Black Hole (Cognac Edition) - Mikkeller ApS

ngeunit1

California

4.16/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

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.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 06:38:52 | More by ngeunit1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from bottle into a Mikkeller oversized wine glass (proper!). Poured pitch black with a one finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, dark fruit, wood, sweet alcohol, plums, raisins, and sugar. The flavor was of sweet malt, wood, roasted malt, honey, dark chocolate, alcohol, dark fruit, and subtle coffee. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a good brew. This brew had a huge amount of complexity. The cognac barrel definitely made itself known throughout the brew. I wish the coffee aspect would have come through a little more to add some more acidity to the brew, but beggars can’t be choosers. Definitely worth your time trying this one. Can’t wait to try the others that are sitting in my fridge currently.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 12:16:41 | More by thagr81us

cvm4

Mississippi

3.98/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark body with a 2 finger tan head. Not much lacing to speak of

S - Very forward nose with all the cognac and boozyness showing through. Lots of oak, sweet chocolate & a slight coffee.

T - Very boozy, even from the beginning. Lots of roasted malts, vanilla & cocoa nibs. It can come across as sweeter than I'd prefer.

M - Medium carbonation, body is lighter & not as heavy as I'd expect.

O - I've had the bourbon, peat whiskey & tequila versions & this is the best of the bunch by far.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:51:45 | More by cvm4

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

yup, this one is big time. big big time. it pours midnight black, literally like the depths of space. its dense as blacktop, and has a small off white head that doesnt stick around too long. im smelling tons of alcohol, as well as sweet tobacco notes, raw honeycomb, and spent espresso grinds. the flavor is easily as complex as the nose, with the honey notes really adding something special here. the cognac barrel adds some potency to the alcoholic profile, as well as a light woody tone that is trying not to be overpowered by the huge roasty malt and coffee flavors. its bitter and its sweet, everything in excellent proportion. this is an order of magnitude more complex than the standard black hole, and one of the more enjoyable mikkeller big stouts (and there are a great many of those). mouthfeel is huge. massive body and light carbonation. a little on the syrupy side, altough not as bad as some others. the alcohol is almost to a brutal level here, and this bottle demands to be shared. what a sensory experience!

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 18:42:55 | More by StonedTrippin

danieelol

Australia

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

With thanks to IBS

Pours a dark black, though not as thick as I'd like, with nice head and lacing.

Smell is a lot like BA George! Faint Frangelico. Molasses, coffee, chocolate. Subtle milk/fruits. Almost get some herbal, tea-y notes.

Taste is chocolate, rounded fruity maltiness. Have had the Bourbon iteration and this is quite distinct. Strong notes of hazelnut, caramelised chocolate and coffee. Faint hops.

Mouthfeel is a little thin and watery for my preference but does have some sugar thickening it up. Somewhat of a harsh and astringent aftertaste. Faint drying alcohol.

Overall a nice beer. Coffee comes through more in this version, not sure if that may be cause this is fresher.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 16:46:49 | More by danieelol

Dope

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours pitch black with a big and dense medium brown head. Fades slowly, leaving substantial fluffy lacing behind.

S: Like the tequila version I had last night, it's loaded with sweet molasses. This one actually has just a little roasted malt character coming through with some char and chocolate. Nice fruitiness, grapes and raisins maybe? Hint of alcohol bite unlike the tequila version as well.

T: A little fruity cognac up front which quickly turns into heavy, heavy charred oak and smoke. Vanilla kicks in and is present through the aftertaste. A little honey also helps to sweeten up the ash and results in a decent finish. Quite boozy and not nearly as sweet as the tequila version.

M: Heavy, slick and a bit chalky. This beer is quite ashy and I swear it even has ash in the mouthfeel too.

