Black Hole
Mikkeller ApS

Black HoleBlack Hole
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From:
Mikkeller ApS
 
Denmark
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #438
ABV:
13.1%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,774
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 15.93%
Reviews:
389
Ratings:
823
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 08, 2023
Added:
Nov 24, 2006
Wants:
  47
Gots:
  128
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij.

Black Hole is what Mikkeller is all about. Daring, vulgar and extreme. From the very beginning Mikkellers goal has been to push the limit and with this warming, intense imperial stout, a new chapter in the Danish beer history has been written. The high bitterness from the hops and the sweetness from the malt and alcohol, creates a good balance which makes Black Hole an explosion of nuances, but also leaves a feeling of a perfect and complex beer – in the heavyweight category.

Ingredients: Water, malt, roasted barley, flaked oats, dark cassanade, honey, hops, coffee, vanilla and ale yeast.
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Ratings by ChainGangGuy:
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a dark, cheerless black body with a thin, very short-lived covering of beige bubbles.

Smell: Not overtly fragrant, but there's some underlying aggression lurking there. Vague notes of chocolate, roasted coffee, fruit-flavored liqueur, and a G.I. Joe action figure being burnt by the amplified solar rays coming from a magnifying glass.

Taste: Sweet, earthy malts upfront with tastes of milk chocolate, sweetened coffee, toffee, and molasses. Goodness gracious, me. Touch of deep, dark raisin fruitiness. Waft of acrid smoke. Continually sweet until a brief odd, almost rubbery taste enters the scene mere seconds before the alcohol hits. This eases back into the shadows, allowing for the chocolate and roast and sweetness to return for the warming finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Low carbonation.

Drinkability: A bit brash and a bit hot, but at 13.1% ABV, what do you expect? However, bottles I've had early in it's time line were exponentially harsher, so age has mellowed it some.
Jan 10, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.11/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
March 2009: 375 ml "champagne" bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 13.1%. The beer is pitch black, impenetrable for light (hence the name). Nice brown head. Intense aroma of malts, alcohol, coffee, burnt sugar and vanilla. The flavour is intense and overwhelming: an aggressive malty sweetness, backed up by honey and dark sugars, with distinct notes of roasted barley (but not quite as extreme in that respect as I expected ), the coffee is distinct, and the vanilla is also noticeable. Distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish. Warming mouthfeel. This is a "sipping beer", to be savoured slowly - definitely not a "refreshment beer". Not for the squeamish or faint hearted.
Mar 08, 2023
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

4.04/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A 375ml bottle, with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.

Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving sparse to no lacing.

Aroma: Light roast, coffee, chocolate, molasses, caramel, vanilla.

Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, caramel, vanilla, licorice, pine, hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to no carbonation.

Overall: A decent sipper, probably past its prime, based on my previous ratings, but definitely worth trying.
Mar 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.87 by MoonMage

Feb 16, 2022
 
Rated: 4.08 by RobinLee from Wisconsin

Jan 29, 2022
Photo of BucBasil
Reviewed by BucBasil from Rwanda

4.14/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
A: Poured from the 12oz green bottle into an imperial pint glass. The plain white bottle cap is dated 28/09/19. The beer lives up to its name - totally black with no light shining through. After an aggressive pour I got a finger of brown head that dissipated after a minute.

S: I could smell the sweetness right out of the bottle, but as it sits in the glass, more smells enter the mix. A nice milk chocolate note, licorice, some roasted malt and coffee, vanilla (as indicated), molasses,. There's really a lot going on. This is like an oatmeal stout on steroids.

T: This beer really highlights the difference between a Russian imperial stout and other types of stouts. It has that boozy backbone that I can only describe as Russian imperial. Dark chocolate and coffee. Sweetness from the aroma is completely covered up in lots of malt, bourbon, and coffee. Finishes with a dark bitterness of bourbon and coffee.

F: A bit lighter and less coating than expected. Leaves a slight burn on the tongue, but not carbonation. It's a boozy dryness.

Overall: This is a big beer and it has a big flavor. I thought it was pretty well balanced and holds its ABV well. It gets to be a bit much by the end, but I thought it was really well done. There is a lot of flavor going on here to sit and take in. It's a fun beer to analyze and pick out the flavors. I'm sure I could find more if I really focused hard. The price was a bit high, so unless I found a variant or a cheaper price I probably won't revisit this on, but it was a fun experience.
Jan 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.31 by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

Nov 18, 2020
Photo of Newbeergeek1
Reviewed by Newbeergeek1 from Maine

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bought it just because of the name. REALLY enjoyed scrafing it down, very slowly. Not exactly a summer drink though I was more than OK with it. Not an in your face smooth but that was part of the charm for me. LOT of taste and even though it's heavy on the ABV it was reasonably well disguised. RIP's are my favorite style and I really liked this a lot and would pay the price for another one.
Aug 12, 2020
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.81/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
March 20th, 2016 - Another beer from the storage cellar today, Mikkeller's Black Hole promises a well aged, relaxed and flavorful brew on the dark end of the spectrum. But like the other Mikkeller I pulled from the cellar, this one is dead flat, too. Even so, the nose is still powerful with licorice and anise, like a lacquer, and maybe some pine and pine tar. Though the lack of carbonation absolutely kills the flavor, there's still a nice collection of notes: licorice, pine, pine tar. The benefits of aging also show themselves here with a seamless integration of the alcohol notes, which lend strength and zip to the more powerful tasting notes. In a way it tastes like a pine forest. Imagine how good this beer must have been in it's prime...
Apr 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 13, 2020
Photo of CraigDeMoss
Reviewed by CraigDeMoss from Kansas

3.92/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Basic delivery of a rich pour with 1/2” mocha head that laces nicely. Smells a bit of coffee but more or less just basic notes of an imperial stout. Tastes about the same, a hint of chocolate as it warms up. Feels a little light for my liking, there’s nothing too substantial outside the coffee to round it out. Overall a pretty decent
Apr 11, 2020
 
Rated: 3.68 by edthehead from Maryland

Aug 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Aug 06, 2019
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

4.07/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a corked bottle. Still, no head at all, and no carbonation. The beer itself is dense, black, and solid. Hence the name? The aroma is of thick alcohol, roasted malt, and licorice. Very intense warmth and sweetness on the pallet. Wow. Engaging. Full in body and very interesting.
Jul 27, 2019
 
Rated: 3.54 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Mar 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.96 by Karibourgeois from Texas

Feb 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.8 by I_Like_Beer from New York

Dec 10, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by NeoClassicist from New York

Oct 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.21 by ckeegan04 from Texas

Jul 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.92 by TheBrewsky from California

Apr 02, 2018
Black Hole from Mikkeller ApS
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 823 ratings