Oak-Aged TREAT (Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter)
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

2010 bottle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle courtesy of GT2. Thanks! Pours a very dark brown with a tan head. The nose carries some strong pumpkin spice along with light oak character. A bit of tannin into the flavor along with bitter herbs and spice. Roast and chocolate in the background. Medium body with a dry herbal finish. Not a huge fan of this one; I prefer regular T.R.E.A.T.

 

Another big thanks to rudzud for sharing. From last year.

Much bigger bubbly creamy head dark mocha colored of almost 1 finger, same very dark almost black color, decent lacing.

Nose is quite different from the original. It has many of the same base, but this time big wood esters, dank shelf, lots of spices a strong spice I can't put my finger on, almost curry ish but not quite, a Persian like spice. Also light mocha and pumpkin more gourd like.

Taste bitter acrid slight tangy metallic like, bitter slight burnt roast, kinda icky at first. Then cocoa, light roast, plenty more of that spice that's again Persian like but less so. Light yeasty bready flavor and malt, little chewy as well. Light bitter roast and earthy hops. Some cocoa powder, light pumpkin gourd like but very little. Some wood dust and dank wood shelf, some nutmeg but not nutty. Finish is drier than the original but still little sticky syrupy, some burnt acrid malts and spices.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied decent carb.

Overall hard to see if this is better than the un oaked version. it's fairly meh overall, the oak really only seems to add dusty wood and weird spices that i didn't really get in the original, so hard to decide, but not great either way.

Received in a trade and poured into a Kate the Great tulip. Consumed side by side with the regular version.

A - Poured a nice very dark brownish black hue with a good one finger head that left a nice light cloud with a firm rich halo. Nice. Much better than the regular.

S - Aromas are alot more intense than the regular treat. Tons of barrel and wood notes with amped up chocolate, cloves, and nutmeg. Nice vegetable notes too.

T - Taste is...odd. lots of over charred almost acrid barrel notes. Much sweeter than the last one. Nice chocolate and subtle veg with tons of acrid bitterness. Kind of perplexing in that this should be awesome but that barrel almost ruins it...uhhh...

M - Mouthfeel is nice and brightly carbonated, wish it was creamy though.

O - Overall I was somewhat disappointed with this beer. Was expecting. Sweet...weird. what oak barrels was this aged in....very sad. Its good but, I don't know. Wouldn't really go out of my way for this one again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bomber brought back from Anchorage by a wonderful friend of mine who was visiting family up there. Poured into a Surly tulip. Very, very dark - black without even a trace of brown or crimson. Solid finger of light brown head with excellent retention. Thick and sticky lacing. This is a very good-looking beer.

Nose is very spicy, dominated by a heavy mocha flavor. A bit of funkiness - were these aged in wine barrels perhaps? Tons of cinnamon, followed by nutmeg and a little bit of clove. A touch of roasted malts. Only the most subtle hints of pumpkin and woodiness as it warms a bit.

Wow. That first sip wasn't exactly what I was expecting... There's a lot going on in this thing. The first thing noticeable is a warm oaky flavor and a bit of alcohol, combined with the cinnamon. Touch of a funky cherry/red grape flavor. Just a light amount of bitter chocolate flavor to balance it a bit. Lots of spices. Lots of wood. This beer is damned tasty.

Nice mouthfeel. Very smooth and creamy. Mild carbonation and medium-full bodied.

Excellent beer overall. The cinnamon would do well to be toned down a little, but it is otherwise very well-made. Complex flavor profile and everything works together in great harmony. Once you get over the initial cinnamon hit, it gets better and better. Definitely try this if you get the chance.

 

Bomber into a snifter. This is the most recent release that appears with the normal treat label and "Oak-Aged" across the bottom. The brew pours dark brown to black in color with a finger of light brown froth. Rising bubbles stream out of suspension and support a half finger across the top. As the cap fades, it leaves some fingers and stringy lace pattern on the glass. When held to the light, some lighter brown clarity is noted through the edges. Overall it's an attractive looking brew.

The aroma opens up with some raw barrel character that has a spiced aspect like cinnamon, cedar and incense. There is a tangy alcohol note also present that is somewhat out of place in what you would expect for an "imperial chocolate pumpkin porter." More smells bring out some chocolate covered cherries with a faint spiced inclusion. As it warms up, there is a note of earthy nutmeg, ginger-like citrus and a solid focus on cocoa.

The first sip is strangely tart hinting almost toward sour cherries. The barrel presence is quite forward with a raw oak feel that imparts a flavor almost like cedar or incense just like the aroma indicated. As the palate becomes accustomed, the flavor of cinnamon is quite evident. The alcohol inclusion is fairly aggressive with a solvent kick and warmth down the back of the throat. As the brew warms up, the spices mingle together in an interesting mixture inside the mouth that isn't terribly pleasing when mixed with the alcohol tang and sour cherry quality. The aftertaste is raw oak mixed with cocoa with a bit more focus on earth like nutmeg and a mild vegetative quality like pumpkin flesh.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. I had really high hopes going into this and was really let down. I dont want to be "that guy" who screams infection but something terribly different is going on in this brew that was not expected. At times, when I try and ignore the tang and sour cherry, it shows promise of what this beer might have originally been but what this now is... is well.. interesting.

Now called Treat, Oaked Aged. Opened 8.9.12.

A - Pours a dark brown with a small brown head that slowly moves to the edges.

S - Cloves, cinnamon, and some nutmeg.

T - A mix of spices with a pumpkin sweetness. The oak-aged really smoothes out the tastes.

D - Decent carbonation with a medium body and a slightly sweet finsih.

O - Smells like a pumpkin pie, tasts are more deep and sweet. Nice.

A: Black with white head, brown edges.

S: Lots of oats, more refined pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, nutella, I think even a little hint of peppers.

T: Mild-moderate flavors overall- nutmeg, pumpkin, cinnamon, clove, a little bit of bitter chocolate, peppers, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting a bit of a brett presence. Oaking is mild, most prominent on the first sip with some thick syrupy chocolate presence about it. It really fades from my consciousness that this is "oak aged" which usually means bourbon oak barrel with Midnight Sun.

M: Very silky and smooth when the liquid is actually on my tongue, but starts to dry significantly towards the end of a 22oz. More drying than the average -bal beer. Carbonation is appropriately low and nuanced.

O: Very good, but nothing to write home about. Then again, I'm not usually a fan of pumpkin beers.