Midnight Sun Arctic Devil
Arctic Devil Barley Wine, aptly named after the ferocious wolverine of the north, is an English-style (meaning malt-inclined) barley wine. Though the recipe and process for Arctic Devil have evolved over the years, it is brewed once a year then aged in oak barrels for several months before the entire batch is blended, bottled and released. Beginning in 2010, ADBW will be released in late SEP.
In its youth, Arctic Devil gnarls and snarls its way across the palate. Containing this beast of a beer for long periods in oak barrels--some having previously aged port, wine or whiskey--tames the unleashed malt and fierce hop flavors, melding and mellowing this powerful liquid into an incredible elixir worthy of a brewer’s table.
Each annual batch of Arctic Devil Barley Wine represents the brewers’ resolve to create an intriguing and sought-after barley wine by precisely brewing to well-designed specifications, carefully selecting the type and combination of barrels to use for aging, and meticulously checking the beer as it ages. Distinct nuance and complexity are contributed by the wood’s previous tenants, resulting in unique flavor profiles in each batch that continue to change over time. We invite you to savor Arctic Devil Barley Wine upon its release then cellar some for future enjoyment.
Vintage guide:
Pre 2008 label notched with month and year on side of bottle
2008 listed on label
2009 not released
2010 listed on label
2011 listed on label
2012 not released
2013 vintage not stated, new sticker labels with rounded edges and says "Ale Aged in Bourbon Oak Barrels"
In its youth, Arctic Devil gnarls and snarls its way across the palate. Containing this beast of a beer for long periods in oak barrels--some having previously aged port, wine or whiskey--tames the unleashed malt and fierce hop flavors, melding and mellowing this powerful liquid into an incredible elixir worthy of a brewer’s table.
Each annual batch of Arctic Devil Barley Wine represents the brewers’ resolve to create an intriguing and sought-after barley wine by precisely brewing to well-designed specifications, carefully selecting the type and combination of barrels to use for aging, and meticulously checking the beer as it ages. Distinct nuance and complexity are contributed by the wood’s previous tenants, resulting in unique flavor profiles in each batch that continue to change over time. We invite you to savor Arctic Devil Barley Wine upon its release then cellar some for future enjoyment.
Vintage guide:
Pre 2008 label notched with month and year on side of bottle
2008 listed on label
2009 not released
2010 listed on label
2011 listed on label
2012 not released
2013 vintage not stated, new sticker labels with rounded edges and says "Ale Aged in Bourbon Oak Barrels"
4
574 reviews
Anchorage, United States
Community reviews
From Mar 2006
Poured from bottle(room temp) a dark red/gold with about a 1" head of foam that shrinks to about a 1/4" layer that stays for the duration.
The smell is all malt, a very sweet caramel air permeates my nose.
The taste at first is very malty, hugely malty, caramelly malty with a fruitiness that adds to the sweetness but also takes some of the sweetness away. I can detect some hop character mid way through and in the finish but for this brew, that's all that's needed....it's all about the malt! Yummm..this is definitely a very authentic English style BW, like a vintage JW Lees Harvest which I love. I'm going to store the other bottle away for as long as my will is willing and see what happens. :^)
Note to self: self....I'm sure glad that my palate has evolved enough to enjoy BWSAs as sweet as an Arctic Devil and as hoppy as a Bigfoot and hold both in equally high esteem.
Bottom line: This is a Great *English* style Barley Wine style ale!
If you see some in your neck of the woods, grab some!!!
Release 2015 with 13.4% abv. from City beer Sf: pours hazy copperish amber with beige foamy dissipating head. Aroma: malts, prunes, plums, dark fruit esters, woody tannins, oak, pot wine, bourbon, sherry like alcohol. Flavor: malts with notes of nutts, sticky toffee, caramel, molasses, dark fruit esters, prunes, plum like esters, woody tannins, bourbon, port wine like alcohol note. Thick body, smooth texture, moderate carbonation. Great!
Bomber from Tacoma boys. Pours almost red. Very thin white head. Scent is brown sugar, cherries, alcohol. Taste is bourbon, oak, sweetness. Tasty beer.
