Panty Peeler - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a bright, orange-gold body with a tall, finely-textured, white head.

Smell: Sweet-smelling, candyish nose of malts peppered with punchy notes of dried coriander and floral, bitterish orange peel.

Taste: Sweet, delicately bready malts stippled with traces honey and treacle. The herbaceous, spicy coriander adds a nice pungent accent. As does the added orange peels which combine with the sweet sugars to give off a taste of chilled marmalade. Additional fruitiness tasting of ripe white peaches. No more than the faintest hop bitterness at the halfway mark. Final touches of citrus and spice in the drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Some sugary stickiness to the luscious mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Recommended. Though a little on the sweet side, it was still quite enjoyable. A pleasant tripel from Midnight Sun.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 17:59:01 | More by ChainGangGuy

rye726

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a golden brown with a silky beige head. Great carbonation and nice lacing. Nose has orange, coriander, bready malts and spicy Belgian yeast. Taste has citrus, candy malts, white grapes, coriander, peppery alcohol and an herbal Belgian yeast presence. Lacks the complexity found in the aroma. Medium body is well carbonated, but a tad thin through the finish. Tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 03:03:15 | More by rye726

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a rich honey gold color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose I get some maraschino cherry, dry orange peel, lime, honey and spice. This beer smells great. Flavors on the palate generally replicate the nose, and I have to say this is really one of the better domestic versions I've had of a Belgian tripel. There is just enough hoppy bitterness to conter some of the rock candy flavor sweetness and spice in this beer. There is also some underlying orange peel and coriandor noticeable as well, further adding to the flavor complexity. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a mouthwatering component that is impressive. Drinkability is excellent, with the alcohol very well hidden and disguised.

This beer is just delicious, and my only regret is that it's so hard to come by. Yummy stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 16:18:34 | More by johnmichaelsen

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of, if I'm not mistaken, alaskajoe. Thanks!! Poured into a cervoise.

Appearance: Pours a golden orange body, largely transparent - though with the slightest amount of chill haze - moderately fully of relatively large-sized carbonation of average speed. The head - slightly offwhite, and a little dull - is incredibly fizzy, bubbly, seething and frothing and foaming down to a thin sheen fairly quickly. Huge floaties in the finish, thick, chunky, sheet-like.

Aroma: Spicy coriander, peaches, apricots, bananas, yeasty notes, a slight alcohol burn that blends with white pepper, big curacao orange, and tons of stray floral notes comprise the majority of this brew.

Taste: Grainy and very floral in the front, backed up by a lot of traditional tripel notes. Very strong in the citrus - pungent, robust blood orange - cloves, lemons, juniper berry, white pepper, strong coriander. Relatively dry and acidic. A little green and pithy. Slight peach. It's an interesting and varied taste, perhaps a little too spicy, green, and dry, but on the whole fairly interesting. Herbal, dry, almost slightly funky.

Mouthfeel: Fluffy, full-bodied, but still somehow rather even. The crisp, large effervescence noted above doesn't manage to destroy the smoothness of the body, probably because this brew's a little thicker than usual.

Drinkability: 8.5% isn't too high ... but it's high. This beer's not too amazingly awesome ... but it's authentic. Less green, acidic, and heavy spices and more sweet, varied, and fruity notes would be better. But this is still good. Hmmm, yes, good. I have another handful of Midnight Suns in my closet, and knew that this one likely wouldn't quite stack up to a lot of their other special brews, but I still enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2009 04:47:39 | More by CrellMoset

atsprings

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Well, here goes another American-brewed Tripel, lets see how this one is. 22oz bomber into a Duvel snifter pours a hazy, bubbly orange with a nice frothy khaki head that slowly diminishes to a thin layer and leaves slight lacing on the glass. Aroma is loads of sweet malts, spices such as coriander and orange peel, and hints of citrus hops. The taste is loads of sweet malts and candi sugar with a decent amount of spice, but not enough for the loads of sweetness. The beer is medium bodied with slight alcohol presence and decent carbonation. This one seems a little over the top on the sweetness, a little more balance would do this one some good.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 08:32:32 | More by atsprings

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours attractive, though light golden yellow, with abundant white head. That head is musty funk initially, and then yeasty. Drinks very extreme corriander, orange in finish and aftertaste that is most satisfying. Above average mouthfeel. Midnight Sun has been doing a fine job with their Belgiums these days.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2009 04:05:32 | More by northyorksammy

brdc

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Large capped bottle poured into a goblet while listening to DFFD from The Dictators.

Dark golden, nearly orange color, with a dense, long lasting foamy white head that leaves nice, dense lacing, but not sticky.
Aroma is mostly made of sweetish candy sugar, orange notes, lots of spices.
Medium bodied, those spices (mostly coriander but other peppery flavors are around) here get a bit overwhelming. The orange notes are quite noticeable, lots of sweet touches, but the spices come in waves, at times obliterating some of the other flavors.
A good beer, but far from Midnight Sun's best. Not a lot of "peeling" will happen with this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 23:15:18 | More by brdc

GClarkage

California

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

05/31/09- Purchased at John's Marketplace in Portland, OR.

