brown sugar, and molasses. Finished very strong, with huge overpowering flavors. Nothing was all that complex though, which was nice.