Midnight Sun 2010 Pop Ten: Barfly

Smoked Imperial Stout brewed with smoked malt, molasses and brown sugar, aged in oak bourbon barrels. Somber and smoky, BARFLY saunters into the room slowly. Thick smoke. Cool swagger. Good wood. Too much brass. Sticky leather. Slow glances. Lingering looks. A bit of sass. The only thing that didn’t make the glass was maraschino cherry. Bring your own and wear out your welcome. Part of the 2010 Pop Ten Series. December 2010.

Rebrewed in 2014

4.1

204 reviews

Anchorage, United States

Community reviews

4.3 Bomber from Tavour. Nose is vanilla, chocolate, light smoke, and biscuits. Black with a big, heavy lacing, cinnamon tan head. Flavor is moderately sweet and peppery/spicy with lots of chocolate, roast, and a hint of bourbon. Very nice!

4.1 22oz bottle. Poured a black color with a small sized brown head. Aromas of tobacco, smoke, wood / oakiness, and earthy. Tastes of wood, chocolate, charred, smoke, and vanilla. Overall alcohol content well hidden.

3.8 Bottle @ RBBWG 2016. Many thanks! Black, colour, thin head. Very sweet nose of caramel, molasses, coffee, bourbon and vanilla. Very sweet and sirupy. Good imperial stout.

4.4 20/II/16 - 1Pt. 6Fl. Oz. bottle @ RBBWG V (Ben’s place) - BB: n/a (2016-188) Thanks to Benzai for sharing the bottle! Clear dark brown to black beer, small creamy beige head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: wow, yes, spot on! Very roasted, sweet notes, caramel, fudge, vanilla, chocolate. Lovely! MF: soft carbon, medium body. Taste: sweet start, sugary, vanilla, lots of crème brulée, really lovely stuff. Aftertaste: little bitter, sugary, alcohol, lots of caramel, bit spicy, some ginger bread, sweet, alcohol, very impressive beer!

3.9 Sampled at RBBWG16 . thnx for sharing everyone ! Pours black, no real head. Smell is coffee, toffee, sweet. Some dark malts. Taste is sweet, bitter, coffee, toffee, dark Chocolate. Very Nice mf and carbo

3.9 Bottle shared, thanks Tim. Very thick body, feels like coffee liquor with notes of Irish cream. What a beast, glad we enjoyed that one near the very end of a long session :)

4.0 February 26, 2016. Bottle, original batch Black with a small tiny brown head. Aroma is dark berries, salty licorice; dark chocolate, hints of raisins, toasted, Taste is medium sweet, soft biter slight smoke. Finish is sweet berries,hints of toffee and dried fruits, some cocoa notes. Medum to full bodied, soft carbonation. Good, nice oxidized notes.

3.2 A: Pitch black with a thin brown lacing N: Coffee, cocoa, hint of ash T: Ash, coffee, cocoa nibs O: Very thick mouthfeel! Bitter, some sweetness and quite tart.

3.8 Bottle sample @ RBBWG 2016, thanks René. Brune foncé,e quais noire, col fin beige, doré au verre. Arôme offre un nez type de ces gros stouts impériaux US, pas mal de malt caramel, chocolaté et surtout de la mélasse, le bourbon arrive plus en retrait. Palais est épais, malté, grains chocolaté mélasse bien là au point que le tout devient vite saturé au niveau sucré. Note limite oxydée, soja, Bourbon ajoute encore à ce côté doux vanillé. Le profil fumé reste assez modéré et offre une certaine contrebalance par rapport à l’épaisseur de la bière.

3.8 Bottle at RBBWG 2016 in Antwerpen. Pitch black with a brown layer. Sweetish-malty, fruity and slightly smoky aroma of dark ripe fruits, chocolate, caramel as well as hints of iodine and peat. Sweet-malty, fruity and slightly smoky taste of chocolate, dark ripe fruits (ripe cherries), caramel as well as hints of iodine and peat, followed by a medium long, slightly bitter, moderately peaty and slightly alcoholic finish. Medium body, slightly oily mouthfeel. Very nice!

