Mikkeller Black Hole

(Bottle, purchased at Ölbutikken, Copenhagen) Pitch black colour with brief, foamy, brown head. Heavily roasted, malty nose with lots of liquorice, strong black coffee, cocoa, soy sauce and hints of asphalt, tar and ashes. Very intense aromas. Malty, roasted taste with notes of liquorice, black coffee, cocoa powder, tar, ashes and a touch of smoke. Citrussy hops lurking in the heavily roasted malt. Long, roasted, bitter finish with loads of liquorice. Fairly sweet with warming alcohol (doesn’t feel like 13% though). Full body, oily texture. Seriously heavy stuff. More complex than balanced. Excellent beer.

Bottle. Roasted malt, coffee, chocolate and oats in aroma. Dark brown colour with small light brown head. Sweet. spicy flavour of coffee, chocolate, vanilla and cassanade. Spicy bittersweet aftertaste.

This poured a very jet black with a small foamy tan head and very sticky long-lasting lace rings. Nose is very powerful with aromas of dark chocolate, coffee, and ripe fruit. Mouthfeel is very oily and slick. Flavor is dominated by the coffee, but you still get chocolate and now a little alcohol. The finish is malty, and the alcohol remains under control. Very nice to sip. Remarkable beer.

Near black color where no light shall pass. Tan head with lots of foam qualities. Extensive ring lace. Rich, rich milk chocolate smell, like a melted Hershey bar. Light chalkiness, strong malt (like an old fashion soda shop) aroma. Strong alcohol presence is the first impression I get from the initial sip. Very sweet taste, considering the aroma. I detect a lot more coffee here...coffee with lots of sugar. Thick and oily with a surprisingly low amount of carbonation. This is certainly a beer that would be difficult to have more than one because of the alcohol content and the richness. It’s closer to a dessert beer.

Cork is removed with a slightly understated "poomf." Immediately hit with sweet, almost milk choc aromas, less coffee than expected from these guys. Sweetness dies away leaving an almost chalky like smell, almost a peaty aroma, followed by espresso, black olives. Palate is just the right texture, oil slick which slides over the tongue and fills the mouth. Very strong flavour, immediately bitter and sweet to the max almost simultaneously. Once again shockingly controlled alcohol. At 13% I was expecting a bit of warmth, but I have to say it’s only very subtle and not constant, but you can feel the effects, I’m a third of the way through and I feel the beginning of sedation kicking in. All in all, a black hole indeed. Like drinking an over-sweetened triple espresso mocha concoction, if anything bordering on too sweet for my palate, but I’m prepared to forgo that for the quality of craftsmanship, complexity and the fact I can taste about 4 or 5 different types of chocolate all in one glass,some vintage port notes, treacle etc. offset by a subtle saltiness (olives - see above). One of the easiest impy’ stouts I’ve come across, though has to be treated with the upmost respect. Good old Mikkeller!

In short: An intense imperial-imperial stout with a truckload of hops. Surprisingly good.
How: Bottle 375ml. Consumed when almost 1 year old.
The look: Black body with almost no head
In long: Nose is black molasses, slightly chocolaty and green grass. Taste is really not as over the top as I expected. Body doesn’t feel cloying. Alcohol is a little apparent but feels a lot less than the actual abv. Taste is simple but effective with medium roastiness and a ton of malts. Flavours of black liquorice, black chocolate, dark fruits concentrate. What’s really surprising about this beer is that the hops (resinous and with a green grass flavour) do manage to come through despite the size of the brew. The beer almost feels balanced. Black hole, that place where god divided by zero.

Bottle. Pours with a black color and a small head. The coffee aromas stream right ouf of the glass, in addition to some blueberry notes and chocolate. First sip the alcohol comes through very obviously but then vanilla, cocoa and coffee together with some dried berries flavors are taking over. Finishes with a distinct bitterness.

Bottle. Pours a thin obsidian body with a thin tan head. Aromas of bitter chocolate, steam (weird, I know) and a whole lot of booze. The flavors had more notes of dried dark fruit, honey and roasted peanuts but the roasted malts and bitter chocolate still stayed strong. Immense amounts of boozey alcohol burn with a thin mouthfeel. Really this tasted like a supremely fine liquer and would have made a mean Martini if shaken with vodka. Damn, that sounds good.