Moscow - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

ReeseMax3

Alaska

4/5  rDev -4.8%

02-13-2013 04:58:23 | More by ReeseMax3

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

05-20-2013 01:47:01 | More by drewone

jaminjohnson

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-08-2013 03:13:02 | More by jaminjohnson

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

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-02-2013 22:59:30 | More by xnicknj

zestar

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

04-30-2013 08:19:49 | More by zestar

Adamostella

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

04-27-2013 19:42:03 | More by Adamostella

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

vande

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

04-20-2013 22:03:55 | More by vande

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

Hopmodium

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

04-18-2013 00:05:10 | More by Hopmodium

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

bifrost17

Washington

4/5  rDev -4.8%

04-03-2013 07:30:03 | More by bifrost17

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

ArchEnemyBrew

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

03-28-2013 05:29:14 | More by ArchEnemyBrew

phingdong

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

03-20-2013 02:28:55 | More by phingdong

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-18-2013 00:36:27 | More by Rochefort10nh

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

unclekeith

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

02-07-2013 16:01:41 | More by unclekeith

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -4.8%

01-26-2013 02:08:24 | More by yourefragile

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.8%

01-12-2013 06:09:22 | More by spycow

westcoastbeerlvr

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

01-11-2013 16:40:47 | More by westcoastbeerlvr