Beer Hop Breakfast - Mikkeller ApS

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Tasty coffee-ish beer. Very hoppy, above average mouthfeel.Bold rounded bitter taste, roasted malts, coffee, pine and citrus, and a drop of chocolate. Creamy mouthfeel, with above average head.Dry Roast in aftertaste.
Liam's bottle courtesy of Chris.
Second bottle thanks to Jon. Big hops like a Black IPA but not Cascadian.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2011 20:38:46 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pour was a nice dark brown, nearly black in color with a nice head of off white, tan color on top that really just showed how nicely this one was put together. a wonderful aroma of thick coffee and crisp piney hops then came up and cleared the air, really making its presence known. huge aroma with warming bringing caramel and brown sugar to the front and smooth lightly bitter coffee balancing it out. nice smooth hop presence with a rich malty back bone that was beyond smooth. really just wonderfully done.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 01:37:40 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours black in color with a tall tan head. Citrus peel, floral, and perfume. Hints of chocolate, lots of roasted malt, some ash, and a bit of char. Maybe a little bit of alcohol. Flavor is quite ashy, heavy on the roast, and a fair amount of bitterness. Some dark chocolate, piney hops, and a hint of citrus peel.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 15:32:07 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to aapp for sending out this bottle. Served in a Mikasa tulip.

The is an American Black Ale.

Pours near black with a long-lasting deep tan head. Strong lacing and a heavy roast and chocolate character in the nose. Good dosing of pine and faint earth. Heavy pine, especially as it warms. Good balance between the pine and roast in the flavor. Medium body with a dry, resinous finish. Fairly bitter, mostly from the hops. Really quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 10:14:54 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a pitch black color with a rocky mocha head that leaves a leggy pattern behind

Smell: Smells great, like burying your nose in a ruby red grapefruit, though there is a bit of tobacco in the mix; just a hint of roast, underneath, which I might not have picked up had I not looked at the color of the beer

Taste: A blast of ruby red grapefruit and tobacco dominates the front end, with just a hint of roast underneath; a bit more roasty, after the swallow, though the hops continue to dominate; the coffee lingers around in the background, from start to finish

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: This is one of the tastiest ABAs I have come across; have a very hard time seeing how it fits into the Beer Geek Breakfast series, however

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 23:41:51 | More by brentk56

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Coffee and hops, really? With the sharpness of citrus hops, pine, roast, and bitter colliding in the glass, its easy to anticipate these flavors clashing in a very unfavorable way.

But like many other stouts, the beer pours with the darkest of brown colors that hedge on black. Complete opaqueness disallows light penetration, as the haze does as much to contribute tot he cloudiness as the color does. Froathy with its foam character, the beer builds a tall head of mocha-stained color, built for long lasting and lacy persistence.

Two beers seem to live in the glass as the stout-like aromas provide the coffee, roast, and dark sugar notes while more IPA character delivers hoppy citrus, pine, and grass notes. Both battling it out, not allowing one to command the other. The culmination of scents are almost too much for the nose to comprehend, but the quality of both are good enough to keep the nose returning to the glass.

But in taste, the flavor of stout wins over, if ever so slightly. Roasted grain, toast char, burnt sugar, and French pressed coffee embark on a lush and robust taste. Trailing shortly behind are the hops- rising to absolute IPA status, the roast is met with flavors of white grapefruit peels, under ripened oranges, spruce, and cannabis-oriented botanical. From the middle palate on, the beer seems to alternate in its lean with each sip, before the high hop bitterness outlast the char by a thin margin in its extended finish.

Surprisingly drinkable, the beer has an airy roasted texture that's suited well as both American stout and IPA. It's forgiving rate of drinkability is in stark contrast to the power of flavor that the beer delivers to the taste buds. It's full carbonation engulfs the middle palate and ushers in a dry, roasty-astringent texture with resinous hop dryness and understated alcohol warmth.

Beer Hop Breakfast is a fascinating beer, that even after an entire bottle I still don't feel that I have fully explored the beer, nor decided about its character. It's certainly a complex beer that has some bully-ish overtones. Though it's taste is brash, it seems to work somehow.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 18:15:54 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an impy nonic pitch black,no light showing thru this,a fluffy mocha colored crown atop that left broken chunks of lace behind as it setteled slowly into a frothy mass.Big hop resin mixed molasses sweetness just awesome,this is truly a hybrid of stout and ABA.Chocolate malts and tobacco flavors mixed with a healthy shot of pine resin on the palate,some molasses-like sweetness comes into play but doesn't intrued on the resiny hops.I have the hop burps wich makes me like this beer even more,a great example of the style,one of the best I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 23:06:42 | More by oberon

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast, Oatmeal Stout brewed with Coffee, 7.5% ABV, product of Denmark, brewed at Amager Bryghus, Bryghus, Denmark.

