Mikkeller Black Hole

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

This is my rating number 100 - and to celebrate that this one has to go out to Mikkeller. I chose to rate Black Hole because I believe that Mikkel is brewing some of the best imperial stouts there is - and maybe this is not the very best but it is still a heavy weight champion. This one is from the new batch 2008. Here goes..im popping the 35 cl champange bottle (Isn´t Mikkeller by the way the only one using champange-bottles besides the Belgian Lambic-brewers?) What a beauty - it poursa black body with a huge fluffy dark brown head... and the head stays.... The nose is sweet and a little vinoes - heavy hoppy notes and roasted malts, coffee and burned malts with som dry raisins maybe. The mouthfull is huge with a sparkling warm and creamy/fat palate. with a biting finish due to the amound of hops. It has a dark sweetness and I taste burned coffee-beans, brown sugar, roasted malts, plumps and dry fruits with the bitterness from the american hops in the end. This is a meal in its self - Is the appetizder, the main course and the dessert - (you could add some whipped cream on top for the dessert). I believe that this new batch is more balanced and smooth than the batch from 07.

12.7 oz bottle. this may be one of the most inspiring beers I’ve had the pleasure to drink. It starts with a smokey sweet fragrance with coffee and roasted barley scents. The only way to describe the appearance is darker than night with a full dark head. It sips like liquid gold. It has a flavor of coffee with an almost honey taste. It has virtually no bitterness yet despite that it is both well balanced and overwhelming in a good way. Find it and enjoy a singular beer.

RB #1001, perfect beer for the next long adventure onto rating no 2000. HUGE thanks to Grovlam. Another great beer bottle spared in the Copenhagen crew for sharing and once again thanks to Mikkeller for doing what they are doing...in their sparetime - thanks!

From 50 cL bottle. Pours black with a brown creamy chocolate head. Aroma of roasted malt, dark chocolate, mild alcohol presence, coffee. Very nice and inviting. Thick mouthfeel. Very nice liqourice and chocolate flavour. Very good bitterness going far into the finish. WOW

Batch 1, Bottle #8 of 100. How bad is life when your first trade involves this beer? Looked as if motor oil with 10k miles was being poured into my glass, thin tan head forms gracefully. The aroma was so subdued, I was afraid that my expectations would not be met. WOW, the flavor of this beer is the most intense I have ever had. Full on espresso, molasses, vanilla, it never ends. Everything is integrated almost perfectly, I think I am going to sell my soul to find another bottle.

375ml green bottle. Caged and (synthetic) corked. Pours thick, black. Pure crude oil. Aroma of cold espresso coffee, licorice, sweet malts, and aromomatic hops. Flavor is sweet malt, rich chocolate, coffee, cocoa, topped off with a perfectly balanced hop flavor. Absolutely stellar! Now I’m gonna eat some Triple Chunk Brownies. YUM.

Pours a dark black with a diminishing mocha head. Chocolate, roast, bitter coffee, and slight carmel on the nose. The flavour is bitter sweet with lots of roasted malt and chocolate along with bitter coffee, some smoke, alcohol, hops, dark fruits and liquorice. An excellent beer.

Bottle. [#1100 and once again the Mikkeller crew can’t be thanked enough for letting me try this one] Shared with thewold and Myrup, hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did. It had been sitting forever in my beer cellar just waiting to get out… he he. Quit spectacular bouquet that hits your nose. Chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, molasses. Over the palate a mix of prune, date, liquorish, soy sauce, brown sugar, berries, vanilla and wood could be observed. An underlying floral and light grapefruit note could also be detected. Explosively full bodied experience with a warming alcoholic texture and soft carbonation. So well balanced moderated flavor of sweet malt and mix of bitter notes. Long lasting vinous and sweet finish. What a fantastic beer!

Well I am embarrased that I am about to drink a stout that I have wanted for a while and the only glassware I have is a plastic tumbler from the hotel bathroom. Oh well, it has been a fairy tale 3 days in Rome, with everything going as perfectly as they could. And now, thanks to John at Johnnys Off License, a great beer to end the trip. I know it is not an Italian, those are going home with me. Bottle, pours lightly thick and jet black. The head is very dark tan and dissapates slowly, but laces. This is how a RIS should look. One sniff and I know I will like it. Dark malt, expresso, and bakers chocolate, with a hint of mollassis. Yum, first sip, heaven. The mouth is perfect. Creamy with flavors of sweet chocolate, bitter expresso, and some hop presence. Just delicious. Slighly more sweet that I like, but I will not complain. Everything flows well, this is a powerful beer. ISO!