Midnight Sun 11th Anniversary Double IPA

Formerly brewed at Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Anchorage, Alaska USA

Date: 12/01/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy dark yellow, wispy off white head, sweet citrus malt flavor, long bitter finish, nice sweetness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

22oz bottle shared courtesy of Ughsmash (thanks for yet another beer off my wish list!). Poured a medium golden color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of some citrus, toasted grains, and some fruitiness. All on the softer side. Tastes of tropical fruits, caramel, toffee, and some citrus. The hops definitely mellowed out, but I’m glad I had the chance to try this one!

Bottle shared by cquiroga on 12/1/06: Lightly effervescent golden bronze color with a frothy off-white head. Fresh, grainy sweet toasty caramel malty aroma has some earthy piny hop character. Body starts sweet and with some sugar cookie doughiness and piny grapefruity hop balance toward a crisp, drier bitter finish. Needs some more big aroma hops, but otherwise a pretty nice IIPA.

The beer poured a clear light copper color with a medium off-white head. Very nice hop forward aroma. Piney, earthy sweaty, yum. There was hop flavor and hop bitterness from the very start all the way through the long dry finish. There was some malt to cut the edges and give balance. this was a biggy. I wish their beers were more readily available.

Bomber. Poured clear, bright lighter golden with a fluffy cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up sweet lighter fruits and toasted grains with dry floral and shadows of juicy grapefruit.. softer than expected and very well received. The flavor lost a lot of its hop power, but was still quite nice.. toffee and other paler malts surrounded by grapefruit, grassy, and pineapple bitterness that rose as the drink progressed.. finished bitter with some juicy remnants. Medium-bodied and increasingly bitter on the palate.. a little raw and a little past its prime, but still quite good.

This Imperial IPA pours a medium orange color from a 22oz bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is piney and grapefruity. A medium bodied 2xIPA. Malts are caramel and fruity. Hops are grapefruity and citrusy. Nice balance between the hops and malts. Good carbonation. A medium to high bitterness IPA, but seems a little subdued in comparison to most of the other west cost IPAs. Nice carbonation. Good interpretation of the style, balls to the wall but not over the top. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter. Thanks to Chris C for sharing this gem.

December ’06 bomber drunk on 4/18/07
Large, foamy white head shows moderate retention, light lacing and tops a deep golden body with some peachy tints. Fine-bubbled carbonation rising sporadically.
Deep simcoe nose shows tons of pine, though it’s not horribly acidic or bitter (there’s a punch to it though). Hop oils are quite fat and push aside much of the malt, though some moderate toasty, lightly sourdough-like malts fight back (munich maybe?). Pine sap and wintergreen sit starkly on the end, with a clean yeast and very minimal malt sugars. With warming and breathing, the carbonation lessens and the effect is to allow the hop aromas to spread out more and become a little more "fuzzy". Not as concentrated, thick and oily, though still displaying plenty of conifer and white grapefruit. Alcohol is lightly felt and the strength of the beer hangs on the end, with a bit of doughiness and dextrinous heft.
Fruitiness is immediately apparent, but it’s a light pineapple-peach flavor that gives way quickly to strong pine and very dry white grapefruit notes. Some breadiness from the malt, maybe, and definitely moderate dextrines. Carbonation is kind of a let down. For a bottle conditioned beer, it’s a bit loose and prickly. Acidity constantly and inevitably builds up, but enough brisk pine and citrus flavors hang on to keep it enjoyable all the way to the end. You know what else? This beer is about 4 months old. No doubt it has lost a lot of its hop flavor and aroma, showing more bitterness than was intended by the brewer. Still must be incredibly bitter fresh, but with that fresh simcoe that still shows through strongly even now.

Golden orange. Foam dwindles into a puffy ring and deposits lacey wisps on its way down. Boisterous hop aromas are chock-full of honeyed nectarines and sugared mangoes. Ample malt suggests notes of caramel covered nuts. Soft and airy carbonation. Hops are intensely spicy and tongue tugging, right out of the gate. Sharp alcohol comes and goes, as it’s absorbed by the hops’ saturating oils and deeply rooted resins. Hop character is remarkably bright and flavorsome, yet equally unruly both in its bitterness and pungently raw feel. Tight notes of pine are amplified by truckloads of gooey sap-drizzled mangoes and plump pineapple. So brash, yet so soft. Grapefruit rind stiffens its bitter grip, but notes of pith quickly ensue to both soften and complement its rigidness. Beneath the slightly chalky dryness, tiny pockets of oily resins sporadically explode on the palate and unleash their bitter oils which leave the palate numb…gums, teeth, and all. Despite being continually bludgeoned by the omnipresent brashness, the malt holds steady and delivers its feathery softness and dainty caramel sweetness on into the finish. Not only is this profoundly bitter, it is also extremely bright and flavor-filled with hops. The nose is pleasant, but the hops fail to match the brightness and explosiveness of the flavor. Happy anniversary to a great and deserving brewery.