Utter blackness, large, rich, roasty tan head. Lace leaving. Looks great.

Aroma: ah! there we have it, a quintessential oatmeal stout nose, starts smooth and roasty-toasty, nice and malty, topped off with grassy hops. I like this.

Taste: more of that going on in the mouth, but lacking some in the body. Smooth, tasty malt, with a big, lively blast of hops. So we've got an "IBA" or a "black ale" or a "black ipa", but with an oatmeal stout. I'm still not totally on board with this cross-pollination. Still feels light in the body, not giving the proper oatmeal stout experience, but never stopping with the hops. Non-stop hop. Very dry, plenty of manageable bitterness.

Do I like it? Maybe. Do I love it? Not really. But, keep at it, Mikkeller, you've more hits than misses, and your misses are interesting enough. (But, perhaps not exactly worth the price.)

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 09:29:53 | More by feloniousmonk

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a dark brown color with red highlights and a tan head. The aroma is great. I get a lot of caramel and roasted malt with some pine and citrus hops. The flavor is roasted/burnt malt, coffee and chocolate, but I also get a lot of bitter pine and orange notes. The alcohol is completely hidden. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice hoppy stout.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2010 03:15:51 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a jet-black color with a two-finger, brown head of bubbly foam. It left thin rings of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of coffee, chocolate and some floral notes.

T - Bitter with strong coffee flavors. Nice chocolate taste with some flaked oats.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a very nice coffee stout. Yet another really good brew from Mikkeller.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 01:45:21 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a finger high creamy tan head that died down but never completely faded away.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of coffee and roasted malts; these are subdued somewhat by smells of citrus hops.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has flavors of coffee and roasted malts plus citrus and pine resin hops. There is a light amount of bitterness in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit smooth on the palate with a light to moderate amount of carbonation. The beer doesn't feel as thick compared to some of Mikkeller's other breakfast beers.
O: The beer is interesting in that it somewhat tastes like a hybrid between a stout and an IPA, although the stout properties are much more prevalent.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 12:18:14 | More by metter98

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is really good, it's thick it's hoppy as hell. Really great pour an color. The aroma smells of big time hops, chocolate, malts and some burnt aromas too. The beer is silky smooth and oily. The aftertaste is of oats and toast. This beer reminds me of a really strong Black IPA. I highly enjoy the combination of hops and imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 22:40:50 | More by Knapp85

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml skinny-ass bottle, yet still a tall drink of water, as per usual for the Mikkeller stouts...

This beer pours a complete black, no edges, no highlights, with one fat finger of seemingly foamy, tight beige head, which leaves a consistent pock-marked wall of lace around the glass as it duly settles. It smells of chocolate milk powder, mildly toasted caramel malt, and somewhat mild citrus hops. The taste is much bigger on the bitter citrus hops, which, together with an increasingly prevalent dry coffee grounds essence, takes over the whole front of the palate, eventually giving way to an equally strong, but somehow subservient, sweet chocolate malt, all overlooked by a soft, and seemingly toothless, alcohol edge. The carbonation is fairly light, with just a bit of spritzy effervescence, the body medium heavy in weight, a sugary smooth effect taking place - but for the citrus bitterness edge. It finishes still unabashedly sweet, but tempered all the same, with a not willing to die indeterminately bitter hoppiness.

