Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Arctic Rhino Coffee PorterArctic Rhino Coffee Porter
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From:
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
 
Alaska, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
5%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 10.48%
Reviews:
183
Ratings:
345
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 13, 2018
Added:
Apr 20, 2005
Wants:
  44
Gots:
  47
Inspired by local artist & roaster Michael Allen's eccentricly-named blend of coffee beans, Midnight Sun's brewers designed a beer recipe and flavor infusion process that perfectly captures the alluring aroma, satisfying flavor and curious legend of Allen's Arctic Rhino Coffee Blend.

Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter combines two quintessential Pacific Northwest favorites: coffee and ale. The result is wonderfully romantic and robust--a duel-fueled porter that melds charismatic dark malt with freshly roasted coffee beans.

20 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by AKBelgianBeast:
Photo of AKBelgianBeast
Reviewed by AKBelgianBeast from Alaska

4.36/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Im going to have to agree with irish evans on this one. he is after all a gentleman and a scholar! This is the best coffee porter i have ever had. very dark and robust. aside from meantimes coffee porter, nothing i have tried even nips at the heels of this rhino! intense coffee flavor yet still incredibly porter. pours with little light brown head. smooth and drinkable with a clean finish, drink with breakfast on a day you sleep in late, or if your just a beer geek. great buy, and an experience worth trying.
Dec 14, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

May 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by StoutAtTheDevil from Alabama

Feb 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Pours opaque, dark brown in color with one inch head. Taste is coffee and roasted malt. Medium bodied, roasty with low carbonation. Makes for a straightforward coffee stout. Probably something coffee drinkers would love, but makes for an average stout for me.
Aug 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by Nunya from Ohio

Jul 08, 2017
Photo of Radcpa
Reviewed by Radcpa from Washington

4.02/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very dark appearance with one finger tan head that dedicates quickly. Aroma is very mild coffee. Taste is a sweet coffee with a hint of spicy aftertaste.
Jun 20, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The appearance was a dark brown almost black colored body with a finger and a half white foamy head that clings a bit with the lacing left behind. The smell had a nice strong roasted coffee powering in front of a light bitter hoppiness, some light malt coming through as it warms. The taste was mostly bitter but balances a bit with a decent malt presence, coffee aftertaste, dry finish. The palate was about a light to medium, somewhat sessionable for an American Porter. Carbonation seems a bit stronger than most American Porters I’ve had but not overbearing. Overall, this was a pretty good American Porter that I would have again.
Jun 06, 2017
Photo of Troy-Hawaii
Reviewed by Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bought from Times Supermarket $6.49
Smell of coffee and caramel
Dark black color
Medium-heavy mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Taste like bitter coffee, some notes of chocolate
I've had better coffee beers that have a much smoother taste so this wasn't for me.
Jan 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by DamienI from Washington

Nov 07, 2016
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.47/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
It'd be more apt if this dusky Midnight Sun offering were just named 'Midnight'. But Arctic Rhino does have carbonation that charges like an angry safari animal; eventually the brown foam calms down, settling into what we'd consider an average size head, but the bubbles themselves persist in ramming into the surface and butting themselves against the glass.

This porter doesn't smell nearly as deep and dark as it looks. In fact, the aroma is a real disappointment. There's very little coffee and/or chocolate presence, instead there's a distracting vinous and fruity yeast character in their place. It's most uninviting and, I'm guessing, unintentional (the way the foam continues to build up in the bottle I'm almost certainly right).

Fortunately that issue with the yeast hasn't completely ruined the taste to the extent it has the bouquet. There's still a good deal of velvety milk chocolate flavour (as well as some more crude, less refined dark cocoa notes) and no shortage of roasty black coffee. Even a few earthy hops can be made out, lending a pleasantly crunchy bitterness to the finish.

As a general rule I opt not to review infected or otherwise flawed beers unless the brewery is a repeat offender and the issue was something avoidable they consciously neglected to address. I think Midnight Sun is a pretty good brewery but it's not the first time I've purchased a less than stellar bottle. In fairness, the beer travels very far before it lands in front of my computer...

So I've got mixed feelings writing this review of Arctic Rhino. On the one hand, it's far from the lush, charismatic coffee porter I was hoping for; on the other, it's in line with the slightly underwhelming, 'good-but-not-great' standard I've come to expect from Midnight Sun. It's worth grabbing a bottle... so long as you don't have to freeze your buns off to get it.
Oct 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by mothman from Minnesota

Oct 05, 2016
Photo of Jeffsta1
Reviewed by Jeffsta1 from Washington

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Decent looking dark brown color, tan head. Could be a bit darker, but it's a porter, not a stout, so - ok fine.
Smell is nice, clean, sweet, malty. Cocoa and hints of cinnamon.
Taste is very decent. Again, malt. Some licorice. Hints of cocoa.
Mouthfeel is ok. Carbonation is overly done, but isn't super fine. This might be nicer on nitro.
Finish is consistent, not overwhelming in intensity or quality.
Overall this is a pretty decent porter. In a world where so many porters fail, this doesn't. Bonus that it's only 5% ABV; it feels and tastes bigger.
Aug 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by Spyderglx from New York

Jul 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gkruszewski from New York

Jul 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by NickThePyro from Washington

Apr 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by BltByKrmn from New York

Apr 18, 2016
Photo of Trentt2
Rated by Trentt2 from Alaska

3.49/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Needs more coffee flavor in it, decent beer.
Apr 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by Ardeer from New York

Mar 23, 2016
Photo of BenGap
Reviewed by BenGap from Alaska

3.52/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
I'm not a big fan of the coffee porter, but this was done well. Maybe not my favorite in style, but good balance of coffee and some roast malt flavors. The finish was just a bit off that kept it from being a really good beer.
Jan 13, 2016
Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter from Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 345 ratings