Berserker Imperial Stout - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Crosling

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Cool name. 2007. Bomber. Pours back alley black with ample light brown creamy froth. Nose is uninspiring, fruity with hints of blackening banana peel. Very little roast, chocolate, coffee or barrel character in the nose at all. On the palate, everything falls apart even more. Very little character overall. Nothing that I desire in a whiskey barrel aged stout is here. No oak, no roast, no chocolate, no coconut, no vanilla. It’s sweet fruity, with hints of dark fruits and banana. I can see why others like this, but this beer is not for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2007 05:24:27 | More by Crosling

MrFootstones

California

2.7/5  rDev -37.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

2010 12.7%ABV

Appearance: Pours thick and velvety with no head. So viscous looking!

Aroma: Smells like a fresh-out-tha-oven loaf of whole wheat bread. Molasses, dark fruit, chocolate malt, fleur de sel
caramel.

Taste: Toffee, prunes and dark fruit. Espresso, caralelized brown sugar, alcohol, bready malt. Meatiness... Yeast autolysis?

Mouthfeel: Rich and velvety. Great for this beer.

Drinkability: Not loving this. Not bad, but not sad that I only have my 1/3 of a bottle. We all thought it was possible, given Midnight Sun's/this beer's reputation that this may have been an off bottle. Who knows, you can't love every big stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 07:37:23 | More by MrFootstones

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.75/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Pours black with a small dark brown head. Little retention and a little lacing. Very sludgy

Loads of molasses in the nose. Anise, baker's chocolate, espresso and soy sauce too. Smells like it's going to be sweet...

...and it is. Sweet molasses again dominates everything. Some good dark chocolate and oaked bourbon come through a bit, but sadly are hidden in the background. The same annoying soy sauce is back from the nose too. Bourbon is restrained and in this case, I wish it weren't as the base flavors are not great.

Very thick bodied beer with appropriately low carbonation style. Alcohol % is very well hidden.

Everyone who tried this was massively disappointed. Nothing seems "wrong" about this bottle, just did not like the flavors. Too much soy sauce kind of ruined everything for me, but even outside of that, not a great fan of the base flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 18:00:28 | More by jmarsh123

Urbancaver

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -33%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2009 Vintage. Thanks Matt for bringing this to our tasting.

Pours a nice dark brown. Very nice light brown head. Looks pretty solid.
Smells like soy sauce. Thick oaky soy sauce. Definitely can detect the molasses sweetness underneath but man it smells like soy sauce.
Tastes similar. I get oak, molasses, sweetness but damn... the soy sauce flavour kills it. Everyone seemed to agree....
Maybe something was wrong with our bottle? Or id didn't hold up to the aging? I had such high hopes for this beer :(

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 13:13:45 | More by Urbancaver

dirtylou

Washington

3.35/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2012 vintage

#Infectiongate

appearance: served in an oversized snifter, jet black body, creamy mocha lace

smell: bourbon, tannin notes, rich fudge

taste: charred malt, fudge, smoke, light bourbon, soy sauce. I don't know if its the "infection" or what, but at $20, this is a huge dissapointment.

mouthfeel: a bit thin, lots of soy in the finish

overall: this is a Pass in the future

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 22:09:55 | More by dirtylou

FosterJM

California

3.4/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1621st Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
22oz

2012 Release
Purchased from El Cerrito Liquor, Corona, CA

App- This poured out pretty much the darkest beer I have seen before. They werent lying on the bottle. It actually poured like oil and had no light penetration and only a small 1/4" head with no lace or cling. Maybe a small ring of bubbles.

Smell- This was a bit all over the place. Upfront I get most of the molasses and the sweetness from the maple. I do get tinges of smoke, malts, oak and wood. This has a bit of a rough aroma with everything competeing and not working cohesively.