Bottle; pours dark brown with a beige head; aroma of caramel, bourbon, dark fruits, and some wood notes; taste is sweet with caramel, dark fruits, vanilla, and hints of toffee and wood; dry finish with some light warming
Bomber shared at tasting. Dark brown caramel pour. Boozy aroma, caramel, chocolate. Taste follows, a little hot for me. Still really good.
Dark brown pour with a slight head. Nose is malty with a hit of oak and bourbon. Lots of bourbon with malt and some heat on the finish.
Copper-amber color with a bit of white head. Sweet boozy malty and caramel aromas. Fairly sweet yet not aggressive, a straight forward yet perfectly balanced barleywine with a moderate and complementary oak character. Really an outstanding barleywine.
Notes: on tap at the brewery during our May ’17 Anchorage visit.
Shared bomber poured to snifters displaying a clear, deep amber hue, with a presentable layer of off white froth that reduced to a ring & light film, with foamy spots of lacing. The nose was malty sweet, candied & dried fruit, subtle spice, with some barrel hints and vanilla. The taste was similar but more expressive notes, medium+ bodied, with mild carbonation, bourbony booze & warmth, and a finishing, tannic dryness. Very solid BW.
Pours a hazy brown with very little head from a bottle. Big raisiny and oaky aroma follows into the mouth, where a nice vanilla and almost an irish creme note come out. Boozy, I bet it ages nicely for a year. Pretty good beer.
Bottle
Pours murky hazy orange hue with barely any head. Nose is musty vanilla dark fruit. Flavors are big vanilla dark fruits. Lots of vanilla and woody notes. Long big dark fruits on the finish. Alcohol heat is low for the abv. Excellent brew!
Draught at City Beer SF. Hazy light brown color, white head. Bitter taste with citrus, dried fruit, hops, ripe fruits, nuts, toffee, caramel and a bit of alcohol. Bitter finish with citrus, toffee, dried fruits, ripe fruits, resin, nuts, a bit of alcohol and caramel. Excellent barley wine.
Type: 22-oz. bottle
Glass: AleSmith Barrel-Aged Reserve snifter
From: Bine & Vine Bottle Shop in Normal Heights (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $17.99
Purchased: Jan. 6, 2017
Consumed: April 15, 2017
Reviewed as: English Barleywine
Misc.: Bottled on Nov. 21, 2016
Picked this up with basically a $50 gift certificate for my birthday. Had heard of Midnight Sun and saw on one of the emails that they had a few coming in, so I pounced on this and the Berserker Imperial Stout. $19.99 (Berserker) and $17.99 (AD) seems a bit much but I got them anyway. Gave Berserker an overrated 4.16 (93/A-) back in January. Hoping for this to be better.
Poured a copper/garnet cloudy color with one finger of khaki white frothy head. Some light bubble streams coming up from the bottom of the glass. Good spotty lacing. Good retention. (Sight - 3.75)
Smelled pent up bourbon, almost port wine like, dark fruits, plum, tobacco, raisins, sticky toffee, caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, some oaky red wine barrels and earthy basement aromas. Lovely. (Smell - 4.50)
Taste was at least just as good as the nose. Wow. Lots going on. Got smooth bourbon, port wine, sherry red wine, tobacco, unknown lingering spices (rye? maybe pepper?), brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, plum, dark fruits, raisins, dates, prunes, dark grainy malts, caramel, smooth, but tasting the booze, oak, hints of molasses and sticky sugary chocolate syrup which seems to be muted somewhat by everything else going on. (Taste - 4.25)
Medium body. Sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 5.00)
This was fantastic. Much better than I thought it was going to be after having Berserker a few months back. Would not pay $18 for this again, but still delicious. (Overall - 4.50)
4.41 98 A
Tap at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City. Maple colored and clear with almost no head. Sugary and cloying. Moderate crystal malt.
This is sorta my ’white whale’. They’ve cut back their distribution in Oregon and I’m sad. Rich, sweet (but pleasantly so), a perfect execution of an English Barleywine. Plums and figs dominate, but a minor hop presence lets you know you’re drinking beer. Cellars so well and improves for years. It compares very well with much more expensive quality US-produced English Barleywines (i.e. Pelican "Mother..."). I actively hunt for this brew,and recently to my delight, I’m able to find it at under $14 per 22 oz bottle.