O: As mentioned I just had the tequila version last night. Amazing how different the two versions are. The tequila version was very sweet and heavy on the molasses. This has almost no molasses and is much better balanced. Tons more roasted malt character in this too which is what I wanted to see from the tequila version. Overall I give this one the edge, it's just a better overall beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 05:22:19 | More by Dope

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at farmers cabinet

Pours an inky black with a tiny toasted brown head resting on top. Some patchy lacing clings to the glass with some wispy film littered across the top.

Aggressive nose with cognac and booze, tempered by soothing oak and vanilla. Highly roasted malts with a touch of tobacco and smoke. Chocolate sweetness with dark malts. Boozy and warm.

Warm and boozy right out of the gate with heavily roasted (almost charred) malts. Dark flavor with caramel and chocolate, followed by some toasted bread crust. Cognac and oak with residual vanilla, leather and tobacco. Heavy and boozy in the finish.

Fuller body, milder carbonation, sticky and thick on the tongue. This is nowhere near as bad as some people make it out to be - although the flavors are a bit clumsy due to the heavily roasted and charred notes in the nose and flavor profile. The volume is definitely amped up on this one.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2012 16:39:06 | More by xnicknj

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Mugs Alehouse in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours jet black in color with just the most subtle hints of dark amber when held up to the light. The beer has a thin tan head which reduces to a ring at the edge of the glass. Significant lacing is observed.

S: The alcohol is very present in the aroma - the combination of the high ABV and the cognac aging is intense. There are also some caramel sweetness, roasted malts, vanilla, chocolate, oak, and charred/burnt wood.

T: Mild sweetness of caramel/toffee on top of burnt and extremely dark roasted malts. There is a less than subtle hint of the cognac as well - vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, and something slightly chalky tasting.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Some alcohol heat is present in the finish.

O: Not the easiest beer to drink as the alcohol presence is much too in your face. I find the alcohol in this beer to be a little harsh and tough to easily drink. The beer improves as it warms but is a little too much for me. Not sure I would get this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 01:40:15 | More by dbrauneis

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours the same unapologetically cheerless, black body with a medium-small, mocha-toned head. Let's see where the cognac takes it from here.

Smell: Burnt malted barley, ashen and charry as it always is in the Black Hole series, with a hint of bittersweet chocolate and a faint, less-than-supporting fruitiness, assumably aided by the cognac.

Taste: Moderate sweetness over the roasted malts, still ostensibly harsh, and the bittersweet chocolate taste, still a bit crude. Small hints of vanilla, sea salt caramel. A singe of unworthy cognac. Those malts just remain harsh, chalky, and acrid throughout. Boozy, harsh, sugary finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-light carbonation.

Overall: I'm not too terribly keen on this one either, no. Well, that closes out the red wine, white wine, and cognac varieties for me. Next up: tequila, whiskey, and bourbon!

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 14:54:31 | More by ChainGangGuy

frenchblood21

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into wine glass.

Appearance- Almost pitch black, but not quite. Espresso colored head that is very thin and goes right away.

Smell- Where to begin with this beauty? Just like the bottle says, coffee, honey and vanilla. Maybe a hint of dark chocolate.

Taste- Like the nose, but somehow more complex. Honey, vanilla and alcohol burn right up front, then that turns into, almost like magic, coffee and charred barrel.

Mouthfeel- A bit thin for a stout. Still has the slight burn, but I'm sure that would go away after a year or so in the cellar.

Overall- Is this beer perfect, no of course not. With that being said, the nose and taste are remarkable. Maybe the most complex taste I've ever experienced in a beer. Totally worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 00:37:36 | More by frenchblood21

MacQ32

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - near black caramel head that quickly dissipated, minimal lacing

S - sweet vanilla, honey and cognac, pretty strong

T - sweet vanilla, a little roastyness, some honey, straight cognac

M - medium body and fair carbonation, a bit of a sipper

O - good cognac flavor, heavy on the vanillas and roasty coffee flavors

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2012 02:11:48 | More by MacQ32

seand

California

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nearly opaque dark brown, with a small amount of dense tan head. Just a bit of film retains on parts of the surface and around the edge of the glass, leaving a few spots of lacing.

