Midnight Sun Oak Aged Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

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

This is going to be a lazy rating but seriously see my review for the regular Impy Chocolate Pumpkin beer. A little more alcohol in this one however and less sweetness. Nice effort despite the version.

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!

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!

Pours a deep brown/black with a creamy/bubbly tan head that left spotty lacing. Aroma of pumpkin pie spices, oaky, vanilla, chocolate, light coffee...I actually really like how the oak comes across on the aroma in this one. Not over the top but a nice touch. Flavor was woody, porter qualities are more up front and the spices have tamed down. Still a nice mix of porter meets pumpkin pie with a nice touch of wood. Chocolate and coffee notes.

Courtesy seabass. Pours dark brown with a light tan head. Smells of rich dark chocolate malts, and pumpkin combines, which was really nice. Kind of oaky as well. The flavor was also a blend of the two, which gave it a creamy vanilla nuance. The pumpkin and dark malts went together well and finished quite smooth because of its oaky texture. Awesome brew.

Bottle from my sis, shared with a few folks. Delicious aroma, every smell yields a different flavor. Reads just like the label, along with some peanut brittle and potato. Body is totally smooth, very mellow, light spices and subtle milk chocolate. Not bid by any means, but very complex, relaxed, just a great drinker. Wish this beer was easily available.

From a 22oz Bottle. Sampled side-by-side with the un-oaked version. Mostly transparent, dark brown colored pour with a thin head of creamy tan. Subtle oaky notes of vanilla present in the nose, but the pumpkin and spice notes of the base beer dominate the aroma. Hints of nutmeg and chocolate, but there’s a hearty baked pumpkin sweetness layered in there as well. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel with a creamy texture. Flavors of milk chocolate and baked pumpkin flesh up front along with some restrained cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Some woody spice and mild vanilla come through in the finish. Like the base beer, the balance between un-roasty dark malts and authentic pumpkin flavors is exciting. The oak dimensions are interesting, but don’t seem to add anything beyond the splendor the base beer already brings. That being said, it’s still delicious. Thanks for sharing, Chris!

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.