Midnight Ryder - Indeed Brewing Company

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

4.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this beer on tap at happy gnome in Saint Paul MN. An excellent beer from an upcoming brewery, very strong effort!

The beer pours a nice full on black color with some tan lacing left on the glass from a foamy ring of head. The smell isn't huge but has savory fire tinged malts and citrus soaked hops that are very nice. Also a slight anise edge to the aroma.

The flavor is outstanding, a perfect balance of smoky malts, grassy grapefruit hops, and a hearty barley malt. What a tasty brew! Being a scotch fan, it really reminds me of the smoke you get from a medium peaty islay almost and paired with the hop and malt bill it is just fantastic. Feel is medium and oily, leaves a nice lingering smoky finish.

A awesome beer, I've been sampling some local stuff all day for darkness eve and this takes it so far.

Serving type: on-tap

10-26-2012 19:55:13 | More by Dreadnaught33

morimech

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A black ale with 80 IBUs. A little intimidating. Pour from a 12oz can. One of the complaints of cans is that they are not very attractive. The font is a little busy but this is one of the better looking cans I have seen. Enough about the container how about the important stuff. Pours dark black with over two fingers of head that had good retention before settling to a thick cap. Moderate amount of spotty lacing is left down the glass.

Aroma is pretty much all hops. Pine resin, citrus, and herbal. Slight notes of roasted malt and caramel.

The flavor is nothing short of impressive. I expected a blistering hop bomb but somehow the brewer pulled off an incredible balance. I can taste the black which is the whole point of this style. Roasted malt with subtle hints of smoke and chocolate. A little caramel sweetness as well. The beer is bitter but does not seem out of control. The hops compliments the malt with notes of pine and herbs.

Medium body with sort of a sticky texture. Nicely carbonated with a little fizziness in the finish.

If the rest of this new breweries portfolio is as impressive as this beer, they are going to be a very big thing. Now I just wish their beer did not sell out so fast so I could try Day Tripper.

Serving type: can

10-21-2012 16:42:25 | More by morimech

yamar68

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer truly is black... barely an edge of copper clarity and a dense dark khaki head that laces well.

Ooh, that's nice. Burnt coffee grounds melded to a vibrant and fresh hop profile. Could certainly pass as a "black IPA" as far as the nose is concerned. Milk chocolate, faint citrus, fresh cream.

Nice bitter coffee notes, cocoa beans... the hops that shine on the nose struggle to show themselves through the dark malts and burnt chocolate. I'm not all that well acquainted with the black ale genre but this beer is tasty.

Will buy again.

Serving type: can

10-16-2012 01:08:30 | More by yamar68

caskstrength

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I don't like black ales, or black IPAs or Cascadian dark ales, or whatever we're calling hopped up roasted malt beers these days.

But I like this beer. Pours dark. Smells roasty, some coffee, smoke, and herbal notes.

Tastes are roasty crispness with some resinous bitterness on the back end. The hops don't clash, they just accent the beer, and add to the mouthfeel and aftertaste.

Medium bodied and smooth. As quenching as a darker roasty beer can be.

I don't know what this would taste like after sitting around for a while, I had the first canning. But I'll probably buy this again if it's fresh, or at least have it on tap. I bet the cask versions are great, but I do wonder if the extra dry hopping they do will upset the balance this beer has. Research should figure it out.

A pleasant surprise overall, and combined with Day Tripper, quite a start for a young brewery.

Serving type: can

10-13-2012 00:10:57 | More by caskstrength

bsp77

Minnesota

4.73/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Serving glass: Poured from can into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Near black with thick, foamy tan head.

Smell: Grapefruit, chocolate and light coffee. Milder and simpler than expected but quite pleasing.

Taste: Strong roasted backbone of chocolate, coffee and molasses. The grapefruit hops go along for the ride and balance perfectly. Somewhat bitter on the spicy and pine-like finish. Near perfection.

Feel: Creamy full body with moderate carbonation. Dry finish.

Overall: Other than some of the insane Imperial ones, this nails the American Black Ale style better than anything I have had. Between this and Day Tripper, Indeed is the most promising new brewery I have tried in years. I really want to see what they do next.

Serving type: can

10-12-2012 22:28:47 | More by bsp77

sonata2008

Minnesota

4.98/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Midnight Ryder was the cask offering at Groveland Tap in St. Paul last night. It's always nice to try a cask, and Midnight Ryder is fabulous.
Appearance: About 2 fingers' width of tan foam, and the head stays around for awhile. Very dark brown in color, almost black. Lots of lacing.
Smell: Grapefruit hops up front along with beautiful roasted aromas in the background. A wonderful combination.
Taste: Very nice dark roasted flavors--some coffee, a bit of chocolate and cocoa. Also a citrus, floral hops taste with a dry finish. A gentle bitterness at the end. An exquisite taste experience.
Mouthfeel: Almost creamy, so nice.
Overall: A delicious beer. It's an amazingly drinkable beer considering the rich taste. Hats off to the brewer!

