Trickster - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.84/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked up a bottle at the brewpub. The box said October 2012. It has the newer sticker type label, so I believe it is a new batch.

A - Pours a clear dark orange-brown with a light tan head the moves to the edges and sits in a ring.

S - Cloves, gingerbread, pumpkin, pepper, Belgian yeast.

T - Halloween spices, ginger, clove, peppery, yeasty. A bit muted at this point.

D - Mild carbonation and a light body. Smooth mouthfeel.

O - I thought this one might be a bit old, and it probably was. Still good flavors, but a bit muted.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 06:44:18 | More by HuskyinPDX

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle from 2010 I think.

Pours clear gold with a four inch head of spongy white. A slow retreat settled to a half inch foam cap with plenty of meshy lacing throughout the glass.

Aromatics lead off with apples, bubblegum, cloves, and orange blossom honey. Hints of coriander and nutmeg follow through.

Light bodied with a crisp, snappy mouthfeel.

Citrus, spice, and honey-drizzeled malt start the palate. Red apples, orange peel, with cloves and bits of ginger.

Finishes with light spice, clovey phenols, and bubblegum.

Tasty Belgian style pale ale. No pumpkin coming through at this point, but the spicing is well integrated now and the high level of carbonation really helps this one stand up nicely.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 01:34:18 | More by brewandbbq

JohnnyP3

Alaska

3.58/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber into a C&B Belgian glass. Bottled second week of September 2011. Pours a burnt orange/copper with a thin head of white foam. Slightly hazy with carbonation clearly visible.

Aroma is comprised of spicy pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon. Some hints of Belgian yeast as well.

Nice fresh spiced pumpkin with, as the nose suggested, some seasonal spices--nutmeg, cinnamon, and some clove. The Belgian yeast also makes its presence felt in the panoply of tastes. Pumpkin is definitely spiced with some peppery flavors. Overall, very fresh and festive for this time of year.

Mouthfeel is crisp and lively, keeping things interesting. One of the lighter bodied pumpkin beers.

Overall, a nice twist on the style by introducing the Belgian yeast. Fresh pumpkin taste and interesting spicy qualities. Takes a little getting used to.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 05:23:01 | More by JohnnyP3

ccrida

Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bomber (thx Jeremiah!) poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, Trickster is clear brassy gold with a big white head that leaves nice, sticky lace.

Smell is spicy phenols and sweet cereals, a floral perfume.

Taste is okay, this is a generic American take on a Belgian blonde, spicy (again more yeast like then any specific spice that was added). I'm not sure I really taste the pumpkin...there's a vague vegetable component, but I wouldn't ID it as pumpkin if I wasn't told the beer was made with it. But it detracts, rather then enhances my enjoyment of this honestly mediocre brew, that doesn't strike me as being very reminiscent of fall like most pumpkin beers. The aftertaste really doesn't work to well for me, like overripe pumpkin or something. The sweetness of the malt seems cheap as well. A rare miss from MSBC.

Mouthfeel is very dry and spicy, medium light bodied.

Drinkability isn't super high, as the taste just isn't that good, and the spicy mouthfeel is fatiguing. This one needs retooled, or retired.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 05:55:19 | More by ccrida

gford217

Georgia

3.4/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Ira for another MSBC bottle, poured into a tulip.

Pours a very light, clear amber with a big fluffy white head that recedes slowly to a collar and leaves a little bit of lacing.

The aroma is fairly muted for a pumpkin ale. It really smells like a Belgian golden with some pumpkin and spices thrown in. The spicy Belgain yeast and some fruity esters are just as prevalent as the pumpking and spices.

The taste is more of the same though the spices come out a little more than in the aroma. The pumpkin is very subtle hardly noticeable and, again, the slightly sweet/spicy Belgian yeast backbone is the most noticeable flavor in the taste. The finish is lightly spicy, with both yeast and holiday spices present.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with good carbonation and very much like an average Belgian golden ale.

This one certainly pales in comparison to Treat, though that's certainly a difficult comparison. It certainly doesn't sit squarely in the pumpkin ale category as the Belgian yeast is much more prominent than any pumpkin or spice flavors. As pumpkin ales go, it's fairly average.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2009 02:45:16 | More by gford217

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

3.3/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A new fall brew from midnight sun.

Pours a totally clear very light orange with a white head that falls very quickly to a ring and some skim, but does leave ok lacing.

Nose is very faint, limited amounts of spice, and next to nothing else. Some slight, almost corn like notes.

Taste is pretty bland as well. The pumpkin spices do make themselves known, but this tastes like nothing more than a bland golden ale with a short helping of spices tossed in loosely. It's pretty balanced, and easy drinking, but for a pumpkin ale im looking for something alot more rich and spicy. The finish has slight bitterness, but not much. There is a little bit of a metallic twinge in the aftertaste, some spices and that little corn like presence linger.

Mouthfeel is about right, viscosity is where it oughta be and the carbonation is fine.

Drinkability is solid, as this one is far from overspiced, underspiced and lacking in substance if anything.

Overall, im slightly dissappointed with this one. Its probably good for people who don't like alot of spice in their pumpkin ale, and prefer a much lighter fall seasonal. Midnight sun will always be my first love for a pumpkin infused beer (ICPP or "TREAT") but this one falls way short of their high standards. Glacier Brewhouse or Moose's Tooths pumpkin ales are much better options this fall. A tolerable beer, but not one i'll buy again.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 04:42:25 | More by AKBelgianBeast