Friends of Prey
Mikkeller ApS

Copenhagen 8/8 2021. 50 l bottle from Mikkeller & Friends Bottle Shop, Torvehallerne, Kbh K. Black label with a lot of orange text about Bourbon, Brandy and Mead and an immensely high ABV.

Pours opaque, dark brown with a small, bubbly white head which disappears almost immediately leaving a decarbonated glass of cola behind. No lacing.

Aroma is intense with a strong, sugary odor brimming with alcohol. Cocoa, caramel and peanut butter. Dark sweet alcohol. Honey and brown sugar. Vanilla and oak.

Light carbonation. Thick, oily, viscous, fat, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense with a heavy, sugary sweetness followed by a medium strong bitterness. Aftertaste is surprisingly bitter but with a lurking sweet and boozy undertone. Lingering. Semi-dry finish with a boozy burn.

Potent and sweet and very much dominated by the Bourbon. But not without some cranny and nooks where some Brandy and Mead is hiding out.

 

 

Very dark brown body with a light brown cap that fades quickly. Smells very boozy, especially the sweeter barrels, with peanut butter cup, wheat, and trace amounts of coffee. Taste they nail the vision: peanut butter cup with complex booze, oak bridges to coffee and boozy wheat rounding out finish. Doesn't hide the booze but isn't hot either, drinks heavy and full so sip and enjoy. Wintertime dessert beer

Unsurprisingly, this busy beer is not shy. Very sweet overall with burned caramel, vanilla, and sugary spirits. Fairly robust coffee, mild peanut butter, and abundant boozy heat help keep the sweetness from being cloying. Overall this works really well, though it is very stout like. Dial back the ABV and the vanilla and it might be even better.

Pours a muddy looking brown color with a ring of khaki colored head. Not quite pitch black darkness like a stout would be. More chocolate pudding looking.

Nose is bright wood notes. Sweet and vanilla rather than dark brown sugar and bourbon. A lot of barrel presence. Beyond that there's a considerable amount of chocolate. Then toffee, caramel, honey. All scents that remind one of sweetness and candy/confections. Alcohol is apparent on the nose as well, which doesn't surprise.

The taste comes in strongly with the chocolate and the oak. This is a sweet milk chocolate. Almost reminiscent of The Bruery's White Chocolate Wheatwine. Candy-like, bright, top-heavy. The caramel, toffee, and honey is there. I get a little bit of coffee. Mild bitterness from it. But it could've used more for some contrast. Unfortunately I don't get any Peanut butter.

Mouthfeel is smooth and decadent. It really sticks with you. Full-bodied, mild carbonation. At 17% ABV you get some drying evaporation on the finish, but not enough to tame this sugary beast.

Overall this is interesting enough and fun in theory, but doesn't quite balance out well in practice. It's a very sweet brew, which is fine, but I feel if there was more coffee in the mix it would have paid dividends in improving the overall balance. This brew could've been nicely reigned in by some roasty or bitter contrast. Despite this, it's still enjoyable and very drinkable. Mikkeller makes the crazy stuff which is always fun to analyze and ponder on.

 

 

 

A: The beer is nearly jet black in color - just some faint traces of dark brown are visible near the corner of the glass when it is held up to a bright light. It poured with a narrow collar of off white bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of cocoa nibs are present in the nose along with notes of mead and hints of peanut butter.
T: The taste follows the smell and has additional notes of vanilla and brandy, the latter of which are most noticeable towards the finish.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and very slick on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The barrel aging lends some warmth to the mouthfeel.
O: It is readily apparent from the taste that this beer is strong, but I found it to be surprisingly drinkable considering its alcohol content in that the only alcohol you got in the taste was that from the barrel aging and the use of wheat lighted up the body a bit. However, there are plenty of complexities in the taste of this beer that make it something you will want to slowly sip and savor.

Serving type: can