Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

dogfishandi

New York

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

thanks again tom for sharing this!

22oz bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter.

pours out nearly black with one fingers worth of light tan colored head. average retention and lace.

very earthy, grassy hops, espresso beans are there but are thrown off a bit by the somewhat strange dirt like earthiness. roasted malts.

follows the aroma, slight dirt and grassy earthiness. again the coffee is there, espresso bean like, but tastes a bit off. a little hoppier than expected. light roast flavors.

a weak feel, medium to light in body, almost a bit watery.

overall, some nice coffee flavors, but this needed some more body for sure. also had an odd earthiness to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 21:22:04 | More by dogfishandi

homebrew311

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Great Lakes snifter.

A: pours deep dark brown/black, cocoa colored head, the head leaves a considerable collar around the edge of the glass. Not much lacing.

S: the aroma feature a thin bit of chocolate and roast, coffee character is reminiscent of spent grounds of a medium or light roast, light hoppiness

T: the first flavor that comes to the palate is a somewhat empty malt character, a bit thin tasting, this develops in to subtle waves of chocolate and coffee, the roast leaves a bit of bitterness on the after taste. This certainly lacks the robustness that other coffee porters and stouts feature.

MF: somewhat thin, light bodied, medium carbonation

O: this is a drinkable beer and isn't bad by any means, However, it's a little lacking in the "umph" department .

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 05:59:41 | More by homebrew311

vande

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a - a deep, dark black pour with a thick, dirty looking head... an excellent looking beer

s - light hints of coffee, bit of toffee, roasted malts

t - coffee, roasted malts,hint of vanilla, bitter cold cup a coffee kinda ending...

m - somewhat creamy, yet thinner than I thought..bit watery..

0 - not a bad beer...maybe drink a fresher one in the future, not sure how long I've had this...

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 04:28:52 | More by vande

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a deep dark brown with a half finger of tan head.

Smell. Dark fruits and sweet dark chocolate with a little coffee, smoke and anise.

Taste. Really roasty malts, bitter coffee, some cocoa powder and a hint of molasses. A little acidic. Pretty good.

Mouthfeel. Below medium body with medium carbonation.

Overall. Nice roasty coffee porter. I'd buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 02:24:17 | More by Rutager

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: 1/4" light brown head that left a nice lacing over black liquid.

S: Coffee, toasted malt, dark chocolate and yeast.

T: Coffee, caramel, and toasted malt with a bit of a chalky presence.

M: Medium viscosity and a high level of bubbly carbonation.

O: Some promising aspects but ultimately something was missing in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 17:14:31 | More by DaftCaskBC

Treebs

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber graciously shared by nasty31, thanks Andrew! Poured into my Deschutes snifter.

A: Dark brown with lighter brown edges. Khaki head that subsides into a ring. Little lace left.

S: Coffee grounds and some bitter chocolate.

T: Coffee grounds and some light chocolate with a slight bitter hop presence on the backend.

M: A little thin, but it is drinkable. Coffee left on the palate.

O: Not bad overall, but a little thing and the taste, while good, didn't wow me.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 15:19:55 | More by Treebs

JohnnyP3

Alaska

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled third week of May 2011. 1pt 6fl oz bottle pours a roasted brown/black with a thin tan head capping the beer. Completely opaque.

Smells like a cup of fresh joe--roasted coffee malt aromas with a touch of chocolate in the nose.

Flavor is....interesting. Roasted coffee beans with a slightly medicinal/herbal quality. Bit if a bitter twang at the end. Rosted malts and coffee beans added really dominate here.

Mouthfeel is fine. Not particularly think, chewy or viscous, but not really thin and watery either. Somewhere in the middle of the road.

Overall, pleasant, but a bit unusual in the flavor profile. Again, it has a unique taste in the middle of the flavor profile that was unexpected. It was that kind of raw coffee bean herbal taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 05:24:57 | More by JohnnyP3

PaulStoneAnchor

California

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark black with no head and some slight lacing

S: It has an aroma of mentholated coffee and some slight roasted notes

T: It tastes like a rich aromatic coffee and there is really not much going on except coffee. It has some mentholated notes as well, and some slight smokyness.

M: It is a bit more creamy than actual coffee, but with the light carbonation it has a great mouthfeel.

O: I was expecting more from this beer, I was hoping for coffee but also more subtleties like chocolate and maybe some sweetness. It is a bit drier, but that is what is characteristic of a porter. This beer was ok, it was good but not amazing what so ever.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 06:23:29 | More by PaulStoneAnchor

megahurts4

Louisiana

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Midnight Sun Arctic Rhino

Appearance: Black, small head, and some good lacing.