Taste- This thing was solid, but not great. The molasses I think is what throws me the most. It brings a certain sweetness and chewy candy like flavor. The oak has a lot of char and licorice behind. Big thick malts and a little bit of smoke layer well, but not integrated enough to make it super smooth. Its drinkable for the 12% but thats not the biggest flaw. Just not the best tasting BA Stout.

Mouth- I dipped my finger into this to give my son a taste and my wife said WTF is that? It was the same color on my finger. No dissapation of color. No losing of the body. Very full and viscous. The carbonation was a medium low and fairly creamy. The residual flavors are of the molasses and the oak.

Drink- This was an interesting stout to say the least. A lot going on and fairly balanced. The more I took a sip the more I realized that its just above average and not for me. I was excited to try this one and well guess I can skip the next release.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 16:22:30 | More by FosterJM

scottfrie

California

3.48/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle split with SneezyAchew and AutumnBeerLove. Thanks for sending me this one, shawnm213. Ax label.

A: Pours near black with a thin dark brown head that faded into a faint collar. This beer is very thick looking.
S: I get rich notes of black licorice, molasses, dark chocolate and a hint of soy sauce.
T: Molasses and chocolate come through strongly with wood, char, soy sauce, and licorice bringing up the rear. I’m not really getting much of a barrel quality in this one. The soy sauce was thankfully light but it was disappointing.
M: Thick body, medium-low carbonation, with a thick and chewy mouthfeel. The alcohol is masked extremely well.
O: Good but underwhelming. I wish more of the barrel aging came through. Flavors were good though regardless, except for the soy. I bet this would be great fresh. Thanks again, Shawn.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 02:28:44 | More by scottfrie

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2012 vintage. Poured from 22 oz bottle into 12 oz glass.

A- Pours thick, black with a 1 finger dark brown head. Minimal lacing on the glass.

S- Huge molasses aroma with some roast. Not much else on the nose.

T- Roasted malts, chocolate, heavy molasses bitterness (faint soy sauce-like)

M- Medium body and carbonation. Thinner feel than expected.

O- Just ok for me. Had high expectations for this beer and it didn't do much for me. To molasses forward.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 03:06:05 | More by kawilliams81

RustyDiamond

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

August 2009 Vintage, 12.7 ABV

Jet black pour into a Darkness snifter. Smallish espresso brown head slowly arose, then descended into the blackness leaving a nice ring.

Aroma of plums, molasses, Twix bars, vanilla

Touch of sweet on the nose, which I am guessing is the molasses, with some notes of plum & brown sugar. Dark organic chocolate comes through next. I get the oak in the middle, which dried this one out.

Medium to high carbonation...somewhat fizzy on the tongue. Roasted coffee bitterness. Thick & viscous with a bitter dry cocoa finish. Really gets in the way of the flavor spectrum.

I wish I would have liked this more...the dryness & med-high carbonation were downers for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2010 21:12:44 | More by RustyDiamond

writerLJBerg

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle, split 4 ways.

A: Color the same as the heart of its namesake. Thin lazy mocha head. Slides and oozes on the rim.

N: A blitz of bourbon and maple. Molasses is present as is chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. T: Bourbon, caramel, chocolate, and a twinge of metal. Cherry and...sourness? It’s more of a coffee like acidity or a vinous quality. Molasses might be a culprit, too. Can’t say I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

M: Thick but not perfectly so, filling, alcohol is well hidden.

O: I can see why people might think this is infected. It’s missing that the thick treacly element it should have. Well balanced but just off in a way I can’t quite put my finger on.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 17:38:44 | More by writerLJBerg

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to marine1975 for sharing this one during the ORF '11 release. 2010 Vintage! Served from bottle into a sampler snifter. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, wood, and subtle dark chocolate. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. The mouthfeel on this one was a bit of a letdown for me as it felt really thin for the style. I know this is nit-picking, but it definitely didn't make it more enjoyable for me. The aroma was pretty nice on this one, but the flavor was a little muted. Not sure what was going on, but I have a feeling they missed the mark on what they were ultimately shooting for. Still a nice brew that I would be happy to try again given the opportunity though.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 11:32:37 | More by thagr81us

harrymel

Washington

3.68/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Vintage 2012, 12.7% ABV

