Mikkeller 黑 / Black

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

Awesome "beer" It is almost more like a port to me. Amazing aroma, almost wine like. Pours black with brown head and some lacing. Much sweeter than I had anticipated. Still has the notable roasted coffee flavour with slight bitterness on the finish. Sweeter than black hole. one to savour

Bottle from Sun Devi cracked at Atlas Bistro to pair with a chocolate dessert. Pours like motor oil with a trim reddish-brown head. Highly viscous. Smells of aggressively of alcohol, cocoa, and tobacco. Mellows in flavor with cavernous notes of soy sauce, raisins, dates, molasses, red wine, black licorice, chocolate brownie, and a touch of ash on the finish. Perhaps the perfect cigar pairing. Massive and delicious, but not for the masses.

Bottle, SBWF. As Mikkeller wrote, "Not for sissies!" A powerful beer, beautiful with a sense of port wine, raisins and chocolate. The foam was non-existent and the beer was black. The body was heavy. The taste was a bit fiery of all alcohol although not unpleasant. Burnt tones, chocolate, fruit, sweet, port wine, smoke, fruit, malt, yes an experience!

A fascinating aroma of soy source; mustard, coffee and caramel. Herbal spices too. Poured into a ESB glass from a bottle. WOW. Lovely dark rich texture with little head. A small head swirl around the middle which looks fantastic. The overpowering aroma before taste entry is awesome. An excellent winter beer. Can taste figs; caramel, dark liquerish, dark chocolate, cofee and whiskey. WOW. What flavour. Leathery yeast on the palet and soy source too. One amazing beer. It does not hide the alcohol at all. A really great intense craft beer but do not have during a session. I am having this with my duck. Good luck in hunting this down.

Had this one in the fridge for awhile and felt i had to psyche myself up a bit before i could finally crack it open. Once i did pop the bastard little cork, i carefully tilted the mystical bottle and poured myself a sipping glass of black wonder. Witnessed a ruby dark black that shifted to pitch midnight tone once fully poured. No head rested on top, just a glass of "what the hell am i about to drink?" Shifted my nose towards the rim and was treated to a very complex array of smells...cherries, port, brandy, raisin, tar, cigar, pavement, grease, fig and plum. Taste was amazing...dropping (not just hints) but full blown novels containing roasted cold chestnuts, almonds, various forms of candied fruit, fig cake, whiskey pies, grandaddy’s rum, copper (like the taste of a penny). Flavour was very complex, somewhat overwhelming, highly alcoholic, and strangely, not hard to drink and enjoy. The finish is a real kicker, settling back in the inner valleys of the downtown part of the tongue and, like tiny scorpions, just sitting there for a while and lashing their tails...what a beautiful sting. By the end of this bottle I felt like I was living inside of a Melvins record.

Black. Thin dark brown head. Aromas are rich sweet dried prunes, coffee, leather, chocolate, raisins... WOW! Alcohol is there, but not aparent. Flavor is initially big black licorice, sweet dark chocolate, figs - no, scratch that - black strap molasses with raisin tar. Then finishing back into black licorice with a touch of astringency. This beer just doesn’t finish! Roasted nuts, tobacco, leather, dark rum... should age well for 20+ years if anyone has the patience... Tasted May 21, 2008 - Bottle from John’s Market Place in Portland.

375 ml bottle from Systembolaget shared with a friend. Wonderful chocolate/sweet candy smell. Taste is huge and feels almost brutal of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, fudge, liquorice, port, honey, brown sugar, some roasted malt and alcohol with a slightly hop bitterness at the end (but most of all I think the beer is sweet, probably due to both malt and alcohol). I expected to feel the alcohol even more though, it feels pretty well balanced and brings a warming feel. In a couple of years this beer will improve even more, I think. I’m lucky we’ve got one left for cellaring.

Pours black like you shut off the lights of the world and wore sunglasses taped over with duct tape. tan head is deep and could probably catch a parachuter with a broken chute. nose is sweet with a dark espresso, chocolatey burnt roast blast. taste? um, like heaven if it were made of sweet goodness. tastes just like it smells, roasted and chocolate with sweetness. mouthfeel is velvety smooth and perfect heaviness, but the aftertaste zaps your tastebuds with a lazer of crisp alcohol. some high-alcohol beers taste like a stout with a shot of rubbing alcohol in it, not ’black.’ an amazing marriage of alcohol and taste that makes enjoying a beer of the calibre that much more enjoyable. not if it weren’t $19 per bottle, we’d be set.