Cohoho Imperial IPA - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

beernut7

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a robust style of IPA. I had this at the brewery and was forced to take home a couple halves. This is beer has a great balance of hoppy flavor and malt sweetness. Neither cancels out the other. I loved this beer. I only wish I could get it down east.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2002 14:23:02 | More by beernut7

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.83/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Acquired from joshd, so a big "Thank you" goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a light reddish brown color, with a large off-white head that fades very slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of piney hops, along caramelized malts and citrus, just the type of smell you want from this kind of beer.

T: The taste has a strong and dominant floral hops backbone but maintains an excellent balance with complimentary sweet flavors of citrus and caramel. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, strong kick, excellent representation of style, this is one of the better 2IPA's that I've had and is a great beer to drink for a whole evening.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2008 02:10:12 | More by TheManiacalOne

HiroProtagonist

Maryland

4.72/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber. Cohoho was a dark but radiant honey copper color with a tight white head, with fine sticky lacing left behind. The complex smell was of light malts, with a plethora of citrus notes (orange most prominent) and more subtle pine resin finish...very good. Alcohol was noted (barely) every now and then. The taste was quite dimensional, especially as it warmed. It started off with a wonderful semi-dry maltiness, followed up by an assertive but balanced hop bitterness, which breaks into different lingering components with different accents, like citrus bitterness, floral bittereness, orange peel, and array of other notes. Amazingly lively and exciting. The hop aromas meld with the flavors extremely well to produce this complexity. A party in the mouth. The mouthfeel was smooth, silky, and full, with a tad of hop stickyness, and melded well with the rest of the product. One of most coherent and best imperial IPAs I have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2004 04:38:59 | More by HiroProtagonist

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.65/5  rDev +18%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The crazy, wacked-out label requires appreciation first, oh-so colorful, with this mixed-up Santa-hatted fish, ...but let's see what inside this pretty package...
Pours out a deep orange hue, with a big, blooming head of froth on top, leaving loads of lace. Lookin' good so far!
Aroma: Ahhh! Perfect hoppiness, total olfactory contentment, this is exactly what I dig in a highly-hopped ale: pine, pineapple, apricot, peach, citrus aplenty and more!
Now, to taste...YOW! Great, big bitterness at first, blazing over the palate. There's an abundant hop attendance here, but it is amply matched by a large maltiness, too, and they make an excellent pair. Starts sharp and bitter, but then becomes all juicy fruit and sweet deliciousness. Full bodied, interminable finish, with a complete engagement on the palate.
Halfway into this guy and I'm sold, it rockets to the list of All-Time Favorite IPAs, which is growing, thanks to the efforts of our nation of innovative craft brewers.
Damn, but this is dazzling stuff, and I'm happy it's big ol' bomber form, for anything less and I'd have felt teased and cheated. Yum, yum, and, yes, it bears repeating, yu-u-um!!!

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2004 00:58:33 | More by feloniousmonk

camcroteau

South Carolina

4.58/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have loved every single Midnight sun brew I have tried but I am very in love with the cohoho Imerial IPA. It is like a taste explosion in your mouth. I tasted it once in a bar and found it delightful so I ordered a keg of it. It tantalizes the taste buds with every sip.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2009 03:37:17 | More by camcroteau

oberon

North Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I really think this beer is a bit underated one of the better DIPA's out there in my opinion.Poured a deep bronze color with a white fluffy head that took its time settling,big piney aromas with underlying grass but its all hops going on there,nothing to complain about flavor wise to me its spot on big resiny pine flavors but there is a enough caramel malt to keep it from getting to out of control the flavors of this beer made me wanna just keep drinking more.Wow a damn fine beer from Alaska I really wish I had some of my own to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2005 03:24:46 | More by oberon

RoyalT

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – This one was a monster. The body was crystal clear brownish-orange (meaning “serious” in the IPA world) and the head was relentless. It finally went down after five minutes, lacing the hell out of my Ruination glass.

