Midnight Sun Oak Aged Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Anchorage, Alaska USA

I really liked this beer. It pours very dark brown, nearly black with a two finger cocoa head. The aroma is of chocolate, oak & pumpkin. The mouthfeel is creamy. The flavor is a great combination of chocolate & pumpkin. yum!!

Was able to sample this tasty brew thanks to jrob21, who graciously shared a bottle with me. Don’t have a lot of experience with Pumpkin beers (and generally not a huge pumpkin fan in food), but this was a really nice surprise. Nice pumpkin aroma, but not overpowering--you definitely know this is a pumpkin beer from the nose, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on, including chocolate, roasted malts, spice, maybe some brown sugar and vanilla. Flavor has all of that an more, and is really well balanced. Beer goes GREAT with chocolate or chocolate sweets, and ends up enhancing the flavors of both the beer and the food (first time I’ve really realized what a food pairing can do for a beer). Really delicious beer, and one I would definitely seek out to enjoy again.

Bottle: I thought this was a very dark brown, but after looking at it closer this one is pretty dark, bordering on black.   Huge dark beige head, foamy, with a few rings of lacing.   Combination of Pumpkin spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, all-spice, along with roasted and chocolate malts.   Has a very slight dryness/chalkiness to the nose as well.   Reminds me a bit of Pike XXXXX in its aroma, but with a Pumpkin flair.   This smells divine!   As it warms I pick up a bit of Oak.   Before even tasting this one I am thinking I would want more than just this one bottle.   Moreso of a roasty tongue, but remains spicy.   Very well balanced.   Certainly comes across as more of a Porter, with hints of Chocolate malts and Pumpkin.   Oh man, this one is just damn good.   Extremely well balanced.   This brings together the best of many worlds, spices, roasted malts, and Chocolate.   Moderate to full in body.   Well rounded mouthfeel.   Oak is subtle, but it lingers well after the finish.   WOW, the more I drink this the more I want to get more bottles and share it with friends.   Nose is certainly spicier, much like a pumpkin, but on the tongue its a wonderfully balanced Porter with chocolate notes.   One of the best in the style, and certainly on par with the likes of Southern Tier and Weyerbacher when it comes to Pumpkin Ales.   Thanks Jeff for this wonderful treat!

Very unique. I was skeptical that there would be too much going on here but the porter is a really nice, subtle base for the rest of the treatment this guy goes through. The aroma at first is a lot of vanilla and wood from the aging but you get some more of the spice. The flavor is kind of the reverse where you get most of the spice at first and then subtle vanilla. The porter, roasted malt character is very apparent in the flavor is well but acts as a nice base to everything else going on. These guys continue to put out interesting beers. There are better examples of their abilities other places but this is nothing to avoid.

Bottle thanks to Toby who got this from Frank. As you can see Frank I did rate the Oak Aged one. On with the show. Pours out a dark brown topped with a tan head. Aroma was great lots of pumpkin spice and sweetness. Taste was oak, chocolate, pumpkin, spice, cardimon, some cinnamon. Very nice one.

Bottle. Pours a small, brown head. The pour is reminiscent of motor oil. Totally opaque, black body. Malt aroma of chocolate, roast and festive pumpkin pie spice. A little musty woodiness. Flavor is full of malt - cookie and faint roast accompany the chocolate and spice. Medium bodied with a lightly creamy texture and average carbonation. 7.8% is well-hidden. Nice beer.

Bottle via savnac - thanks, Ira! Pitch pour, tan head. Aroma earthy, lightly vegetal and spicy. Light vanilla in with rich chocolaty malt. Even has some light smoke, which is by far the most interesting element. Sweet, richly malty taste with light smoke. Some pie spice in toward the end, but I don’t know that I’d have identified this as a pumpkin beer in a blind. Dries out slightly. Light-medium body, unexpectedly thin, but smooth and seemingly non-alcoholic. Light wood. In the end, sort of a lame result for all the ingredient hype, but improves with volume (over small sips - need to really immerse).

2009 Bottle - Thanks Toby! - Pours dk brown with a small tan head...aroma is pie spice and cocoa malt, ginger, cinnamon...flavour is similar, terrific pumpkin flavour outside of just spice, with a nicely bitter chocolate component...I really didn’t get much oak at all, maybe my taster is broken...light bodied and ridiculously easy to drink...very, very nice!