Midnight Sun Épluche-Culotte

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Tripel
Anchorage, Alaska USA

NorCal December ’07 - I honestly had no idea this was a Midnight Sun beer until the other day, after I had drank it, that I was looking around for information on it. A very fruity beer with notes of apricot, raspberries, and honey. Appearance is a golden/orange color with a nice fluffy two finger thick head. Flavors had a wide array of variability. Notes of light fleshy fruits, white wine, vanilla and honey. If tripels were more like this, I might actually start to like them. A very nice beer.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle. Murky, golden orange appearance; spotty, milky foam resting in a thin film. Tart apple and pancake batter aroma; melted butter, sugar. The bright fruitiness of banana and pineapple leans into some heated spiciness of coriander and clove; some dank grasses on the back. Full and ebullient. Tastes crisp and bold, but quieted and dry. Bitter, sharp spices form a brittle wall around a doughy and dense Belgian core of full fruits and candied floral tones; lavender, orange peel, and pear juice with a very crunchy and wet rosy tone toward the end. Light to medium bodied, with no show of alcohol; juicy and smooth in the mouth. Bitter and drying chamomile and further floral tones in the finish. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing, Ryan!

22oz bottle, courtesy of artusory. Thanks, Ryan! Pours a bright, hazy yellow-orange color; huge, textured off-white head with excellent retention and lacing. Pleasant aroma showing orange peel and bread and a very interesting yeast character; some white pepper and spice. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: very earthy, spicy yeastiness upfront with a good amount of Belgian sugar and dough; a light bit of orange peel and spice come in as well; above-average carbonation, but not sharp; some mildly acidic citrus hops surround a dense, generous tripel. Good showing of spicy white pepper and citrus throughout. Lengthy, doughy and yeast finish, with some orange peel.

Bottle from awaisanen . Hazy pale body with a large white head - lasting cover, some lace. The nose is moderately sweet, cotton candy, light spice, golden fruits, cobwebs and herbal hops. Quite nice. The flavor is lightly sweet, lightly bitter with spicy herbal hops, light cotton candy, tangerine, peaches, apples, golden raisins, coriander and light pepper. Medium body is airy with sparkling carbonation and a pithy finish.

22 oz. bottle cellared since 2003. Clear honey orange hue with a white head. Spicy sweet honey and blackpepper smell. Medium bodied with a lively, bubbly yet rich mouthfeel. Taste is a rich honey butter,bready yeasty flavor. Finishes with a nice hop/alcohol tang. A year plus time in the cellar has greatly improved the overall character of this brew. Excellent. Feb 2004

Mmmm. Very nice. Strong smell of orange/banana. Very light yet flavorful taste. Very much like a Belgian tripel. Bit tart, bit spicy. A very good beer.

Bottle. Thanks to Markus (bu11zeye). Pours a hazy orange color with a msall off-white head. Spicy malty aroma with some yeasty fruity hints. Sweet malty spicy warming flavor with some weak hints of coriander. Spicy alcoholic finish.

Pours a near transparent orange amber with an extremely slow descension of a mi-sized white head. Very pretty and appetizing appearance. The aroma is very sweet, with a tightly wound up fruit profile that accentuates both curacao and coriander spicing. Yeast seems well-utilized. The belgian authenticity is spot-on. Nothing wild, no overly sweet maize or candi sugar that sometimes leaves me resnting the style. alcohol is modest. The flavor unveils additions of honey and toasty grain. Sweetness is medium-high and soft. Bitterness is mild, astringency is soft and adequate. The finish is lightly tart and lingering with sweet malts. Soft and medium bodied palate, mild carbonation. A delicious example of a tough style.