331b. Midnight Sun Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter

Another beer from Midnight Sun; this makes our third Midnight Sun beer, with CoHoHo Imperial IPA and Sockeye Red IPA being our last two. I bought this at City Beer in San Francisco yesterday to take with me after Bill and I got our drink on.

Pouring a deep chocolate brown with a light tan head, Arctic Rhino has a coffee, roasted, and sweet dark malt nose. The front begins with a brown malt flavor and a fair amount of dryness before moving into coffee and roasted malt in the middle—the big coffee roasted flavors are rich, complex, and nuanced. Arctic Rhino has dry and lightly alkaline finish that is light and clean; the body is, somewhat paradoxically, both light and substantial—there is a rich and flavorful mouthfeel that is dry, and even a bit light for a porter, yet still has good substance. The medium carbonation provides some crispness at the end. A good beer overall—more interesting than I anticipated, with good coffee flavors that are solid across the beer profile, although they are a bit synthetic in the nose as it warms. The nuance and richness is what sets this beer apart—probably the best of the beers we’ve had from them.

From the bottle: “Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter combines two quintessential Pacific Northwest favorites: coffee and ale. The result is wonderfully romantic and robust – a duel-fueled porter that melds charismatic dark malt with freshly roasted coffee beans. The (un)rest is up to you.”

From the Midnight Sun website: “Inspired by local artist & roaster Michael Allen’s eccentricly-named blend of coffee beans, Midnight Sun’s brewers designed a beer recipe and flavor infusion process that perfectly captures the alluring aroma, satisfying flavor and curious legend of Allen’s Arctic Rhino Coffee Blend. Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter combines two quintessential Pacific Northwest favorites: coffee and ale. The result is wonderfully romantic and robust – a duel-fueled porter that melds charismatic dark malt with freshly roasted coffee beans. The (un)rest is up to you.”

ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 20

(5/27/2010)