4.7 Thank you for sharing Benzai! 650 ml. bottle shared @ RBBWG V. Black, small very dark mocha head. Nose is thick smoked varnish with umami notes coated in thick licorice, molasses, not really getting the bourbon in the nose. Taste is sweet thick licorice, bourbon, vanilla, thick molasses, syrupy, warming sugar, candy, viscous, light smoke in the finish & dash of sweet bourbon, low warming red wine. Lower carb. & thick molasses, touch vinous body. Delicious thick affair.

4.5 Bottle at RBBWG, thanks for sharing Benzai. Awesome stuff, vanilla, chocolate, light smoke, great beer.

4.3 Sampled @ Ratebeer Belgian Winter Gathering 2016. Opaque pitch black color, medium sized dark brown head. Aroma is malts, bourbon, light vanilla, dark malts, light roast, light smoke, leathery notes, oak wood notes. Taste malts, dark and roasted malts, again oak wood, slight oak wood tart, nice bitterness. Thick oily texture, medium to full body, soft to average carbonation. Lovely.

4.2 Very black, super dark head. Motor oil, super deep, siegle, earth, hops too though. Rich and appealing. Very full taste, thick, dark chocolate milk, umami. Yes, very nice brew. But for a bit, I would not drink the whole bottle. (Sampled during RBBWG 2016)

4.2 Bottle thanks to trade with AkAndy! Pours a deep black from the bomber with fluffy tan head that dissipates to leave moderate lace. Aroma of sweet bourbon vanilla notes over a hint of smoky earth. Taste follows, mild smoke from the bourbon barrel aging, big chocolate and vanilla notes. Thick and viscous, soft carbonation, wow, really amazing.

3.7 Thanks to TimE for sharing the bottle! Poured into a taster like crude oil - pitch black with sparse coffee-colored foam. The nose shows a lot of sweet molasses with a light bourbon oak forwardness in the background. The palate is lightly carbonated but extremely heavy like syrup. A lot of smoked sweet notes with the notes from the bourbon with a light oak background against a roasted malt light bitterness. The sweetness is a little overwhelming given the combination of the heavy syrup body, but this is meant to be drank at the end so no complaints here!

4.1 Bottle shared at Ratebeer Tokyo W & CB Tasting. Thanks Tim! Pitch black syrupy sorghum color with a finger of brownie colored head. Tons of molasses and sorghum on the nose with cacao, maple syrup aromas. Syrupy and rich on the palate. Sweet but not overly so with light roasted espresso bitterness on towards the finish. FInish is sweet and rich. Completely coats the palate. Great stuff.

4.4 Pitch black color off. Very dark brown head. Massive nose with tons of molasses, bourbon, smokey, molasses, brown sugar. Very very rich and over the top. Very big body with tons of bourbon, molasses, brown sugar full body. Slight sour. Just over the top in everyway. Very big everywhere. Big brown sugar bourbon finish. This is syrup. Amazing.

5.0 a smooth smoked imperial stout - aged in bourbon barrels, nice carmel color and taste, not too burnt, the typical bite of the smoke is lessened by the aging. Coats the back of the throat nicely - mellow, lasting finish but the very last taste goes back to a more bitter coffee note, and almost a bit of rubber in a good way

3.8 Dark mahogany brown in color.. Aroma of smoke, burnt rubber... Flavor is smoked malts, soy, chocolate, molasses... Solid beer

3.7 bottle shared at our big bottle share tasting. 2014 batch bottle. poured a thick pitch black colour with a nice mocha coloured head. nose has a strong notice of smoked roasted malts, sweet thick bakers chocolate, raisins, a lot of roast. maple syrup. liqorice, and thick sweet molasses. taste has a small notice of bourbon barrels, and a more stronger note of smoked roasted malts, was expecting way more body on this beer. i’m just not a big fan of the smoke. it’s not quite balanced

4.2 From notes. Enjoyed on September 19 at Travis’ house. I supplied this 22 oz bottle. The pour is a nice dark oily black with a thicker dark brown head and a few legs of lace. The aroma is really smoky up front. There is a lot of chocolate and dark fruits to go along with a touch of sweet molasses and a nice sugary character. The bourbon is really held back here, but the smoke does dominate. The flavor is a lot of the same. The molasses comes through a little more here, and the sugar and dark fruits seem to blend together. The chocolate remains pretty standalone but the smoke once again is something that I’m just not overly sold on. The mouth feel is thinner than I was hoping, but it does carry a nice carbonation that helps it linger. The aftertaste is definitely smoky, and carries a nice molasses sweetness out the back end. Not a bad offering, but smoke isn’t my thing.

