Open Container - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

tectactoe

Michigan

3.54/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

Open Container comes out somewhere between straw colored and a dull, light yellow; cloudy in the middle, similar to an unfiltered witbier, though not quite as vibrant. Absolutely no head, even after an aggressive pour straight down into the middle of the glass... how strange. It appears the carbonation is lost on this one.

Crisp, juicy pears, apples, and some fresh grapefruit make up a good portion of the first inhale, albeit it's a little more muted than I'd like. I'm picking up on some faint peach notes, as well. Despite already knowing that this beer should have some funk to it, I'm not really picking up any Brett or Brett-like qualities off the nose, or at least nothing that's grabbing my attention. Near the end of the sample, some very like oak and wood notes start to surface, but still nothing too reminiscent of funky yeast flavors.

Open Container does in fact have a sub-par level of carbonation as it hits my palate - I wonder if this was intended or if the carbonation somehow escaped from the bottle prematurely? The taste is still pretty nice and refreshing; lightly tart apples, pears, and maybe even some slight cherry notes bouncing back and forth. Halfway through the sip, the funk notes finally start to come out, and are still pretty quiet compared to the fruit. The damp, cellar-like funk transitions into an oaky, woody flavor that glides right into the aftertaste along with a light, fading, fruity sweetness. The body is thin-medium and unfortunately I am left wanting much more carbonation than is being offered to me.

Overall, a pretty good beer, although the low carbonation was killer. The flavors were pretty good, but they weren't particularly vibrant, wild, or "standout-ish". That being said, I wasn't disappointed, but I wasn't necessarily pleasantly surprised, either.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 21:54:20 | More by tectactoe

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.75/5  rDev +3%

01-09-2013 16:40:43 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to GT2 for opening this bottle. Served in a Midnight Sun goblet. Pours a slightly-hazy straw color with a short white head. Nose has a good dose of Brett with mild barnyard and a good lemon rind and citrus component. Flavor is initially mellow with light acidity through the finish. Light funk and good citrus. Slight straw. Light body with mellow carbonation. Really outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 18:28:55 | More by Thorpe429

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

10-29-2012 01:10:36 | More by t0rin0

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4/5  rDev +9.9%

09-13-2012 14:16:28 | More by coreyfmcdonald

popery

California

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

09-07-2012 18:16:09 | More by popery

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer is yellow and appears moderately hazy. Thin head which falls away quickly, leaving virtually no lacing. The aroma offers wild yeast, funk, sourness, tropical fruit. Some pineapple in the flavor. Lactic and acetic. Pretty light bodied. A decent wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 01:19:25 | More by Huhzubendah

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this beer way way more than others. Beer is yellow and hazy with a thin wispy white head, small bubbles, no retention, no lacing.

Aroma is funky, sour, a little acetic but not too much.

Beer is light and airy with a nice fruitiness, an almost pineapple like flavor, interesting. I"d have it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 02:09:27 | More by drabmuh

craytonic

District of Columbia

3.03/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Dark with low carbonation

Smell: I found it a bit off, a couple people like it but I got funk and bandaids in a bad way

Taste: I found this a bit off, pineapples perhaps? Just didn't fit with the color or appearance

Mouthfeel: low carbonation and a bit thin

Overall: a big let down, glad I got to tick it but it seemed off

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 19:03:05 | More by craytonic

ygtbsm94

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

06-09-2012 20:04:01 | More by ygtbsm94

CheapBeerBuzz

California

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

05-26-2012 20:04:33 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

leschkie

California

2.5/5  rDev -31.3%

04-29-2012 03:00:18 | More by leschkie

ehammond1

California

4.08/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this, murbubbler!

(Aged for 1 year)

Hazy, bright yellow with a small off-white head that leaves dots of stick down the glass.

Bright, aroma of pineapple, tropical fruit, and lychee.