Smell: roasted malts, coffee, and faint hop.

Taste: roasted malts, coffee, faint dark chocolate, and distant hops.

Mouthfeel: medium-light.

Overall
This brew has some good flavor, but it seems just a tad watery. If it had more potent flavors, this could be a very nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 17:34:32 | More by megahurts4

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served on-tap in a shaker glass.

appears black with thin tannish colored head. as expected, aroma is heavy on coffee, with some dark chocolate. taste is very roasty, but nice balance between sweetness and bitter.
body is medium, fairly smooth mouthfeel.

overall, a nice porter. however, because of the strong coffee flavors, I'd recommend drinking it alone or with dessert.

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 03:09:09 | More by jmdrpi

TheStove

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got a bottle from City Beer in SF. Poured into a 12 oz mug from a bomber for two servings.

Nice opaque black color with a coffee-ish foam head that quickly departs. Smells mostly of coffee with some slight bitter malt jumping in. First sip yield some malt sweetness counter balanced by coffee flavors and a slight bitterness. Finishes closer to a kind of "dregs" sip of french press coffee however the last flavors on the tongue are of some chocolate malt flavors making this more light a slight dessert-esque adult coffee beverage than your standard black coffee beer. Great interplay of malt sweetness and flavor to balance out the coffee flavor and bitterness.

Seems like it would hold it's own as a porter but the coffee adds substantially to the complexity throughout consumption of this one. In some ways it seems more booze or a bigger malt and hop profile would contribute substantially to this especially coming from an Alaskan brewery but this is still an enjoyable beverage. Hopefully you can grab this one for under $6.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 08:53:00 | More by TheStove

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a bad porter, but it seems just like a typical coffee beer. A little bit darker - more into the stout territory, with a brown, frothy head. Definite coffee scent, a little sugar to it. Kind of like chocolate covered coffee beans. Smooth, but lightly bitter coffee and malt taste. Creamy aftertaste, very little hops. Nice, creamy body, low carbonation. There is a bitter, dark coffee aftertaste that lingers.

Again, not bad but it doesn't stand out as anything spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 05:06:51 | More by BDTyre

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

2.55/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

ArchEnemyBrew really came through in sending me one of my big wants as an extra! Shared this bomber with a group at the BASC release. For some reason it wasn't the most popular choice around (probably due to the Jackie Os, Utopias, Czar Jack, etc being poured around) so I ended up drinking about half of it...

A- Pours black with about an inch of a very fluffy mocha colored head laced with very large bubbles. Decent lacing present as well.

S- Coffee all the way. Very coffee-y and unfortunately it has that stale coffee aroma I get in quite a few coffee beers. After the coffee there is some hidden roasted malt and chocolate. Coffee is very overpowering though.

T/M- Damn, again this bad boy is ALL coffee. And yet again the coffee is reminiscent of stale dunkin donuts coffee. Honestly, its hard to tell, but I don't even feel like the base porter was that great. There just wasn't any significant substance to the base beer to back up the coffee flavor. It obviously had a bit of roastiness to it; and a touch of nuttiness as well, but in the end it was disappointing. The body is definitely too light to support the overall effect of the beer; however I will say it was nice to have such a light feeling beer after all of the heavy Imperial Stouts that were flowing at BASC.

O- Unfortunately this was a let down for me. The coffee flavor was just too stale to me. I want to know how beers like Terrapin WnB keep up such a fresh coffee flavor and presence when others like this and Coffee Bender just fall off into staleness. Maybe it was just stale tasting right out of the brewery. Maybe I'll never know. In the end, I'm so pumped I got to try this but I have had much better coffee beers and porters all around. This beer just doesn't fit into my preference anywhere...

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 21:42:15 | More by TheGordianKnot

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from TheManiacalOne so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!
Poured in to a pint glass

A: This beer pours nice opaque, jet black with a one finger of brown sudsy head. Head recedes to a light film that seems to hang throughout. Minor spots of lacing left on the glass.

S: Nose is deep roast malts, light charred notes, bitter chocolate, coffee, and a light caramel note.

T: Taste starts with the charred notes and light bitter chocolate. A bit of a metallic flavoring comes in through the middle. Mild bready notes come in through the middle before a milk chocolate and coffee flavoring fill in and round out this beer.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, a bit thin but then has quite a bit of girth, with a creamy, sticky finish.

O: Goes down easy, tastes pretty good - the metallic flavoring fades as the beer warms, not overly filling, light kick, decent representation of style. I've not had a porter in a bit - it's summer time! But this is an easy drinking porter that doesn't blow your hair back, and yet is rather drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 02:57:08 | More by Jayli

Cavery

California

3.3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750 shared with Klym; poured into Stone Nonic.

