Midnight Sun Oak Aged Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

Date: 03/23/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: black, fine biege head,
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma with a rich pumpkin character,
Flavor: sweet pumpkin flavor, rich chocolate, lots of pumpkin character without the spices, sweet barrel character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

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!

22oz bottle shared courtesy of TomDecapolis. Poured a dark black color wtih an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of oak/wood, lighter sices, chocolate, vanilla, and some pumpkins (the non-oak aged version had stronger pumpkins). The vanilla and pumpkin blended nicely. Tastes of wood/oak, lighter vanilla, punkins and spices.

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Pours tar-black with a small, creamy, well-tanned head. Excellent retention. The aroma is fantastic chocolaty decadence engulfed by autumn spices – cinnamon, clove, nutmeg – and real pumpkin with a woody, vanilla component that pushes my olfactory system way over the top. Not quite the aroma of CCB’s Good Gourde, but pretty darned close. Ultra full-bodied with a satiny mouthfeel and gentle carbonation. The flavor is luxuriant, sweet and buttery with notes of brown sugar, graham and cinnamon. Despite all the residual sugar, at no point does the taste become cloying… thanks to the time spent mellowing in oak and sufficient bitterness provided by carbonous black malt and aged hops. It’s like drinking a liquid S’more with a dab of pumpkin pie filling stuffed amongst the chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker. Major kudos to ygtbsm94 for making it possible for me to try this world class pumpkin porter!

(22oz. bottle) Pours a black body with burgundy edges and a small beige head. Aroma of chocolate, pumpkin, vanilla, and oak. Flavor of pumpkin, chocolate, nuts, toffee, and roasted malt with a creamy mouthfeel.

Bottle thanks to timmcd64: Pours a nearly opaque dark mahogany with a clingy-lacing dark tan head. Aroma of fresh cinnamon and allspice with some earthy dark chocolate notes. Body starts fairly full and oaky woody sweet with a good amount of fresh pumpkin flavor and holiday spice balance. Finishes crisp and fully sweet with a good oaky pumpkin flavor. A unique and enjoyable brew.

Bottle courtesy of blackdonald. Pours dark brwon with a light tan head. Smells of pumpkin pie spice, touches of pudding, chocolate, some peppery splashes. Tastes of pumpkin pie, some oaky hints, punpkin pie spice, sweet malt, some toffee. Nice!

Bottle. Intense nose heavy with strong roast and dry oak. The pumpkin character is spicy and meaty, the intensity is just barely overtaken by the roast, dry wood and char, but there’s a distinctly sweet cream pie note that develops as the beer opens up. The nose alone suggest the base beer is a stout. Body is medium to light, but it is 7.8% so it’s not weighted down by sugars. Otherwise it has a "medium fullness" - full in the mouth up front during a gulp but then petering out on the back. Up front it’s slightly sweet pumpkin spice, a faint note of whipped cream and creamy pumpkin pie filling with a subtly sweet chocolate syrup character. Dries out a small bit across the middle and leaves a dry, roasty, oily film coating the mouth for a long time after. Overall it’s an exceptionally well done pumpkin stout, the promised chocolate and pumpkin are delivered, and though the oak ageing isn’t really that obvious to the tongue, I can say with certainly that I enjoyed this one more than the non-oak aged version (2007) that I had a few months back. Great beer all around, especially well suited for a cool autumn night.