Mikkeller Black Hole

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

Serve in Snifter

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On tap at Stoutfest at the Armsby Abbey in Worcester, MA. Perfect pour, dark black with a lasting tan head, Flavor is complex, a nutty maltiness and creaminess comes through in the aftertaste. A top notch beer, among the best I’ve ever had.

375mL bottle from a local bottle shop. Pours jet black with no head at all. Aroma is out of this world, smells like the inside of a whiskey barrel. Scotch taste up from with a smooth finish. Taste is intense and unique, coffee and smoky oak. Very bold, glad I was able to try it.

Bottle from Purvis Cellars in tulip glass. No head at all with agressive pour. Completely opaque, black as oil. Aroma is not appealing and very hard to describe. Brilliant coffee taste at first with a strong sweet rich cherry afterwards. The taste is completely surprising in a very pleasant manner. Smooth oily feel. The surprise of the taste is great after the aroma. It’s a great beer.

10 oz. pour at Devil’s Den in Philadelphia. Little carbonation, very small head, and a fairly black color. Their beer guide listed the draft at 17.5% (!) so I’m not sure if the alcohol level varies with the batches or if someone was in error. Whether 13 or 17 it wears its high alcohol well and doesn’t taste overly hot. Very smooth, and the hops are not as strongly present as in some imperial stouts. Very good for slowly sipping. Not my favorite imperial stout but a pretty good one.

Poured deep black with no head. The beer had some oak and coffee aromas, the flavor was sweet with coffee and chocolate notes. The palate was cloying, with little carbonation. Overall an interesting and complex beer but too cloying for my tastes.

375ml bottle. Fresh hops and herbal aromas. Pours very dark, opaque, with nice tan head, some persistance and good lacework. Medium body and soft carbonation. Taste is hoppy, fresh, caramel, nuts and alcohol being noticed after a while. Long sweet finish. An imperial stout where caramel and roasty flavours do not domine. Nice one.

Bottle, BB 07/12/15 alc. 13,1%. A black beer with a medium, but decreasing, small bubbled, beige head. Aroma is rich and comlplex, roastiness and salt liquirice, black coffee, herbs and lots of sweetness. Taste is strong, but smooth and balanced, strong roastiness with lots of sweetnes, coffee, salt liquirice, enough of herball bitterness dries the aftertaste. Full bodied, smooth, some stickyness after sweet body. Strong, sweet, still balanced, even high alc.% "easy" and enjoyable, not too complex.

Bottle at Dan’s, pour courtesy of Aaron. Big thanks for all these Black Hole bottles! Poured pitch black with no head. Aroma is molasses, tobacco, coffee, raisins, and light vanilla. Molasses, ash, malt, and coffee in the flavor. Finish is lightly bitter and the aftertaste is long lasting. Mouth-coating/syrupy mouthfeel with no carbonation. Overall, not a bad Stout, but a bit on the ashy side. I definitely prefer 3 or 4 of the variations over this base.

Sweet on the nose. Toasty with a hint of peat. Nice dark appearance befitting of the name. Overall great, but wishing for a bit more of a coffee flavor.

375 ml. capped bottle (small geuze) poured in to a snifter. Late 2011 bottling. Deep brown-black with a dense, small head of large, tanned bubbles. Powerful aromas of molasses, coffee and chocolate, along with a more subtle grass, earth, vanilla and smoke. The taste is very intense sweet with honey. The honey is complemented by bitter hops and distinctive roasted notes. Full body with a thick, creamy texture and very little carbonation. The finish is long and malty, with roasted malts and coffee. No sign of the high ABV. Black Hole is an excellent crafted imperial stout, however too sweet for me, like a dessert. Overall an excellent experience, but to much sweetness for a 4.0 total.

330ml bottle. Dark brown almost black color. Medium beige head, lasts. Roasted malts, orange, dried fruits in aroma. Caramel, sweet malts, some spicyness. Dry bitter yet watery ending. Complex beer in a good way.