Smells nicely of molasses. The flavor is thick and chewy. Quite good. The only real downside to this is that it’s a bit too sweet. Otherwise solid beer.
2011 bottle, from a 2012 IP trade with Richiesd (thanks!) so about time this got cracked. Dark brown color with a red hue. Off white head with short retention. Aroma’s: bourbon, vanilla, sweetness, caramel, treacle, light fruit, alcohol. Retronasal there’s treacle, molasses, bourbon, vanilla, toffee. Flavor is quite sweet, light fruity, alcoholic. Alcohol feel is a bit strong and sharp. Medium bodied. Long finish, with alcohol and a bit fruit.
At the Barleywine event. Aroma is caramel, toffee, slight hop, barrel, bourbon. Appearance is amber brown, light tan head, clear. Taste is caramel, bourbon, barrel, toffee, dark fruit, right. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy body, light carbonation, caramel toffee barrel aftertaste. Overall, very good.
From a 22 oz. bottler it is a clear Amber color with an ecru head. The Aroma is of toffee and caramel.and the taste is sweet licorice and hints og bourbon. The finish is Sweet and flavorful.y
From a 22 oz. bottle. Pours a clear amber with an ecru head. Aroma of toffee and caramel. Flavors of oak and bourbon. Sweet and flavorful.
wasn’t liking the style so let this sit for awhile; thanks to a great rb’er for the trade; guessing this is a2013 bottle (says aged in bourbon oak barrels). much like a quad - dark fruits and caramel in aroma and taste. neither bourbon nor alcohol were that prevalent. smooth, sweetness balanced well.
22oz. Murky brown. Caramel and toffee. Very oaky. Touch of bourbon. Slight nutty. Very smooth finish. Hides the ABV very well.
Shared a 22oz bottle.
Boozy, stone fruit aroma; caramel toffee syrupy taste and mouthfeel. Alchohol present but not harsh. Nice oaky flavor as well.
This beer is strong as hell. You expect that from a barleywine and from a beer that's 13.4% ABV, but this is strong behind that. I smell raisins and taste them too, and while it's nice to sip, it's just a little too overpowering to love.
Tap at Bambino’s. Murky deep amber pour with a tight white head. Rich caramel, wood, port, whiskey - great depth of aromatics and taste. Awesome.
A fantastic barleywine, tastes very well refined yet complex. Pours a beautiful deep red with a small amount of tan head. Smells of bourbon, caramel, strawberry and cherry, dark fruits. Smells as well as tastes more like a quad then a barleywine. Taste has lots of dark fruit and carmelized walnuts, vanilla, followed by an amazingly smooth finish topped with a bourbon smokiness and lingering booze. Our favorite barleywine. Had in the bottle.
Draft at Beer Authority, Seattle. Tight creamy tan foam on velvety rich brown. Sticky, barrel notes, dark fruit. Exceptionally balanced, clean sharp flavors. Raisin, molasses, cherry pit, leather. Vanilla hints. Strong, rich, good all warming. Delicious.
Sampled at a tasting. Dark amber pour, thin tan head. Smells like bourbon, dark cherries, green hops and vanilla. Tastes like cherries, bourbon, almonds, alcohol, vanilla, toasted coconut, caramel, maple syrup. Medium body and a medium-low carbonation. Bitter-sweet aftertaste. An excellent barleywine.
Murky dark amber color with beige head. Aroma is really fruity with caramel and bourbon. Taste starts sweet, fruity with caramel, toasted malts and bourbon. Body is syrupy and well carbonated. Really nice overall, sweet, fruity and the ABV is well hidden.
On tap. 2013 vintage. Pours a dark reddish brown with light persistent head. Aromas of bready malts and caramel. Flavors of rich brown sugar, toffee, sweet malts and light grassy hops. No trace of bourbon but very nice. Full and sweet.
Bottle gift from Knacks. Booze, wood,roasted malts, caramel, raisin and toffee are the dominant flavors. Slight burn as it goes down. Pretty darn good. The aroma smelled a little like tin. 94 to go until retirement.