Black (黑) (Islay Edition)
Mikkeller ApS

Black (黑) (Islay Edition)Black (黑) (Islay Edition)
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
17.5%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.33 | pDev: 35.44%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
35
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 13, 2015
Added:
Aug 10, 2010
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  4
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij.
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Ratings by wordemupg:
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

4.67/5  rDev +40.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
375 ml bottle poured into tulip aug9 2010

A like its name shes pretty black, dark mocha foam fizzes out quickly but considering I expected nothing at all that's pretty pretty good, what it lacked in lace it made up in legs, legs on a beer that's something you don't see every day

S a fair bit of earthy smoke with some booze, dark fruits, mild chocolate and some port, fairly complex and unique

T wow, there's a lot going on here, the fortified wine is hard to miss but so is the peaty scotch aspect from the barrels, some of the smokey earthy flavors lead me to believe I'm sipping on a cigar. I'd be lying if I said there's no booze but nowhere near 17.5% and the chocolate is barley there and shes pretty sweet but god damn this beer tastes sexy. I pick up on some faint coffee and candied cherry to go along with all the other flavors pummeling my taste buds

M thick, silky, a little sticky and a little heat but nowhere near what you would expect from a beer this strong

D I doubt I'd crack a second bottle of this one and a buddy to share it with wouldn't hurt either, but that being said this beer is just so tasty I can't help but say it's highly drinkable and I can't wait to see how it ages

this was a world class beer and I can't wait to drink it again. this bottle was naked but it's normally covered in blue wax and reads "(Blue Wax)" on the box it came in. A little confused I checked the Mikkeller web site and this is indeed different from the other beers listed on BA. It's not to often I'd pay over 15$ for a single beer but this one's worth it and you should buy it if you get the chance
Aug 10, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by wethorseblanket from California

Apr 13, 2015
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

1.38/5  rDev -58.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
375ml bottle dipped in blue wax. Poured into a matching mikkeller star teku, the brew appears black in color with a dark khaki head.

The smell is sweet with chocolate and anise faintly if you can get passed the dominating character of plastic and bandaids. The smoke inclusion is in no way enjoyable. As the beer breathes, some medicinal and herbal aromas emerge.

This tastes initially sweet then roasty like espresso and bitter cacao with a bold flavor of plastic and used rubber gloves. I cannot shake the idea of trash/tire fire while drinking this. After the brew gets warm, some herbal to medicinal character emerges.

This is medium bodied and moderate to lightly carbonated. This beer is pretty bad. Ive had a lot of smoked beers including ones that utilized pete smoked malt...ive even drank some pretty intense smokey scotch but none of those experiences could brace me for how bad this beer is. Cellaring it for nearly 5 years has not helped mellow this out. I tried very hard to respect and appreciate this beer for what it is and what the brewer intended...let me tell you what a fucking waste of time and money. Hands down, one of the worst beers I ever drank that didnt at least have an excuse of being infected.
Feb 20, 2015
Photo of tommyguz
Rated by tommyguz from Pennsylvania

1/5  rDev -70%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
Honestly this beer was just straight bad. It tasted terrible. Almost like hot garbage.
Feb 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by spycow from Illinois

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by GRG1313 from California

Jul 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by IanSpindler from Canada (AB)

Oct 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Kmat10 from Canada (AB)

Oct 12, 2013
 
Rated: 1.25 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 30, 2013
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

2.64/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Bottle courtesy of ygtbsm94. Served in a sampler glass. Pours near black with a thin mocha head. The nose carries some roast and chocolate along with a good amount of peat. By good, I mean pretty strong, not joyful. Flavor is similar. A bit of booze. Can’t really get into this one.
Dec 15, 2012
 
Rated: 1 by CelticAleMan from California

Sep 18, 2012
Photo of Arbitrator
Reviewed by Arbitrator from California

3.84/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks, Andrew / Bobby.

A: Pours a pitch black, as the name implies. Minimal dark mocha head that swirls out of solution and vanishes quickly.

