Moscow - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

vkv822

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22oz : Teku

Opaque black, with a thin, bubbly brown head.

Big, cocoa and roast malt notes, faint dark fruit and a rye spice backing.

Taste follows the nose, with a slight alcohol warmth in the finish.

Creamy, lightly viscous body, mild foamy carbonation.

A very well done RIS. The rye adds an extra, subtle touch towards the finish of an already tasty base beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 08:43:44 | More by vkv822

Greywulfken

New York

4.28/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: pitch black and dense; milky chocolate head dissipates quickly, leaving just a trace behind

S: lots of dark roasted malt aromas, suggesting ice cold, black, bitter coffee; sweeter hints of molasses

T: rich, roasty, drenched in wet dark bittersweet malt, drier wood and oak flavors, perhaps something like anise; what I presume to be the rye creates a deeper level with some chewy grain and earthy/herbal seasonings/spices; sugars wash in up front and then fade out, dry and mellow

M: dense, heavy creamy, full-bodied, no palpable carbonation, smooth and slightly coating, dark bittersweet aftertaste

O: warmed impressively - nice, mellow and smooth; bitters are dark and shadowy; the rye and perhaps whatever hops are used create a savory/medicinal component (and perhaps the abv shows a bit, too) - almost like a dark malt tonic - a very nice interpretation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 01:08:28 | More by Greywulfken

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured out as a thick oily black color color with a deep brown colored head, the retention is very thin, some scattered lacing as well. The smell is lightly roasted with some sweet molasses on the nose. The taste is sweet and roasted with a nice bitterness in the finish. Some decent spicy notes in there as well from the rye. The mouthfeel is thick, oily and lightly carbonated. Overall it's a big thick beast of a beer. Very good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 00:35:55 | More by Knapp85

notchucknorris

California

4.49/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours like motor oil. Black as a Kardashian heart and thick as hell. A dense milk chocolate colored head wells up immediately, leaving a beautiful, dense blanket of tight bubbles. This might be the darkest head I've ever seen. This beer means business.

S: Big and roasty aroma. Wet earth, charred wood, peat, espresso and some faint milk chocolate sweetness. Liking it.

T: A big pop in the mouth of roasted and charred malt right away. Burnt oak, a quick hit of smoke, and some charred espresso. So much roastiness and it is awesome. There's just a touch of spiciness from the rye as well as a respite from the roasted flavors in a flash of milk chocolate and molasses. Finish brings some dark coffee grounds and a lingering note of rye. The mouthfeel is near perfect. It's dense as hell, with an almost milkshake like consistency, coating every inch of your mouth with roasty awesomeness. I've had stouts far higher in ABV, but this mouthfeel is up there with the thickest of them. Amazing stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 00:53:42 | More by notchucknorris

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.33/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Inky black. Pours with no head, but then it wells up a nice mocha head. Thick mocha collar. Rebuilds with every swirl.

Smell - Chocolate. I think I smell the rye. Alcoholic and a little ashy.

Taste - A significant improvement. Fruity. Chocolatey. Some smokiness. A little bitter and sweet in the finish. Tastes like a Baltic porter in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Odd body. Kinda thin. Again like a lager in the finish.

Overall - Not sold on this. All over the place. Some is good, some is bad.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 01:32:58 | More by Alieniloquium

lsummers

California

4.63/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours like motor oil. Black and thick as can be with a dark chocolate frothy dark head. One of the best looking beers I've ever seen.

Smells of cocoa beans, raisins, burnt dark chocolate and a touch of coffee. There's a slight nutty toffee note. You can almost smell the creaminess.

Taste hits with the burnt roasted cocoa beans and transitions into a more raisin and burnt caramelized brown sugar sweetness. Ends with some great dark chocolate aftertastes. Roasted caramel malts mix in throughout.

Mouthfeel is fairly viscus yet moderately carbonated. This is perfectly balanced on the tongue and maybe a bit too drinkable for the abv. Not a bad thing though.

Overall, This is a top Russian Imperial Stout. A definite try and retry. Can't wait to find this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 04:02:50 | More by lsummers

LordChesterfield

Oregon

5/5  rDev +18.8%
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 -9%
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 +5.9%
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 -1.7%
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 -7.8%
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 +12.6%
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 -19.2%
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 +1.7%
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 -10.2%
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 -22.8%
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

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.88/5  rDev +15.9%
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 -4.3%
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 -5%
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 -10.9%
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 +5.7%
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 +1.7%
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

Sean9689

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
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 +6.4%
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 -6.7%
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