What we have here, is a failure to, um, well, a failure to differentiate between a silky oatmeal coffee stout and the American IPA-ization of such. Bully for me - I likes 'em both just fine.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 05:49:21 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ordered a goblet for $8 at Top Hops in LES, NYC, and it made for a perfect fall beer. There was a deep, roasted malt character complemented by a sharp, citrus hop bite. The citrus hops didn't get much of a chance to stand out from the richly mocha barley, but they did blend in wonderfully for a long, lingering pine and cocoa finish. I like that the ABV isn't over the top, yet it's still a fantastic sipping beer. Get yourself a glass and let the dry cocoa, coffee bean, and American hops roll around on your tongue.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2012 00:49:11 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.09/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Visually really really appealing, pitch black body flowing huge tan head frothing above the sides of my chalice, fine even lacing as it slowly fades. Aroma has dark chocolate bitterness and hint of pine and citrus tone hops in the background with a somewhat creamed coffee in the middle. Bitterness unwavering bitterness green hops assault the palate with a pelletized hop concentration black malts (mainly black patent bring out the charcoal and roasted malt bitterness) so there's a bit of a tag team combo hitting me hard right now. I really couldn't tell you they used oatmeal, but dark bitter coffee, dark malts, and hops are screaming hello!!! Mouthfeel never gets past any one of the waves of bitterness it coats all dimensions of the palate, medium bodied even solid carbonation no issues there just the lacquer known has beer hop breakfast is left behind coating the entire palate with a lingering unbalanced bitterness. Overall I wish the gypsy brewer had a stroke of finesse in his paint brush, maybe due to the country where the brewing scene is breaking out like a punk rock movement do most of these guys feel the need to brew this way. Believe me I like extreme beer I just like well balanced big beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 22:58:12 | More by WVbeergeek

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 06/04/11 notes. Tried this one along with Beer Geek Bacon, Weasel, and the Bourbon Beer Geek. Poured into a tulip.

a - Pours a pitch black color with moderate carbonation evident and one inch of tan head. Looks great like the others.

s - Smells of roasted malts, dark chocolate, pine hops, and light citrus. Hops are present, though not quite as strong as I was expecting; the chocolate and roasted malts still dominate the nose.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, pine hops, light citrus hops. I thought the hops come out more here than in the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - I feel like this is what Nighstalker should have been, but couldn't do. I didn't feel like Nightstalker worked and I didn't really enjoy that one, whereas this one was a pretty good hoppy stout. I prefer the normal Beer Geek Breakfast to this, but it was still good and fun to try. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 20:06:52 | More by mdfb79

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appears a dark, opaque black with a creamy tan head that slowly fades into a hearty cap of fluff. Tons of scattered lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is of obvious coffee notes with cut wood, pine, hop resin, And danky weed.
Taste is of the aromas with a bitter blast of coffee beans, and heavy hopping. Some sweetness that kicks into a bitter wood.
Mouthfeel is full bodied, creamy...yet the bitters of the hops and coffee are very overpowering. Nothing wrong with that on many levels but just not a preferred lingering mouthfeel that I enjoy.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2012 17:54:14 | More by weeare138

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown pour, good tan lace and head to it. Aroma was very much like the regular Beer Geek Breakfast, but it did have a good bitter hop green vegetal vibe, no small feat since this beer comes from halfway across the world and you have no idea how long the relatively expensive beer may have sat on the shelf etc. . .

Taste, again, more like Beer Geek Breakfast, this is a very minor and subtle variation frankly, but that's not all bad since the base beer is quite good. Same beer, more hops. That's really about it. Loads of chocolate malt, coffee, ashy bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 20:24:21 | More by Beerandraiderfan

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.53/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a solid, deep brown colour, with lighter tones at the edges of the glass when tilted. Head forms frothy and full, like the mocha top of a chocolate fondue. Some speckled lacing around the edge of the glass. Body looks full, but quite fluid, and forms tight carbonation when tilted. Looks good.

Nose is mostly still dominated by the stout, but a sharp pine resin note comes through relatively strongly, giving a greenish twinge to the otherwise brown-black aroma. Still there are notes of coffee, roasted grains and a touch of coconut.

Taste is unusual, with a deep roasted bitterness topping a touch of sweetness, but not a lot. Instead, there's a sharp vector of hoppy bitterness towards the back, which has the twin consequences of making the roastedness more pronounced, and making the feel seem less full and thinner. The roast and the hops has the other consequence of leaving an odd dark floral flavour, like lavender or holly. It's very unusual.

I'm afraid to say that this didn't work for me all that well; the dark roast it not full enough to support the hops, or the hops don't mesh nicely with the stoutier flavours. It doesn't have the subtle synergy of a India Black Ale, and the hops blast through any vestige of it being a true stout. It makes it awkward, overly bitter, and oddly, despite everything, lacking in complexity.

Probably my least favourite of the Beer Geek series so far.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 03:29:28 | More by lacqueredmouse

kojevergas

California

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

1 pint 9 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into De Molen stemware in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Mikkeller is me favourite brewery; I'm very excited to try this. Paired with a breakfast burrito.

A: Pours a two finger tan colour head of lovely heavy cream lacing, amazing thickness, and brilliant retention, especially for the high ABV. Colour is a nontransparent solid black. Its very appealing.