The flavor follows the aroma with a significant sour elements as well. The pineapple/lychee flavor is big throughout, along with a relatively high level of sour.

Thin to medium bodied with low carbonation.

I loved this one. The flavors were bright, unique, and quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 22:39:26 | More by ehammond1

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pour pale yellow, transparent, thin tight white head. Nose is pungent and musty. There is some musky funk, a little sweaty with an over powering nose of grapefruit with skin. The grapefruit dominates the flavor, tastes like a whole grapefruit with skin. The musk is light with a touch of cheese and bitterness in the finish. The body is light, a touch oily, fairly dry and good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 13:36:59 | More by cpetrone84

UCLABrewN84

California

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle pour sampled at mrbubbler's tasting.

Pours a murky yellow with a bone colored head that fades to an oily film on top of the beer. No lacing on this one. Smell is of tropical fruit and some slight vegetal aromas. Taste is of slightly sour and funky tropical fruit flavors. This beer has a low level of carbonation with a somewhat flat mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good sour but the mouthfeel is pretty lacking in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 03:31:38 | More by UCLABrewN84

bsuedekum

Missouri

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-31-2012 05:46:46 | More by bsuedekum

Souleman

California

4/5  rDev +9.9%

02-19-2012 19:39:58 | More by Souleman

illidurit

California

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle shared at the January 2012 Santa Cruz tasting at Sante Adairius. Pours a yellow gold with a minimal head. Funky aroma, chlorine and phenols, lemon verbena, pineapple. Tart but not very sour flavor, maybe a little lactic influence, floral notes and brett. Kinda mild. Low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 08:50:13 | More by illidurit

Diomede

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-28-2012 22:24:09 | More by Diomede

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by aasher at a tasting at his place...

This looks and feels like a white wine... Very little head vanished immediately. No signs of carbonation. Very clear and light golden color.
Smells of giant funk, sour green apples, and some white grapes. The flavor has a nice tartness to it, but it is a little overshadowed by the funk... Can "urine-soaked oak" work as a descriptor? Some pears and gentle apricots come through as well...

So the tartness shows nice signs of sour potential as I swallow, but then the beer entirely disappears. It finishes thin and watery, and nothing lingers.

Overall-- fun to try, and decent, but I'm glad I didn't have to be the one to trade for it.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 01:37:48 | More by AleWatcher

aasher

Indiana

3.35/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This bottle was courtesy of BrewerB in a past box. Thanks Brian!

This beer pours a light bodied, bright almost fluorescent yellow with mild turbidity. You get instant funk in the pour. The nose is definitely funky with a lemon peel, pineapple like hybrid sour. It has a strange sweet fruit presence that is light and subtle. The flavor features a light sour pineapple, apple core, pear, and citrus aspect and finishes very quickly. It drinks a little thin with barely present carbonation. The beer is solid but the mouthfeel is a little distracting. The funk is nice and the pineapple aspect is different. It was a nice beer to try.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 01:28:44 | More by aasher

whartontallboy

New York

4/5  rDev +9.9%

01-02-2012 00:03:44 | More by whartontallboy

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light white head. Color is a pale yellow.

Aroma: a nice fruity acidicness. Lemon and pineapple. Oaky. Acidic. Grapes. Smell is good. Some spices.

Taste: Reminds me of a Belgian witte. Lemon zest and citrus. Some oak and pineapple. Really fruity in general. Tasty. Not sour though.

Mouthfeel: A little funky, but clean. Lighter bodied with a lighter amount of carbonation. Ends clean.

Overall, this is a really light refreshing beer. It is tasty, but not really a wild. I could definitely drink a lot of this. I don't think it should be a wild ale, however. It was a good beer, but not a good wild.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 00:40:45 | More by mothman

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +9.9%

12-13-2011 23:57:15 | More by spycow

Ryan1423

Alaska

5/5  rDev +37.4%

11-26-2011 06:47:58 | More by Ryan1423