London - Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened on 8.8.12.

A - Pours a cloudy light brown with a small light tan, fizzy head with solid retention.

S - Dirty malts, woody.

T - Sweet over-ripe dark fruit.

D - OK carbonation with a medium body. A nice sweet finish.

O - Kinda lackluster, overly-sweet and the Bret is a no show in this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 06:28:10 | More by HuskyinPDX

sprucetip

Alaska

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Mahogany color but reddish when backlit, and decent clarity is also revealed with backlight. More than an inch of dense off white foam fills the top of the tulip and recedes gradually over a couple of minutes and leaves very thick lacing.

Really nice aroma, so long as you are into Brett. At first all I got was tartness from the Brett, but after some warming more complexity emerges. First off, the oak barrel is evident, even if the Bretty tartness is most prominent. Boozy warmth, both in smell and feel, are there too. The malty sweetness supporting the whole enterprise is less obvious but can be found with persistence.

The taste has the same elements as the nose, but the Brett is more subdued and the other influences more noticeable, which is a good thing. The rich malty sweetness associated with the Old Ale style is a solid participant up front. The oak is quite clear as well, and the tart Bretty input is plentiful but not as dominant as in the nose. I reckon I can taste a bit of booze too, but it is hard to tell if there are any hops in this, but that works for the style. Quite deep and complex flavor profile. I am impressed.

Plenty carbonated, maybe even a bit too much, as there is a bit of sting with some sips. Rich full body, thick viscosity, modest warming, and some very gentle bitterness in the finish.

I've never had a Brett infected Old Ale before, but I think this one probably sets the bar. I'd be curious to try this without the bret, but it's pretty special as is. The oak comes through loud and clear in all areas, and the malt does in the flavor. The Brett is not as gentle and restrained as former Midnight Sun brewmaster Gabe Fletcher's Anchorage Brewing Company beers, but it works for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 04:12:58 | More by sprucetip

ccrida

Oregon

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chestnut brown with small tan skim and light lace.

Smell is big and bretty, sweet, peaches, a little ethanol, nice oak.

Taste is pretty bretty as well, it's got some of those apple and pineapple notes, more then the barnyard, as well as the nice caramel notes you look for in the style. Definitely a lot going on, it's unusual, but really quite interesting, and ultimately quite tasty. The finish is oaky and boozy, but in a bold, not bad way.

Mouthfeel is a little sticky, on the dry side, medium-heavy bodied.

Drinkability is pretty good. I really like the depth of flavors, the uniqueness, and the historical bent. Comes off a bit hot though, I'm not sure if those are fusels (which I find don't really fade with time), or a byproduct of the brett, which should continue to evolve. Either way, I'm saving a few to find out.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 06:20:15 | More by ccrida

Akfan

California

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

quite a "wow" factory....but you have to be a malt, brett, belgian guy....

A nice mix of the Old Ale Malt flavor with a bit of tart with an enjoyable drink.

A: dark carmel in color, low carb appearance, nice brown crown/head

S: not an IPA, so mellow in the smell/odor department

T: Taste is wonderful, surprisingly well balanced, the Bretts are great and make for a nice tart feel ....not the typical light feel of most Belgiums.

M: wow...this is the "wow" factor...very easy to drink beer! a malty, yet tart, yet smooth balanced beer...great with a burger and sports on the tube

Well in my opinion this is a beer worth trying if you can find it. Midnight Sun does a nice job of mixing up the different variety's of beer. There are no bounderies here!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 06:11:34 | More by Akfan

Sean9689

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into snifter.

A - Pours a rusty copper/brown color, cream-colored head, thin collar, no lace or cap.

S - Burnt sugars, caramel, light oak, and dried dark fruits. No real brett notes from the nose for me...perhaps the dark fruits contained some, but I couldn't really pick it out.

T - Burnt sugary sweetness, caramel, light roasted malts, oak, and some brett in there as well. Finish is sweet sugars and light brett...not really sure I'm digging this combo.

M - Light to medium, good carbonation, syrupy finish.

O - Not really sure I like my Old Ale's with brett in them. I mean, it's surely different, but not something I'd really seek out to try again. Cool to try, but doesn't do much for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 20:08:57 | More by Sean9689

MasterSki

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at City Beer. Served in a snifter.

A - Murky brown body, with a lightly tan foam that settles to some patchy wisps, collar, and splotchy lace.

S - Raisins, brett, leather, oak, some lightly musty, earthy, dusty, and medicinal notes.

T - Taste is quite similar, with leather, dried fruits, caramel, and some slightly medicinal and fruity brett notes.

M - Juicy, chewy, viscous, medium-full body, with some tannic oak dryness, and fairly low carbonation. Even though there isn't any obvious alcohol I thought this was a bigger beer for some reason. In any case, probably my favorite part of the beer.

D - Interesting beer - I'm always intrigued by pseudo-historical stylistic attempts. This offering delivers exactly what it promises, but it's just not the easiest beer to drink - it took me quite a while to work through the snifter and I wouldn't got out of my way to drink it again. Worth trying once though.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 06:57:48 | More by MasterSki