Sm: Rich chocolate, moderate oats, light roast, and light coffee. A fairly strong aroma, and an extremely appealing one. I can't wait to try it.

T: Delicate rich wonderful chocolate tones, with light oats more towards the finish than the front. Hops enter at about the midpoint. Some light coffee in the third act is a nice touch. There's flavour everywhere, and it's nicely complex yet brilliantly balanced. A touch of caramel on the climax. Yet another beautifully built beer from Mikkeller. Bravo.

Mf: Smooth for the first half, coarse for the second. The same effect is present to a lesser extent for wetness and coarseness, respectively. The result is a mouthfeel that coaxes out the next sip. It's tailored very well to the flavours.

Dr: Very drinkable for the high ABV and for the style. The price is high but it's well worth it for the quality.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 23:49:03 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

4.58/5  rDev +12%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Got my hands on this thanks to Jeff, who stashed away several Mikkeller beers for me.

Pours a pitch black color with a thick brown head into my glass. You're not going to get any better than this, hence the 5.

Rich, luscious coffee notes greet the nose followed by just a hint of citrusy hops. It could be creamy as well.

Bold, assertive coffee flavors dominate the palate, followed only by grassy, citrusy hops. Wow.

Lots of lingering, thick coffee notes. It is somewhat "slick" as well and finishes with a clean bitterness.

This is a killer example of the style at hand. The hops weren't as strong as I thought (going by the title, which I thought meant a ton of hops) but it did not take away from the overall taste. I highly recommend this as a replacement for your morning cup 'o joe!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 11:02:53 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to wishuwerebeer for sharing. Poured into a snifter, this brew appears a very dark brown color that is nearly black. When held to the light, it has lighter brown clarity around the outer most edges. A finger of thick, creamy brown head appears and holds in a froth across the top. Leggy patches and finger-like patterns of lace stick to the glass.

The smell of this brew is hoppy with leafy and grassy notes. Some fruity, solvent to fusel alcohol is evident that gets exaggerated and increasingly more bold as the brew warms. Some oats and roasted grain to char character is present imparting a light sweetness to the nose. More of a fresh oat character comes out as the brew warms but the major scent of this brew is the hops.

The taste is excessively oily with bitter, resinous hops that are very grassy and leafy in nature. The bitterness of the hops is accented by the bitterness of the roasted grain. Very bitter to burnt with a char-like character and minor notes of coffee. Some fruity alcohol is evident very similar to other mikkeller beer geek offerings.

This is a medium bodied brew with a creamy smooth texture yet oily and clingy as well. It boasts a modest amount of carbonation. It is decently drinkable but very oily and overly bitter from the combination of hops and roasted grain. I throughly enjoy stouts but really dislike when they are over hopped like this. No matter how much I try to like them, I just cant get into it. If american black ales are your thing, this is a must try but for $14 a 500ml bottle, they can keep it in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 18:02:25 | More by stakem

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.47/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is dark brown, with a thin beige cap. The appearance bears an uncanny resemblance to the other Beer Geek stouts. Surprisingly good aroma, exceeding my expectations. Terrific blend of hops and dark roast. This taste much more like an American black ale (black IPA) than a stout. Really well balanced and full of flavor. A wonderful marriage of roast and hops. I highly recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 01:47:56 | More by Huhzubendah

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Mikkeller Beer Hop Breakfast

Pours a dark brown/black color with a deep tan mocha head. Rings and patches of lace go down the glass. Aromas of coffee, herbal hops, roasted malts and chocolate. In the taste, decadant malt body, coffee, vanilla, chocolate, all savory flavors. Hop bitterness is substantial and coarse, piney, leafy, and resinous. Oatmeal lends to the smoothness of this beer, and its creamyness. Overall, the Beer Hop Breakfast is a delicious oatmeal stout with plenty of hops, as advertised. Complex and easy to drink, I'd suggest giving it a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 20:08:28 | More by Stinkypuss

avalon07

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a jet black color and a completely thick consistency. There was a big, tan-colored, foamy, long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A surprising and different aroma - mainly due to the hops. Also had lots of malt and coffee as well.

T: Tasted of malt, coffee, hops, and a tinge of chocolate. Basically, this beer plays like a stout that's been hopped up to a great degree. Still, very tasty and well made.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

D: An interesting beer, though it might not please everyone who likes a classic stout. Still, it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 12:05:03 | More by avalon07