Midnight Sun Oak Aged Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

Big thanks to Tim and Ryan for sharing this rarity. Pours dark, dark brown, almost black underneath a dark tan head that hangs on for a little while and leaves spotty lacing. Aromas are a bit more mellow than the non-oaked version but there is still plenty of the pumpkin pie aroma with hints of chocolate in the nose. There is a solid spiciness in the nose mainly nutmeg and some cinnamon. The taste is even smoother than the aroma with much more sweet chocolate and a little less pumpkin. The oak shows up more in the taste as well with some subtle vanilla accents. The spices aren’t as aggressive as in the non-oaked version and only come out in the finish, leaving a tingling sensation on the palate. The mouthfeel is super smooth with some soft carbonation and more dry than the original. This is a great porter with tons of complexity and, in my opinion, a step above the non-oaked version as the flavors have melded together and mellowed out a bit with the oak adding to the mix. Good stuff.

Bottle shared by Daknole. Great dark black-brown with brown head. Caramelized fruit aromas, medium (65%) dark chocolate, and late-coming pumpkin. Nice smooth carbonation. Less intense than expected. A very nice beer with a unique pumpkin character. Nice creaminess and has a good chicory and dry tea-like quality too.

Dark brown with a dark brown head. Big pumpkin, banana bread, rich chocolate and clove aroma. There’s a lot going on here. Very enticing. Smooth, chocolatey body has a little bit of pumpkin, and is a little bit salty. Not as complex as the aroma, though, but it’s a pretty nice beer overall. Thanks daknole!

Bottle from hannont. This beer has a lot going on. To be honest I was a bit underwhelmed. Black pour wtih a nice tan head. Aroma is full of pumpkin, overripe banana, chocolate, bready notes and some autumn spices. Flavor follows with some banana, bread, spices, roasted squash and finishes with a slight tarness. Hard to work through this beer. Complex as hell.

Thanks to neeps’ brother for bringing this from AK. I’m not normally much of a pumpkin beer fan, but this was really well done. The chocolate sweetness and caramel gave a big malt base that really supported the pumpkin and spice. To often pumpkin beers just go for the pumpkin and spice persona and they just taste one sided. Oak provides a slight earthiness, hint of vanilla, and gives a smooth dry finish. Really well done with a lingering dark chocolate finish.

Just tried the ’09 courtesy of my Anchorage connection. Colour... black as night with a lusciously dark tan head. Nose...bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, a whisp of ginger, roasted cinderella pumpkin. Palate... more roasted pumpkin but with a dark brown sugar glaze, burnt cinnamon, allspice, dark, sweet chocolate, subdued oak, smooooooooth! Always like this expression better than the regular ICPP, but they’re both glorious brews!

Just released. Very dark with a nice creamy short head, the pumpkin and spices are mellowed by the oak...fig, chocolate and squash. Yum!

Bomber w/ J in Mammoth. The oak completely mellows this guy out. Restrains the spices. A cool beer - but I prefer the non oaked version for sure. Thanks Tim!!!