Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Tap at Plan B. Black body with brown head. Aroma is cocolate and coffee. Taste is malty, coffee, bitter chocolate and liqourice. Very good beer.

Bottle. Pours night black with a small tan head. Loads of coffee on the nose. Nice hints of vanilla and a good roasted chocolate malt too. Intense oak/wood flavors to go with the deep roasted coffee flavors are predominate. Nice vanilla, black licorice, black cherry, burnt malt, dark chocolate flavors too. Warm mouth, even warmer in the belly. Slightly sticky finish with some bitterness too. Very good beer!!!

Bottle from Ølbutikken. Big, mostely lasting light brown head. Body is pitch black, no clarity. High aroma level, roasted dark malts, licorice, tar and dark dried fruits. A faint whiff of alcohol . Taste is vinous, rich malty, sweet and roasted with a nice chocolate accent. Coffee, vanilla and citrus notes. Surprisingly moderate hopbitterness. Full-bodied. Thick, warming mouthfeel. Burned malts and bitterness lingers in the finish. Great stuff.

[Early 08 Bottle, maybe older] I’m thinking more of a coffee barley wine than an imperial stout here. Pours a flat thick syrupy dark dark brown with no head. Super sweet fruity caramel aroma, lightly sour with lots of fresh coffee beans and some chocolate, a bit of alcohol. Smells similar to big worse but with coffee. Whoa! That’s new and totally unique... funky bitter burnt coffee, burnt rye bread, piney hops, some soy, rich caramel, sweet berries and dark chocolate. Light warming alcohol finish. Medium/full mouthful, smooth flat carbonation, very even mouthful, slightly chalky. Pretty sugary stuff, bright and tangy.

Bottle. Poured black with a three finger brown head. Aroma of vanilla, bitter chocolate and roasted malt. Flavor was roasted malt and chocolate, with a slight vanilla finish. Alcohol is present in the finish, but not an obnoxious amount. Full bodied with soft carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel. Good beer.

Verre de 4 oz, d’une bouteille au Bières, Caprices et Flaveurs 2008. Arômes de malt torréfié et de houblon résineux. Robe noire et fine mousse mocha. Bien ronde en bouche, un bon malt torréfié au côté crémeux mène à une finale relativement peu amère. L’alcool demeure très longtemps en bouche suite à la dernière gorgée. Bon, mais l’alcool est très apparent.

This is another MIkkeller classic. This version is toned down in comparison to Mikkeller black, but still delivers. It has great aroma, appearance, mouthfeel, complexity, and finish. None of them are outstanding, or stand out, but everything is brewed to perfection. This is so balanced it’s rediculous.

The color is black as night, or dare I say, a black hole, there’s a thin brown head that has good retention. As I put the glass under my nose, I sensed vanilla and rich chocolate, there’s also a big roasted malt presence underneath. The flavor has a decadent opulence of roasted malt with chocolate and vanilla along for the ride, the alcohol warms the mouth a bit, but it’s not too present, there’s bitterness in the end. The body is near medium with a vinous texture and gentle carbonation. This imperial stout is a very nice sipper on a cold, november evening.