Serving type: cask

09-29-2012 02:16:29 | More by sonata2008

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on tap at the 2012 ABR, from notes. Pour was black but not viscous kicking up a half finger of tan foam. The nose and flavor were very roasty, and the taste smokey. Underlying this was citric and resin hop flavor, coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Mildly bitter. Medium body. The smoke tended to overpower the flavors in the samples we tried at the festival. Will try it again at some point no doubt.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 03:04:06 | More by JackieTH

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Solid black appearance, under a lush and lovely cocoa/tan head, leaving lace. Looking good.

Aroma: Chocolate and coffee enter first, then swiftly surrounded by grassy hops, but it's a fine blend, and none sticks out over the other (which is the error in many entries in this field, I think.) Malty, nutty, slightly sweet, with citrus fruit and pine rounding it out. A masterful tango of competing flavor notes.

Taste: More of that in the mouth, a big blast of malt at the top, with hops creeping up from below, with neither side in charge, a happy cohabitation. Tasty stuff, the bitter hops keep giving flavor, and the malt holds firm, releasing it's own deliciousness.
I just keep liking this the more I drink it. In this Black Ale, the promise of the style feels fulfilled. I don't miss the heavier malt profile of a porter or stout, and the higher hopping doesn't clash with the darker flavors, as in the versions I've given the down thumb to.

To reiterate: Tasty stuff. I like it. Rewarding, satisfying, and one to return to again and again, with many pleasures to return on each new trip. I'll be doing this one again and again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 07:41:54 | More by feloniousmonk

jera1350

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

At the Indeed tap room. Solid black, dark khaki head and fair lacing. Smell of chocolate, coffee, light roasted malts and light citrus hops. The taste is more of the dark than the hops, but still tasty. Coffee and chocolate go all the way into the finish and aftertaste. The citrus hops are more underlying. Silky smooth feel with a medium full body. Overall a terrific example of the style. Can't wait for this to come out in cans as I will drink it pretty regularly.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2012 03:44:47 | More by jera1350

maximum12

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First, Indeed's tap room is great, & if you're a native & haven't been there yet, hie thy ass hither forthright. Stopped by on a Saturday evening & the place was pretty busy for a new brewery. 10 oz. pour on tap.

Pour is dark brown with a strong shadow of red. Nose is sweet, malty, roasty, with only a passing tang of hops. Nice.

Midnight Ryder has brought me to a realization on black ales - they must be drunk as fresh as humanly possible, because this is good. Big roast on the move, sweet malts, & an almost herbal hop note flickering in right at the end. Nice & creamy (the cask version even more so, my wife tried that). Lovely to drink - 10 ounces didn't feel like enough, but with two little girls in the car, well, it was.

Only the second black ale or whatever you'd call it that I'd drink again. This is an excellent brew, & if it's any indication of what's going to be flowing out of Indeed, I'll be back. Bock. Yeah.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2012 01:22:02 | More by maximum12

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Opaque black with a thin tan head.

Aroma: Roasty malts with a piney hop profile.

Taste: Very malty! Resinous hop flavor but not crazy on the bitterness. Nice roasted aftertaste. Overall a very bright flavor for a dark beer.

Mouthfeel: So smooth. Above average drinkability and robust.

Final Thoughts: Great beer from a new brewery. A flagship American Black Ale is just what this Pale Ale, IPA and Wheat Beer saturated market needs! Will be buying this when it's available at in liquor stores.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2012 03:03:30 | More by JamesMN

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Town Hall Tap. This beer arrives a black color. The head is one inch of dense tan foam that doesn't really recede, but leaves a nice coating of lacing all the way down the glass. The aroma is quite malty with a ton of roasted malt, some chocolate, hints of maple syrup, and grapefruity hops. The taste is similar to the aroma. It leans toward the maltier side for an American Black Ale, but the hops are still an integral component of the flavor. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a silky texture, and soft carbonation. Overall, this is a really good beer that I will surely drink again.

Serving type: cask

08-29-2012 20:09:27 | More by KarlHungus

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The second flagship of this newest of Minneapolis breweries, this beer was enjoyed both in its natural form, but also on cask with two versions, one dry hopped with CTZ and another with Cascade. Lighter than most American Black Ales, this beer strives for balance and drinkability, rather than heavily roasted or bracing citrus hop flavors. Black in color, but not deep, with brownish edges and a beige cap of foam. Above average.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2012 03:48:27 | More by sacrelicio