A: Just pure opaque black; comes off looking like an eight ball. Absolutely no light gets through. This could pass for a stout any day of the week. A lightly off color brown/cream/white film lines the top of the glass. Speckles and streaks of lacing round out the look of this very black coffee looking porter.

S: Black Coffee with spices: paprika, cardamom, light nutmeg, and some clove. A sweet roasty characteristic that sticks out, this sweet note really reassures me that this is a porter. You wouldn't expect to get that note as much out of a stout, which helps contrast the visual. Excited for the sip of this stout illusion! Light chili-pepper sweet note in the end.

T: This really is a coffee porter with spices, it remains consistent with the nose in that some clove/paprika go in the start and then give into the nutmeg and coffee roasts. The spiciness really overwhelms the backbone of this beer. This is like having a stake crusted (not garnished, but crusted) in basil. There's just too many condiments on this sandwich; if it wasn't for a late appearance of great tasting black coffee, I would have dinged this category a bit more.

M: there really is a bit too thin of a body here, the flavors are already so sweet and light that to have a redundant mouth makes for a suffocating drinking experience. I find myself gasping for air after consecutive sips. A more consolidated body would have really helped this brew. light bubble dissipation is apparent, but beyond that it's underwhelming.

O: This beer is a bit of a civil war. The visual is really quite promising; but the taste really battles itself. The spices really dominate the flavor experience to the point to where the backbone of the beer is irrelevant. Unfortunately for the beer. there is a really nice flavored beer behind all the fanciness. Furthermore, the "coffiness" of this beer is really only suggested; as there is a caffeine-esque flavor sensation to this beer. Don't be fooled, this is a superficial presentation from a brewery that is capable of much more sincere offerings. Make this an imperial oatmeal, and I'll come rushing back.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 22:00:40 | More by Cavery

Klym

California

3.15/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a stone nonic. Shared with Cavery.

A: Pitch black with a roasted looking frothy head that comes up gradually with the pour and ends up being about two fingers. For a porter this is a very impressive look.

S: Run of the mill coffee beans backed up by some nutmeg and a cocktail of some other less familiar spices. A nice oaky vanilla note in the tail end. Coffee beans/coffee really dominates the smell of this, and it is the most black, straight up coffee I've had come out of a beer.

T: Taste really comes through almost identical to the nose, with a little less substance to the spices, oak, and vanilla in the nose. This beer is so straight up coffee I feel it could replace my cup of black in the morning. I really like black coffee so this isn't a big negative for me, but I think it could use a little more fullness backing it up and a few sweeter notes.

M: I'm tempted to say it's watery and certainly the carbonation could use beefing as it dissipates pretty quickly in the mouth, but I'm not sure if the wateriness comment isn't because this beer keeps tricking me into thinking it's a stout. A really stout-esque look with a stout-esque nose, but the mouthfeel definitely takes me back to porter. You know, I take back my hesitation, this is watery.

O: This beer isn't bad but it's certainly not great to me. I actually think one way to redeliver this beer in a better form would be to give the recipe on an oatmeal platform, if it's possible. I won't hate on this beer but the only time I can see myself drinking this again would be at a noon-time drinking party where I had forgotten my cup of coffee in the morning. Still lots of respect for midnight sun but this is a weaker offering.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 21:53:57 | More by Klym

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle enjoyed at a recent beer tasting/reviewing/trading session - cheers Jeff for this!

Poured into a snifter. Dark black, like cold coffee, thin tan head, a bit of lacing. Sits in the glass like cold coffee.

Nose is a powerful blast of espresso coffee, spice, a bit of dark fruit, the usual porter notes.

I tried this alongside some pretty potent and heavy Imperial stouts, so I really had to pull back to make sure I did this lighter brew justice. Coffee flavor, spice, dark roasted malts. Surprisingly thin, however, as there wasn't a whole lot of backing to this brew. The coffee felt washed out and not nearly as robust as the nose had suggested. Still, an enjoyable coffee porter. Thin, slightly watery feel.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 21:38:30 | More by JohnnyBarman

lakersfan16

Alaska

4.22/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep dark brown colored body, about 95% opaque with only a little light coming through when held directly to light and tilted at an angle. Aroma of strong brewed coffee, roasted malt, peat, a touch of oak and a bit more brewed coffee. Medium-bodied; Pungent roasted coffee flavors with a lot of roasted malt, dry oak, vanilla and a little sugars with mostly a bitter coffee note. Aftertaste is deep and strong with the coffee coming out first, a little nuts, some light peat and earth finished with some brown sugar and caramel sweetness. Overall, a pungent and strong coffee flavored porter with some good complexity.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 16:38:28 | More by lakersfan16

Lunch

Maryland

3.3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber enjoyed a little while back and poured into a Deschuttes snifter/tulip.

