Bar Fly
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Bar FlyBar Fly
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From:
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
 
Alaska, United States
Style:
Smoked Beer
ABV:
11.6%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.28 | pDev: 7.48%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
211
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 12, 2022
Added:
Jul 19, 2014
Wants:
  40
Gots:
  34
Smoked Imperial Stout brewed with smoked malt, molasses, brown sugar and aged in Bourbon barrels.

Somber and smoky, BARFLY saunters into the room slowly. Thick smoke. Cool swagger. Good wood. Too much brass. Sticky leather. Slow glances. Lingering looks. The only thing that didn’t make the glass was maraschino cherry. Bring your own and wear out your welcome.

Malt: Smoked malt
Other: Molasses and brown sugar
IBU: 45
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Oh_Dark_Star:
Photo of Oh_Dark_Star
Reviewed by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

4.29/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The smoky aroma is stronger than it follows on the tongue, but this is a damn good stout in it's own right. Probably second to Berserker and still a ways behind some of the others at the top of the stout game, but Midnight Sun truly does it's thing a little different and you will undoubtedly find some originality here, not the same sad attempts to copy the greats. I think you will be pleased, especially for the price.
Apr 20, 2019
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.08 by TWStandley from Massachusetts

Feb 12, 2022
 
Rated: 3.51 by chippo33 from Vermont

Jan 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by blackcloud from Alaska

Sep 16, 2021
 
Rated: 3.69 by QuintusHorace from California

Aug 27, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by Dgman8053 from New York

Aug 08, 2021
 
Rated: 3.56 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Apr 26, 2021
 
Rated: 4.27 by mltobin from Connecticut

Mar 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by ArsMoriendiOU818 from Virginia

Feb 05, 2021
 
Rated: 4.53 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Aug 12, 2020
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.57/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Yesterday's meandering around through the Bottle (!) Backlog took a detour into The CANQuest (tm), however gloriously briefly, but today, it is back to/on the Bottlewagon. 8=( My recycler must be astounded this past month+ since I rarely fill the bin, but I have been doing so on a weekly basis since ~ 16 March. Usually, I am laser-focused on CANs & those get set aside for a ~ quarterly visit from Jeff Lebo over in York County for his massive CANlection. All is not lost, however, as most Bottles contain things that I did & still want to drink. Especially the barrel-aged beers and even more especially, the non-whiskey barrel-aged beers. They give me an opportunity to delve into my liquor cabinet where it normally remains closed with its contents merely gathering dust. Sigh. My advancing age has softened me up so that I no longer desire shots. I will merely pour a wee dram & sip on it over the course of the review for a point/counterpoint. This is one such beer.

From the Bottle: "Somber and smoky, BARFLY saunters into the room slowly. Thick smoke. Cool swagger. Good wood. Too much brass. Sticky leather. Slow glances. Lingering looks. The only thing that didn’t make the glass was maraschino cherry. Bring your own and wear out your welcome."; "ALASKA’S MOST WANTED[:] Midnight Sun crafts some of the most sought-after beer in the world. This line includes creative successes from several themed beer series as well as amazing one-offs. We hope you love our very special brews as much as we do. A gracious thank-you to our longtime 'every weather' Alaska fans for year-round love & feedback."; "Bar Fly Smoked Imperial Stout"; "Ale brewed with Smoked Malt, Molasses and Brown Sugar, Aged in Bourbon Barrels"; "45 IBUs".

I was very anxious to Pop! the cap & start a slow, gentle C-Line pour since I have been on a Smoke Beer kick lately. I watched in rapt fascination as it foamed up to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-brown head with excellent retention. Color was stygian Black/Opaque (SRM = 44), allowing ZERO light penetration. Nose reminded me of Smittay's Smoked Bourbon Maple Syrup! 8=O Sweet, smoky, boozy, woody, all at the same time! 8=O Mouthfeel was big, full & creamy, like a dollop had been scooped into my mouth & onto my tongue! The taste was a masterful blending of smoke, what I would have mistaken for maple syrup & a woody bourbon flavor. 8=O Its smokiness was not as intense as, say, it's Alaskan Smoked Porter counterpart, but this was not intended to be that (I hope). Still, it was far smokier than simply being an AIS. I was not pairing it with Bourbon a) because I did not have any on hand (I prefer Rye) & b) it was a subtle Bourbon flavor where the smokiness was quickly becoming the superstar, especially as it warmed. Phew! The brown sugar gave it a maple quality, helped along by the treacle. This was quite the drink. I found myself falling into drinking it like liquor, a wee sip at a time.

I could have poured this into a schooner glass at this rate! I've to see it in this day & age, but a schooner (~ 10 fl. oz.) was an option when I was a wee lad, especially for those on the go. Have a quick schooner & be on yer way.

The more I sipped on & of this, the more my thoughts returned to AK. I'd been to Ketchikan & Anchorage while in the Navy, but it was my 2008 trip to ANCAK that really bore fruit. I had a lovely CouchSurfing hostess who worked at La Bodega & we did an early, pre-morning raid during my visit. They had La Dragonne on closeout (!) & I bought a bottle to exbeeriment with. It actually calls for warming in a double-boiler & when she returned home, we (her housemate & two other surfers + meself) ha a steaming cup ready. The house smelled magnificent & upon trying it, she called her boss & had all remaining bottles set aside for us! 8=) The other lasting memory is of my partaking of salmon. When she picked me up at the airport, I was gnawing grilled salmon on a stick. The following morning, I made salmon scrambled eggs. She called me at Humpy's as I was in the middle of plank-grilled salmon for lunch. By the time that she picked me up, I had candied salmon on a stick for us. She was flabbergasted! I ate salmon for three straight days & could have eaten more except that I had to get back CONUS. Drinking this put me in mind of both the smoked salmon & the candied salmon. Yum.

Finish remained fashionably smoky, slightly bourbon-y with a sweetish treacle/maple syrup/brown sugar quality. For all of that, though, it was still quite dry. The smokiness left me feeling as though I had inhaled a nearby house fire. Not in a bad way, but the smokiness was prevalent & unabating, leading to an inherent dryness. YMMV.
Apr 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.46 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Sep 13, 2019
 
Rated: 4.52 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

May 11, 2019
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

4.16/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Midnight black body topped with a dense, creamy, light brown head. Nice roasted grain and cocoa aroma. Rich flavors of mild chocolate, fudge, subtle booziness; vanilla bean. Heavy body; rich, dense and creamy; velvety (almost sludgy); alcohol heat to counterpoint the chewy sweetness; coats the palate.

I don't pickup up any smokiness per se, but the heavy, chocolatey sweetness and bourbon-barrel aging meld together nicely.
Feb 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.34 by Gkruszewski from New York

Dec 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by fosters9 from New York

Nov 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Jun 22, 2018
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.5/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle at 2018 RIS share. Dark black pour, small beige head. Aroma is roasty, chocolate, ash. Taste amps up the ashy, smoky notes, gritty dirty, earthy, woody.
Jun 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.32 by rfgetz from New Jersey

May 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by Astor31 from New York

May 02, 2018
Bar Fly from Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 211 ratings