Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Bottle from Marcus, corked and caged. Thanks Dave. Pours black with a decent dark tan head. Aromas of tar, anise, dark fruits, dark toasted malt, coffee and arguably cacao. Full bodied with soft and creamy carbonation. There’s a bit of heat. There’s a hint of tar. There’s a lot of dark malt sweet, but there’s balancing bitter from something. Could be overtoasted malts. The alcohol tends to be ever present. Finish is not all that sweet. Definitely a sipper. Very enjoyable in the mouth.

Dark brown with a dark seafoam looking head. Big mocha aroma; sweet coffee, light espresso, hints of roasted malt, mild brown sugar and toasted oak. Quite lively on the palate. Close to feeling thin, but enough richness to help restore the feel. Sweet fruity start with some berries, plums and prunes. Middle has some pipe tobacco, light tar, alcohol, heavily roasted malt and a touch of anise. Finish is quite hot with the vapor from the alcohol hitting the nose more than the throat. The stomach has a real fire now. Linger is light with toasted and charred wood along with a hints of toasted malt and hickory. This will be a killer (imo) in a few years. Right now it is a bit hot, but still a great imperial stout. The coffee actually added to the brew; rather than over-power as too many coffee stouts have a tendency to do.

Bottled. Extremely black. Tarry licorice aroma. Compact tarry malt. Lots of licorice, asphalt and more or less everyhting else too. Sweet, oily and full bodied with notes of lemon and vanilla. Somewhat syrupy finisish where alcohol warms.

Bottle. Black and viscous with a beige head. Aromas are roast coffee with lots of herbal and peaty smokiness. Light berries with dark chocolate. Flavours are berries and coffee with sweet caramel and raisins. Bready yeast with dark chocolate. Very boozy in a nice way. Good stuff.

Big dark black/brown opaque pour with a thin brown head. Huge aroma....frankly, I enjoyed the aroma more than the flavor---but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! Reminded me of DFH WWS a bit. The last few raters hit it right...lotsa roasted malt....vanilla, chocolate, burnt malt....alcohol, woody, some dark fruits....it really works your palate out hard. Great full body.....definitely my idea of a great beer to sip over the course of an entire evening.......would love to have again.

Very rich roasty malts, burnt wood, a little smoke and a big warming effect. Burnt wood and alcohol finish on this, the last of three awesome beers this New Years morning. Good beer!

Black colored brew. Chocolate, coffee in the aroma. Intense liquorice, coffee bitterness. Dark chocolate. A bit too much liquorice maybe.

From the bottle this pours a thick-as-oil dark brown that turns black in the glass, capped but briefly by a slender brown head. The roasty aroma has some dark chocolate, licorice root, bitter coffee, a light caramel sweetness, and a slight touch of floral hops. Very smooth in the mouth, and it’s here that the warmth of alcohol first reveals itself. All merges artfully in the flavor, the hop bitterness perhaps being more assertive, and a peppery sensation from the alcohol coats the tongue. The finish is bitter and dry with a solid alcohol burn. Not as complex as I had expected, but in an odd way that adds to the enjoyability of the ale.

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