Smell – Gigantic, complex hop profile with some serious malt balance. The piney hops came out big time but the aroma showed some other hoppy scents as well. The malt was huge; mostly toasted with big caramel undertones.

Taste – Wow! In addition to bringing the nose into the taste, there’s an oaky sherry-like flavor to this one. The Cohoho IPA has it all. The hops calm down a bit here (not much), just enough to allow an appreciation of the fantastic malt backbone.

Mouthfeel – Full-bodied for sure and smooth and chewy. This lacked the harsh dryness of some IPAs yet left a wonderful finish. It was dry but not too much so, with a reminder of the sweet maple and brown sugar imbedded in the malts.

Drinkability – I am koo-koo for Cohoho. This was my first sample of the brewery, and I was blown away. What an awesome and unique IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2003 04:14:55 | More by RoyalT

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very dark ruby brown in color with a nice inch of head forming on the pour. Smell is hops, some juicy ripe fruit. Didn't quite know what to expect from a IPA that is brewed with brown sugar, honey and juniper berries, but surely wasn't let down with it. The hops are there, but the juniper berries are very noticeable and add a very incredible nuance to the beer. This is an outstanding beer. Full and creamy on the mouthfeel. Very different than anything I've had and I appreciate the effort, especially when it's well done. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2009 00:22:29 | More by FtownThrowDown

merlin48

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Rough day at work, so I decided to open my bomber of this Alaskan Imperial IPA and treat myself to an unseasonably warm evening, outside on the porch with a bliss of fresh hops. Indeed, I was rewarded with a pint glass of clear, coppery amber brew, with a two finger beige head. The head never completely dissolved and laced the glass with moderate amonts of sheet and patch foam.
The aroma is easily picked up from several feet away, and tempts the nose with a garden grove of lovely hops sensations. Grapefruit, orange, mango, and lemon, lead a citrus army, allied with plenty of pine and grassy notes.
Mouthfeel features ideal carbonation, with a fresh hops assault that is more creamy than resinous, and coats the mouth with bittersweet tangs.
Taste is well rounded, with a hops dominance that, thankfully, echoes the nose. Caramel malt appears in the background at times, but the citrusy fruits run this show. Lots of grapefruit and lemonrind in the taste, but a pear and apple duo creep into the picture as well. Absolutely dazzling!
This Alaskan brewery has really grabbed my attention with their two IPAs I've tried. Both picked up last week at the Vintage Cellar, in Blacksburg, Va.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2004 00:34:38 | More by merlin48

brentk56

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Apperance: Pours a hazy copper color with a bubbly head that leaves shards of lace around the glass

Smell: Pithy/piney hop aroma; rich, sweet brown sugar and honey undertones

Taste: Starts out with an intense wet hop piney bitterness which is joined by an impressive malty caramel flavor, mid-palate; after the swallow, the bitterness continues, but the malty flavors continue to balance with an underlying sweetness from the maple syrup, brown sugar and honey adjuncts; lemony finish

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied (slightly resinous) with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: An unusual twist on the DIPA category, with an distinct hop profile and the use of malt adjuncts; good for Midnight Sun to be so creative; sure wish I could get this around here as a winter seasonal

Thanks, msubulldog25

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2007 01:33:29 | More by brentk56

cswhitehorse

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Cohoho pours a dark amber color that is clear and you can barely see though. It leaves some consistent lacing around the side of the glass and comes with a freshness date. There is a small foam head that disappears quickly.

The smell is definitely a hop party to the nose. Ah, lovely. It has a grassy, pine, grapefruit about it.

