Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Bottle 1 of 2- This one thanks to Hogtownharry. Cellared for about a year. Very dark pour, black, letting no light in. Pours a thin mocha foam that leaves a constant ring around the glass. Nose is all out coffee and dark chocolate, mildly fruity, with an earthy undertone. But really, it just smells like fresh black coffee. The taste was not as coffee oriented as I suspected. Mild roasty coffee with pit fruits, some licorice, sweet burnt sugar, woodsy and earthy. Quite bitter with a good dose of hops. Finishes dry, astringent, good. Thanks Harry!

(Bottle) Pours opaque black with a brown head. Extremely fat aroma of heavy roasted malt, coffee, tar, light smoke and dark chocolate. Also a lot of resiny hops. Undertones of vanilla, honey, gooseberries, parsley, green pepper, mild liquorice, menthol, and molasses. Hints of red wine with tones of dark fruits and dark berries. Full glue-ish alcohol warmth. A lot of roast and a lot of hops in the flavour with coffee, citrus and a hint bitter grapefruit. Also liquorice, tar, berries, dark fruit, prunes, raisins, salty liquorice, molasses, honey, and green pepper. Light to medium sweet and full bitter. The mouthfeel is full, oily and round. Lingering aftertaste of tar, coffee, liquorice and bitterness. Full bodied. This is not just a fat beer, it’s unbelievable massive like a black hole I would believe.

Bottle shared at the 6th Cellar Reduction. Very dark brown with reddish highlights and minimal ring of tan head. Nose is chocolate, and hints of alcohol. Very large warming quality on the finish, but still hides the abv pretty well. Very vegetal in the flavor. A little thin on palate. Chocolate covered expresso beans. Again, way too expensive. I really think this one is very overrated.

Bottle in a blind tasting. Black milky texture with a whispy trace of a very dark head. Some rubies might be noted in there somewhere. The aroma is chocolaty, molasses, some roast, espresso, noted alcohol burns my nose. The flavor has walnuts, strong alcohol presence. A sharp hickory flavor is up front with a drying earthy finish. Hints of fanilla wafers come through. The sharp flavors are very strong, it makes it almost minty in feel. I noticed some ash as well. Intense, almost awkward, but very good. This was my 3rd pick of 4 in a blind tasting, but I loved all 4.

Large small-bubble tan head. Alcohol is noticable. Black color. Very dry, bitter and ashy. Mild aroma. A hint of aspirin. A hint of oxidation. Received from fonefan on 11/14/07. Saw it in the city beer store this past week. Not my favorite style. I like sweet.

Bottle from Parti-Pak Liquors (Indianapolis, IN). Pours a dark muddy and murky black with no head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of booze, wood, smole, ripe dark fruits, molasses, brown sugar. Flavor is roasted and malty with notes of coffee,booze, bourbon, vanila, wood, smoke, some light floral hops in the background. Generally medium to full body with a pleasing roasted malt finish.

Botle. American version. Not sure how this bottle compares to the original rare 100 numbered bottled version but I have to say that I’m really impressed.

Aroma was so intoxicating. Nice blend of hops, roast, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Taste is slightly bitter. Hoppy bite. Slight alcohol noted, roast. Wow! Normally these type of qualities do not match well. But here they are perfetly paired. Cheers to Mikkleller!

Dutch Ratebeer gathering. Pitch-black, no head. Aroma of cherries, blackcurrant, liquorice and some yoghurt. Somewhat salty flavour with liquorice, vanilla and coffee, reminiscent of Sam Adams Triple Bock (although my fellow Dutch Ratebeerians did not agree). Alcohol is nicely hidden. Endless amounts of flavour, but for me too much is going on to appreciate it to its fullest.