Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Bottle No. 28/100. Huge thanks to Jeppe (bierkonig) for getting this bottle for me. Shared with the Sydney guys in early January. Dark, black appearance. Plenty of roasted malt in the aroma, nice rich aroma. This is very full-bodied, with a long roasty flavour, with hints of mocha/coffee, chocolate and also some nice citric hoppy notes towards the finish. Quite charcoaly aswell, quite burnt. Beautiful, big, rich, and round mouthfeel, with a flavour which seems to go on forever. Beautiful.

Its funny really, I have stated my favourite style as bohemian pilsner and my current top ten consists of a porter, imperial stout, baltic porter, two abbey tripels, a barley wine, Abt/Quad, sweet stout, belgian strong and a weizen bock. Well, good bye to the Aventinus from my top ten because this one has to be lauded until the universe collapses and we all disappear into the time space continuum. So aptly named because no light could possibly escape this deep dark brooding brew from the country of Aussie Mary. Sensational presentation in the glass with a pleaseing crema that only a god barista could achieve. Nutty nose with a rummy note and mocha presence. The flavour is also a burst on the lucky tastebuds that were treated to the delight of a melange of flavours which all point to a delightful imperial stout, and quite truly reflect the brewer’s hand in his use of vanilla, molasses and coffee. The abv is noted but not in an assertive way as the balance of all the complex flavours and the strength of the brew combine with serendipity. Duff, many many thanks for bringing this along, I hope this is not to be one of those once tried and never repeated flights of brewer fancy. Comment, finally, needs also to be made in respect of the bottle. It captures the essence of the beer simply and beautifully.

Bottle. Oily black with a small brown head. Dark fruits, Roasted, honey, vanilla aroma and taste. Full body with a sweet vanilla finish. A bit to much vanilla, but good. 8-4-7-5-16 Re-rate 8-5-9-5-18 Bottle. A black beer with a brown head. The aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and vanilla, so is the taste. Medium to full body with a long dry warming finish.

Re-rate (1 year old bottle) : Black coloured with a small beige head. Roasted aroma of dried fruits and liquorice with notes of hops. Sweet and roasted flavour of liquorice, vanilla and hops. Roasted and hoppy finish. 9-4-9-4-19 Bottle #60. Black coloured with a very small beige head. Roasted aroma of malts, vanilla, dried fruits and chocolate. Roasted flavour of malts, vanilla, chocolate and coffee. 9-3-9-4-18

Pours black with creamy tan head. Aroma of berries and hops. Taste is a smack in the face hop bite with berries and dark fruits. Also flavor of bitter coffee. Expected it to not live up to the hype, but it surpassed my expectations. Awesome beer!!

Big thanks to Degarth for this one. #80/100. Black. Brown edges. Small brown cap. Nose of whole coffee beans, rich caramellike sweetness, light smoke, bittersweet dark chocolate, dark dried fruits. Flavor adds chocolate mousse or nougat and subtle alcohol in the finish. Chocolate cookie aftertaste. Full body, smooth, viscous, needs just a bit more carbonation. Excellent imperial stout.

Bottle thanks to sk8viking (Batch 1)! #12 or 47 out of 100 (#s smeared a bit). Imperial Stout rating #100! Poured a lovely shade of pitch black with one of the darkest heads I’ve ever seen.. thick deep caramel with nice lacing.. recedes, but is easily resurrected. Aroma was phenominal.. deeply-roasted chocolates, coffee, molasses, and brown sugar with more of the coffee showing up as it warmed.. not so much alcohol apparent.

Flavor was awfully close.. coffee provided a great base and some substantial bitterness.. molasses, dark chocolate, and some vanilla (all well-roasted) rise through the middle and continue through the finish.. middle-high bitterness, some apparent alcohol (but most just accenting the other components), and lots of complexity going one. Heavier-bodied on the palate with the high bitterness from coffee and some herbal notes... just a pinch of whiskey and oak rides through the long finish. Fantastic brew! Thanks Rene!

12.9 oz bottle rating. Pour is pure blackness, there’s no seeing through this beer. A nice creamy brown head settles above the tar. Very nice aroma of roast, vanilla, raisin, dark chocolate. Flavor is really coffee forward, with most of the other complexities noticed in the aroma taking a back seat. Alcohol is totally masked, with the exception of a nice warming feeling experienced in my stomach. For such a rich beer, this is very drinkable. The one downside is that the coffee is maybe a little overpowering. However, as I sip on this and the temp warms, I notice some other flavors become assertive. Very good beer. I can see some similarities between this and Speedway Stout (which is probably my favorite Impy Stout of all time).