Moscow - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

LordChesterfield

Oregon

5/5  rDev +19%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Typical Russian imperial in every aspect accept for the taste and smell. It has a wonderful mix of oaky and floral smells and the taste is smooth and inviting. Notes of coffee, hints of molasses with a well integrated hop flavor, also a vague fruitiness. It has a very light aftertaste that only adds to the drinkability. It has a perfect level of bitterness. The alcohol level is dangerous as hell though, and isn't convenient for quaffing. Youz'll get drunk fast.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 01:32:10 | More by LordChesterfield

harrymel

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

2013 release.

This is black with a broken sheet of toasted graham foam. When I first cracked this beer and took a whiff off the bottle, it smelled great. Now that I've poured the beer and let it breath for a few minutes, we have chocolate banana oatmeal. There's some molasses and booze there too, a touch of spiced grains and warm milk. Flavor is sweet, roasted, some metal, some oats, plenty of cocoa and burnt toast, maybe a touch of coconut as it warms. Medium on full bodied with really low carbonation - this all comes together beautifully; honestly a really, really fine body and feel with a wet finish. I'm kinda torn on this beer, on one hand I really dig it, on the other, I think it's an absolute strikeout for the style. Fuck it, grading to taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 06:56:35 | More by harrymel

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.46/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Belmont Station.

Pouring an impressive black with a dense, dark brown head that's thick, creamy and long-lasting, this is a gorgeous RIS. The lacing is decent too. The nose has in incredible amount of rye up front, but it pairs very well with the heavily roasted grain character. Roast, mild char, unsweetened cocoa, a little bit of smoke, along with a little bit of spicy anise and a touch of fennel. Pretty excellent.

The palate opens with a big, bready rye flavor along with an excellent stout base. This is not a plain-vanilla RIS, this is a well-done RIS. Unsweetened dark chocolate, smoke, a mild but perfectly balanced ashy/grainy acidity. The mid-palate does have some sweetness, but it's more along the lines of a blend of buckwheat honey and pumpernickel bread. Mildly spicy as well, with a little bit of fennel and some anise and even some licorice. Full in body (does the rye add to the silkiness I feel?), soft and creamily carbonated, this beer finishes with a blend of grainy bitterness, a little bit of burnt grain (but no acrid notes) and a nice rye flavor. Alcohol is very well-hidden too. As it breathes, it gains a mild vinous character. Very good, this is highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 04:20:57 | More by DefenCorps

Kevin73

Washington

4.14/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

This is a gorgeously thick, syrupy, chewy beer! One of the thickest beers I've ever come across. Pours a beautifully opaque and deliciously sludgy brownish black with a caramel head, but unfortunately with almost no lacing. Looks great while you're pouring it as the head sinks swirling artfully into the abyss. Feels wonderful in the mouth, not too oily, coating disappears quickly and leaves very little aftertaste. The flavor was not as complex as I'd like, dominated by the roasted malts, with very subtle chocolate, fruit, vanilla and a bit of tartness on the finish. I did not find it to be a particularly well balanced flavor, a problem I find with a lot of imperials. That being said, there are worse flavors to dominate than dark malts. This is not a bad tasting beer by any stretch and is one of the better imperial stouts I've tried. The rich thickness of it is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:38:20 | More by Kevin73

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Elysian snifter. Pours pitch black with very slight signs of carbonation, leaving patches of brown foam and a ring around the glass leaving patchy lacing. Light aroma of toasted malt and chocolate, hints of coffee and vanilla. Flavor starts with toasted and charred malt, cooked coffee, chocolate with an interesting lighter spicy fruit component that must be contributed by the rye. Finishes with toasted and charred malt with light hop bitterness. Although the pour appeared viscous, the mouth feel is medium to heavy with little detectable carbonation. An interesting RIS, that seems a bit light on flavor, but that could be a result of the rye toning down the toasted malt elements. I would have liked a bit more robust malt, but the lighter rye spiciness keeps this interesting. The lack of carbonation was a distraction, but the pleasant heavy body became more pronounced as I drank over time, so the mouthfeel and appearance components would have a higher rating with a better carbonated bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 20:13:18 | More by LiquidAmber

Kuaff

Alaska

4.74/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured at cellar temperature from a bomber into my snifter.

