Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Poured into a fluted glass. Dark, almost black with nice red highlights. Sustainable tan head. Coffee, dark chocolate, and dark fruit in the aroma that is a bit sour. Flavor is not what the aroma would suggest. Much more fruit and chocolate and much less coffee notes. This is almost a cherry chocolate beer with a super high ABV. It is also brings some salt. The feel is very rich and smooth. Chocolate is a bit cloying but this is a delicious beer

375 ml "champagne" bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 13.1%. The beer is pitch black, impenetrable for light (hence the name). Nice brown head. Intense aroma of malts, alcohol, coffee, burnt sugar and vanilla. The flavour is intense and overwhelming: an aggressive malty sweetness, backed up by honey and dark sugars, with distinct notes of roasted barley (but not quite as extreme in that respect as I expected ), the coffee is distinct, and the vanilla is also noticeable. Distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish. Warming mouthfeel. This is a "sipping beer", to be savoured slowly - definitely not a "refreshment beer". Not for the squeamish or faint hearted.

Bottle shared by Springslicker (thanks!). Opens with a barely audible hiss, but hey, it’s had a rough journey from Denmark. Black. Very black. Ultra Black. Uber Black. Very thin head. Aroma is tar (in a good way) and tobacco and just a whiff of alcohol. A mildly vegetal character compliments chocolate and coffee - lots of coffee, in fact - and a touch of charcoal (again, in a good way). As it warms, a hint of blackberry emerges. Seems a bit thinner bodied than I’m used to, but not in a detrimental way at all. Also, the characteistic I called vegetal earlier now seems more herbal. Oregano, in fact. Interesting and tasty brew. Thanks again!

This is a really tasty imperial stout. Very black. Good head. Anise and very mild charcoal. Some chocolate. Some yeastiness. Noticeable hops, but like in more legitimate imperial stouts, the malt flavors dominate so that it’s just a faint essence of flavor and bitterness. The body could perhaps be a little creamier, but that’s a very mild complaint.

Bottle during Max’s 72 Hour Belgian Beer Fest. Starless midnight pour. Small brown head. Strong roasted malts, coffee notes, dark fermented fruit and soft alcohol in the nose. Taste is strong coffee (really oily coffee beans, in actuality), dark roasted malts, licorice, soft wood and booze. More fermented dark fruit flavors too. Body is chewy, thick and has a mild carbonation to it. Nice warming feel to this as well. End is more dark roasted malts, coffee, dark fruits and soft alcohol. Very tasty!

Black with no head. Aroma is coffee, licorice, smoke, very roasty, caramel. Taste is roasty with coffee, a light citrus type tartness to it, cream, and dark chocolate. Good stuff.

This bottled brew from JSquire at a rating party was marked 14/08/11 and poured a large sized head of foamy brown colored bubbles that were mostly lasting and left behind a opaque no visible carbonation black colored body and a fair lacing. The aroma was brown malt and dark malt. The mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish. The flavor contained notes of hops and dark malt. A wonderful best in class brew.

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?