The New Black
Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stumbled across this ancient brew in Anchorage. Opened on 8.6.12.

A - Pours a dark cola brown with a one inch light brown head Good retention.

S - Bret funk, wood, spices.

T - Belgian yeast and roasted malts, then the Bret kicks in.

D - Good carbonation, a thin body with a tart finish.

O - A bit mis-aligned, just doesn't quite mesh together. I guess it is two years old at this point, but I thought the Bret would pull it together, I guess not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours black with a large thick head. Nose is fairly roasty, fruity, mildly acidic, and sour. Flavor is sour cherry, light roast. I wanted more prominent malt character in this. A bit flabby on the finish. Thin, not particularly good. Drank next to several beers of a similar style (Sinners 09, Perseguidor 4, Black Cherry Bomb, Oer Faute) and this was probably the weakest of that bunch.

Bottle courtesy of akbeerfiend. Thanks Steve! Served in a Michigan Brewer's Guild tulip.

A - A finger-plus of dark tan foam settles to a thick ring and thin cap. Body is black with plum highlights. Not much in the way of lacing. Still, looks exactly how you'd expect it to from the description.

S - Brett funk, roasted malt, dark fruits, and char. As it warms some brett clausenii tropical fruits and cocoa powder aromas emerge as well.

T - Milk chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits and fruity brett character that imparts some pineapple, appleskins, and a hint of lemon. Finishes lightly oaky and sour. The currant flavor isn't very pronounced in either the aroma or taste - sort of just rolls into the dark fruit component of the malt bill.

M - Zesty carbonation. Medium-full body with a pleasant smooth texture and no obvious alcohol. Lightly dry finish that has a hint of oak but is largely clean.

D - I was really surprised this was 8.4%, as it drinks a lot lighter. Somewhat hard to evaluate in that it's a bit disjointed but does nearly exactly what it promises. I didn't like it as much as Bar Fly, but I'm glad I have another bottle to spend some time with. It's pretty unique in any case. I suspect the brett will only get more pronounced over time, so perhaps not something to cellar for too long.

poured into a Hennepin chalice

It's black, excellent lacing, good head retention. It couldn't look better unless rainbows popped out of the thing.

The nose is sweet and malty, the nose is sour... lemon sour and yeasty. Just a bit of that dark fruit described on the label

The cassis apparent but not on the forefront, this beer is just a little bit roasty (a hint of smoke and coffee), a little bit fruity (cherries, currants, sour grapes), BRETT!!!! (green apples, lime, vinegar) no perceivable hop presence. This is a very American rendition of this Belgian style, this is brilliant. Based on what they seem to trying to do I don't know how this could be better.

Thin, on the mouth, suitably carbonated, it pops it glows it's beautiful!

I just want to sip it forever, this beer isn't about getting drunk, it can be paired, it can be an apertif, the brett is beautiful, the currants are nice, the roasted qualities are gorgeous. This is one of those moments where I wish that I could just comment with scoring because it's so pretty but I don't know that I would call it my "favorite" beer, I also don't know if this beer is the perfect representation of a "Belgian Strong Dark Ale." What I can say is that it's the perfect "Oak aged black bier with brett and currants."

Big thanks to Jeremiah for this bottle.

Pours really close to, you guessed it, black with very little light showing through and a really thick and rocky beige head that shows insane retention and lacing. Really beautiful pour.

Aroma starts with tart currants and brown sugar but with an emerging barnyard funk that's not dominant but very noticeable. Add to that some spicy oak.

The taste is even more complex than the nose, starting with the black currants, brown sugar and Belgian yeast. The brett brings a nice earthy funk to things as does the oak which leaves a dry finish.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and extremely creamy and highly carbonated. I'd say it's almost perfect for the style.

As usual, Midnight Sun has nailed another Belgian style beer and I actually this this one will get better with age. Currently, it's a great balance of fruits, oak and brett with the potential to let the brett add even more depth.

Thanks to AmericanBrew for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a very dark brown - nearly black - color with a tan head. The aroma is very complex and very nice. I get some dark fruit, heavily roasted malt and some brettanomyces notes.

The flavor is just as nice. I get a lot of brett, leather and roasted notes, along with some black currants and cherries. Definitely a very interesting combination of flavors that worked out very well.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Thanks to the guys from the Full Pint for sharing this one.

A: The pour is a very dark brown color with some inky notes to it that give it a black look at times. The head is tan in color and while initially large, fades away before too long.

S: The nose is of dark roasted malts that provide a bit of a different background to the dark fruit, oak, and lactic acidity of the beer. Very minimal in terms of the funk, and I don't get that much of the currant.

T: The flavor is highly acidic and woody. The fruit (currant) is again mild to moderate in terms of intensity. The roast seems to be less aggressive on the palate, which is nice. Sort of a blend between Consecration and Bam Noir.

M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation. The roast as well as the bugs gives the beer a very dry finish.

D: Certainly one of the better Midnight Sun beers that I've tried. Something different, which is good, but it could use a little work.