Pours black with some mocha surface foam and rimming, this dissipates leaving an inky black surface. Smells mineralic, lots of sweet vanilla, some bits of bourbon, caramel and oak alongside hints of licorice and dark chocolate nibs. The mineral quality has some notes I really value in a -bal beer. Taste is sweet and robust. Plenty of toasted and roasted oats, some licorice, raisin, wood, coffee and nougat. Not as impressed with the taste. Full bodied with low carb and a dry finish. Nice beer, not worth the effort for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 05:02:57 | More by harrymel

seeswo

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2010 bottle.

Pours very thick and reddish black with a touch of tan foam. The nose is huge molasses, dark fruits, vanilla, spices, brown sugar, chocolate. Pretty substantial. The taste is enormous, big molasses, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, chocolate. A slight hop bitterness. I rarely say this, but this beer is too much. So heavy and intensely flavored with molasses. Big body with light carbonation. Overall, this beer reminds me of CCB Batch 2 110K + OT or whatever it is called, but sweeter. Everyone else liked this beer better than me, so take my review FWIW. If you like to be punched in the mouth, this beer is for you (and I really like BT).

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 22:58:02 | More by seeswo

alexgash

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2007 Edition, served at 55 degrees F.

Viscous, inky black body supports a dense, concave, dark brown head. Good lacing. Sweet and tart fruits: plums, grapes, dates, figs. Smoke, leather, and light oak mix with creme brulee, cocoa, milk sugar, alcohol, and light espresso. Complex and inviting.

Singed, roasted bitterness greets the tongue. Smoky, peaty roasted malt base meets dark fruit sweetness and alcohol. Light chocolate notes follow into a bitter, hoppy finish. Warming. Alcohol sting is a little too noticeable/hot. Otherwise not bad. Body is a tad thin for the style with a little too much carbonation (i.e. not creamy enough feel). Still, a pretty good tasting and drinking RIS.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2007 05:21:14 | More by alexgash

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

09 vintage shared with milwaukeeclassic. 12.7% with a big ass axe

Big, black, inky pour with no light penetration and a nice brown crown. Classic stuck his digit into the glass and came out like a stained coffee cup.

Smells like salted jerky, teriyaki, and baker's chocolate. There's a hint of bourbon here, but i'm pretty sure that's not the case.

Tastes very salty up front and segues into Pemicanland. beefy jerky, iced coffee, and chocolate. Tannins are light and mild.

Mouthfeel is slick and oily. Overall this is interesting. Despite having nothing to compare it to, I feel this beer has passed its prime. Would love to have tried this fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 04:33:42 | More by BarrytheBear

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

3.83/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Toronado SF

A - Black as night or oil. Blackest pour I may have ever seen from a Bal-Aged imperial stout. Beautiful head on the pour that stuck around longer than expected, great lacing.

S - Port like characteristics come out in the nose, smells sweeter than most of this style. Bourbon, sweet dark fruits, and oaky vanilla come out as well as dark chocolate. Smells like a after dinner sipper. Desert beer.

T - Follows nose. A bit sweeter than I expected and less roasty than I would have liked.

M - Good, not great. Standard for the style. Oily, and somewhat chewy.

D - 6 oz pour was just enough. I wouldn't want to consume a 22oz of this all to myself like I would a Parabola, BCS or Abyss. Would start to get too sweet 1/2 way into a bomber I'd imagine.