The taste is really smooth for a double IPA. You get a soft hoppiness with a biscuit malt. In the mouth it is light and moderately carbonated. It has less of a kick than other imperials with its 8% abv. Overall a nice piece of work that shouldn't be a seasonal but maybe a year round selection.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2007 04:54:59 | More by cswhitehorse

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 4th week of November

Pours caramel/chestnut with 4+ fingers of fluffed up sand colored head. Good head retention & very good lacing

S: Piney hops & some breadyness

T: Cakeyness & grapefruitty hops up, plus dryness up front. More breadyness, a bit of boozeyness, caramel & more grapefruitty, plus some orange hops as this warms. Finishes with piney hops, dryness, a deft touch of fruittyness (apricots & apples) & bit of grapefruit hops at the end

MF: Chewy, somewhat creamy with moderate carbonation & great balance

Drinks easy for the style & abv, a fine DIPA. Happy to finally get to try some of this brewery's beers. Can't wait to get my hands on some Arctic Devil!

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2008 06:17:51 | More by russpowell

mjl21

California

4.45/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle purchased from Belmont Station in Portland. Poured into a Moonlight pint glass. Comes in at 8% and 85 IBUs. Bottled on the 4th week of November. This was purchased in October 2009 so it is the 2008 version. Consumed on 1/11/10.

A-Pours a dark brownish amber with a one finger off white head that has great retention. The head leaves huge patches of lace after every sip. When I hold the glass up to the light I am able to see a nice constant stream of bubbles.

S-Considering this has over a year of age on it, it has lots of grapefruit and pine hops coming out. There is also some orange peel. It also has a large caramel malt backbone and the brown sugar used is noticeable. At this point in time it smells like a nicely hopped barleywine. As it warms I pick up on the honey used.

T-It starts off sweet with caramel malt and brown sugar flavor and tastes like a good barleywine. The citrus hops used have definitely faded, but they are still noticeable and enhance the flavor. The juniper berries used can be detected as it goes down. As it warms lots of pine hop flavor comes out. It finishes surprisingly dry considering how much malt is noticeable.

M-Medium bodied, creamy, and lightly carbonated.

D-Has to be the best aged DIPA that I have tried. I try and drink my DIPAs as fresh as possible and did not know I was purchasing a year old bottle. The flavors in this one have blended extremely well together.

A surprisingly tasty aged beer. Would love to try this fresh. Will seek it out next winter.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 22:07:15 | More by mjl21

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured crystal clear deep amber brown. The head was white and lasted well to lace the glass.

The aroma was hoppy with substantial malt backbone. The aroma hits you in the face as you pour the beer and settles back into a subtle but complex hop/malt aroma.

The flavor was bitter and hoppy, but not overly so. The malt and caramel in the flavor does an excellent job of balancing the hoppiness.

The finish was just off dry caramel with lasting pleasant subtle bitterness into the aftertaste. The body was medium to medium full.

Well done!

22 ounce bottle. Bottled the first week of December (no year on bottle).

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2004 01:06:31 | More by GCBrewingCo

warmstorage

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64oz growler, filled at brewery on 12/07/07, $12.50, review same evening.

Appearance: deep red to copper, brilliantly clear. Limited head, slight lacing.

Taste: Deep piney resiny hops, earth, pine/spruce. Malt backbone present, makes the whole thing work well, but the hops (appropriately) shine.

Aroma: Tingly moderate to high carbonation, moderate mouth, moderate alcohol warmth.

Mouth: Outstanding, does exactly what a DIPA should do: hit you with hops, have just enough malt to back it up, and keep on delivering. Delicious.

Overall:

Serving type: growler

12-08-2007 02:33:15 | More by warmstorage

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Nice golden in color w/ a pretty decent head.

S: Overwhelming hop aroma! Floral and citrus. And I can't wait to try this.

T: This is what I'm talking about; a hop bomb. The taste followed right after the smell. Major hops, and again, both floral and citrus (mostly grapefruit).

M: Very nice. Nice and chewy.

D: Man do I wish I lived in Alaska!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2008 14:07:50 | More by gkatsoris

hopdog

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle.

