Mikkeller Black Hole Barrel Aged Edition Cognac

3.9

177 reviews

Copenhagen, Denmark

Community reviews

3.8 12th January 2013 Opaque black beer, good pale tan head. Palate has a mild crispness and carbonated sting. Sweet dark malts and sweet lactose. Minerals. Lovely dark chocolate with just a touch of woody cognac. Semi dry finish, Another Black Hole version that has calmed down a bit after some aging.

4.0 Black, opaque, fluffy tan head. Aroma of deep malt with chocolate, raisins, toffee, burnt sugar, coffee, some leather, a touch of vanilla, subtle cognac notes. Flavor: cocoa, baker’s chocolate, burnt sugar, toasty notes, dark bread crusts, raisins, cognac is evident. Very tasty.

4.2 Bottle. Black colour with a tan head that quickly diminishes. Aroma has toasted malts, chocolate, black coffee, slightly brandy and alcohol. Flavor is sweet but not cloying with notes of red fruits, raisins, plums, figs, wood and cognac. Sweet final with a slightly bitterness with notes of barrels and cognac.

3.3 Bottle from Mane Liquor. Had a lot of big beers last night and this one just didn’t stand up at all. Mediocre all round. Was drinkable and balanced compared to most but had nothing to set it apart from the rest of the black hole series

4.0 Bottle thanks to Mike. Pours a pure black color with a small white head. A huge wonderful cognac nose. The flavor is rich vinous and super sweet cognac, some dark coffee and chocolate, heat. Excellent.

4.2 On tap at apex. Pours black with tight deep ruby edges. Sip drips are satanic dark. Aroma is a blistering onslaught of dark fruit (prune, raisin, plum, cherry), vanilla, molasses, devil spunk, oak, and I'll throw in cognac cuz it somehow seems fitting. Taste is dark chocolate, dark fruit, brandy, dry, raisin, more dry, vanilla. Feck, thisistastyshit.

3.8 Bottle at the Cask, Pimlico - 26/02/13. Dark black with a thin tan head that clears to the edge and to a film. Nose is dark roast malt, dark chocolate, subtle cognac notes, woody tones, rich chocolate fudge, molasses. Taste comprises brown sugars, dark roast malt, wood, big boozey backnote but kept well in check and doesn’t overpower all before it, hint of coffee. Full bodied, moderate carbonation - a touch prickly but ok for such a heavy hitter taking the edge of a little and prevents it from being to cloying. Overall a decent BA imperial stout, dark, rich and complex one I’d happily revisit.

4.2 A - Dark brown-black with a finger of frothy chocolate colored head. Fades at a normal pace. S - Dark chocolate and dark caramel malts, roasted coffee, molasses, black licorice, oak, cognac, vanilla, some dark fruit, and some booze. T - Dark chocolate and sweet dark caramel malts, roasted coffee, cognac, vanilla, black licorice, molasses, some vanilla and dark fruit, some citrus and pine hops and a bit of bitterness, and some booze. M - Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a warming and sweet finish. D - Nicely balanced big imperial Stout. Nice body and mouthfeel. The cognac barrel adds some nice complexity.

3.9 Bottle. Pours deep, dark brown with average, fizzy tan head; decent retention and spare lacing. Aroma is roasted and caramel malts, cognac, plums, figs, floral hops, and oak. Flavor is dark, roast malt forward with good earthy hops (light bitterness) with some dark fruit esters, oak, and light booze; dry, lightly sweet finish. Full body and medium carbonation.

3.9 Bottle. Pours opaque black with a medium, frothy tan head, medium retention with light lacing. Aroma is oak, chocolate, cognac, roast and earthy coffee malt, prunes and raisins. Flavor is malt dominant with dark fruity esters, oak, cognac, light hops and bitterness, and a dry finish. Full body and medium carbonation.

3.9 Bottle. Pours black with a average well lasting creamy brown head. Aroma is roasted dark malts, molasses, chocolate, vanilla, wood, honey, cognac, espresso roasted coffee notes and booze. Taste is heavy sweet and bitter. Body is medium+, texture is creamy, carbonation is soft. Finishes sweet, woody and alcoholic. The barrel aging is very evident and suits the beer quite well.

3.9 Best before 09/05/15, brewed 4y before Black color, generous creamy head. The nice aroma of dark chocolate and roasted malt is a bit dusty, but complex. Big flavor of chocolate cookies, full bodied, roasted malt, quite evident alcohol; quite strong bitterness. A bit too much roasted malt and alcohol in the end.

4.0 @ Gyllenbock: Rund doft, ganska diskret fatkaraktär, len och mjuk smak uten något som sticker ut. Sympatisk.

4.0 Bottle. Black with a small tan head. On the sweet side with roasted malt, fruit, wood, chocolate and notes of cognac. Rather "soft" mouthfeel. A tasty one.

4.0 Bomber. Dark chocolate aroma, along with a chemical, phenolic note. Pitch black. Initial features a big burst of chocolate and vanilla; mid palate is sweet chocolate cake, and the alcohol blasts through; alc. stays strong in the long aftertaste. Medium body. A young and promising imperial. Needs some mellowing. Like to have it again in a year or two.