Presentation- 22oz bottle with notched date strip on the side of the label..this one happened to be late October '08. Poured into my Don De Dieu tulip.

Appearance- Has a different color pour than I am used to for a tripel. Almost an amber colored pour. 3/4 inch semi rocky head and light lace patchwork and lines left behind.

Smell- Nice aroma of corriander, lots of spices and a bit of lemon.

Taste- Smells about the same as the aroma. Maybe a bit too much on the spices. Corriander is quite heavy, followed by a good dose of confectioniers sugar...lastly some light lemon rind and some peppery spice.

Mouthfeel- Tight and brisk carbonation feel. Fits the style perfectly. Ultra slight metallic note in the aftertaste, but that is nitpicking.

Drinkability- Good job at at an american made tripel. I bit too over the top on the spices, but still quite good and quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2009 04:08:20 | More by GClarkage

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.9/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I got this bottle from joe1510 in a trade. Thanks Joe!

22oz bottle, very cool label.

It pours a hazy orange gold with a 1 finger head of foam.

The smell is definitely of oranges and corriander. Hey, they mention them on the label, for Pete's sakes and they weren't lying. lol Nice nose.

The taste brings the coriander and oranges to the forefront and I'm very pleased they did. I get some notes of bready malt as well and a light dash of pepper. It is also pretty darned sweet so maybe some candy sugar is playing some games with my palate? Or honey? Whatever, I like the sweetness.

It's pretty light bodied with a low level of carbonation.

Drinkability? I get a touch of warming after the swallow but otherwise, the abv is well hidden. I think it's a bit different from the Tripels I've tried before and so, I'm going to be a little obtuse about how I feel about how drinkable it is until I finish the bottle.

Ok, done. Good drinkability. It's tasty, it smells good, it's different and... that's the bottom line but if you read the label before you buy, there's no unwanted surprise. A good Tripel.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 20:58:04 | More by Bitterbill

froghop

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pours a cloudy orange with a medium size egg-shell head, and great lacing.

smell is of yeast, straw, fruit, and some spice.

taste is creamy, fruit, spice, and yeast, end is a little dry.

overall okay for a tripel not the best (i've had much better), but good to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2009 03:11:25 | More by froghop

alphanon

Washington

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

First time ever trying any Midnight Sun beer, and this was a good one to try. Color was an orange color and a little haze. Nice white head that hung around a little while and good lacing on the side as the beer was drank. Nose was citrus and malt, with a hint of hop but barely detectable. The 8.5% of this beer was not detectable in the flavor, it had malt and spice and yeast notes. The mouthfeel was full good for the style and completely drinkable. Can't wait to crack the other 2 bottles in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2009 23:50:04 | More by alphanon

kmadison

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A nice American take on a Tripel. Typical tropical fruits and sweetness to it, but a little more presence with the hops as well. Not in the mood for a story-length review, but a good brew from Midnight Sun and further upholds their reputation for solid beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 01:14:14 | More by kmadison

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

22oz bottle. sampled march 21/09.

pours nearly clear orangey-amber with a small white head. when held to the light you can see super fine particles throughout, lending just a touch of haze to the appearance. the head quickly drops to a ring around the glass, but that ring lingers long down the glass and leaves spotty lace.

aroma is great. actually reminds me a lot of the stone sawyer's tripel that we sampled before it. light tropical fruit - pineapple, papaya, mango. white bread and a touch of cracker. light alcohol. faint belgian yeasty spice.

taste is good. here the tropical fruit seems to fade a bit and is joined by tangerine and orange. there's a light floral component to it and a definite american hopping profile. nice honey, caramel, and fruity sweetness. gentle alcoholic warmth. whole wheat bread and cracker. bit of grain.

mouthfeel is good. medium body, not quite as dry as i'd expect for the style. medium carbonation, a little lighter than many, but i don't mind.

drinkability is pretty good. decent balance. a little sweeter than i'd like, and a decided american slant, but a nice attempt at the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 03:11:26 | More by grub

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle, big thanks to googzoid10 for the bottle.

Pours a light hazed golden orange, very nice colour, thick white head forms, slowly settles to a very thick ring and thin layer, tons of chunky lacing sticks to the glass, looks like a good tripel. Smell is nice, very citrusy, some orange peel and spice, lemon, coriander, sweet malt, some honey and biscuit, floral/grapefruit hoppiness, light sour fruit, some acidity, pretty nice. Taste is real nice, mangoes, honey, very fruity, lots of sweet orange peel and grapefruit, yeast, wheat, some alcohol, lemon acidity, light toast and biscuit in the finish, bit of spicy bitterness but well balanced. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation, some warmth going down but a pretty neat tripel, if a little hot. I like the citrus character in this one, good stuff. Thanks Greg!