Poured a dark amber/orange in color with a huge, five finger, head. Nice hoppy, citrus, piney, orange and grapefruit aromas. Tastes of citrus, pine, caramel, and had a grapefruit bitter finish. Malty balance. Dry, smooth and bitter finish.

Notes from 7/12/04

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 02:54:22 | More by hopdog

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4.4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Scored a 22oz bomber of this (for $7.50) at The Wine Society in Tyngsboro, MA. Has a real funky label, with a nasty-looking big-ass Coho Salmon in a Santa cap amidst some psychedelic stylings... Cohoho pours a clear, rich, deep amber color. A semi-hard pour produces a frothy, light tan head which rapidly thins down, yet maintains itself at about 1/4". Lacing is fairly decent as well, and this bier looks quite attractive in general. Aroma has a healthy amount of floral hoppiness, along with a mild smidge of caramel. Lovely mouthfeel as well! I somehow had an inkling it would be good just by the look of the bier when I poured it. It seemed to be thick and chewy out of the bottle and, sure enough, it does have a more than medium body, as well as a silky smoothness on the tongue. This bier has a nice balance of malt and hops, though still leaning more in the hop direction. Malt is lightly sweet with caramel aspects, followed by an abundance of citrussy hops which coat the tongue with luscious alpha-acids. I rather enjoyed this offering from way up north. Prosit!!

overall: 4.4
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | mouthfeel: 4.5 | drinkability: 4.5

658

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2003 20:09:41 | More by Bierman9

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nicely dark body for this style, its a deep brown with hints of amber on the sides. Hosts a 2 finger head that is a rich tan that leaves nice lace as it fades. Super hoppy nose yields a late season ripe citrus feel with nice balance. Rich and bitter mingle together as you indulge into this one at first sip. Hops come off soft and long but well presented. Bitterness is balanced with a slight malt character. A shockingly bold belly warmer for the style, woams more like an Impy stout. Mouthfeel is a hop induced malt mix richness. Very well made lovely brew for the season. I wish I could find this beer and many others from these guys in Indiana.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 17:34:10 | More by SPLITGRIN

mickeymac

California

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a highly-decorated bomber with enough text to keep you busy while knocking out the bottle, it pours a somewhat murky brown with a hint of orange. Hops smack the inside of the nostrils, but a nice maltiness makes its presence known shortly after the initial hop assault. Piney hop notes in the taste are nicely balanced by an assertive malt sweetness. The mouthfeel is nice and creamy and it's a definite sipper. This is a very nice beer, making the $7.00 price tag a bit easier to take.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2003 00:02:41 | More by mickeymac

Foxman

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

It pours a hazy, coppery amber, like a nicely brewed iced tea. A lush light tan head grows quickly and sticks around for a good while. Amorphous, modern-art lacings sticks to the sides of the glass.

The aroma delivers a sweet, toasty caramel-candy malt aura that hangs tough, then grudgingly gives way to a significant pine sap essence.

At first sip, a toffee-caramel sweetness swins forth, then quickly swings away to allow a dense and virtually resinous piney hop thrust to push through. The toasted malt continues to lurk, buoying a dry citrus character. A flash of baked dough checks in momentarily toward the end, then slips underneath a dry floral hops bitterness lingering at the finish. The interesting elements are even, but each maintains some definite borders.

Medium to thick bodied, the viscous hop oils create a lubricating sensation, swirling and coating, then not so much leaving as slickly sliding slowly and sensuously.

Glaciers of thanks to weefisheads for granting me this wonderfully suprising beer!
Alaska is a mighty big place, and while this beer is not overly big, it's chock full of piney flavor goodness. The hops are just muscular enough to happily counter the solid sweet malt spine. The substantial ABV is not much of a factor until you actually feel it, and it can sneak up on you if you're not forewarned. The well-segmented flavor draws you in for more, regardless. I truly enjoyed the staccato nature of the components in the flavor, because sometimes the edges don't need to be blurred to allow a beer to be full and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2004 16:41:02 | More by Foxman

GClarkage

California

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12/27/05- Purchased at John's Marketplace in Portland, OR.

