M Belgian-Style Barleywine - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

cosmicevan

New York

4.84/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

big thanks goes out to GrumpyOldTroll, jbuddle, Sean9689, SpeedwayJim, AgentZero, dtmets84 for sharing in the greatest day of beer that i have ever been a part of. huge thanks to mike for providing this bit of unobtainium.

notes from 1/12/2013

consumed from a midnight sun tulip.

a - looks just like dave (that i saved for some side by side comparisons)...deep purple, but has a thin head and spotty lacing.

s - smells like purple grapes. i definitely get some belgian sweetness. plum, dark fruit...like a barleywine crossed with a belgian strong dark.

t - flavor is simply awesome. nutmeg and chocolate. dark fruit glazed in some booziness, but extremely balanced and just truly excellent. i have heard that there is a lot of bottle variation and many people that i'm sharing this bottle with have had M before and they are all saying that this is the best bottle they've tried so far.

m - SUPER easy drinking. light carbonation, but a great feel.

o - overall, i really didn't think that this beer could possibly live up to the hype and i have been heard the tales of the age and oxidation and bottle variation, but this bottle was spectacular. i was blown away by this beer mostly because it exceeded my expectations and really lived up to the hype. one of the true highlights of a day where it was hard for a beer to stick out as a highlight.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 05:58:48 | More by cosmicevan

monitorpop

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

05-16-2013 10:30:18 | More by monitorpop

rmalinowski4

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

05-07-2013 19:48:54 | More by rmalinowski4

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-07-2013 01:41:55 | More by AleWatcher

kscaldef

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

05-02-2013 20:07:37 | More by kscaldef

Shmeal

Oregon

5/5  rDev +5%

05-02-2013 14:44:06 | More by Shmeal

teddyarrowhead

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

05-02-2013 07:09:01 | More by teddyarrowhead

Preismj

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

05-02-2013 02:14:37 | More by Preismj

rjacobs6

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

05-01-2013 21:08:09 | More by rjacobs6

neorunner

Virginia

5/5  rDev +5%

04-29-2013 20:53:09 | More by neorunner

baybum

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +5%

04-29-2013 17:12:38 | More by baybum

jegross2

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

HUGE thanks to Shawn Raymond, the generosity king of all kings, for this glorious hookup! This is likely going to be the biggest whale I ever slay, and I cannot begin to thank you for this opportunity. Review is from iPhone notes taken at DLD '13.

Score: 95/96

A: Pours a traditional toffee brown barleywine color with a thin layer and thick ring of tan-beige head. Good lacing and retention for the pour size. 4/5

S: Surprised to find no real oxidation here. The dark fruit presence is greater than anticipated, with ample caramel to boot. Bourbon-oak, vanilla, and molasses too. Incredibly enticing; an interesting medley of flavors. 4.75

T: Taste follows the nose, but the vanilla character seems more prominent. Incredibly smooth, perfectly balanced. Just a hint of oxidation, which plays nicely into the dark fruit character. There is a little bit of raw chocolate or cocoa powder-like flavor too. Some non-sweet molasses flavor as well. I do not detect any oak, and the bourbon quality was pretty subtle overall save for the vanilla. 4.5

M: I felt the viscocity and carbonation were appropriate, but one of the trade offs of analyzing a small pour is the mouthfeel. If you want to get a few good tastes, you cannot take a single sip large enough to get any solid impression about the mouthfeel. The flavor balanced was excellent, however, and I did not find this barleywine to be too fruity or sweet even with the age it has. 4/5

O: An excellent beer, and one of the top barleywines that I have had the opportunity to tick. However, that said, this was not even close to being one of the 10 best overall beers I had ever had and it certainly is not worth the $1,500 the last one sold for on eBay.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 23:58:43 | More by jegross2

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

01-26-2013 02:07:11 | More by yourefragile

dtmets84

New York

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

01-22-2013 19:14:37 | More by dtmets84

Reswald

Alaska

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

01-21-2013 00:27:46 | More by Reswald

jbuddle

New York

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

01-16-2013 21:53:27 | More by jbuddle

ChrisPro

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

01-16-2013 00:06:43 | More by ChrisPro

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

01-13-2013 23:19:20 | More by MordorMongo

GrumpyOldTroll

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +5%

01-13-2013 19:14:39 | More by GrumpyOldTroll

spycow

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

01-12-2013 06:17:08 | More by spycow

Halcyondays

California

4.75/5  rDev -0.2%

11-06-2012 04:22:47 | More by Halcyondays

DoubleJ

California

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

10-29-2012 22:50:22 | More by DoubleJ

BdubleEdubleRUN

California

4.5/5  rDev -5.5%

10-29-2012 18:28:51 | More by BdubleEdubleRUN

gford217

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I want to start off by saying thank you to the generous BA who shared this with a few of us last night. I definitely thought trying this one was beyond my reach. "We are but mere mortals in the presence of M." Indeed.

Pours extremely dark for a barleywine, dark mahogany brown, with a small beige head. It looks almost like a Belgian dark in color, almost black.

Aroma is outstanding and has clearly held up to the years in the bottle. It's a good bit fruiter than I was expecting, certainly more than the typical barleywine. Lots of raisins and plums mixed with chocolate and caramel. The oak is present with some light tannins, leather and booze.

The taste just doesn't live up to the aroma though it's still extremely good. This is clearly where the age is beginning to catch up to M, with hints of oxidation creeping in. The booze soaked dark fruits are in the forefront, but with a chocolate-covered character to the whole thing. The finish is a mixture of port, oak and the oxidized notes. It's a tough call between 4 and 4.5 on the taste but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt....

The mouthfeel is creamy, smooth, and softly carbonated. Hides the alcohol exceptionally well
.
This is one of the more complex barleywines I've ever had and the nose really stands up to anything I've ever smelled in the style. I have to imagine that this would have been one of the best beers I've ever tasted if I had it 2-3 years ago. As it is, I feel lucky to have been able to try it and it has held up much better than could be expected.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 15:32:14 | More by gford217

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle split a few ways into a snifter

A: Pours very dark brown, nearly black, with a half finger of off white head. Retention is decent.

S: Extremely complex - one of the most complex aromas I've ever encountered. Tons of dark fruit - prunes and raisins up front. Just behind that I get quite a bit of vinous qualities and a hint of bourbon. Burnt sugars are also very apparent along with a bit of dark and milk chocolate. There is a bit of oxidation, but it's pleasant.

T: Like the aroma, lots of dark fruits up front. Just behind that I get some burnt sugars and dark chocolate as well. Wine and bourbon are present, but subdued. I get some moderate oxidation notes here - wish I had this a few years ago. Balanced and complex, this beer never becomes too sweet despite the wide array of sweet flavors adding to the complexity of the beer.

M: Low carbonation with medium thickness - quite creamy.

O: Well, I never thought I'd be able to try this beer. The aroma is the best I've come across in a barleywine. The flavor is a bit oxidized, but certainly quite nice. Very balanced and complex, I'm impressed.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 13:21:27 | More by coreyfmcdonald