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Black Hole (Bourbon Edition)
Mikkeller ApS
- From:
- Mikkeller ApS
- Denmark
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 13.1%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 19.36%
- Reviews:
- 98
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 03, 2017
- Added:
- May 27, 2010
- Wants:
- 16
- Gots:
- 46
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by oberon:
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina
4.12/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.12/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
My first of the Barrel Aged editions of this beer.Poured jet black into a snifter,a thin walnut colored head atop.Deep vanilla and roast aromas with chocolate and toasty oak coming into play as well,the vanilla stands out along with an alcohol sweet zing as it warms.Vanilla tinged bourbon flavors with chocolate and roast,again as the beer warms more alcohol induced sweetness comes into play.This is a sipper,but its rich and warming,a very nice RIS.
Oct 18, 2011More User Ratings:
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.95/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.95/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I've never really understood the lukewarm (to put it kindly) reception from a lot of people towards the Black Hole lineup. Sure, they are expensive like everything Mikkeller. But the product does kind of have a little niche going for it, if you're into some smokey ashtray kind of stouts that are then put into various barrels. The bourbon version pours, well, black. Has a very thin head on the top, 1/5" tan. Aroma is big on the roasted malt, the bourbon, and the dry ashyness is very mild in the nose.
Taste hits more with the dryness and stuff. Plenty of booze notes, but still is enjoyable as a sipper. Where I like this series the most is its ability to transition from acrid roast to wet barrel in layers. Some earth and tobacco slip in towards the end, the carbonation gives the feel a slightly lighter presence than it would otherwise. A light amount of smoke in there too. Its complex, its got its own niche, and its a little bit expensive. I think everyone who likes barrel aged stouts though should check out the lineup, and if you like to smoke cigars with your stouts, this should be a must pair.
Dec 03, 2017Taste hits more with the dryness and stuff. Plenty of booze notes, but still is enjoyable as a sipper. Where I like this series the most is its ability to transition from acrid roast to wet barrel in layers. Some earth and tobacco slip in towards the end, the carbonation gives the feel a slightly lighter presence than it would otherwise. A light amount of smoke in there too. Its complex, its got its own niche, and its a little bit expensive. I think everyone who likes barrel aged stouts though should check out the lineup, and if you like to smoke cigars with your stouts, this should be a must pair.
Reviewed by FranzBC from Oregon
4.5/5 rDev +19.4%
4.5/5 rDev +19.4%
Wow I cant believe this beer is rated so low... I think this bottle is from 2010; no cork just a cap. At 13.1% with quite a bit of age this beer is super smooth. The coffee and bourbon are dominate in the long lingering taste. Tastes quite a bit like aged KBS in my opinion. No sharp bitterness like many Mikkeller stouts.
Oct 16, 2014Reviewed by CasanovaCummins from Nevada
4.41/5 rDev +17%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +17%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
brewery notes: Stout ale brewed with coffee, honey, and vanilla, aged in bourbon barrels.
Pours a dark, wine-tinged brown with light lacing. Almost resembles a Porto.
As it warms it smells of bourbon, caramel, and slight metallic prune. Only the slightest hint of honey. It goes through phases and goes from cold metal to warm fruits and back again.
Very thin body with a slightly acidic, almost acrid taste. The initial taste is rather flat, but then blooms into a charred bourbon that develops into a very lingering and more weighty after -taste. A cold fruity hop note mingles with the earthy tobacco flavors. Almost musty. Tastes of mushrooms and leather.
The after taste is the clear standout of this beer. The initial flavors come off as a bit distant, even cold, but the lingering note is of cocoa nibs and bakers chocolate. You can spend a good amount of time with the lingering flavors.
One of the better Mikkeller offerings I've had.
Jul 04, 2014Pours a dark, wine-tinged brown with light lacing. Almost resembles a Porto.
As it warms it smells of bourbon, caramel, and slight metallic prune. Only the slightest hint of honey. It goes through phases and goes from cold metal to warm fruits and back again.
Very thin body with a slightly acidic, almost acrid taste. The initial taste is rather flat, but then blooms into a charred bourbon that develops into a very lingering and more weighty after -taste. A cold fruity hop note mingles with the earthy tobacco flavors. Almost musty. Tastes of mushrooms and leather.
The after taste is the clear standout of this beer. The initial flavors come off as a bit distant, even cold, but the lingering note is of cocoa nibs and bakers chocolate. You can spend a good amount of time with the lingering flavors.
One of the better Mikkeller offerings I've had.
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut
2.14/5 rDev -43.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
2.14/5 rDev -43.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
First off: worst cork ever.
No head from a turbulent pour - just the barest rim of dark brown bubbles around the edge. A bad sign. Brew is jet black.
Big bourbon notes, as well as an aspirin smell, chocolate malts and cacao, and roasted barley. Bourbon is overwhelmingly strong.
Bourbon, chocolate malt, and sour oak. Not good. Not good at all. I'm sure it's infected or died somewhere along the way.
Flat and lifeless. Reinforces the infected/dead indications.
What a shame - one beer, high expectations, and right down the drain. If I get a good bottle later on, then I'll revise my review appropriately. Right now, all I can go off of is a dead, flat, probably infected bottle.
Apr 20, 2014No head from a turbulent pour - just the barest rim of dark brown bubbles around the edge. A bad sign. Brew is jet black.
Big bourbon notes, as well as an aspirin smell, chocolate malts and cacao, and roasted barley. Bourbon is overwhelmingly strong.
Bourbon, chocolate malt, and sour oak. Not good. Not good at all. I'm sure it's infected or died somewhere along the way.
Flat and lifeless. Reinforces the infected/dead indications.
What a shame - one beer, high expectations, and right down the drain. If I get a good bottle later on, then I'll revise my review appropriately. Right now, all I can go off of is a dead, flat, probably infected bottle.
Black Hole (Bourbon Edition) from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
181 ratings
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