S: Densely sweet, with notes of chocolate, coffee, and just a touch of licorice and whiskey. A nice blend.

T: Nice complexity; deep sweetness, leading into roasted malt and caramel. The finish continues with the roasted notes. Subtle whiskey notes, but that's probably mostly because I'm specifically looking for that. There's a lot going on, but it's so well blended that it's hard to pick out individual flavors.

M: Full body, medium smooth carbonation.

Overall, great. This is a really fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 01:57:44 | More by seand

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

#147. On tap at Taco Mac Decatur. My first Mikkeller beer. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Solid black, spotty surface cover, light brown lacing. 4

(Smell) Black malts, licorice. A great woody cognac aroma. Aroma is intense up close. 4

(Taste) Delicious heavy wooden boozy flavor. Smoky licorice, black raisin and dark roasted black and caramel malt flavor. Tart dry smoky finish complete with wood tones. Complex. 4.5

(Mouthfeel) Smooth. Heavy mouthfeel, medium alcohol presence. 3.5

(Overall) A fantastic beer, I'd recommend getting this while it's still around. 4

Mikkeller's
Black Hole (Cognac Edition)
4.18

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2012 14:49:50 | More by Jadjunk

eric5bellies

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drank from my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a deep deep ebony colour with a tanned head that retains well.

S - Sweet roasted malt, cocoa and oaky sweetness that is reminiscent of vanilla.

T - Quite sweet up front with a little roasted malt charachter. Alcohol is non existent. Chocolate present with a little coffee. The cognac is there but not predominant.

M - Full body and minimal carbonation.

O - Would have liked to have seen less sweetness and more cognac in this brew. Nonetheless a very solid showing from Mikkeller.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 15:32:37 | More by eric5bellies

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Pino, part of our Black Hole blind tasting. 375ml into a snifter. My clear winner of the night.

Poured a dark brown/black, with a finger of brown head. Light retention, leaving a thick collar and great legs. Nose has light fruitniess and a gentle spirit character, a bit of berries, light honey, alcohol, some smoke and caramel. Taste is fruity, dry with some tar and caramel. Gentle cognac notes (in retrospect) cover the palate, roast, honey and char also. Full thick and chewy feel, sweet with a roasty and charred finish. Quite sweet, but not bad at all - interesting contrast between the roast.char and cognac/spirit qualities.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 20:25:05 | More by liamt07

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Premier, part of the blind Black Hole tasting.

Near jet black, nearly one finger of brownish tan head, some lace on the glass. Smell is roasty with some oak and vanilla notes, coffee and chocolate, light alcohol, cognac spirit scents are there but fairly subtle. Taste is quite roasted with some coffee present, lightly sweet cognac notes, oak, chocolate and vanilla, more coffee and charred notes in the finish. Medium carbonation and full bodied, good feel with a nice overall weight. Solid stuff here, not as good as Black Cognac but still very nice, would have this again but would take the Black if I had the choice.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 18:42:21 | More by peensteen

silentnoiz

Tennessee

3.1/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Drank A/B with the Black (sampled all but the Rum same night).

A - very dark small head slight lacing

S - roasty boozyness

T - boozy, interresting, a bit bitter

M - same as the rest of this series

O - interesting brew, quite bitter on the back end, fun to try

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:30:19 | More by silentnoiz

mondegreen

Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12.7oz bottle into a Stone Tulip. 2011 Vintage.

Pours pitch black with a thin, but respectable, khaki head.

Nose is a bit tame but nice. Wood and cognac take center stage.

Taste is quite sweet. The beer takes on the character of the barrels well, and the cognac treatment was quite nice to this one.

Mouth is light for an RIS, but not to the beer's detriment. It works.

Overall, cognac barrels are a far better fit for Black Hole than harsher bourbon or scotch barrels. Black hole is a relatively thin, highly attenuated beer, so the softer cognac barrel matches perfectly. In my opinion this one is the best of the line up, and I'd recommend it to friends.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 23:46:55 | More by mondegreen

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.68/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into snifter. No freshness date.