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 02:52:32 | More by Viggo

jsapunor

California

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a nice golden with a marvelous thick head that sticks around.

Definite citrus smell.

Very spicy taste with the orange, coriander, hops and malt in nice balance. The orange is present but not dominant.

A nice oily mouthfeel.

Very drinkable, dangerously so at 8.50% ABV. Very refreshing. The label made me buy it but the taste will keep me coming back. Another nice offering from Midnight Sun.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 22:36:12 | More by jsapunor

jdense

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle purchased at John's Marketplace into Judas tulip glass.

Hazy orange with 2 finger, quickly dissipating head, no lacing to speak of. Big orange flavor up front, sweet orange aftertaste, a bit of coriander and sweet malt in the end. Fabulous carbonated mouthfeel. Not really a session beer, but pretty drinkable. A nice example of the style. Recommended

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2009 02:06:00 | More by jdense

joedon

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

What a great beer! Crystal clear dark gold color with a sticky white long-lasting head.

Subtle aroma with honey, spice and grain.
Taste is right on for a tripel. Spicy, hoppy and assertive with a nice malt balance.

Nicely fizzy carbonation with a smooth finish and aftertaste. Very drinkable even for a big beer.

Worth your effort to get some of this from Alaska.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2009 20:48:48 | More by joedon

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Guess it's time i reviewed one of these with the new "altered" recipe.

Pours a nice slightly hazy orange yellow with a nice stark white head that retains well and leaves excellent lacing.

Nose is full of ripe pears and apples, slight peach, good fruity esters, belgian yeast makes its way through and there does seem to be a touch more spice in this than I remember in epluche.

Wow. I really like this brew. One of the best and most underrated tripels made in the US IMO. The fruit flavors are so strong and the belgian yeast is pronounced. There is a significant spice presence, but it melds very very well. Some pepper and coriander most noteably. A good bit of citrus presence here, but it is more of a sweetness, not an astringent flavor. Apple and some pear and peach flavors are noticeable to me here as well. Such a flavorful beer. The finish has a nice crispness to it, but I would like it to be just a touch dryer. Fruit flavor and some spice linger on in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is a touch too thick here, and this one could use just a splash more carbonation as well. It is great how it is, but could use just a tweak of adjustments in the mouthfeel.

Drinkability is solid. The abv does not show up at all. Again a slight boost in carbonation, and thinning it out just a touch could help here, but so good how it is.

Overall. This is one beer I really take issue with the rating on. Oh your bias to midnight sun, blah blah blah, Ive heard it all, but I still stand by the fact that this is one of the best tripels out there. Granted, I am not exactly a Tripel connoisseur, but this one just rubs me the right way in almost every aspect. Defenitely Midnight Sun's most underrated beer, IMO. Great, great beer. A classic growler fill when I just can't decide...I suggest you do the same.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 06:27:38 | More by AKBelgianBeast

GIVEMEBACKMYSON

Alaska

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Smell is abrubtly coriander based, but other things, like cherry pits and freshly felled white maple trunks suggest themselves, and a raw sourdough background is noticed as well.

Appearance is really nothing too special, particularly. Below average head, golden straw color. It could be anything.

The coriander is the loudest player in the band of flavors as well. Tart orange peels lend bitterness and balance to this tripel and keep it from going utterly bread roll. There are some unconsumed sugars lurking about that which cause it to lean precariously to the side of cornhusk at a couple of vulnerable moments.

Mouthfeel is a bit on the heavy cumbersome side for the style. Some more CO2 would have helped both mouthfeel and flavor distribution.

Still, pretty drinkable. The orange peel tartness really saved the day. If not for that, it would have definitely been needing in the hops/CO2 department in a desperate way. Instead, it is quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 02:17:45 | More by GIVEMEBACKMYSON

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.98/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this one fro joe1510, Cheers Joe! looks like this from August 02 or 07??

Pours apricot/honey with a pinky of beige head. Good head retention & average lacing

S: Apples, pears, dirt

T: Apricots, green apples, a bit of dirt & a touch of lemony hops up front. Much dryness, a bit of dry cider vibe here, plus just a touch of estery yeast that grows stronger as this warms, I start getting some curacao & orange zest. Finishes dry, with estery apple, a touch of grapefruit & orange zest & a kiss of booze. Almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Somewhat sticky, there is fairly strong carbonation, medium bodied

Drinks fairly easy, if you can get past the estery character of this, this is a nice complex & earthy tripel

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 04:59:08 | More by russpowell

gford217

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of NoonanDBarbarian poured into a tulip.

