Mikkeller - Breakfast oatmeal stout (Denmark)

Today's brew comes to me from Denmark, by way of my good buddies at Irving Wines and Spirits on Mt. Pleasant St, NW. They recommended I try this several times and finally got me to cave when I went to grab more Dogfish Head 120.

I'd never heard of Mikkeller, but it was new (so they told me), and I'm never hard to convince to try a new beer. Especially one from a strange, foreign land, full of wonder, etc. It's my first time trying a Danish beer, and I admit I'm rather ignorant of the beermaking culture in Denmark, but a friend from undergrad studied abroad there and found the alcohol selection pleasing. So what the hey - let's live a little.

The proud Danish people 

The story behind Mikkeller is rather interesting. According to an article about them, it was founded by two homebrew bros:  Mikkel Borg Bjergso and Kristian Klarup Keller (hence Mikkeller.) But - here's the thing - they don't actually have a brewery anywhere. No physical space. They've got a few bars across the world, but no dedicated brewing space. Instead, they collaborate with other breweries to make experimental beers, one-offs, and collaborations. So it makes every beer somewhat unique.

The "Breakfast" is a 7.5% ABV oatmeal stout made with coffee beans. Yes, coffee beans. Again. Sorry! It's brewed in collaboration with Lervig Aktiebryggeri, a brewery based in Stavanger, Norway. Information regarding Lerving Aktiebryggeri is scarce in English, and since the Norwegian language appears to me like the alphabet puked, I can't report back on the brewery.

No, I did not drink this for breakfast, thank you. 

The beer's appearance is black and opaque. It's got a faint chocolate nose, but generally odorless.

The beer also has a tan head that laces nicely.

I was actually surprised by the taste - instead of a muted, typical coffee / chocolate combination, I was hit with a strong wave of dark, oily coffee flavors. Any beer or alcohol flavors that might exist are overshadowed by the strong coffee tastes, which carry through all stages of the tasting process. The finish is oily coffee and the aftertaste is strong and dark (also coffee.)

And so I'm on the fence about it. On one hand, the beer is well-done and packs a serious punch in terms of flavor. On the other hand, I don't usually like coffee that dark so having it in beer format was a bit rough for me. The oiliness of it as well threw me off. Another strike against it is that it's also relatively expensive, for a single 12oz: $7.99.

So if you like espresso, or dark oily coffees, this might be the beer for you. To its credit, it's a well-crafted beer that packs a strong flavor punch. I personally am not a huge fan, because of the richness and hefty taste profile.