When I poured this beer, even the thin stream flowing out of the bottle appeared almost completely black. This is definitely the blackest beer I've seen. As it pools in the glass, delicate sheets of fine brown foam swirl mysteriously across the surface, accumulating into a small, dense head which fades pretty fast. Just beautiful.

The smell has qualities of sweet milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and rich coffee. Smells like the most awesome chocolate dessert ever.

It tastes much like it smells, with the chocolate and coffee coming through, and a roasty, charred aftertaste. There is also some smokiness that reminds me of my family's Alaskan smoked king salmon (just the smoky taste, not the salmon taste). The rye this beer was brewed with is pretty subtle at first, but really comes through a lot more as it warms.

This stuff is thick! Like, NOTICEABLY thick. Very viscous indeed. But this is welcome, as it makes the beer feel substantial and enhances the richness. The carbonation is right where I want it.

Moscow Russian Imperial Stout is out of this world! There are so many dimensions to it... And 11% ABV? I was much too busy being seducted by this black, bodacious brew to notice that at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 19:21:43 | More by Kuaff

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -19%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a sluggish jet black which presents a nice mocha colored cap. Some good head retention leaves a good trail of bubbles around the glass and some lacing after a few moments.

S: Rather lackluster. Some soot, chocolate, booze and rye pretty much sums it up.

T: Initial taste has some soot or ash like notes as Thorpe called it with a buried dark chocolate, dark fruit, a rye presence pops but mellows out and a little booze sting which lingers on throughout the taste. Their is a big underlying roastiness throughout.

M: Full body, agressive on the palate, well carbonated. Just not much going on for me but this beer coats the palate well but i wish it were coated with better tasting notes and flavor

O: Not a bad beer, but a letdown at the pricepoint.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 17:19:11 | More by barleywinefiend

atalayafr

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Deep french press dark but with obvious texture. Really dark! No head.
S-Mild rye, gentle alcohol. Pleasant.
T-Quite a bit more rye in the taste than was present in the smell. A bit more alcohol on the tongue and moderate alcohol effervescence as well. A subtle hint of cherry.
M-Buttery but not slippery. Starts slick but becomes drier once the rye and alcohol land.
O-A pretty pour. So dark there's some trepidation to it. But it's not overwhelming in rye or alcohol and mouthfeel keeps it drinkable. A good Russian Imperial Rye!
S-22oz Bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 05:49:51 | More by atalayafr

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle shared thanks to starrdogg, thanks Matt! This is a 2011 bottling.

The pour is very viscous and thick looking, jet black with very little tan head.

The smell is very roasty, some nice fudge sweetness and molasses as well. Anise like notes as well. Pillowy almond and alcohol.

The taste is ok, has nice roast to it and a decent amount of malt to back it up. But overall seems like the flavor is a little thinner than I had hoped, it seems to have very little going on mid palate. Rye is fine but maybe a littl much. Definite coffee bitters at the finish. Some cream flavor to sweeten it up.

The feel is decent, thinner than most imperial stouts, but semi coating overall.

A good but not great imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:16:38 | More by Dreadnaught33

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of GT2. Served in a Midnight Sun goblet. Pours near black with a short mocha head. Nose has quite a bit of roast along with some ash. Strong roast and a bit of chocolate. Flavor has quite a bit of ash. Medium body. Slightly viscous. Ashy and dry. A bit bitter. Not a huge fan.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 18:37:54 | More by Thorpe429

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Talk about a pleasant surprise... on tap at the Apex yesterday.

The beer pours a blackish brown color, with a creamy, coffee colored head. Retention is very good in tihs beer, and it has a viscuous look about it. The nose is equally impressive in this beer, as I pick up considerable milk chocolate, light coffee and vanilla, and maybe a hint of caramel, along with an interesting rye component as well. I wasn't really sure how well the rye would work in an RIS, but it's not bad at all (probably helps that this is a terrific RIS), and adds an interesting aroma (and flavor component) to this beer. The flavor profile replicates the nose very closely, though there's an interesting hint of licorise and hoppy bitterness as well in the finish that I like. Mouthfeel is fairly full, and the beer has a long, soft creamy finish. Alcohol is well integrated into the flavor profile, and there's really no hint of the 11% abv.