This one pours a deep golden orange with a fluffy white three-finger head that recedes to an inch-thick cap that lingers throughout. The lacing is very good.

The aroma is a spiced up version of a typical tripel. It has the generous Belgian yeast aroma and slight candied sugar presence. But on top of that I get a healthy dose of citrus hops, lemons and oranges, and coriander.

The taste starts out with the citrus hops, with a hint of lemony tartness in the background. The Belgian yeast is present as well and the finish has a touch of the lemon zest and a generous dose of spices. I also got an interested toasted grain presence throughout which I wasn't expecting.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with lots of carbonation with a slightly dry, toasty finish.

This is another creative take on a Belgian style from Midnight Sun, who I continue to be impressed with in general. Not one of my favorites from them but still recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2008 22:02:15 | More by gford217

orcasteve

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

poured a orangeish yellow color with minimal head. the smell was alchoal and oranges. the taste was nice sweet alshoal that gets sweater as it warms. i taste oranges and a honey sweetness, and a tang of corrander, like a sweet and sour sause. verry thick and yeasty, this is like a fine wine or liquid breed. their is a wave of dryness in the final flavor. all and all not a bad beer but one is enough for me

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2008 14:35:46 | More by orcasteve

mnapier

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Service Temperature, 50 degrees farenheit. Glassware, 12 ounce Tulip.

Pouring orange and clear this strong (initially) off-white foamy headed beauty leaves a cap of foam on top with little or no lace laying around.
The nose starts dry and slightly earthy, that grows spiced with a dash of alcohol and some slight sweetness.
Swirling this around in my mouth I get hints of apple, a slight citrus.
Overall mouth is a little bit light to medium.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2008 02:45:00 | More by mnapier

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks goes out to Frank for sending me down this gem. I had the original a long time ago so I was thrilled when I saw this one coming out with not only a new name but a new recipe as well. Put this one immediately into the fridge and decided to feast upon it last night. Served chilled to cellar temp and poured into a snifter. Consumed on 09/22/2008.

The pour on this one was very nice. Rich dark yellow in color with a good amount of haze and cloudiness built into it. Lots of carbonation streaking up toward the top of the glass, converging into a large, easily two inch high head of white foam that gracefully sat on top of the glass dropping tons of sticky side glass lace in its wake.

Huge citrus nose on this one. Very pungent with orange peel and lemon zest clearly represented on top on a nice Belgian ale. Some light notes of grass, peaches, and maybe some light grain all coming together quite nicely to provide a well balanced attack on the senses. The flavor was just as solid here. Rich notes of biting citrus just came ripping through your tongue, shredding the taste buds initially before relaxing into a mellow, but still highly floral Belgian ale. Some light notes from the alcohol and the yeast started to peak through as it warmed, hinting at some depth. Letting it come close to room temp is where you really start to find that depth. Some light grain like malts, hints of peaches and bananas and just an all out really nice profile. One of the brightest tasting Belgian ales I have had in a very long time. Medium bodied feel was never dull with a more then adequate carbonation profile that was just wonderful. A sure fired sipper, I enjoyed this one tremendously over the course of the evening.

Overall I cannot say enough good things about what they are doing over at Midnight sun. One of the best breweries out there right now for sure. Just wonderful stuff and this was one of the best Belgian inspired beers I have had in a good long time.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2008 10:26:08 | More by mikesgroove

ccrida

Oregon

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

This is the new name for Épluche-Culotte. There's also a slight change to the recipe, more orange peel and coriander, like it apparently had when it was first released. Classy cartoon label with a naked chick riding a reindeer. I guess after spending a a long dark winter drinking Midnight Sun's heady brews, that might seem like a good idea, although guys might want to be mindful of frostbite!

Bomber poured into my Lost Abbey goblet, Panty Peeler is clear dark golden copper with a very large, dense, off-white head that leaves decent lace. Not a fan of darker tripels.

Smell is citrusy, no doubting the increased spices, with some vanilla, orange creamsicle like. Served about 60F, it gets a bit cloying and boozy as it warms.

Taste is also heavy on the citrus spices initially, quickly cut by a metallic, dry dusty sharpness, maybe the coriander, or abbey yeast, probably amplified by the alcohol, with a pretty abrupt finish. I like the contrast, and the depth from the orange peel is nice, but could do without the tinny, blood like aftertaste. Overall, a pretty tasty, full flavored tripel, the more I drink the better it gets. I put off buying a bottle of Épluche-Culotte for a formal review for years, and now it's gone, so I can't really compare my notes, only vague memories, but I'd probably prefer less spices - as is almost always the case.

Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, medium bodied, a bit yeasty towards the end.

Drinkability is pretty good, I like their amped up take on a tripel. Normally, extra spices trouble me, but here I think they put the emphasis on the curacao rather then coriander, which worked well with the sweet malt and peppery abbey yeast.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2008 23:08:51 | More by ccrida