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Beer Hop Breakfast - Mikkeller ApS

Not Rated.
Beer Hop BreakfastBeer Hop Breakfast

Educational use only; do not reuse.

197 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 197
Hads: 617
Avg: 4.06
pDev: 17.73%
Wants: 52
Gots: 75 | FT: 5
Brewed by:
Mikkeller ApS visit their website

Style | ABV
American Stout |  7.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: Nickls on 03-16-2010

Oatmeal stout brewed with coffee


Brewed at Amager Bryghus.
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Beer: Reviews & Ratings
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Reviews: 197 | Hads: 617
Photo of duracell
4.64/5  rDev +14.3%

22oz bottle in a snifter. Had it on the International Stout Day 2012.

A - Very dark brown body, almost black. Medium-size, light brown head with a medium retention which leaves a thick ring with large bubble as a topping. Nice legs and lacing on the glass.

S - Very hoppy aromas, grassy, floral, and piney... very close to fresh hop! Malt at the back adds some roasted character, chocolate, coffee, and a hint of vanilla to it. Not a single trace of alcohol. Everything is very aromatic, complex and balanced. Absolutely perfect!

T/M - Very gentle start with some malt character and a certain astringency/tannicity (almost cacao-like) coming from roasted malt and coffee. Hop appears in the middle of the mouth to blend nicely with the malt and adds a moderate bitterness that lingers forever with the coffee notes. Body is on the high side.

O - Definitely a stout made in heaven! Well crafted and with very complex aromas and flavors. Seek it out now!

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Photo of tempest
4.13/5  rDev +1.7%

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.

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Photo of CHickman
4.38/5  rDev +7.9%

Pours motor oil black color with a creamy 1 finger brown head that faded very slowly, leaving very good spotty foamy lacing clinging to the sides and a thin creamy layer on top. The head faded slower than a Guinness, but the rich inviting aroma distracted me from caring.

Smells of coffee, vanilla bean, cocoa powder and/or bakers chocolate, caramel, oats, charcoal, grapefruit, sweet malt, burnt grains, molasses, brown sugar, piney hops, herbs and floral hops; the hops dance around the deep chocolate and coffee notes that seem to blend in oatmeal and grains in a very balanced and complimentary way. A great smelling beer that is very potent and yet soft and subtle at the same time, with a nice array of complexities. The hops and herbs are timid, but play a nice role and completely hide the alcohol.

Tastes better than it smells, with coffee, vanilla, cocoa powder, chocolate, oatmeal, caramel, burnt wood/charcoal, grapefruit, lemon zest, citrus hops, sweet malt, wet tobacco leaf, burnt grains, molasses, brown sugar, piney hops, herbs and floral hops; I can’t figure out if spices were in play or the roasted grains just seemed like this brew was barrel aged, but there were other sweet notes like maple syrup and light booze like rum or a mellow bourbon that trailed off with an extremely tasty bitterness. This is a mad scientist concoction that is damn complex and makes for a damn tasty beer. Each sip was different: some sweet, some bitter, some hoppy, some like a cup of cold Starbucks – all good. Alcohol nowhere to be found, which makes this a slow sipper or one to throw back since it is so smooth.

Mouthfeel is so creamy and smooth that it’s almost watery, like chocolate milk with a bitter bite at the end; it’s got a chewy, heavy body, but still manages to go down fast and easy with almost no carbonation and superb drinkability.

A high recommendation that I will seek out again as I really liked this crazy combo of strong hops blended with coffee and chocolate malts. There was a ton of sediment in the last sip, and it washed over my tongue like a bitter stout poured through a burnt wood funnel, complete with chunks that closed the door on a great beer experience.

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Photo of ocelot2500
4.23/5  rDev +4.2%

Pours an ebony color with a cascading tan head that leaves a nice layer of lacing.

Smells of pine and citrus hops with some roasted notes.

Tastes of the full roasted notes with a nice hop balance. Notes of dark coffee, cocoa, and a bit of burnt toast come through. Definitely gives off a burnt, slightly acrid taste that I like, but not much sweetness to offer. Roasted bitterness is complemented by solid hop notes of pine and some citrus. Moderately bitter, but I think it works really well. Oatmeal is present throughout with its mild, smooth presence. Alcohol notes come through that shouldn't at 7.50 %, which is what keeps it from perfect.

Mouthfeel is full with a smooth amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is a great beer, but at $10.40 for a half liter, it should be killer.

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Photo of hosehead83
4.38/5  rDev +7.9%

Poured from "bomber" bottle into a wine goblet
Oil-black in color,with a thick collar of tan foam
Aroma-Piney, citrussy hops, dark malt
Taste-Citrussy, piney hops, roast coffee.
Reisinous hops, roasty-Cascadian IPA all the way. Well-balanced and great flavor. Another winner from Mikkeller. A bit pricey but certainly worth a try.