An altogether excellent beer from Midnight Sun. Glad I got to try this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2012 16:41:51 | More by johnmichaelsen

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.88/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottles of this from Masterski and claaark13. Love this brewery and especially love their stout beer. Thanks heaps for the bottles of this stuff gents!

From a bomber into a snifter
2011 World Tour Series
Imperial Stout brewed with Rye

APPEARANCE: Pours out thick black, sludgy and syrupy, and yields a small, tight, creamy, dark mocha head that fades to a faint wisp and ring. Pitch black body, thick and viscous, with no carbonation evident. Splotchy wisp and ring remain leaving nice lacing down the glass. Head could be a little more persistent, but this is a thick, viscous, meanacing looking imperial stout. This is how the style should look. Take note beerworld.

SMELL: Nice nose with lots of roasted malts, dark, pure chocolste, as well as some coffee. More than this, however, a good dose of burnt, charred malts steal the show. This is a very bold, burnt stout. Love it.

TASTE: Very flavorful, with lots of burnt, charred, and roasted malt up front, as well as some pure chocolate in there as well. A hint of sweet cream at the swallow, then a huge and relentless finish of burnt and charred flavors, lots of pure, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, burnt espresso beans, and tobacco. Very flavorful and plenty of charred, burnt malts, much like some European examples of the style. Might be somewhat too burnt for some people, but this one is right up my alley.

PALATE: Full body with modest levels of carbonation. Creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly sticky. Just a touch of heat lingers on thise one. Very full, creamy, viscous, with just the right amount of heat. Just awesome.

OVERALL: This might be the best beer of the year for me. It's really European in its flavor profile, with charred, burnt malt aromas and flavors that rival any big De Molen or Mikkeller imperial stout. The quality that brings this one to the next level, however, is the feel, which is thicker, creamier and more viscous than its European cousins. This is one hell of a beer and I'd love to see it come out again, or even put in barrels some day. Thanks heaps for this stuff guys, and anyone who knows me, don't be afraid to drop one in my lap. This really is a world class beer. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 18:18:29 | More by Jeffo

kawilliams81

Illinois

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

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a 12 oz glass.

A- Pours pitch black with a 1 finger brown head. Minimal lacing around the edge of the glass.

S- Chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits.

T- Heavy roasted malts, dark fruits, chocolate and some coffee.

M- Full body and medium carbonation. Slightly dry feel but drinks well for 11%.

O- Very solid RIS. Nice heavy roast stout with some dark fruit notes.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 02:57:46 | More by kawilliams81

UCLABrewN84

California

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

Bottle pour courtesy of DarthKostrizer at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to wisps on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, rye, cocoa, and alcohol. Taste is much the same with a medium amount of roasty and hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some solid aromas and flavors that make it easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 01:53:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is black with a thin beige collar. The aroma is roasty, ashy, smoky, with a bit of charred malt. The rye character is lost, for the most part. The flavor is bold and aggressive. Full bodied with some alcoholic heat in the finish. Heavy roast and char flavors. A touch of chocolate. Overall, this was a robust stout that was dominated by char and roast, and while these flavors are enjoyable, they overrun the rye component and other more subtle attributes of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 00:33:51 | More by Huhzubendah

HuskyinPDX

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Picked up a couple bottles while I was in Anchorage. Opened this on 6.14.12.

A - Pours a super thick, viscous black with a two inch dark brown head that very slowly fades.

S - Rye, chocolate, coffee, and some booze.

T - Lots going on here. Coffee, lots of malty-rye and chocolate-booze.

D - Good carbonation and super heavy and thick body.

