Mikkeller Black Hole

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

(Bottle, BBE 14/08/11) Pitch black. Small brown head which disappeared quickly. Vanilla, coffee and roasted malts in nose. Slight carbonation in dryi palate. Taste: acidy red wine, coffee, roasted malts, alcohol. Some vanilla. Bitter aftertaste. (I am suspecting that there was something wrong with the bottle I drunk.) (My rating was 3.5) Re-rate on 2008-07-22: Now, the acidiness is not there, so this bottle must be in better condition. Dark chocolate, roasted malts, bitterness and alchol form majority of the taste. Some vanilla and coffee, too. Quite balanced taste.

Bottle. Pours black with absolutely no head and no carbonation. Aroma of bitter chocolate, roasted malt, and alcohol. The initial sip was super chocolatey, but this flavor faded almost immediately. Lots of raisins, roasted malt, and alcohol. Very heavy mouthfeel with a harsh palate. Gets a bit dull by the end of the glass. Meh. This would be better with a slightly lower abv I think. 7/3/7/3/15 (3.5/5)

(3/4/08) Bottle at Kulminator in Antwerp. Best before 8/11. Completely opaque black with a brown head. Aroma of lots of coffee and roasted malt. Flavor of malt, caramel, some chocolate and espresso. Finishes with a lot coffee and a bit of alcohol. Rather full-bodied. Very good but I didn’t find it that impressive.

Sample from second batch bottle courtesy TheCheeseMan, at Throwdown 3. Poured jet black with wisps of light tan head. Fresh minty hop and dark bitter roast aroma provide a nice contrast. Light alcohol presence also. Lightly carboanted and surprisingly light body for a strong beer. A ton of roast, coffee, spicy hops, and heat on the taste. It all comes together nicely.

Sampled at Dutch 70’s "Tasting in the Woods; Part Deux". Jet inky black with a light brown head - perfect appearance. Very earthy, chocolatey aroma with some floral hop character. Flavor has notes of dark chocolate, heavy alcohol, port, dirt/earth, coffee and lots of roasty bitterness. I found the boozy-ness to be complimentary. Full-bodied with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Really good stuff.

Bottle thanks to ericandersnavy. Pours a rich black with tan/chocolate head. Aroma of obvious alcohol with strong dark roast and strong coffee. Flavor of rich dark roast, coffee, is sweet, alcohol. Mouth feel is heavy body, low carbonation. Overall, It is a sipper, it’s tasty, but something about this one just didn’t strike me as GREAT....would make a very good winter brew though....but overall, just didn’t do it for me....

2007 Bottle. Poured into a big brandy snifter. The color is a bright glossy black with a swirly head of deep dark tan. The aroma is is pretty mild. I can smell some bitter coffee and dark chocolate; just a touch of alcohol. The flavor is a match of the aroma. A smooth blend of bitter coffee and dark roasted chocolate. There is a bitter nature to this stout, but at the same time I can’t say the flavors aren’t well blended and smooth on the delivery. The 14% alcohol is nowhere to be seen. The body is there, but I wouldn’t have guessed 14%, I would have guessed 8 or 9. That fact alone is impressive. I guess I’m undecided on this beer. The quality is more than evident, but where is the standout that makes it a top-notch beer?

New batch bottle at Chris_O’s 19th April 2008 tasting. Pours black with a line of beige head. Exquisite aroma of cloves, eucalyptus, rosemary, coffee and more. The flavour is similar yet more intense - it really is harsh on the tongue. It’s slick and escapes the mouth leaving the herb flavours in the corners of your mouth. Interesting stuff.