Good beer. But nothing memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2011 05:14:09 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

emmasdad

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours black, nearly opaque, oily with a good amount of medium brown head. Huge boozy aroma, with roasted malt, red wine, bourbon, maple and wood. Very interesting flavor, alcoholic and somewhat sour, with the competing red wine/bourbon flavors, along with the roasted malt and some brown sugar. A big complex, somewhat disjointed, beer. Good, but not one I would seek out often.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 23:24:42 | More by emmasdad

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 12/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours pitch black with a dark brown head; light lacing. Aroma of dark malts and molasses. Dark and roasted malts, molasses, chocolate. A rather stark flavor profile. Finishes with hops and bitter roasted malts. Medium bodied. Not as integrated as other RIS. I'll cellar a few to see if it improves.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 23:09:17 | More by LiquidAmber

hooliganlife

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Blake!

Not sure on the vintage, I believe this is the latest so 2012? Maybe 2011.

Pour was black, little head. Pretty thick looking

Dark chocolate and roasted charred malt. Some sweet bitterness.

Lots of char and roast. Light sweetness, but well blended with the bitterness. Hints of dark chocolate and coffee.

A bit lighter than it looks, mild carbonation.

Pretty decent, nothing really mind blowing.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 15:03:20 | More by hooliganlife

Arbitrator

California

3.88/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Chilled bomber into a glass. 2009 vintage, 12.7%. Received in a trade from inflatablechair. Thanks, Sam!

A: Pours a pitch black body with poorly-retaining dark mocha head. The collar is series of big bubbles that climb up the sides of the glass a little bit, with faint trails of dark brown bubbles on the surface of the beer.

S: Soy! Molasses, chocolate, caramelly bourbon. Oak, some vanilla. As the beer warms, the soy fades and is replaced by a toasted marshmallow note. It's quite pungent.

T: Molasses or brown sugar, maple, chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. Toasted marshmallow on the exhalation. Despite the list of sweet flavors, the beer doesn't feel syrupy or cloying. It has a mild bitterness of barrel and roasted grain / chocolate that even suggests [relative] dryness, at least for the style.

M: Chewy, fairly viscous. There's a mild heat to it that warms the palate and throat. Not overly sweet. Good carbonation level.

D: It's a solid barrel-aged imperial stout, but it's not one of the better ones. I feel like I get much more complexity and satisfaction out of something like BA Speedway, Black Tuesday, etc...

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 02:47:56 | More by Arbitrator

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tasting glass. This review is for the 2010 version, with notes from the 08 below.

Appearance: Berserker does not mess around; this is black all the way though. A tiny coffee colored head fades away and leaves no lace.

Smell: The aroma is burnt brown sugar, molasses, anise, and a bit of smoke.

Taste: This stout is full of character, with tons of chocolate and roast coffee coming through. Some molasses and brown sugar give a little extra sweetness push. The cabernet barrels impart a vinous and woody flavor, also giving it a slight acidic kick toward the end.

Mouthfeel: There is a little harsh booze that scalds my throat a bit and warms my throat and stomach. Definitely full bodied, but also unfortunately a little syrupy and sticky, somewhat due to carbonation that is on the low end.

Drinkability: This enjoyable, but still a bit harsh. Some age will definitely improve upon this, as evidenced below.

----
I was fortunate enough to have the 2008 and 2010 versions side by side. The 2008 was significantly better, almost to the point of being another beer. The 2008 was incredibly drinkable, the 2010 is not quite there yet. The 08 version is much more polished and the flavors blend so well together.
08: 4/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5
10: 4/4/4/4/3.5

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2011 19:57:51 | More by KickInTheChalice

kkipple

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Khaismus for breaking this rarity out in the middle of a tasting. '08 vintage.

A. At some point, you stop being impressed by how these huge stouts present themselves... even though Berserker nails the looks cold, there ain't much to say that hasn't been said. Real dark brown, rich looking, a generous 3cm head leaves some spotty lacing. Good retention. Yep, another pretty RIS.

S. Big and rich, some hot booze still after a year, but more coffee / cocoa and more than a little earthy at that. Tons of roasted malt, dense sugars, char. Not earth shattering, but quite solid.