4.2 Un gros gâteau liquide fait de chocolat et de mélasse fruitée avec de la réglisse salée et un envoûtant bourbon. Robe ténébreuse et riche. Tête mousseuse dense, crémeuse et tenace. Bons raisins liquoreux et papilles légèrement fumées. Cuir sur la langue et dans les narines. Robustesse, plaisir vanillé et alcool résineux. Certainement une grosse bête qui se laisse boire à petites gorgées. Accompagne très bien un rond de feu et les amis réunis pour ma fête

4.0 Pours a deep black with a small "roux" head that leaves good lacing. Nose is of dark fruits mixed with some licorice. Taste is of chocolate, alcohol, licorice, vanilla, raisins, molasse and brown sugar. Alcohol is a bit rough to my taste. Body is medium-full, carbonation moderate. A nice sipper.

4.4 How: Bottle (22 oz). 2014 vintage. From Marcus, thanks! Shared at Mont-Carmel tasting. >>> A spectacular smoke and red fruits forward RIS with multiple layers of complexity and a superb vinous profile. Simply amazing! - Black with a medium dark brown head, good retention, leaving some lacing. - Flavor profile is spectacular combining a very nice smokey presence and red wine / red fruits as the two key components. - Molasses, bourbon, roasted malts, oak and wood spiciness add some great depth to the beer. - The tartness and vinous presence is perfectly integrated to the taste and helps the beer being "lighter" than expected considering the abv. - Full body, but it never feels too much. Moderate carbonation and a really lovely warming finish followed by a sticky vinous and red fruits aftertaste. - There’s many many layers of complexity in this one and yet it’s still really well balanced. Flavors: Smoked, red fruits, red wine, molasses, oak, wood spiciness, roasted malts, bourbon, herbal notes.

4.6 pours unclear very dark brown, if not oily black, with a reviving crema cap, nicely lacing. fragrant smoky red fruitiness, red grapes - lots of red sine character, complex smoke and dense maltiness, olives, smooth bourbon, spices. light to low carbonation, medium to full body - oily; sweetish and vinous-spicy finish. exceptional..

4.4 2014 Bottle. Pours ultra inky black, medium black head, creamy with nice residual and lacing. May be the blackest head I have yet seen on a stout. Wow. The beer is one of those stouts that coats the glass as you swirl it, making you wonder how the hell you are going to get that thing clean afterwards. Aroma is really rich with the dominant characteristics being blackstrap molasses and cocoa powder, with some anise thrown in. Flavor is fairly sweet with a healthy balancing bitterness. Molasses and cocoa here too, plus anise and a light smokiness that could just be the heavy roast on the malts, honestly. Smoked is not the dominant part of the profile here. This is a rich rich beer, but in the end it hits the spot well. Surprisingly easy to drink for 12.6% abv. All y’all should get yourself some of this.

3.8 2014 bottle. Pours black with a thin ring of a mocha head. Aroma hadots of dark fruits, brown sugar, dark chocolate, hints of smoke, and a touch of tart cherries. Taste is balanced with lots of dark fruits, dark sugar, slight tart cherries, dark chocolate, and a sweet, brown sugar ending. No hint of alcohol. Full body with a low-medium carbonation. Syrupy mouth feel. Overall a big beer but you don’t notice it. Dark fruits, tart cherries, dark chocolate, and brown sugar. Not really smoked though.

3.9 It’s so black! It’s so impossibly black! One finger of foam the consistency of boiling sugar tops the ebony liquid with the color of cinnamon sticks. A beautiful, spirited aroma: black strap molasses, peanut butter, a splash of coffee, nougat. Cocoa butter and something savor blend in the background. The flavor is almost off-puttingly tangy. Prunes, brandy, toasty oak. Much fruitier here than in the aroma, which was more nutty. Espresso vapors add some bite and acidity. Give it some time and warmth and the complexity of fruit flavor emerges a bit more -- raisins, definitely and pomegranate, maybe. Creamy medium body; gentle carbonation. Hardly any heat, which is pretty impressive. Bitterness is actually pretty intense, scraping the sides of the tongue between sips. Smooth once it warms up. Nice dark fruit flavor.

3.1 650ml bottle. Black pour, the smoke blends into the stout, but htis one is huge and boozy.