Presentation- 22oz bottle with a bottled on date strip on the side of the label. Aged a bit over a year. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Darker golden pour, huge ass chunky pock marked head. Head eventually dies down, but still leaves over a 1/2 inch the entire drink. Beautiful lace streaks and chunks all over. About the prototypical look for a perfect DIPA.

Smell- Hops and malt combine to make a nice scent. Pine and tree sap with a bit of grapefruit for the hop scent as a nice medium dark caramel scent forms the malt.

Taste- Mmmm, aging has really brought out the malt in this beer. I've never had it fresh, but I'm assuming the hops are pretty big in this beer. Almost perfect balance, maybe a tad weighted on the malt. Nice caramel flavor and a light toasted malty taste as well. Hops are flavored with pine and an odd fruity flavor. Maybe on the side of a berry flavor rather than grapefruit. I see raspberry or bosenberry. Whatever it is, it's pretty tasty. Alcohol comes in to play half way in with some nice hop burps.

Mouthfeel- A wee bit overcarbonated, but still very drinkable. Heavier mouthfeel.

Drinkability- Maybe I can find a fresh one of these someday. The way it is though is pretty damn good as well. Recommended for aging.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2005 18:43:35 | More by GClarkage

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.38/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz from AKBelgianBeast included as an EXTRA!! Huge thanks goes out! Shared with my very appreciative brother (Midnight Sun is his favorite brewery after spending 4 summers in a row in Alaska after graduation). Mine share poured into my kasteel tulip.

Very nice fluffy head that leaves drippy lacing for the entire glass. Crystal clear amber with very pretty garnet highlites.

Aroma is all grapefruit and pine hops... wow. Only a touch of toasted and caramel malts just to keep things from getting out of hand.

Flavor is a hoppy wonderland. Big citrus and resinous overtones .. sorta greasy hoppiness in a good way.. very good way. Nice background malts and smooth bitterness. Mouthfeel is lite for the style but ultra creamy finish and great drinkability.

I don't know where people are getting "thick" on this brew... sorta thin but that adds immensly to the drinkability.

Frank gets huge beer karma on this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2008 07:04:04 | More by JohnGalt1

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 650 mL bomber purchased at Liquid Solutions.

A: The DIPA is a dark syrupy brown color, one of the darker double IPAs that I've seen that is not meant to be black. The darkness is just enough to prevent visibility. A huge head, white in color, is clinging thickly to the sides of the glass.

S: The darker malts add a strong caramel presence to the ale. The hop profile is pretty restrained, present but unwilling to come to the forefront.

T: This is really a double IPA? The hop profile, at first, is content to hide behind the caramel malts. The grains are darker chocolate, adding a full flavor to the body. Hops are citrusy, grapefruit particularly with a pine undertone. Floral flavors are a nice fit amongst the darker malts. The juniper is more reserved than in sahti, my only other frame of reference for juniper in beer.

M: Don't expect a hop bomb, this is far more subtle with a warming brown sugar and hop combo. I really like this one.

D: It doesn't feel like 8% and it doesn't taste like most any DIPA that I've had. I only wish that I had some more bottles sitting around.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 01:06:59 | More by akorsak

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this from ScreamForMe in SS09. Thanks, Mark.

A-A fine looking beer, indeed. Deep, crystal clear amber with a huge, long lasting, fluffy off white head.

S-Strong dark malt, a nice brown sugar sweetness meet a sweet hop note and a mild citrus note.

T-Sweet malt dominates the front, then a brown sugar sweetness and a very solid hoppy finish with some slight honey sweetness. Dark, intensely twiggy malt in the very finish.

M-Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and a long lingering maltiness.

D-Really excellent. A unique, wonderful DIPA.

HV

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 00:36:53 | More by sholland119