Looks like a Porter as it is a dark brown with a bit of lighter tan head. Not the thickest or darkest pour, but "good". Smells has some definite coffee to it, but nothing that is overwhelmingly good. A little stale perhaps. Some roast as well. Taste is similar with an off flavor that is a bit like burnt rubber. It does not take too much away from the rest of the flavor profile, but I've certainly had better coffee porters. Feel is a little thinner than expected, but not bad. I'd drink it again if someone was opening it or if ti was my best option, but I'd take many other American Porters over this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 22:50:11 | More by Lunch

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another bottle shipped home from my swing to the Northwest. Only a few left.

A dull finish on this brown beer and an almost milky tan head that forms. Lots of clinging lacing sticks to your glass.

Aroma is a mix of roasted malt and obviously coffee. Not much sweetness here which was confirmed in the flavor.

Two me there are two camps of Coffee Beers. Ones that taste like a wonderful glass of coffee and this can either be a dark “black” cup of espresso or otherwise.. even some taste like a creamy sweet cup of coffee of cappuccino. These are the ones that are good. Then there’s those that resemble the flavor of used coffee grinds. Sadly this one falls into that category... But it’s not nearly has coarse as some others I’ve tried. Coffee grounds rule the day here and this is begging for a bot of sweetness for balance.

Medium bodied could have benefitted from a little more of a rounded mouth feel.

I am always excited to try everything from Midnight Sun, but this wasn’t among my favorites. Live and learn.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 13:34:08 | More by Reagan1984

misinformed

California

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottled in 11/2010. Reviewed 5/30/11, tulip glass.

A- Beer pours a dark brown, cola-like color that appears dull black in the glass. Started off with 1/2" of mocha brown head that quickly faded to a small ring.

S- Sweet roasted malt with some dark fruit notes and bitter coffee.

T- Sweet fruity, roasted malt up front, bitter black coffee with some faint cocoa notes as well. Mellow bitterness, with mild roasted coffee in the finish.

M- Lighter medium body, average carbonation.

O- Good balanced brew, but the coffee could have been stronger for my tastes. Smooth, easy drinking, but a bit unremarkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 07:26:21 | More by misinformed

FosterJM

California

4.5/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

538th Review on BA
Bottle to Sinner's tulip
22oz Bottle.

Thank you GuruDel for sharing

App- A black coffee looking brew with a massive two finger head that left tons of cling in the glass.

Smell- Hello coffee, welcome to my beer. When it says its a coffee porter it needs to smell of coffee, malts and beer. This was it.

Taste- For a coffee porter, this was it. It tasted like a big cup of black coffee although a little subdued for thickness.

Mouth- Medium bodied and medium carbonated. Left a roasty, bitter coffee taste on the end.

Drink- One of the best beers I have had. For the style it was everything it needed to be and more. It had flavor, balanced.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 04:38:19 | More by FosterJM

glid02

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by a generous soul at 7:30 in the morning at Brick Store.

Pours a dark brown color with a half-finger tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of lightly roasted malts with good amounts of moderately bitter roasted coffee grounds. Also present are hints of semi-sweet chocolate.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though the coffee flavors are a bit smoother. Roasted malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by light roasted coffee flavors with hints of smoother espresso. Midway through the sip slightly bitter dark chocolate flavors come into play, fading out into a moderately bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is alright. I didn’t have a problem finishing my glass however I’m not sure about another.

Overall this was a surprisingly lackluster beer from MS. Their Brewtality coffee beer blew this one out of the water, so try to find that one first before falling back on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 19:34:55 | More by glid02

UCLABrewN84

California

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque black with a 3 inch dark khaki head that fades to a very airy small cap. Very nice lattices of lacing all over the glass on the drink down. Smells of dark malts, roasted coffee beans, and some unsweetened cocoa powder. Taste is of cocoa dusted dark chocolate covered espresso beans. Mild coffee/dark chocolate bitterness on the palate after each sip. This is extremely carbonated for a porter and it takes away from the overall experience. It's very prickly and soda like with each drink. Overall, this is a pretty good porter that could be much better if the carbonation was dialed down.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 04:09:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

NWer

Washington

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown with minimal head floating around the edges.
Definite coffee notes followed by caramel and creamy smoothness.
Taste builds nicely as it warms but never overwhelms. The malt takes over and keeps any edginess under control.
A good beer that I thought at first would session well but slight cloying at the finish would make me want to shift to something else after one or two glasses.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 01:14:59 | More by NWer