Midnight Frost
The Bruery

Pours a cola darkness with an effervescent light brown collar that fades instantly without lacing. The spicy grape aged nose would be appropriate for any Christmas celebration. The wine aged treatment lightens the mouthfeel; there is no hiding 18.7% ABV. The flavor is heavy cinnamon - cloves and dark fruit; the spices linger fully while the alcohol burns through. Save this one for the holidays.

 

750mL (2024) into a tulip. Pours an oily, opaque black with minimal head.

Aroma is a dense, powerful blend of black licorice, orange peel, cinnamon/clove up front, followed by maple syrup, heavy booze, and dark roasty malt. There’s a lot going on here and it’s intriguing, makes me want to take my first sip, so in that respect the aroma has achieved its primary objective.

Taste is about what I might have expected from the aroma—just a kind of wild mix of flavors, some contrasting, others complementing each other. The black licorice/star anise is unapologetically present—not my favorite ingredient in anything—along with the spices and juicy, acidic orange peel. Maple syrup lends a sticky sweetness that binds everything together. Barrel character is present but not dominant. The wine barrel manifests as more of a red/blue berry flavor, both sweet and sour. Works well with the dark roasted malt.

Mouthfeel is heavy, sticky, chewy, lingering. This beer lets you know it’s big and strong.

Overall this is a bold, assertive imperial stout. Too many ingredients? Not necessarily. But there is a lot going on here and I’ll be interested to see if it holds my attention for the full 750.

Review: 2459
Name: Midnight Frost
Brewer: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 18.7%
Canned: November 2024
Date: 20 July 2025
After a busy weekend, I decided to dig back into the cellar and pull out something relatively newer. I know very little about this beer, except that it aged in wine and brandy barrels. I am using a tulip glass, and the serving temperature is 50 degrees. The pour created a frothy, airy, one-fingered light tan head with fair retention. The quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The color is dark brown with a reddish hue, nearly black, with an SRM of 24, and opaque. The appearance is average for this style.
Nosing the beer, I smell vinous, char, wood, maple syrup, anise, raisins, light coffee, chocolate, orange, cloves, cinnamon, bread, dark roasted malts, toasted malts, red wine, berries, cherries, light leather, and earthiness.
Sipping the beer, I noticed the base beer with the barrel aging. The flavors are light char, red wine, wood, orange, and alcohol. A few more swallows, and the beer's spice complexity emerges with notes of anise, cinnamon, clove, and allspice. After enjoying that, I notice raisins, cherries, berries, dark roasted malts, toasted malty sweetness, leather, chocolate, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, earthiness, and a vinous character.
The mouthfeel is chewy and thick, finishing warm. The body is heavy with low carbonation.
Final Thought: This beer is a monster with a massive ABV—the adjuncts work well with the base beer and barrel aging. The more I enjoyed this beer, the more I liked it. The beer somehow works; it has harmony and balance. Overall, a delicious beer to sip on this quiet Sunday afternoon.

750 ml bottle, 2024 edition, bottled 11/21/24. Served in a Hoarders Society chalice, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a half inch or so tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. I like the aroma, the brew smells like roasted malt, orange zest, vanilla, red wine, brandy, cinnamon, maple, cloves and some anise. For the most part the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some burnt/charred malt, dark fruit, blackberry and dark bready flavors. Definitely a lot going on here, and I think the spices come out more as the beer warms. OK amount of barrel character, but it's likely overpowered somewhat by all the spices. Mouthfeel/body is full, it's slick and a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I liked this brew a lot, but I recommend this more to those who like holiday-like spiced brews and imperial stouts in general.