Midnight Sun Big Slick

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Anchorage, Alaska USA

This one is all about the hops. There is a substantial rich malt sweetness to help stand up to the mounds of hops they brewed this with. But, the hop flavors and a big bitterness do most of the work. Finishes with a little alcohol burn. The perfect barleywine for those that like their hops; you could probably call this a double IPA and no one would question you.

22 oz bottle. Murky pink brown with a pocked beige head. Nose is caramel, grass and pine. Medium body with foamy carb. Very hoppy, citrusy with subdued caramel and honey. Closer to a DIPA. Lingering grapefruit peel and pith with an earthy bitter finish that encourages another sip.

bomber - thanks frank!! another barley wine from MS, sign me up!! pours clear light brown with thin off-white head; ethanol, sugar, hoppy spice and pine; thin texture, super dry and lots of piny stickiness; some citrus, alcohol spiciness and sticky pine again; not at all what I was expecting as it is quite hoppy and lacking in any complexity; maybe with some time and fading of the hops, the malt and sugars will shine through with some sort of depth and complexity; nothing off-putting and I’d say this is a well crafted brew, just not in my wheelhouse as far as barley wines go

Bottle. Pours a copper body with an off white head. Big hoppy aroma with pine, grapefruit, and some earthy toned notes. Malty as well, plenty of caramel giving it a hoppy fruity body with a moderate warming and a bitter finish. Decent enough, but not quite MS quality.

22 oz bottle. Pours a clear amber with a big thick off white head that leaves some lacing. Big aroma of pine resin, citrus, and sweet caramel and dates. The flavor is sweet and bitter, the alcohol is there but not overpowering. Medium to full body with average barley wine carbonation and a thick syrupy mouth feel. I has this fresh and the hops were very very strong, it’s mellowing out now but still very bitter and a bit harsh in the finish.

Amber pour with a thick sticky head. The nose is really quite lovely. Rich sweet hoppiness with a mix of tropical fruit and some soft herbal notes. It’s very hoppy on the nose, but only moderately so on the palate. Warming brings out a sort of medicinal character. Kind of a mess of different things going on in here… big hoppy nose but there is a strange balance of flavours on the palate. I want to like it, but I sure don’t

Courtesy Americanbrew. Couple month old bomber. Pours a mostly clear copper color topped by a good sized, foamy tan colored head. Sheets of lacing mark the glass. The aroma is all about the hops with huge notes of bitter grapefruit, resinous pine, and floral hops on top of the sweet caramel and toffee malt backbone. The flavor follows with the bitter grapefruit and piney hops up front followed by some floral and citrus hops. The hop bitterness is balanced out nicely by the sweet caramel malt base, but there is no doubt this is one hoppy beer. Full bodied and thick on the palate almost chewy from the hops with balanced carbonation leading to a dry and bitter finish. This is a really good barleywine if you are into the hops.