Midnight Sun Obliteration VI

Formerly brewed at Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Anchorage, Alaska USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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thanks to MatSciGuy Bottle: Poured light copper colour. Aroma was earthy pine and grapefruit citrus. Interesting flavour. herbal and fruity with a bready malt underneath. I’d love to try this again with a full bottle to myself.

Bottle thanks to MatSciGuy! Clear apricot pour, little carbonation and a dry fruity hops aroma. Flavor was heavy bitter hops, full bodied and slightly warming and very unique. Really glad I got to try this one, was very interesting and broke the mold from other run of the mill IPA’s

Bottle from Citybeer. Underrated in my mind. Great color, copper to golden with a medium head. Flavors are of resin and citrus and some grapefruit.. very nice flavors of orange, grapefruit and bitter hops finish, at the same well balanced with some sweet malts. Wonderful thick mouthfeel and lasting bitterness. I was very skeptical since I am usually not a fan of Summit hops but this one proved me wrong.

Dark orange with a creamy white head. Fairly subdued hop aroma. Good tart bitterness throughout, grapefruit, and caramel taste with an herbal tea finish.

very light hop aroma from a clear caramel pour and a white head. a bitter hoppy flavor with a lingering bitterness. i would expect more from midnight sun based on all the delicious ones i’ve had before

Bottle. Rich amber beer with a cream colored head. Grapefruit and summer fruit aroma. Grapefruit, pine, and light sumemr fruit flavor. Medium-plus bodied. Good bitterness. Pine, earth and grapefruit pith lingers.

Bomber poured a clear amber with a lasting ivory head. Aromas of tropical fruit, peach, tangerine, pink grapefruit, light pine and light biscuit. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of biscuit, earthiness, pine and grapefruit with a smooth dry lingering bitter finish.

Bottle, home. I appreciate these single hop experiments as much as anyone and it’s particularly fun to taste a relatively new hop variety like Summit, but I’m going to need to replace the enamel on my teeth after this beer. Obliteration is an apt name for this hop tea masquerading as beer. It’s up there with Iron Springs Casey Jones and Hoppin’ Frog Mean Manalishi for top palate-wrecking DIPAs. The aroma is all Summit goodness - tangerine rind, grapefruit rind and just a hint of herbaceous onion/garlic. The flavor is dry and, well, hoppy. My taste score keeps crawling up as I go through the bottle and my palate slowly adapts to the onslaught. I have no doubt that Midnight Sun can make an excellent DIPA; this beer would probably get a very high score with a different hop bill. Plus, I appreciate the experimentation, so my rating here doesn’t quite reflect my full opinion of the beer and brewery, just my enjoyment of the flavor.

Check it out! Summit hops! ’Twas over 2 years ago that I had the Bison single hopped Summit IPA and I didn’t dig that variety at all. In this beer I enjoy the earthy pine resin gummy nose and dark amber body. Strongly dry and grassy, some clover honey, leather and crunchy. Rough in body and chewy throughout. Some lemon candy in the finish. Again as ’twas before I enjoy the experience of this beer much more than the beer itself.

UPDATED: FEB 17, 2010 Bomber from City Beer in SF, consumed there at the Midnight Sun debut event. Pours clear amber with a one finger white head and excellent lacing. Great aroma: fresh citrus and pine hops with some sweet malt. Flavor is good but not as great as the aroma would suggest. Pale and caramel malt, citrusy and piney hops, and a little metallic on the finish. Medium-full body for the style with average carbonation. A good DIPA overall, but not really a standout.