O - I love MS stouts, and this one is up there. Lots of rye, chocolate, coffee and booze.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 03:50:50 | More by HuskyinPDX

drabmuh

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by someone at a recent tasting, thanks. Served in a snifter. Beer is black, insanely dark ink black and thick. syrupy, dark brown head, small bubbles, low retention.

Aroma is roasty a little spicy, interesting.

Rye is in there but mostly this stout is huge and heavy. Thick, strong, nice. It is pretty bitter on the backend. I enjoyed it a lot. I would have it again. Very nice stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 16:13:17 | More by drabmuh

CharlieMurphy

New York

4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Holy shit opaque black, tinted through the glass with dark green, turquoise cobalt hues. Chocolaty low brown head on the border.

S: Affirmatively chocolaty, thick, boozy, malty, bready, and then signicificantly punctuated by spice that blows you back down.

T: Boozy, roasty, rye spice that pops almost like hops, but steals away any malt sweetness that would otherwise be felt during that time. Pretty unique stout with the strong punctuation from the rye coupled with mastery viscosity amplification here.

M: smooth, coating, surfacting, complexly mercurial until drowned completely. Alcohol does detract significantly after no long time.

O: Unique for sure, very satisfying and worth aging, revisiting, and drinking frequently. Looking forward to sharing this with the lower 48.

Serving type: on-tap

06-14-2012 07:48:32 | More by CharlieMurphy

Sean9689

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks dunt!

A - Pours black, very thin tan-colored head, thin collar.

S - Bitter dark chocolate, ash, roast, light char. This is very bitter and roasty/ashy, light rye.

T - Similar to the nose with perhaps even more ash/char, which is a bit off-putting. There's a distinct dark chocolate bitterness to go with the previously mentioned ash/char and some light roast. Alcohol is pretty boozy. Finish is bitter char and roast.

M - Full body, light carbonation, creamy dry finish.

O - One of the least impressive stouts from MS, which is mixed in with the likes of Bar Fly and Berserker. Those are tough stouts to go up against, and this one falls short of those. That said, it's still a decent stout but could use some more time in the bottle to mellow out a bit.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 15:19:34 | More by Sean9689

ccrida

Oregon

4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Dark with a super dark tan head, thick and creamy.

Smell is super dank and deep dark malts, nice roast, chocolate. Really grows in appeal as it warms, without getting too sweet, extracty. Maybe a flutter of lactose, but if so, it's executed with a deft hand.

Taste is also super rich and chocolatey, this is a really nice RIS. The rye provides a really nice touch of spice. The roast is not overly strong, but lingers very pleasantly.

Mouthfeel is super thick, creamy and soft, like an RIS milkshake. The extreme viscosity is well served here.

Drinkability is very god. It's an excellent RIS, with the rye providing a nice little punch of extra. Do I want another? Hell yes. Today? No way. And that's alright.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 07:42:25 | More by ccrida

spicelab

Australia

3.93/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to mulder1010 for sharing with MrKennedy and myself. Reviewed from notes.

Absolute jet-black with a brooding deep-brown head that falls silently to a slightly raised ring. Serious legs upon swirling.

Dark fruits, burnt tires and vegetal yeast with slight medicinal notes creeping in. Bugger all chocolate or 'conventional' stouty character.

Whoa. Burnt toast, charcoal, pumpernickel bread. Rough and dirty, and uncompromisingly full-on. Dig it more and more with each sip.

Rich, luscious, but not exceptionally thick for its 11%. Counters the unrelenting dryness of the flavours nicely.

Crazy brute of a stout which has no interest in being sweet. The rye works so well in this - I'm amazed it's use in stouts is not more widespread.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 04:41:22 | More by spicelab

MasterSki

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tnudish for the share. Served in a Kuhnhenn goblet.

A - Dark mocha foam settles to wisps, a collar, and a glass-coating brown film. Very dark, opaque and solid, black body.

S - The rye is front and center, and it's supported by charred malts, bitter dark chocolate, smoke, yeasty bread, and a hint of booze.

T - The taste is quite similar, with a heavy doses of char, rye, roast, dark chocolate, and so forth - very little residual sugar. There's a mildly fruity yeast character that combined with the intense roast is evocative of Scandinavian stouts. Wrong side of the Baltic Sea, I know, but much closer to European stouts than American ones.