A- Syrupy black as night pour. Two finger light tan head that slowly drops to a half inch and stays put. Lacing is oily gobs all over the glass.

S- Chocolate and coffee. The honey is more upfront than the White Wine version I had earlier. The vanilla again isn't as upfront as I would have liked but I'm a vanilla nut. The back end is where you get into the wonderful barrels and cognac. It smells amazing. I haven't had the opportunity to partake in any other cognac beers other than a 2009 Angel's Share and this one takes the cake in the aroma department. It's very smooth and balanced.

T- Coffee and bakers chocolate right up front, followed by a dark devils food cake taste from the vanilla and honey and cognac. Alcohol is invisible with this one. There is a wonderful earthiness from the barrels and it really suits this well.

M- Medium to full bodied, slightly prickly carbonation makes this very palatable and not so heavy and syrupy as some barrel aged beers can get. The slightest feel of the 13% there but very minimum.

O- This I think is Mikkeller's best beer to date. This makes me excited for the others in the barrel aged set as well as wanting to hunt down more cognac beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 01:58:38 | More by korguy123

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Sampled 12/22.

Mikkeller Black Hole, Cognac Edition, on-tap @ Bittercreek Ale House, Boise ID.

A: Opaque and quite thick, with a decent khaki head with surprising retention.

S: Roasted malt, lots of chocolate and sweetness (assuming from the barrels), extremely light sweet white wine character. A touch of oak, vanilla...no real alcohol presence.

T: Follows the nose, though this beer is more sweet than it is roasty. The chocolate is predominant and blends well with the barrel characters. Surprised at how well this brew meshes, and again, no overwhelming alcohol presence.

MF: Smooth, creamy full body...light carbonation, but that actually works well in this beer.

O: Surprised that this wasn't a booze-bomb, Mikkeller did a good job here and the Cognac barrels are really nice. I'd recommend it. Wish it were cheaper.

Serving type: on-tap

12-27-2011 15:43:18 | More by Scotchboy

Jawn

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black Hole is black, and has a short lived brown head of half an inch. The boldest of the scents would definitely be the chocolate malt (it sort of reminds me of chocolate syrup), followed by the dark coffee flavors and then a faint hint of vanilla and booze. I love it for that. The flavor is not quite as exciting, but is still layered with some complexities. As this beer warms, the maple and honey flavors stand out more, which in my opinion goes well with how thick and scarcely carbonated this RIS is. Black Hole is my first beer from Mikkeller, mainly because they are so expensive here in the states. Although this beer wasn't incredibly unique, I'm impressed with the amount of beers in this series so that I might taste the specific difference in taste between different methods of barrel aging. Overall, righteous brew

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 06:55:05 | More by Jawn

StlHopHead77

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 vintage.375 ml bottle poured into my Duvel tulip.

A-Pours out an intense,blackish brown body with 2 fingers worth of dark tawny foam that displayed good retention and left sticky clumps of lacing.

S-This was the beer's only downfall for me.As it warmed more scents could be pulled out but even then it just wasn't as assertive as I would've liked.Smelled of caramelized nuts,dark chocolate covered espresso beans,oak and charred malts.

T-More rich chocolate flavors,sweet nuttiness,vanilla,strong,fresh coffee and burnt sugars.

M-Full and balanced with good residual sugars,bitter coffee,semisweet chocolate and creamy vanilla.Good lasting flavors.

O-A little pricey but I'm glad I got the chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 16:30:33 | More by StlHopHead77

KAP1356

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. 375 ml bottle poured into a snifter...

A - Pours a deep, rich, brown color that is opaque. A nice 1.5 finger head forms that is light brown in color. It recedes to a collar of the same color.

S - The smell is really nice. Roasted malts, sweet honey, dark chocolate, and dark sticky fruits. Vanilla, oak, brown sugar and a nice, strong, cognac aroma come through adding nicely to the base beer. Way more complex than I thought it would be. Ever so slight hint of alcohol here and there.

