Though Midnight Brett looks opaque, a very careful examination reveals a
barely perceptible transparency. Quite
black, this only has a slight reddish hue; neither that nor its clarity comes across very well in photos.
Foam is off-white, a finger in height, and retains very well. The lacing presents excellently throughout.
Midnight smells fairly mild…and what is there is mostly
brett. Definite funk here, lemons and
mild sweat. There is an extremely subtle
hint of roast. I don't get any of the suggestions of berries Allagash mentions on their website. This may be over 7%
alcohol, but it doesn’t smell like big beer.
The flavor is sort of intriguing. It tastes almost like a lite (5% or less)
bretted and dry-hopped stout/porter with a dash of coffee. The coffee flavor comes from roasted barley,
I assume; if so, they used just the right amount. This is not a sweet beer, and if they had
used any more it could have descended into acridity. The brett is milder than the aroma indicated,
but still present; it takes on more of a leathery note here. A hint of bread and a faint kiss of hop
bitterness rounds out the flavor profile. Once again, the tart berry flavors Allagash mentions prove themselves a ghost.
As I said, Midnight Brett
is not sweet. It feels quite a
bit lighter than the 7.3% listed on the label.
The brett must have done a thorough fermentation. I could use more sweetness in such a dark
beer, but I don’t expect sugar and a thick body from a beer fermented with
brett.
Allagash crafted a fine beer here, though not one I will
personally seek out again. Not that it would matter if I did, as I don't expect to see this in bottles again. In any event, I’ve had
better and easier to find bretted stout/porters for less money (namely DrieFonteinen Zwet.be). I suppose this could
age well, but the brett has already dried it out so much that I don’t think there is much point. Midnight Brett is still a tasty ale. I'm not sure Allagash could brew a bad beer if they tried.
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