M - Smooth body, melted chocolate, texture, viscous and chewy finish, and lower carbonation. Some moderate warming alcohol, so this is definitely a sipper.

D - A very nice RIS, and completely different from Midnight Sun's other offerings. It's like they made a very nice Mikkeller beer, but without the oppressive burnt flavors in the finish. This should age quite gracefully.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 06:16:03 | More by MasterSki

Treebs

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Tnudish for this rare Midnight Sun tick. 22 oz. bottle served in a Portsmouth tulip.

A: Pours a dark dark black. Did I mention it's dark? Light wouldn't even go through a thimble of this stuff. A very deep brown head forms on the pour and it recedes to a thick dark ring that leaves sheets of lace on the glass.

S: Light rye spice up front with toasted malts, raisins and figs and deep dark chocolate.

T: Nice rye and wheaty spice up front with heavily roasted malts, some anise, and heavy dark fruit with raisins and fig in the mid palate. As it warms more of the dark chocolate comes out with just the slightest bit of char as well.

M: Heavy and chewy with an oily and viscous mouthfeel. The carbonation is medium to low, but it has enough to keep you the beer interesting on the palate.

O: This beer was delicious. Heavy and viscous just like an IRS should be with a incredibly complex flavor profile. I really enjoyed this beer and would drink it regularly if it wasn't so rare! Chalk up another winner to MS.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 01:40:49 | More by Treebs

mulder1010

Australia

4.2/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into a tulip
Thanks to Nicks6217 for the bottle

A-- Poured black. Ink black, motor oil black, whatever, it was black as heck. Under a half inch of dark chocolate head. Great retention for what was there as a layer of film stuck around through drinking. Lots of lacing and a thick oily substance left through drinking. Great looking and evil looking at the same time.

S-- A bit nondescript at first. Soft roast, burnt tires, dry chcolate and molasses. Once it warmed up a lot got some spiciness from the rye. Very dry nose.

T-- Lots of roast, chocolate, molasses, big dark fruits, burnt tires, char and ash. Just not as oppressive as European RIS can be. Far more restrained in that aspect.

M-- Thick, rich, and dry. Quite dry. Just enough carbonation to carry this and do it well. Full on body but just enough touches of sweetness to make this work. Like a big, massive wine in a lot of ways. Alcohol is well hidden and I guess the best comparison is some of the DeMolen stouts out there.

O-- Dry as heck RIS. If you like sweet RIS then do not try to get this. Full on and big but it works as the dryness really helps this. More like a European RIS but not the massive char and ash that Mikkeller or DeMolen have. Big sipper and excellent beer. Very different US style stout

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 13:56:47 | More by mulder1010

sprucetip

Alaska

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Inky, oily black with a smudge of short lived chocolaty looking head. Somehow there is still quite a bit of lacing stuck to the tulip as I head for the home stretch. Not the faintest bit of light penetrates it when backlit.

I was underwhelmed with the aroma when I first poured it, but it improved. Still not amazing, but good and respectable. I am mostly getting cost, licorice/molasses, and some booze. I'm not getting caramel exactly, but there is some sort of malty sweetness in the background. And there is something else that is less familiar and hard to identify. Could it be the rye? But what is there, whatever it is, is balanced nicely and is plenty potent after warming.

Rich malty sweetness some sort of bitterness from either hops or roast or both, a bit of booze, and a molasses/licorice influence. The elements play well together. This is a really good, very smooth RIS. I'm glad I had my friend score me more than a couple when he was in Anchorage.

Modest but adequate carbonation, rich full body, medium viscosity, and a roasty finish.

Yum. Good. My first go at this one, so perhaps I'll change my opinion, but it strikes me as just a wee nip below the elite of the elite. The "Russian" part of the Imperial Stout comes through loud and clear, and it didn't make any claims about using coffee, chocolate, bourbon barrel or any such thing. So it seems they have pretty much hit their target here. I'm satisfied, and glad I have several more for the future.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 06:25:59 | More by sprucetip