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Photo of RussBecker1
4.03/5  rDev -0.7%

A-Poured a deep inky black, almost opaque with very very faint touches of brown. the head is absolutely massive. Close to 4 fingers of burnt caramel that possesses a good deal of thickness. The amount of head inherently produces some nice lacing as well, but not an overwhelming amount.

S-Much fainter than I would have expected given the body of the brew. It is interestingly complex however with a balanced blend of hop bitterness and smooth oatmeal and coffee. Maybe a hint of caramel as well, but only in occasional hits.

M-Precisely how a breakfast stout should taste. It has enough viscosity to coat the palate and enhance many of the flavors, but it is much smoother and lighter bodied than a regular stout which lends itself to the breakfast concept. It is under carbonated however which did not sit perfectly with me.

T- A subtle breakfast stout in comparison to say a founders. The coffee is an undertone and a slight one at that which does differentiate this from other breakfast stouts, but honestly the flavor palate does not lend itself to breakfast. The hops are the main component and they are delicious, but their is not enough oatmeal or cutting sweetness to complicate the palate. Very enjoyable though, just potentially not as advertised.

O-My introduction to mikkeller and I will certainly be trying the remaining brews I can get my hands on.

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Photo of bluejacket74
4.45/5  rDev +9.6%

16.9 ounce bottle. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours dark brown/black with about an inch and a half frothy tan head that stayed around a while. There's also a lot of lacing left on the glass. It smells like roasted malt, coffee, bittersweet chocolate, piney hops, burnt/charred malt, and some light citrusy hops. I think the taste is just like the aroma. It's roasty, hoppy, bitter and sweet all at the same time. It's a very tasty brew. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's creamy and easy to drink with good carbonation. I'm liking this beer a lot, and I plan on picking up another bottle soon! $9.99 a bottle.

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Photo of beesy
3.91/5  rDev -3.7%

Poured from a 16.9oz bottle into a pint glass.







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Photo of womencantsail
3.58/5  rDev -11.8%

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.

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Photo of JackieTH
4.45/5  rDev +9.6%

Lovely brew appears tarry black, deep brown, opaque with a mocha head and moderate lace.

Smell has heavily roasted malt, oats, charred toffee, resin and citric pith.

Taste is a delicious example marrying heavily roasted malt with loads of hop flavor and bitterness. Cooked rolled oats, roasted malt, hints of caramel and a stiff shot of jet fuel (mmm..that's strong black coffee) merge seamlessly on the palate with heaps of citric, grapefruit pith flavor, pine sap, and bitterness. Big bold flavor. Medium, creamy mouthfeel and carbonation. Finish is quite bitter from both the hop and the joe, with no residual sweetness.

Beer hop breakfast indeed. Very good.

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Photo of rarbring
3.67/5  rDev -9.6%

A black beer, a tan head, leaving some lacing and some curtains.

Smelling of grass, nettles, peas, and soy sauce.

Staring with dark fruits, then some Madeira and herbal hoppiness.

Little carbonation, coarse and oily (!) texture, thick and sticky, a dry finish.

A deep complex soup. Much hops. And much more.

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Photo of facundoCNB
3.65/5  rDev -10.1%

deep brown almost black in color, nice 2 fingers of brown head causing some great lacing. scents of chocolate, piney hops, roasted marshmallows, coffee. a hoppy mouthful at first, evened out by an ashtray dirt type bitterness from the roasted grains/coffee, mildly balanced out by the malt sweetness and chocolate flavor. i think they over did it with the hops, i was expecting a more subtle dry hop taste - but again, a foreign brewery making an american style stout, i guess they figure we're assholes with our ibu's!
a light medium body, nicely carbonated, barely any creaminess.

this is a nice one time experience - with that said i wouldn't want to drink it again. a bit off tasting with the amount of hops they used.

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Photo of feloniousmonk
3.93/5  rDev -3.2%

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.)

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Photo of jbowers56
4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

Definite black colour with a coffee coloured head. Head retention is not great, but laces a little and is perfectly acceptable for a beer of this strength. Leaves a thin layer for the entire glass.

Massive notes of coffee and roasted malts. Licorice and pine-sap are also there for sure. Notes of nearly-burned caramel are there too, but much less so than the other elements.

An amazingly multi-faceted taste. The combination of the hop bitterness with the roasty grains and the strong coffee taste is superb. There are almost no big stouts that I enjoy which don't have at least a hint of chocolate in the flavour, but i'm not getting any here. Fantastic stout which certainly goes hard in the American direction - big, brash and bold. Punches well above it's weight in terms of flavour intensity for a 7.5% brew. Have tasted 9% beers which were much less intense than this.