T. A hefty and flavorful choco-mocha, Berserker is pretty smooth right now, some vanilla and hops, hint of metal, a bit of tannic grain flavor, but ultimately sweet and lush. Great example of a beer that belies its ABV. This is supposedly 12.7% but drinks like a 10 something. A fine tasting brew in any event.

M. Real smooth. Thick, chewy. Low-ish carbonation, mildly sour and roasty finish. Dessert-like.

D. Not bad, a smooth sipper.

I hate to say it, but Berserker is just above average. Maybe I've been spoiled by all the world class stouts I've had lately. There is really nothing wrong with Berserker, except that it is brewed in Alaska and tough to get. If you cross paths with one, enjoy it, but I wouldn't put a ton of effort into tracking it down.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2009 21:28:59 | More by kkipple

mikeyv35

New York

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Date: 02/06/2011
Type: 22oz. Bottle
Vintage: 2009
Glassware: Lucifer Snifter

Finally got the chance to knock this off my wants list and sample this elusive brew. My expectations are high.

Poured dark as night w/ a 1 finger dark chocolate head that left pretty heavy lacing on the glass. The look of this brew is awesome! Nose was of dark chocolate, roasted malts, molasses, and a touch of booze astringency. Taste was much the same, chocolate sweetness up front, followed by roasted nuttiness, and a finish of slight hop bite and molasses. Mouthfeel is thick and lush. The ABV is somewhat well hidden, but you definately know it is there. Drinkability is hindered by the high ABV. I drank the entire bomber myself over the course of about 2 hours and it was a struggle.

Overall, this brew was a disappointment! The flavors, aroma, and appearance were excellent, but the ABV is way too high. If MS would tone down the ABV this would be alot more drinkable like the non-BA greats like KTG or Southampton RIS. Would like to sample a bottle or two of the earlier years where the ABV was toned down.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 19:10:34 | More by mikeyv35

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.93/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter glass.

Appearance: A thick opaque brown, medium bubbles on the body...pours like straight motor oil thick and the head...dark tan, rising tojust about a finger's length.

Smell: Heavy brown sugar maybe the molasses, very sticky...all you need to do is smell it once and it's with you forever

Taste: A straight blend of molasses and brown sugar, it is a little too sweet for my part. I for one am for bitterness with my stouts period. This brew lacks it and just reading the label I noticed it's just at 30 IBU's...nothing wrong with that but seriously where is the rest of the taste.

Mouth: Sticky sugar with medium carbonation. What it lacks in taste makes up for it in stickiness but depends how much if it you want. Best served with dessert.

Overall: This brew improves within time of the consumption of the glass, the proiblem is the sweetness might overwhelm some including myself. If you like imperial stouts which I absolutely love this is definitely something a little different and not for everyone. Try a glass just to try it...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 02:44:59 | More by BlurryVisi0n

SacoDeToro

California

4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Vintage 2007 and 2005 bottles opened and shared with fellow BAs.

Both beers poured a darker than dark coal black with very little head. There was no pop when this beer was opened and it appeared flat.

The aroma of the two vintages was very similar and full of rich coffee, roasted malts, dark chocolate, and some faint vanilla. The high alcohol helped carry the aroma brilliantly.

The flavor of both vintages was full of intense flavors that seamlessly transitioned from one to another. Coffee - Chocolate - Rich roasted malts. There were also flavors of some rum soaked fruits, like plums, raisins, and figs. The hops were very subdued and in the background. The 2007 seemed slightly dryer and a touch less malty than the 2005 version, which for me, made it a better beer. The 2007 also had some slight smoky notes in the finish.

The mouthfeel was thick and heavy. It coated your mouth with a ton of flavor. The beer had a great creaminess to it that helped all the flavors blend together very smoothly.

Both vintages were solid examples of Russian imperial stouts. The 2007 version seems to have been slightly tweaked and the flavors are more evenly dialed in.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2007 22:08:20 | More by SacoDeToro