Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Bottle courtesy of kleyland, shared with kieferUGA and alexanderj at the GA-CA-VA-NY-MA pre-NYE Extravaganza. Was the highlight of Day 2 of our epic tasting. Poured a black color with a smallish light brown head. Not a big fan of the green bottle. Aroma of coffee, soy sauce/meat and coffee. Called it a tsunami of flavor at the time; just very assertive. Flavor of coffee, roasted malt, soy sauce with some meatiness. Palate was nice; no hint that it was 14 percent. Good beer from Copenhagen; probably liked it the least of the 3 of us.

Rating #538 for this beer.
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12/05/2008: Black Hole is VERY dark brown in color (nearly black) with a thin, barely there ivory-colored bubbles on the top surface. The beer smells a bit like artificial chocolcate with some nail polish remover/acetone mixed in. The flavor is roasty with lots of coffee that then moves to ALCOHOL. This beer is very hot and alcoholic. It is also thin with no body. There isn’t very much coffee character overall and the alcohol is a bit numbing. This is not a very good beer!

12.7 fl. oz. bottle (13.1% Alc./Vol.).
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2/24/2009: Mikkeller Black Hole has a strong, hot aroma containing mocha (melded chocolate and coffee), vanilla, and some alcohol. It has a very deep brown color that is really just about black. The beer itself is opaque with very little to no carbonation and nothing at all on the surface (not even a bubble or two). The flavor is similar to semi-sweet chocolate at first as the heavily caramelized maltiness prevails, but then gives way to subtle coffee notes and a strong, very warming alcohol quality. This beer is walking a thin line between being tolerable and warming or being hot and burning. The flavor finishes with roasted malt mixed with some coffee grounds and a hint of tobacco. Despite the robust and earthy flavor, this beer is really only medium-light to medium-bodied due to the extremely high alcohol content. When colder this beer is actually pretty smooth, but let it warm up too much and it is like drinking liquid fire. Overall I am disappointed with this beer. It is over-priced, under-flavored, and does not seem to really be holding up well. Sometimes there can be too much alcohol to the point where the flavor and aroma are secondary. That is a problem and that is what happened with this beer. I don’t really recommend this beer.

12.7 fl. oz. corked and caged green punted bottle (13.1% ALC./VOL.; 14-08-11).

0.5 l bottle, Proefbrouwerij version. Pitch black with small tan head. Sweetish, vinous and burnt aroma with notes of sharp and solvent alcohols, berries, coffee and licorice. Heavy roasty and bitter flavor with medical and vinous notes, coffee, dark fruits and sharp alcohols. Very long bitter and roasty finish. Over the top flavor bomb, only for slow sipping.

Black body with ruby tinges and good size, tight beaded, tan head. Coffee notes on the aroma then a strong whiff of smoke then chocolate. Chocolate and coffee in the taste although it is a little like a baltic porter with loads of alcohol.

Richmond "industry" gathering, courtesy of maniac, I believe. Black. Aroma and flavor were a dead on match. Bitter roastiness, but I found it to be more malt driven, as I didn’t really detect a coffee note. A bit of spruce as well. Good, but perhaps a bit one-dimensional. Perhaps palate fatigue setting in?

20071025 Small corked bottle. Roasty and mild, a bit on the thin side. Astringent, ashy to finish. Lightly tart and acid. Interesting, it’s leaning toward an imperial dry stout. I like where they’re going with the mouthfeel but otherwise not so exciting.

bottle, cork date 07.07.12, walnut colored pour, some lasting medium bown foam, aromas are standard coffee, plum, etc, but the flavor is exceptional, perfectly balanced fruit and coffee, finishes like a really nice espresso with cream

Green glass, corked and caged. Nose is surprisingly hoppy for an impy, otherwise draped in licorice and anise; a deep, heavy roast with plenty of salt and perhaps too much black malt. Excellent espresso notes. Pitch pour with a rocky but short-lived dark brown head. Taste is both brusque and burlesque, dark and bone-dry, bitter and extremely biting – really rips into the throat, and that’s not from alcohol. Really one for the big boys to play with. Lesser anice and licorice and salt, but still cruelly potent. Full body with evident alcohol. Aftertaste is likewise brutal and viciously dry, with a nice, long coating of espresso. The name is certainly well-chosen. Not as satisfying or drinkable as, say, the Dark Lord I had a week ago, but still pretty amazing!