Beer Geek Bacon
Mikkeller ApS

Beer Geek BaconBeer Geek Bacon
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Oatmeal Stout
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 14.17%
Reviews:
269
Ratings:
603
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 19, 2017
Added:
Jul 02, 2010
Wants:
  77
Gots:
  94
A smoked version of the Beer Geek Breakfast.

Brewed at Nøgne Ø.
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Photo of AyatollahGold
Rated by AyatollahGold from Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The nose is like sitting by a campfire. And the flavor has a really nice smoke that doesn't overpower
Dec 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.79 by hermit990 from Illinois

Dec 31, 2016
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

4.24/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Rauch Geek Breakfast is black as squid ink and just as flat. Seriously, it could easily pass for something drugged up from the bottom of the ocean - especially since this bottle is racked with all kinds of beastly sediment that revoltingly drift about, eventually settling in to a very easy-to-disturb slumber on the bottom. My glass looks like a deep sea aquarium.

Strange though it sounds, there's fewer more perfectly balanced pairings than bacon and chocolate - it's salty meets sweet, with a common roastiness linking the two in truly holy matrimony. That's the idea behind this "Beer Geek Bacon" concept: dark, decadent chocolate notes, emphasized by heavy-roast coffee, with smoked malt providing meaty depth and dimension.

And they've pulled it off flawlessly. The beer is intense yet elegant, with a bold but balanced bouquet, and it's got an aftertaste that goes on for days. It just doesn't stop with the espresso, unrefined cocoa nib, singed grain and, yes, a little bit of smoked bacon goodness. Delicious. Throw that half a grapefruit out the window! There's a new breakfast in town!

I appreciated the standard Beer Geek Breakfast but felt it a little too one-dimensional; Rauch Geek has much more to say than just coffee. The scale undoubtedly tips more to oatmeal stout than Rauchbier, but that minor addition makes for a major improvement; there's wonderful interplay between bitter, sweet and smoky, with nothing burnt or astringent about it.

It's not hard to tell if a smoked coffee stout is for you - either you're into that sort of thing or you're repelled by it. The important question - especially as it pertains to a Mikkeller offering - is: is it any good? I'm often critical of this brewer but will openly go on record claiming that Rauch Geek Breakfast is a stupendous beer that aught to be part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Oct 16, 2016
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.82/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Rauch Geek Breakfast pours an inky black color with 2 fingers of cocoa colored head. It leaves slight rings of lace around the snifter.

Aromas of bacon grease, maybe a pan left out for a day after the fact; campfire; some mild chocolate and salt.

Flavor is marginally better, bringing smoked meats and thick cut bacon into the equation, tailing with cold oatmeal, cold coffee, 2% milk, and an after dinner (breakfast?) Andes mint.

Feel is pretty darn creamy, but still retains an adequate level of carbonation. The finish is smoked and char-like.

Overall, Beer Geek "Rauch Edition" is pretty decent. It really nails down what it aims to do - taste like breakfast in a cup, and does it with a little flair. I might try this again, but it's for sure a bit too different to be a regular. Feel like a liquid breakfast? This is a viable option.
Aug 23, 2016
 
Rated: 3.23 by Studfarm69 from California

Aug 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by sourlinus from Massachusetts

Jun 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.25 by jmccraney from Washington

May 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.79 by StoutSnob40 from California

Apr 30, 2016
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.81/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Black in color and impenetrable to light. There's a quarter inch of densely packed brown head. Aroma is of smoked malt, roasted barley, and plums. The flavor is much more forward with the dark malt, plums, and roasted barley. The smoked malt is definitely playing a supporting role. The mouth is a bit warm with alcohol, slightly chewy and viscous.
Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

Apr 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.6 by dsshuck from Delaware

Apr 08, 2016
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

3.76/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Very good intro Rauch beer being that the smoke is there but not dominant. Lots of floaters in this one, which I am OK with, but lacks the richness and smokiness I was looking for. Cheers!
Apr 04, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Dark brown liquid, lighter than average for a stout of this price structure usually. Wasn't a sexy uniform pour, there was some sediment and chunkiness to it.

Aroma hit the smoke, bacon, bitter and roasted notes. The bacon was very minimal, took on rauchbier like qualities.

Taste actually was a gentler ride than the aroma would lead me to believe. Smoke wasn't overpowering but complimentary. Neat to check out, but at the price point just not a repeat purchase kind of beer.
Mar 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by AlpacaAlpaca from New York

Mar 14, 2016
Photo of jmasher85
Reviewed by jmasher85 from Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.75
The smell definitely gives away the oatmeal, but the smoke is less smoked oats and more sausage-like and meaty. It's got that burnt bacon in the morning kind of smell to it. Savory, and just a bit sour.

The taste is like licking charred wood - smokey, earthy, and a very long-lingering but not overwhelming bitter and bone-dry aftertaste that's just a bit metallic. A bit too burnt, rather than just smokey, but still tasty and still fits the "breakfast beer" profile quite well. Not getting a lot of coffee, and I would prefer a hint of sweetness,

Feel is as thick as it pours - heavy and oily, with low carbonation, fitting the very dark brown color. Overall recommended, but not mindblowing. Maybe a maple syrup version would be tasty...
Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by dandiprat2015 from Illinois

Feb 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Gkruszewski from New York

Dec 31, 2015
 
Rated: 4.34 by TheHopsman from Nebraska

Dec 29, 2015
Photo of UrbanCaveman
Reviewed by UrbanCaveman from Ohio

1.95/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
12 oz bottle, poured into a shaker pint at room temperature.

Appearance: Pours your typical stout black, with a thin head of deep tan froth that fades quickly.

Smell: The aroma opens with a light charred oak, ere segueing into smoked pork shoulder and a lightly roasted coffee.

Taste: See "Smell" - light charred oak flavor, mingling with a blackened pork shoulder fresh from the smoker and a lightly roasted coffee. Alongside and atop all of that, however, comes a veritable deluge of iron and metal, with overlays the entire flavor profile with a harsh and acrid note. I did not finish the bottle.

Mouthfeel: Fairly thin and light, particularly for a stout.

Overall: Not an experience I enjoyed, nor one I shall repeat.
Dec 28, 2015
Beer Geek Bacon from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 603 ratings