Black Hole (Bourbon Edition)
Mikkeller ApS

Black Hole (Bourbon Edition)Black Hole (Bourbon Edition)
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
13.1%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 19.36%
Reviews:
98
Ratings:
181
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 03, 2017
Added:
May 27, 2010
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  46
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij.
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Ratings by sammo:
Photo of sammo
Rated by sammo from Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

Jul 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

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, 2017
 
Rated: 4.16 by WastingFreetime from Wisconsin

Feb 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

Nov 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by wethorseblanket from California

Nov 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.02 by trxxpaxxs from New York

May 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by dfhhead25 from Pennsylvania

Mar 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by rderedin from Maine

Jan 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Nov 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Nov 20, 2014
Photo of FranzBC
Reviewed by FranzBC from Oregon

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, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Seanhand_atl from Georgia

Sep 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Boston_Steve from Massachusetts

Aug 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Aug 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by KAF from Iowa

Jul 23, 2014
 
Rated: 2 by appetiteforparis from Colorado

Jul 06, 2014
Photo of CasanovaCummins
Reviewed by CasanovaCummins from Nevada

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, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by ncelauro from New York

Jun 29, 2014
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

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, 2014
Black Hole (Bourbon Edition) from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 181 ratings