Midnight Sun Arctic Devil Barley Wine

Generously shared by someone at HDG (thanks wherever you are!). Dark brown pour with no head. Big aroma of dark fruits and caramel. The taste is pretty similar. A nice malt-dominated barley wine if you ask me. This came pretty late in the day, and I didn’t get any of the barrel-aged tastes. Palate was thick with a sweet, warming finish. I’d really like to get a bottle of this for myself some time.

I didn’t take detailed notes on this one. Someone Shared this at DOTD II. Deep amber in color with a small off white head. This was one of the best barleywines I’ve had- the aroma and taste being quite complex, but was one of the smoothest I’ve ever had- alot of caramel, dark fruits, vanilla. The barrel aging added some nice complexity.

Pours a two finger light tan head that fades slowly leaving no lace. Cloudy amber/brown color. Light carbonation and heavy bodied. Caramel/alcohol nose. Flavor starts sweet, malty, but the higher ABV (10%) is in your face - leaves an alcohol burn. The difference between this and Avery’s Mephistopheles Stout (at 16%) is like night and day. I should have let this age for a few years. Pricey at $15.99 for a 500ml bottle from John’s Marketplace Portland, OR.

650 ml bottle

miketd’s generosity appears to have few limits. Not long after opening one rare beer someone brought out this gem. I’ve yet to try any Midnight Sun beers but should I ever get the chance to visit Alaska I will be stocking up on as much as I can ship home affordably. If you have any spare bottles I would not object to them showing up on my doorstep (full please :) )

Aroma / Appearance - The sticky lacing clung to the sides of the glass as the rest of it filled with a dark brown body. The nose was boozy but wheaty and chocolately. Overall being chewy and thick it felt like the perfect thing for a cold winter day.

Flavor / Palate - Caramel, vanilla and ash made me think this was barrel aged before finding out that was the case. The throat warms from the alcohol which is not subtle at all. It even lingers in the finish which is strong enough to overpower most simpler styles. You might be able to finish a bottle alone but if you have friends invite them over.

2007 bomber, pours a cloudy dark burgundy brown with a thin tan head, minimal spotty lacing. Aroma is very diverse and pleasant - pear, apple butter, plum, raisin, fig and light oak and caramel cream, with a gentle spice presence as well. Loads of good stuff and lots going on! Flavor is malty barleywine goodness, with dark fruits, spice, vanilla, oak and brown sugar, with a touch of alcohol showing itself. A great experience relatively fresh, and see A LOT of potential as it ages.

Pours a very dark mahogany with a caramelized white head. Lots of fruits in the aroma with apples, figs, berries, plums, and other dark fruits. Quite a bit of alcohol in the nose as well but works well in this winter warmer of a barleywine. Flavors of dark cane sugar/brown sugar with molasses, fruits, lots of creamy malty backbone to the finish of this beer. A decent amount of alcohol in the flavor profile as well. A really good brew, that screams with potential to age.

22 oz. bottle - pours dark brown and very cloudy; thin tan head around the edges; aromas of sweet dates/figs moving towards obvious hints of alcohol; pleasant mix of flavors keeps the alcohol well masked; mix of vanilla, brown sugar, fruit and caramel; very sugary and creamy texture; you can feel the high ABV, but no taste of it

Vintage 2007; this one simply bursts with the potential to age, but it was simply too enticing on this cold night. Rich, murky mahogany pour. Varnish with a beige cream. Aroma eases into the richest of malts with soft creme brulee, moist gingerbread and rum bread pudding, nuanced by a bright cantaloupe and caramelized pear overtone that is at once relaxed and searingly assertive. Soy sauce with some musty cut grass and graham cracker lend some tangential saltiness and aged sentiment. Blasts of toffee and dirty barrel. This is an aroma to contemplate, thoroughly and slowly. Taste brings a stinging but soft bourbon quality of eggnog and tender vanilla, overlaying a syrup of strawberry, raspberry and watermelon seed; hot, but pleasantly so, with a lot of burnt sugar and raw barrel earthiness. So big, brash, and uncompromising in its impenetrable, pristine and artful collage of malt; cherry skins, caramel, toffee, dates. Full bodied, warm, and wet with the intimations of brandy and port barrels in the mouth, giving an understated and well placed scrape of soft carbonation on the back of the throat at the end; finishes warmly with a peppery, curtailed touch of alcohol in sherry form. An extraordinary, pleasingly malt dominant, careful, and quintessential example of this so often overkilled style. Glory. Thanks Tim!