Midnight Sun Sockeye Red IPA

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

Aroma=Stong hops, spicy and citrus, Grapefruit is not as evident as you might think Appearance= Solid rocky head, Deep Orange Flavor= Nice and spicy (lingers the most) with citrus, can pick up on bittering hopps and flavor hops, not cloying but stong and good. Hops drive over maly notes, but if the malt was not there it would be a hop tea! Palate= Medium body Overall= A very good American Ipa! Very drinkable and just agreat hop flavor. I have been dissapointed by Midnight Suns beers before (although well crafted) but I really like and return to this one! To me it is the Flagship!

22oz- Pours out a slight reddish copper, settles with a bit of chill haze to its body and keeps an ivory top of firm creamy froth sustaining a small but thick-set stature. Lacing is very nice with lots of thick sheeting action sticking all over the place. Aroma is fairly dry and piney and leafy with a light wood soaked citrus. Taste is whole lot of pine dryness in the hops. Toasty factioned in a tame sense of roundedness. Parchness is thoroughly squeezed right from the first sip. Bitterness is dry and pine-sided with high ended grapefruit pith thats scorched, aged, and dried. Balance is more towards the hops as the dryness of leafy/woody hops take center stage. Its a palate pucker. Feel is roughly medium with a smooth front leading into a drying bitterness holding all throughout its character and finishing qualities. Perhaps a bit more malt balance and crispness would do this good as its pretty dry. Which I don’t mind one bit, although it reminds me of the hoppier ambers and reds I’ve encountered and not so much an IPA. Definately has the hops to carry the style, but the balance is all dry hops. If you don’t mind the drier toned IPA’s this will suit ya just fine; as it did me.

Pours a deep amber color with ruby highlights when held up to the light. The head is a is a light tan color; it is frothy, a slightly creamy consistency, and leaves layers of lace as I work my way through the beer. The aroma has a light citrus character to it with notes orange peel, strawberry and sweet caramel; it really has a sweet candied character to it. The taste is only lightly sweet but it is pretty malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and bits of toasted malt. The beer is pretty light on the palate, and there is a bit of dustiness in the finish of this beer. There is a solid bitterness in the finish, though it is perhaps not as bracing as one would expect. This is a pretty good IPA, but it is missing a dimension, a richness to it that would really make it quite a bit more tasty.

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[bomber] This one relentlessly bubbled over on me.. still- Pours a nice, cloudy brownish red color, with a tan head (friggin HUGE in this case). Aroma is intriguing.. very nice. Tastes quite bitter, with good malt content. This has a interesting, unique character- but it’s not the top on my list due to the lingering bitterness, and funny aftertaste.

Decent citrus aroma for this one. Body color reminded me of a blood orange, off white decent head and some lacing. Decent citrus flavor and the malts seem to over ride the hops in this beer. Not cool and crisp like most IPA’s but decent brew.

Pours a deep clear red with a monstrously thick beige head. Aroma is mostly caramel with a little pine and fruitiness. Flavor has notes up front of toffee, caramel, toasted malt and then gives way to grapefruit and pine. Moderately sweet with a very bitter hop finish. The body is full and round with a creamy texture and lively carbonation. The lacing hangs on the glass in thick sheets, unbelievably good head retention on this one. I had really high expectations for this beer, it just looked like it would be great but overall, it was a little disappointing. It was solid, but the flavor and aroma didn’t blow me away.

Dark amber color with a lumpy creamy head. Nice lacing. Pretty dense hop aroma and a well developed hop flavor. Nice stuff.

RERATE: a 22oz bottle purchased at Belmont Station in Portland. The hops were spicier than I remember, but still very easy to drink and of the utmost quality.

Pours amber with a big rocky offwhite head. Aroma is stale earthy hops and dull malt. Taste is spicy old hops. finishes even more spicy....old bottle? i may need to rerate.