Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

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

500ml bottle (Hilpea Hauki, Helsinki)
Black. Lumpy. Seriously, this was lumpy. No head. Scandinavian Imperial Stout aroma. Alcohol there too, but fairly restrained, considering. Some chocolate too. Taste is easy to sum up in 3 letters - wow! Massively roasty, big on the coffee, but probably the most well balanced coffee IS I’ve had. Hops are also pleasant, but this is all about the roasts. Details are tingly, but the whole thing reeks of pure sloth. Sip and enjoy - yum! Ɨ:4:9:4:16=4.0)
Be warned - you’ll fart burnt rubber the next day.
Rerate: Keg (Pikkulintu, Helsinki) Ɨ:5:8:4+:15+=3.9++)
Not so much coffee, more a hoppy note. Similar to the Nekron family. Covers the alcohol very well. Again delicious.

She pours pretty nice - nearly black, with a huge tan head that, unfortunately, fades very quickly - potent coffee hits the nose first (and intense roastiness), followed by notes of damp oak, a lot of red wine-like tannins, and high quality bitter dark chocolate - low carbonation, creamy mouthfeel - I’ve never had this ultra rare coffee, but from what I taste in this beer, I want some...bad - this tastes like the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, except is has the added benefit of also being a beer - how could I lose!? - add to this the complex tannins and bittersweet notes of a well-crafted imperial stout, and you have yourself a world class beer - I wish this weren’t so expensive, otherwise I would go right back to the store and buy a case of it.

Black pour with a huge, frothy, tan head. Very rich espresso/cappuccino like aroma. There’s also quite a bit of high quality dark chocolate aroma in there, with a hint of dark fruit and cream. The flavor is loaded with delicious dark roasted espresso and milk chocolate. The bitterness of the coffee beans really lingers on the tongue along with some dark chocolate. The body is an oily medium-full feel. It’s not nearly as full and as intense as I expected it to be. Just really well balanced and it lets the quality of the coffee beans used shine.

500ml bottle. Pours dark brown color with a very big foamy dark brown head with good retention. High carbonation. Aroma shows milk chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla and coffee. Malted milk balls. The coffee is not as intense as I expected. Chocolate cake. Flavor is smooth and rich, chocolatey with a nice coffee flavor. Dark malts. This is a nice smooth drinking beer. No astringency. It is not fantastic though and I don’t think it warrants its price. Nice to try it though.

500 mL into snifter. Pours jet black with no light penetration. Medium to large, ultra dark brown head with great retention. Aroma of black cherries, rum, oak, roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate. Taste is not intense coffee like I was expecting (this is no Péché Mortel in my opinion). But this is incredibly smooth- perhaps the easiest to drink imperial stout I have ever had. Tastes like some good, but cold, Dunkin Donuts coffee. No alcohol whatsoever. Complexities show through as this beer warms: rum-soaked dark fruits, mild coffee, cocoa, milk chocolate, raisins and brown sugar oatmeal. Silky, velvety mouthfeel. Dry finish. Beautiful- like Bailey’s Irish Cream without an alcohol burn. Yum.

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, fizzy/frothy, brown, fully diminishing. Body is opaque black (flashlight tested). Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain/coffee, dark chocolate), lightly hoppy (grapefruit, resin), with notes of alcohol and vanilla, hints of bile and chalk. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately to heavily bitter. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately to heavily alcoholic, lightly to moderately astringent. Surprisingly ho-hum. Pretty ordinary stout aroma, the usual suspects. The coffee component is pleasant but no better than your average coffee stout. Some hint in the aroma that the acidity would be strong, faint whiff of stomach acid in the background. A bit rough in the mouth experience...lotsa alcohol, aggressive bitterness and acidity, and an ample amount of astringency as well. I typically prefer Impy stouts to be elegant and refined rather than aggressive and edgy, so yeah...not really digging this rendition very much. It’s ok though.

500 ml bottle kindly provided by Beer2000, many thanks mate! A thick and oily pour, jet black, no clarity. Dense, creamy medium sized choco head. Soft but prominent aroma of chocolate and coffee. Notes of acidulous fruits, vanilla and roasted malts. Taste is full malty, gently sweet with a rich and rounded coffee and chocolate character. Mouthfeel is simply fantastic, smooth as velvet. Full body. Alcohol totally masked. Bitterness lingers in the finish. What a treat!

Date: March 06, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Green’s, Atlanta
Appearance: black, frothy brown head, sudsy lace
Aroma: sweet chocolate aroma, dark caramel sweetness, touch of roasted, hint of dark chocolate
Body: creamy oatmeal body
Flavor: rich roasted and chocolate flavor, touch of coffee, bitter dark chocolate, hint of dark caramel for sweetness, long bitter finish
Overall: very mellowed and balanced
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ***+/4