T - The taste follows the nose fairly well, just a little less complex. The cognac is less prominent here. Big chocolate and sweet honey covered dark fruits come through. Oak and a maple syrup like flavor also make themselves known. Vanilla also mixes in nicely.

M - Slightly thinner than I would have liked, but about a medium bodied beer. Light carbonation keeps this one feeling silky and smooth.

O - I was really impressed with this one considering how the first round of these BA versions went. So far, this is definitely my favorite of the lot.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 17:41:21 | More by KAP1356

JizackFH

New York

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

A - This beer pours a really dark brown color, almost black. It has about 2.5-fingers of chocolatey head resting on top. The head has good retention, and it leaves some scattered lace behind on the glass.

S - The nose has a good amount of dark roasted malt right away. There are some aromas of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruits. A good bit of cognac is detectable, which is to be expected. Also, I am getting some vanilla, brown sugar, and something that is coming off a little spicy that I can't quite put my finger of. There are a lot of different aromas going on here.

T - The taste starts off with a good bit of dark roasted malt. There is a pretty strong cognac taste, but it isn't too boozy. There are some good flavors of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and some brown sugar. Also, I am getting that spiciness that was showing up in the nose, but I still can't tell what it is. The finish leaves some lingering roasted malt bitterness and some boozy cognac burn.

M - This has a pretty full body on it, but not as heavy as I thought it would be. It has a good amount of carbonation. It goes down easy and has a nice velvety feel to it. This has some dryness on the back end, as well as some boozy warmth.

O - This has good drinkability. It is a sipper for sure, but it isn't as heavy as you think it would be. The taste is nice and complex, and there I really like what the cognac barrels did to it. Overall, I think this is a really nice beer, and I really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend trying this one out, and I look forward to trying out the other variations of this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 15:02:12 | More by JizackFH

ludachris

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

For an RIS, I couldn't ask for anything more in appearance. Thick, viscous, and black as the dickens with a mounstrous three finger frothy chocolate milk brown head. Long, horizontal patches of lace stick to the sides of the glass along with a thin film of alcohol.

The nose is absolutely huge, bursting with dessert-like aromas, reminiscent of a rich chocolate cake. On the sweet side, there's sweetened dark chocolate, smooth and rounded vanilla and oak, buckwheat honey, brown sugar, and a scoop of strawberry jam at the very bottom. Syrupy, alcohol soaked raisons also ooze over the top of the glass and I assume come from the Cognac barrels. On the other end lies notes of old and weathered wood, char, and roast. Maybe even a touch of smoke. Alcohol tickles the nose, but is no more pronounced than many of the other components that make up this big and complex RIS.

A big first sip gives a big alcohol punch to the back of the throat. I know it clocks in at 13.1% ABV, but based off the nose, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of a kick. A minute later, a warming feeling still lingers in my chest. Many of the flavours have smoothed out and melded together. Sweetened dark chocolate is spread across the top of the tongue while charred wood and roasted malts come up from beneath. The notes of vanilla and oak are delicate in comparison but still but manage to give a feeling of softness in this hefty stout. Honey is also lathered on top and extends to the tip of the tongue. The finish is both roasty and woody with a touch of fruity sweetness. The more I sip on this, the more tame the alcohol becomes.

When I think of full bodied, I'll now think of this. Creamy, mouth coating and incredibly rich. Some dryness comes through with the roasted notes and alcohol. When I first started drinking this, it seemed the alcohol was far too pronounced. After warming up and a few more sips however, it integrates well into the rest of the beer.

As my memory serves me, this has to be the biggest RIS I've had to date, in terms of both alcohol content and feel. I'd love to drink this in a year or two with the hopes of the alcohol dumbing down a bit. I'm not that familiar with Cognac but that didn't take away from me appreciating this. Big thumbs up to Mikkeler. I'll be sure to pick up a couple more barrel aged versions of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2011 02:53:16 | More by ludachris