I Now Pronounce You Beer and Coffee

There are two beverages that the civilized world acknowledges as supreme above all else.  The first is, without question, beer.  This arcane liquid has been with us for many thousands of years, evolving from a primitive form that fueled ancient Egyptian labour forces during the construction of the pyramids, into a tonic of complexity in this modern era of microbrewery creativity.  The second is undoubtedly coffee.  With a history nearly as rich as that of beer, and a flavour to match, coffee has been known as 'black gold' by some.

Both these substances have complex and varied flavours.  Both offer wondrous mind-and-body-altering effects. Both come in a variety of shades of darkness and intensities.  Both are for connoisseurs.  Both have been raped by trashy mainstream corporations that sell poor products to philistines.



So what happens when the planets align, and these two beverages...become one?  Something quite magical.

Such is the case with Midnight Sun, a (so far as I know) new beer from a brewery I have only just discovered; Yukon Brewing.  What this beer is is an Espresso Stout.  Now, pick yourself up off the floor and read on.  The pairing is not exactly unusual, as any good stout should draw some parallels to coffee.  However, it's the intensity in that coffee taste where Midnight Sun *ahem*...rises above the competition.

The result is something that combines the best of both worlds for the learned pub-goer, and the cerebral artist-at-heart enjoying a lazy afternoon at the local coffee house.  An odd, yet welcome, combination of mental stimulation and muscle relaxation.

And that is just the metaphysical sensations.  What your senses actually experience is a whole other story.  Immediately, the aroma will take you by surprise.  As with any good coffee, you'll probably end up enjoying the wafting aromatic flavours as much as the liquid itself.  Luckily, the taste is no slouch.  Even by the standards of a big stout enthusiast, which I am, Midnight Sun hits all the right buttons.  It's not remotely lazy, cheap or boring, all of which is somewhat surprising for an emerging brewery that has released this in a standard priced 6 pack format.  Yes, you can get an extremely high quality espresso stout in 355 ml bottles for a reasonable price.  Pick yourself up off the floor again; you're embarrassing yourself, alright?

Ball = Midnight Sun.  Face = your face.

Taste:  A terrific fusion of strong coffee and strong beer.  I feel like a slightly higher alcohol content (weighing in currently at 6.5%) could contribute to a more impactful effect, but it's still nonetheless a great stout.

Aroma:  Bam.  You want a more thorough explanation?  Brew up a fresh pot of coffee, make sure it's nice and hot, then smash the carafe over your head.

Aftertaste:  One of the greatest things about this beer is that there is absolutely zero unfavourable aftertastes.  Even in some of my favourite beers, there have been just hints of something unpleasant.  Not so here.

Recommended?:  That's a big 10-4.

Verdict:  Yukon Brewing...you are officially on my radar.  What an incredible (and ballsy) beer to kick off with.  Yes, they have a red ale (or amber or something) available as well, but the point is this is a serious beer for serious beer snobs that demand a serious ass-kicking.  And that...is bloody commendable.

Score:  9.5 mugs out of 10.  Yeah yeah, it's another outrageously high score, but you know what? Just