3.8 Bottle. Nose of cognac, chocolate, coffee, blackberry. Flavor is cola, vanilla, chocolate, alcohol. Still too hot, but better than the other, younger ones I have had. Crisp and fruity. Good body. Luscious, but the alcohol is a bit too obvious.

4.2 Bottle @ DØE meeting. Pours pitch black with a light brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, oak, light vanilla, cognac. Flavor of malts, dark coffee, sweet filled chocolate, oak, cognac, vanilla. Medium body, soft carbonation, alcohol well hidden. Very nice beer. 190912

4.3 Bottle @ DØE meeting. Black with a small dark brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, vanilla and cognac. Flavor is very sweet and rather bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish. Oily. 190912

3.0 A-- Poured a dark cola color and settled black. Half a finger of light chocolate colored head. Head faded pretty fast and just left a murky sea of film. Decent ring of lacing. S-- Cognac soaked chocolate covered cherries. Expected a bigger nose than this really. Faint notes of oak but this nose is really soft. T-- Cognac, followed by sweet dairy chocolate. Thin, soft and sweet. Alcohol is well hidden. M-- Alcohol is more evident in the mouth. Still pretty soft and thin until the end when get the usual Mikkeller trademark. ASH, CHAR, BURNT RUBBER. Sigh. Medium alcohol burn in the finish. Light bodied and low carbonation. Like this until the finish and the burn from the alcohol. O-- Light and easy to drink for 13.1%. The alcohol burn in the end is annoying and a turn off. Good notes of cognac though. Not a bad beer but a decent one.

3.7 Bottle. Pours a pitch black color with a tan head. Aroma is of cognac, oak, charred oak, vanilla, lots of coffee, roasted malt, sweeter sugary notes, dark chocolate, a burnt note and liquorice. The flavor follows the nose with lots of oak, and some cognac notes, I get the charred oak notes too, roasted malt, coffee, vanilla, sweet sugary notes, liquorice, burnt notes and dark chocolate. The body is full with an oily mouth feel. Overall a tasty version of Black Hole, but not my favorite.

3.6 Bottle. Pours black with a dark brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a nice cognac note backed by roasted malts with a bit of bitter chocolate. Flavor has sweet dark grains up front with a strong cognac note with a hint of coffee.

3.9 Bottle 375ml @ home Pours pitch black with a tan head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, oak, licorice, tobacco and alcohol. Taste is medium to heavy sweet and medium bitter with a long roasty, sweet, warm and oaky finish. Body is full, texture is oily to sticky, carbonation is soft.

3.7 Bottle (consumed with all of the other barrel versions). Pours very dark brown to black with a small beige film. The aroma has roasted malt, dark chocolate, sweet notes from the honey, cognac, wood and boozy alcohol. The flavor, although more smooth than the original, contains some harsh maltiness, wood, dark chocolate, alcohol, vanilla, cognac, toasted coconut and honey. The base is not my favorite but the variations improve this to a degree.

3.9 Bottle at Dan’s, pour courtesy of Aaron. Thanks man! Poured a dark black with a fluffy brown head. Smell is toffee, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, and light tobacco. Taste is dark fruits, chocolate covered cherries, toffee, light molasses, and a bittersweet finish. Thick and syrupy mouthfeel with light carbonation and great lacing. Very smooth and balanced. Highly complex and my favorite variation of this Black Hole series. Damn Tasty.

4.3 Caramel aroma. Dark pour. As usual with the black holes, sweet on the nose. Butterscotch flavors from the oak compliment the mellowed flavors produced from aging. A wonderful beer.

3.9 Pour out of 375 mL bottle is dark black with thin tan head, aroma brings notes of nice dark fruit, hints of caramel, toffee, chocolate, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, hints of slight wine. Taste is nice berry, sour cherry, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, hints of nice cognac with a hint of oak, hints of molasses, finishing fairly sweet and dry.

3.9 Bottle @ Dan’s house. Black appearance with a brown head. Dark fruity, dark roasty malty, light honey, a bit smoky aroma. Dark berry, grape fruity, roasty, dark chocolate malty flavor with some fruitiness and smoke on the finish. Pretty nice brew.

4.0 Complex, thick, black, malty, sweet, alcohol, and all around tasty as hell.

4.4 Bottle: Thanks Jan! Brown to black pour, black beer with a medium vaster head which changes slowly into a more airy but still bigger and half open lacing. Smell is a very nice mix of cognac, rum, coffee, alcohol, roasted/burned malts, molasses, dark chocolate, some spices, a light hint of tar and a hint of vanilla in the far distance. Lovely smell. Taste is very spicy with dark chocolate, warmth (alcohol-seems to get weaker with time), coffee, chocolate drenched herbs/hops, something light smooth liquor a like, light molasses/dark sugars, roasted malts, roasted grains, light tabacco. Nice mix of spicy, sweet and roast with the sweetness being less present. Aftertaste has dark chocolate, warmth (alcohol), sweet roast and some roasted herbs. Again very nice. Low carbo, soft but spicy mouthfeel, full body and a light oily texture. Very alcoholic beer, but so damn tasty!

4.0 Bottle @ tasting. Aroma is liquorice, roast, chocolate and more. Flavour is deep liquorice with red wine, port, cognac and much more. Quite alcoholic but very good.