S: This was clearly aged in scotch barrels; the peat, soy, smoke, meatiness, and general impression of having aged this on smoked Goodyear comes through quite strongly. I'm not a scotch nerd, but I love some Islays -- I try to keep Lagavulin 16 or Laphroaig 10 in the house regularly. This doesn't quite pick up the aroma well; the burning tire is off-putting. But there is a redeeming sherry / raisin note that tempers it.

T: Yeast autolysis is evident; there's a big, meaty flavor going on. It's an interesting combination; it gives the beer heft and pairs nicely with the boggy, peat, soy, salt, oak, and smoke contributions from the barrel. The sugars in the base beer work pretty well; I like the sweetness of younger scotches, and the roasted malt serves as a nice substitute. They've started to oxidize, creating a treacly raisin inflection that adds a nice element to the rest of the beer. As I'm looking over the flavor descriptors I'm typing and glancing up at the name of the brewer, I can't believe I'm enjoying this. But I am. It's a great marriage of imperial stout and peat.

M: I've had the base beer; the aging has dried it out a bit and tempered its heat. The oxidation is an overall improvement. Low carbonation, velvety body. It's a tad too sweet, but not impossibly so.

O: I wanted to hate this. It sounded awful. But maybe the unique transfer method helped it calm down and evolve. Sorry to let you down, guys. But I liked it.
Aug 24, 2012
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

1.19/5  rDev -64.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Pours black with minimal tan head. Overload of peat, burnt plastic, tire fire, super smokey, and a fair amount of wood. There's a weird meatiness to the aroma, too. A little bit of chocolate, some roasted malt. The beer tastes like sugar and a fire. Burnt wood, peat, smoke, chlorine, and pain are also present. This is really horrible, horrible stuff. Undrinkable.
Aug 23, 2012
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Beer shared by Brad, thanks. This version does not resemble the horrible no barrel aged version of this beer. Beer is black and has no head, no carbonation, no lacing, no nothing. Looks like oil.

Beer smells like peat. Very strong.

Beer is medium in body and very very very very very very smokey. Amazingly dry and smokey. Very dry, wow. An interesting beer, the whiskey severed along side this beer also kicked my ass. I don't know if I'd have this again, it hides the alcohol well but damn, this was dry and smokey, with hints of sweetness and booze. Wow.
Jun 19, 2012
Photo of Huhzubendah
Reviewed by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

4.4/5  rDev +32.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad!

The beer is black with a soapy, tan head comprised of broken bubbles. The beer appears oily and viscous, leaving filmy lacing clinging to the walls of the snifter.

Scotch whiskey comes through immediately to the olfactory senses. I am a huge fan of Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin, three of the best whiskies from the Islay region of Scotland, so I am pretty excited about tasting this brew.

The flavor offers peat, smoke, wood, salt. A superb balance of flavors. While the presence of the peaty scotch is bold and aggressive, it still finds balance among the oak and roast flavors.

The beer is thick and chewy, yet smooth and silky. Strong and bold, but not hot. I just love the feel of this beer. Long lingering flavors of smoke and peat, the distinguishing characteristics of a delicious Islay scotch.

Overall, this was just fabulous. If you enjoy imperial stouts any of the whiskies mentioned above, I highly recommend trying this beer.
Jun 04, 2012
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.9/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Crazy stuff, acquired in trade. A complex mix of sweetish IS, that is cocoa, chocolate malt, brown sugar, cane sugar, with in-your-eyes Smokey peat. This bottle aged for a couple of years, the smoke rejuvenates in the second half of the bottle. Big boozy stuff, you get that mostly in the initial aroma. Black with reddish highlights, a little lace. Above average smooth mouthfeel. This would be amazing closer to the 2020 expiry. I needed help finishing this and my 23-year old, home from higher education, was up to the task.
Apr 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Mar 13, 2012
 
Rated: 1.5 by nmann08 from Virginia

Mar 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by LinusBohman from Sweden

Jan 11, 2012
Black (黑) (Islay Edition) from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 35 ratings