Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

Mikkeller
Brewed at Nøgne Ø
Style: Stout
Copenhagen V, Denmark

I’m a beer geek and proud of it. Yes. Yes, I am. Mikkeller understands this. Why else would they have an exquisitely divine oatmeal coffee stout named, aptly so, Beer Geek Breakfast. I also find it a bit ironic that I’ve had their Beer Geek Brunch with Weasel before I had their Beer Geek Breakfast, the stout that started it all.

Black, thick, rich, and viscous, she pours velveteen and black as pitch. Equally thick, rich and smooth is her head which is a gorgeous espresso crema, lingering long and soft from the first to last quaff. Stretching her fingers up the sides of my glass, her nose gently envelops me. Just as her appearance promised, thick, rich, and smooth. There is a subtle creaminess which permeates her nose which oozes rich European chocolates, oatmeal, and freshly drawn espresso. I have the oatmeal to thank for her smoothness and creaminess which I just know will be even more evident when I finally sup on her liquid bounty. But before I do, there is more of her nose to tease and tantalize. Black licorice, plums, raisins, burnt wood, and rich black earth culminates in burnt black chocolate, espresso crema, and toasted oats. Divine. I could smell her nose all day, but then I would be denying myself the beauteous brew below. Eyes closed, our lips meet…and the heavens open unto me. A shiver courses from the tip of my toe to the top of my head, tracing ecstasy every single step of the way. Beervana is surely made of this, the rivers running black with Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast while soft cappuccino clouds float by upon a breeze of chocolate esters and dark fruits. I forgo any reservations I might have had and draw deep for each subsequent quaff. Her body is melted chocolates and cream with a sprinkling of vanilla bean and licorice root, leaving nary a surface of my mouth untouched. The finish dries, lingering long with brittle chocolates, charred wood, burnt sugars, and a touch more espresso crema. Dried raisins and prunes decorate the middle of her palate and, as her body warms, the oats are toasted to dark brown proportions, a touch of char along their edges for good measure. Every single ounce of her palate melts together in precision and, for me, quaffing ecstasy. There are few beers I could quaff every day and not get tired of, and the Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast is one of those. Each mouth-filling quaff is liquid bliss: toast, oats, charred wood, black earth, dark fruits, licorice, espresso, vanilla, cream, and melted chocolate. I refuse to let this moment end, and eyes closed, I relive each moment that my empty glass no longer allows me to do.

Mikkeller, you have stolen my heart and I don’t think I want it back. At least, not unless it comes with a complimentary bottle of Beer Geek Breakfast. Don’t believe me? Sup on one yourself, and rediscover heaven’s nectar.

Pours with a huge head. Very fresh nose with yeasty notes, dark chocolate, toffee and coffee. Great mouthfeel with freshly baked bread notes, vanilla, black cherry fruit and a hint of coffee on the finish. I didn’t think this one was excellent the first time mainly because I treated it like a high alcohol, low carbonation imperial stout. Chill to 45 degrees and pour with moderate head into a frosted glass and this one improves considerably. If served too warm, the carbonation overwhelms any real flavor. Great beer to introduce friends to big coffee-flavored stouts without slamming them with the high gravity stuff. Since this has an ABV of 7.5%, I consider the price pretty outrageous. Costs about as much as a pint at the Ritz Carlton.

Bottle. The aroma is malty, dark smell of coffee and bitter chocolate, very nice. The large creamy brown head has a long duration, the body is black. The taste of chocolate and coffee, roasted malt, quite astringent. The body is creamy and dry, medium strong without much carbonation. A great beer.

My first Mikkeller beer, and I was impressed. Bottle from the Party Source in Newport, KY. This is one of the most impressive looking beers that I’ve seen. The pour is opaque, oily black with with a clinging, chunky dark tan head that lingered throughout the whole beer. The aroma was surprisingly mild with hints of roasted malts. The flavor was a complex medley of deep roasted malts and dark roasted coffee. This oatmeal stout had the body and complexity of an imperial but the drinkability of an oatmeal. Creamy, oily and dry in the finish, this is a superb beer.

Almost black beer with big and espresso-like, brown head. Aroma is strongly roasted, coffee, some liquirice and sugar, slightly sour: overally inspirating and complex. Flavour is full of roasted malts and roastiness is even stronger in the end, coffee, some liquirice and light hop flavours. Quite easy to drink, soft and quite high carbonation but it is nicely smooth. This beer based on strong roasted coffee, but still smooth and there are interesting nuancees.

500ml bottle. Pours thick black with a large dense brown head that with excellent retention. Walls of lacing. Aroma is predominately gourmet coffee beans and dark chocolate. Flavor opens up with coffee and chocolate, and is followed by some dark fruits. Somewhat bitter and acidic finish. Medium to high carbonation, but the oats help balance the mouthfeel with some creaminess. I love me a coffee stout, and this is one of the best I’ve had.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast is an opaque black beer with a dark muscovado colored head that gets blotchy and has outstanding retention and lacing. It smells roasty, like coffee, ashy and almost... salty. It’s full bodied and lively. It’s smooth and the finish is slightly metallic. It tastes roasty and smokey, with a lot of coffee. I swear it tastes a little salty. It has a long, charred finish. This is a pretty serious beer.

1 pt .9 fl oz bottle. Aroma is toasted malt, black coffee. Pours as black as can be with a nice head, beautiful lacework. Tastes like a perfect coffee stout. Nice creamy mouthfeel, medium carbonation. Finishes bitter, leaving my mouth tasting like a used coffee pot. That’s a good thing.