Medium low carbonation combined with a very silky mouthfeel (i presume from the oats) gives a big, rich feeling as it slides down the palate. However, it seems reasonably well attenuated, with no overt residual sweetness or cloying qualities. This, combined with the prominent hop bitterness, makes it quite a clean, sharp finish. Strong notes of pine sap and black coffee remain for a long time after you finish a mouthful.

A very impressive beer, and one that has reminded me why I like Mikkeller so much.

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Photo of ColForbinBC
4.12/5  rDev +1.5%

Bottle, poured into a snifter

Pours an oily black with a one finger mocha colored cap. Decent retention as the cap falls to a thin layer. Some clingy lace.

The nose definitely lives up to the name. Very hop forward. Pungent pine needles and fresh cut grass leap out of the glass. All of the elements of beer geek breakfast with a huge layer of hops. Molasses, charcoal, fresh coffee grounds, and some bakers chocolate.

Hops assert themselves first with a wave of pine needles and grass before deep, dark roast pushes in. Charcoal, coffee grounds, some bourbon notes, and plums mid-palate before another sweep of hops mixed with dry, bitter roast.

Full bodied, rich and robust. Carbonation is low, right on point. Can't believe this guy is only 7.5%, it drinks super easy.

A delicious stout with an amped up hop profile. Deep complexities and tons of flavor. Impressive blend of bitterness from all of the roast and hops.

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Photo of GarthDanielson
4.05/5  rDev -0.2%

Poured from a bottle into a true pint, the beer is an extremely dark auburn-brown to almost black coloring with a tall, frothy, dense, chocolate milk colored head that quickly recedes into a thin, filmy coating. Aromas are roasty, with a heavy mocha and slight hoppy balance. Smells heavy and delicious. Flavors are heavily roasted, with a dark coffee backbone that almost has a charcoal character to it. Resiny hops highlights throughout, with an unbalance that strangely works with the style. The body is slightly thinner than I was expecting for the style, and even after I poured it, but it works. The aftertaste has a slight smoke and roast, but surprisingly more hoppy than anything. Wet, resiny, bitter hops at the end of the palate make it feel like you just drank a heavy DIPA. The finish is rich, slick, and with a slight roasty linger. Good, solid brew.

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Photo of warnerry
4.06/5  rDev 0%






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Photo of peabody
4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

Pours out really dark with no light coming through. 2 fingers of creamy brown suds with some white spots of foam in the middle of the glass. Some lacing.
Fresh roasted malts with sugar and dark chocolate with a hint of coffee coming through.
Taste is coffee first then dark chocolate malts with slight date/raisin fruitness.
Mouthfeel is very clean for such a thick brew. Hardly any stickyness because the bitterness takes over the initial malt/sugar/alcohol rush.
Overall this is a fantastic beer and has almost nothing at all to do with hops. Just a fantastic oatmeal stout.

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Photo of whatthehull
4.74/5  rDev +16.7%


A - Really, really nice opaque brown/black almost sludgy, one finger deep tan head and some sticky lacing

S - pine, centennial hops, roasted perk you up kind of coffee, coca, roasty malts, more coffee and hops

T - HOPS, very dark chocolate, roasted everything, earth, foliage, terrior, wood, brown sugar and a super nice punch you in the face coffee

M - full bodied, balanced!, wonderful complexity, medium acidity and a long wonderful finish

D/O - Uber drinkable. Tons of flavor, refreshing, creamy, yummy and over the top awesome. If you don't like this, you may be an idiot!

Final Thoughts - at $11 a pop and a 7.5 abv, this is expensive, but awesome, awesome beer

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Photo of Digimaika2
4.32/5  rDev +6.4%

A: Pitch black with a beautiful mocha coloured and creamy foam head. Decent lacing with a good retention.

S: Fantastic balance between citrus and floral hop aromas and robust roasted malt aromas. Bold coffee, dark chocolate, toffee, and grapefruit all combined to produce a wonderful aroma.

T: Very bitter floral/herbal-like hop profile gives way to the roasted malt elements. Similar to aroma with grapefruit and even lemon zest (sour) present. Malt-like qualities of dark bold coffee and to a lesser extent hints of dark chocolate, black licorice, and dark fruits. An incredibly dry and long lingering quality that is spectacular.

M: Medium-light bodied with a moderate (above avg) carbonation. Prickly and tart mouthfeel with an acidic quality that all comes across quite well in this.

D: Enjoying the pronounced hop and malt profiles that compliment each other very well. Incredibly bitter and dry characteristics that I wish I could magically sprinkle into any beer when I want. Impressed.

