Midnight Sun Sockeye Red IPA

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Anchorage, Alaska USA

From a 22 oz. brown bomber bottle with a notched bottled on date along the right side of label, Dec/2nd week, and a short blurb on the bottom of label. Made a good appearance, poured a hazy amber with a foamy beige head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, minimal amount of sticking, good carbonation. Had a citric rind hoppy nose with a little fruitiness and sweet maltiness at the edges, pretty standard AIPA aroma. A crisp, hop textured and not entirely smooth, there’s a little roughness, medium bodied mouth feel, above average drinkability. Big hop taste upfront, a leafy earthiness and citric rind, a quick biting bitterness that smoothes out during the taste, a grapefruit juice taste follows the initial hops taste, a grainy maltiness that really never makes it to the surface and a dry rind hoppy finish that with along a little earthiness lingers in the palate. Not a bad AIPA from Midnight Sun, above average, I’m glad I had a chance to try, but won’t be buying again unless it’s at a great sale price.

This was kind of disappointing, compared to the other two that I have tried this evening. Stll not bad, just not up to par with some other beers they have brewed. Lots of hops, that are present throughout the entire pour, and a bit of a lighter maltiness that is somewhat syrupy sweet, then goes away leaving this bitter almost resiny oil mouthfeel. Not something I would try again.

pours deep amber/red. Lingering sticky, sappy head. The aroma is sharp, metallic, astringent, and screams unbalanced hop character. The astringency seems to be exacerbated by the overcarbonation. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a bad beer, but the tendency towards extreme hoppiness without the proper malt profile to balance it has never appealed to me. If you like that kick-in-the-face hop taste that doesn’t seem to go away, then consider this beer, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.

This is an unusually dark colured IPA, almost brown ..dark garnet hints, small splotchy white head. Nice spicy/citrus hop aromas, piney and candy sugar come to mind. Deep piney, resinous hop flavours, then it smooths out a bit and shows a bit of malt body.Long pleasing biter after taste. Quite good on the palate, smoth yet not boring again enjoyed the after taste. A nice slightly unusual IPA. A good spring day beer.

Dark red color with a tan head. Sticky down the side of the glass. Rich and malty to match the hoppiness in this one. Perhaps this is missing a little something, its not as good as I would have thought, but its certainly drinkable, and certainly worth trying. I would buy it again, if I saw it in the stores. Good brew.

Bottle courtesy of wohlfs. Transparent copper/amber with huge rocky off-white head. No lacing though. Nice citrus and pine aroma with decent sweet malt backbone. Reminds me of a ricola cough drop in a way. All hop up front in flavor, hard to pinpoint any one flavor though, very harsh, dry, musty/stale bittterness. Some sweet malt towards the finish, doesn’t cover up the bad harshness I’m getting though. Props on the "sockeye", if it makes any difference.

Pours with a tremendous head into a tulip. Hoppy -- grass, grapefruit, citrus alka-seltzer. Mounds of head as it dissipates and laces. Very dark -- apple cider appearance. Rind bitterness. Thick, lively, astringent. Long bitter finish.

(Bottle) Pours a clear dark amber body with a large beige head. Aroma of grapefruit and pine. Flavor of toasted malt and hops with a somewhat chewy mouthfeel.