Midnight Sun 3767 Belgian-style IPA

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

big bretty aroma, with some yeast, wood and a touch of hops. big white head and a cloudy orange body. lively feel, but a touch watery in the finish. the flavor was quite nice - the belgian yeast was dominant, as was the brett. you could barely tell it had spent time in cab barrels but the effect was nice. i'd have liked to see the hops play a bigger role, but they were almost completely overshadowed. good stuff...not quite worth the $.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bottle, home. Unique and very good. This beer is a relatively light shade for a DIPA, though it's a few shades darker than some West Coast, nearly all pale malt versions. The head is white and enthusiastic. It sprouts up big and proud upon the initial pour and leaves nice lacing down the side of my glass as it settles. The label art deviates from Midnight Sun's normal folk/cartoon style and uses a slick map illustrating the motivation behind the beer's name. The aroma is fantastic. 3767 is one of those beers that makes me wish for beer aromatherapy. Light brett, oak and vinous notes hit first. The brett is slightly funky but takes a backseat to the big aromas coming from the Cabernet barrels. If you close your eyes and smell this beer, you can almost see the still wet barrel of a big fruity cab. There's a light alcohol note but it doesn't get in the way. All of this would almost make me think that I was drinking a light barrel aged sour, like something from Jolly Pumpkin, except for a hoppiness that's more noticeable when I'm not sticking my nose in the glass. The hops contribute a very pleasant sweet citric note, orange rinds and blossoms. Superb. The flavor is quite dry and a bit rough, to be honest. There's probably a bit too much oak and brett robbing this beer of nearly every speck of residual sweetness. The rather strong hop bitterness doesn't exactly help. That said, it's still an enjoyable flavor, overall. The beer certainly favors the West Coast style of IPA/DIPA brewing and would probably be quite hoppy without the barrel-aging and brett. Also, the brett contributes a lightly tart, sour berry flavor that merits a mention. Mouthfeel is dry and a tad harsh, but it works with this wonderfully odd brew. I'm not sure how many I could drink, but I wouldn't mind putting that to the test given an inexpensive enough opportunity. Before Midnight Sun, I did not expect that Alaska would ever be so high on my list of beer vacation destinations.