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Photo of jjanega08
4/5  rDev -1.5%

No freshness dating

A= Pours a deep black color with a nice thick finger of dark brown head on it that holds great retention and some solid lacing. Looks like a stout to me.

S= I can smell the piney hops from several feet away. This is more than just a hopped up stout it's a straight up hop bomb. The interesting part is once you move in to smell it the piney hops sort of fade as you get closer and coffee and roasted malt take their place making it more stout like. Piney hops and coffee make for an interesting smell but I like it.

T= The taste is interesting to say the least. It's a rough mix of coffee and hops and they eat try really hard to battle the other. One second you get coffee and roasted malt the next you find big bright piney hops. A unique mix that I've never encountered. The stout is solid the additions make it great but weird at the same time. I almost think it tastes like shitty weed.

M= Velvet. So smooth and creamy.

O= This is an odd combo. It works if you expect it but I cannot see myself drinking more than this bottle. A weird mix for sure. Check it out and see if you like it. Who knows it could be the next big thing. Mikkeller always like to push the envelope and this is one of those. Tasty once and maybe sketchy twice.

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Photo of TheBeerCarl
4.39/5  rDev +8.1%






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Photo of falloutsnow
3.96/5  rDev -2.5%

Bottle from Beertopia in Omaha, NE
No bottled on date
Poured into a tulip glass

Mikkeller's Beer Hop Breakfast assertively hops a version of his Beer Geek Breakfast for a hop-lover's treat in stout form. The hops primarily contribute bitterness with some pine and grapefruit characters. The malt is well-roasted and dominant, alongside the coffee ground character that tends to make up coffee stouts. Aside from a fairly aggressive and out of place mouthfeel, this is a quality stout. At $8.50 per bottle, though, this is going to be a lesser-bought beer for me.

Able to pour a huge, taller than 4cm head of dark tan to brown in color. Composed of small bubbles, which create a frothy look as the head is exposed to oxygen. Head takes a very long time to descend (excellent retention), and leaves massive amounts of lacing along the walls of the glass. Body is a deep, dark brown to black color, opaque, with only the slightest of indications that this has lighter brownish highlights. Carbonation is slightly visible along sides of glass: I"m sure it's there to support the foam, but the beer is dark enough to largely obscure it.

Aroma of roasted malt, mild coffee, and mild pine resin. I'm fairly certain this bottle is probably close to a year old, and I'm pleased that the hop use is still discernible.

Taste primarily of roasted malt and coffee with a strong underpinning of quite bitter hops. Opens with mild coffee bitterness and equally mild sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Moving a bit further back, coffee grounds and roasted barley malt eclipse most other flavors. At this point, I can detect some minute, but distinct sweetness from the barley and oatmeal malt combination. By mid-palate, bittering hops are very noticeable, contributing grapefruit and a smaller amount of pine-like flavors. Back of palate picks up a resurgence of roasted barley alongside hop bitterness. Strong coffee ground flavor in aftertaste, actually to the point of being a bit overstated, with residual hop bitterness.

Beer is medium-bodied with fairly aggressive carbonation that makes this a bit prickly on the palate. A fairly high alcohol content in an oatmeal stout would suggest a thicker beer with a smoother carbonation. This is not particularly smooth at all: the carbonation level makes you sip it rather quickly. Finish is mostly dry with a bit of stickiness around the edges of the mouth.

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Photo of tdm168
3.98/5  rDev -2%

Thanks to jtd1969 for splitting this bomber with me.

Pours a pitch black with a quarter of an inch of brown head that has great retention. The nose is roasty, herbal, citrusy, and has some notes of coffee. The flavor is herbal, piny, and citrusy up front with a good deal of hop character followed by roasted malts and coffee notes in the middle, and finishes with a faint, bitter astringency. The mouthfeel is thinner than the appearance and style would leave yoou to believe but it is smooth and well carbonated.

This isn't as robust or full bodied as I would have hoped, but it is smooth and flavorful. It's worth checking out.

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Photo of tbeckett
4.3/5  rDev +5.9%

On tap at Local Taphouse, St Kilda. From notes.

A - Black pour with light carbonation. One finger of dark brown fluffy head left a small film of retention and sticky rings of lace.

S - Coffee, hops, a heavily hopped stout is what's at work from the aroma. Roasty as well. Quite nice.

T - Really rich darkness. Tons of aggressive hops follow with chocolate and coffee as well. Really roast too. Citrussy with mid pine as well. Both elements really rock and blend together.

M - Good carbonation, medium to full body and a bitter chocolate/hop finish.

O/D - Quite a good hoppy stout. Richness makes it clearly a stout and not a black IPA. Really drinkable. Nails it pretty good.

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Beer Hop Breakfast from Mikkeller ApS
90 out of 100 based on 197 ratings.