Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

I have had this beer sitting in my beer fridge for quite some time now, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to crack the top and provide it with the respect it deserves. I wanted to make sure that I would have no distractions, no interruptions, just free time to enjoy one of the world’s best beers. Sunday morning was that time. Sunday morning? Yes, I had it for breakfast, along with eggs and bacon. Didn’t you see the name of the beer? Beer Geek Breakfast?

First, a little about the Danish brewery. Mikkeller has received world-wide recognition for their line-up of well balanced and unique beers and recently, in the spring of 2008, the brewery finished 6th in a list of the best breweries on the planet. Not bad for a relatively new brewery. They produce beers with colourful names like Jackie Brown Ale, State Side IPA, It’s Alive Trappist, Big Worse Barley Wine, Black Hole Imperial Stout, Santa's Little Helper and Draft Bear 8% Lager. Beer enthusiasts give the BGB a 100% overall rating on ratebeer and many other Mikkeller's beers are ranked very high. In fact, the lowest score comes in at a respectable 72% or a rating of 3.32.

So, back to BGB. After getting my food prepared, I poured the beer into a nice wide mouth glass and headed to the table. The colour of the BGB while being poured was reminiscent of motor oil, pitch black, thick, and it created a huge billowy dark mocha coloured head. The rich creamy layer lasted a good while but eventually gave way, dissipating into the glass. The midnight black beer was off to a great start.

The aroma was beautiful. The nose picked up loads of chocolate off the initial smell and was soon joined by strong burnt coffee notes. I woke up the hops after giving the sampling glass a little twirl and some black liquorice was also present along with a small boozy touch. After savouring the smell for – oh – five seconds, I decided it was time to finally take a friggin drink.

Coffee was the first thing I picked up in the taste; no thanks to the LCBO’s lab sticker informing me that this strong beer (listed as 7.5% by Mikkeller, but 5.7% by the LCBO) is brewed with coffee (thanks for the heads up). The more I tipped the glass the more I picked up other interesting things. Hops were the last thing on my mind, but I quickly discovered the green bastard during the smooth finish and it was quite delightful, a nice bittery finish. There were also obvious notes of sweet chocolate and nuts, creating a taste that reminded me of sticking chocolate covered almonds down the hatch. The burnt malt provided hints of smoke, which helped compliment the eggs and bacon nicely. A nice silky mouth feel, medium body and dangerously drinkable, an incredible beer.

Almost too good.

Where to get it? The Roland and Russell Import Agency are the ones to contact to see if you can get your hands on some. Contact them here. You can also find it at a handful of terrific beer pubs/bars in the Toronto area - like Beerbistro for example.