Happy holidays! The halls are decked with holly, the dradle is being spun, and baby new year is crawling closer. The holiday season is packed with friends, family, and good food and drink. The beer has been flowing freely around the Hapa’s HQ and over the weekend we got the chance to pour another of Midnight Sun’s brews.
Cohoho Imperial IPA packs a punch with 85 IBUs and 8.0% ABV. The beer’s unique flavor profile is also shaped by the usage of some special ingredients that include juniper berries, brown sugar, maple syrup, and honey.
Appearance
Darker than a typical IPA with tones of copper and orange. Slightly hazy beer sits under a finger and a half of off white foam. Retention isn’t great, but does leave a nice coating of lace.
Aroma
Hop aromas dominate the nose with strong resiny notes of pine, grapefruit, and orange rind. Malt aromas manage to fight through the hops with bready sweet smells that are accented by hints of brown sugar.
Taste
Lots of balance between hop bitterness and the sweetness of malt, brown sugar, and syrup. Punchy hops linger on the tongue and are complimented by the fresh pine from the juniper berries. Enough sweetness from the malt bill and other ingredients to keep this from being a huge hop bomb.
Mouthfeel
The beer has a medium body and relatively high level of carbonation. Very smooth pint has a dry finish and is quite pleasant in the mouth.
Drinkability
A nice twist on a the classic West Coast IPA. The addition of ingredients that compliment the natural flavors of hops and malt add subtle layers of complexity. Big flavors are very well balanced. The 8% ABV gets lost in the strong flavor profile but will still blur your vision. A great beer to share with friends. Overall grade for Midnight Sun Cohoho Imperial IPA: B+
Midnight Sun Cohoho Imperial IPA
Up next on Tuesday Tasting: Allagash Brewing Company Black