Midnight Sun Berserker Imperial Stout

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Anchorage, Alaska USA

22oz Bomber – Gravity Beer Market – Olympia WA
Aroma: Super huge dark roasty malt aroma.
Appearance: Dark black in color, clear with a thin head.
Flavor: Big flavors with malt, chocolate and coffee.
Palate: Dry finish with a Super Mouthfeel.
Overall: One huge beer with super flavors this was a fantastic beer.

Courtesy Trevor211. Tasty, upper limit thickness. Darkest pour with bubbly thick head. Creamy chocolate, cream, lactic. Milkshake like up front. Ends stiff, light coffee. No bourbon at all. Molasses, rich but not entirely lux. well rounded for a big beer.

bomber - 2008 vintage; jet black with thin brown head; tons of coffee and sweet chocolate; killer smooth, creamy texture with bone dry finish; sweet fruit, chocolate syrup and dank fruit; very solid across the board but not up to the standards they set with sloth; need to revisit with a fresh bottle of the 2009 batch

Dark fruit, figs, bourbon, cacao, red wine barrel notes on the nose. Black, creamy, and oily appearance. Dark brown head. Figs, dark fruit, chocolate, molasses, bourbon, and light red wine notes make up the flavor profile. Extremely complex and giant beer. Vanilla and brown sugar show up as well. Soft but sharp carbonation. Lingering dry roasted bitterness and a hint of barrel and alcohol in the finish. Solid.

Pours near black with a small head. Aroma of molasses, roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruits, licorice and wood. Syrupy sweet and somewhat boozy. But it’s complex and roasty and oh so good as a sipper.

Midnight pour topped by a thin, sanguine-brown layer of ultra-fine foam. Nose reveals sweet gingerbread molasses, alderwood smoke, buttered hearth-bread, tanned leather, and ’roasted bison’. Flavor reflects the nose, then adds bourbon-soaked cherries, earthy tannins, and a hint of oak. Mouthfeel is moderately viscous (I was actually expecting it to be a bit thicker) and makes for a nice, rich finish. The alcohol is certainly noticeable, but melds extremely well with the amalgam of complex flavors, making it dangerously drinkable. One of the aspects that I enjoy most is that the roasted nuances come across more like charred fire-wood and smoked meats rather than the typical coffee-like flavors we are often bombarded with. I am also impressed with how the richness stems from unique elements rather than the syrupy sweetness that other imperial stouts tend towards. This is a fantastic brew, and in my opinion, one of the slightly overlooked gems of the style. Even if it isn’t quite from Scandinavian soil, this brew from the far north is surely worthy of Hadding!

22 oz. bottle thanks to Scrizzz. Holy shit, thank you so much for sending this. Wow, that is a chocolate head. There is not much of it, but this thing pours like oil...big time. I mean people say, "Oh this poured just like oil." This really did pour like oil. Very viscous beer. Wood, roast, coffee, and a slight chocolate aroma. Wow, a very deep complex aroma. Nice subtle bourbon aroma that is coming out more as this thing warms up. Pretty damn nice aroma I must say. Love the bourbon. Ah the wood a liquor aroma. I have to say that subtle bourbon, wood, chocolate, coffee, and roast aroma are just so complex. So smooth, and easy to drink. I mean this thing has a nice bourbon sour flavor as well. This thing is so smooth and too delicious. My favorite beer. Again, thank you Scrizzz.

What can I say that hasn’t been said about this absolute gem? Well, forstarters, it’s smoother and less hot than Bourbon County, it’s more complex and cleaner than The Abyss, and it’s more drinkable and rounder than Bells Expedition...in short, it’s my new favorite imperial stout, hands down. What truly astounds me is how this thick and viscous monster managed to avoid being cloyingly sweet with only 30 IBUs. Wow...just wow!