Midnight Sun Obliteration
Beer No: 36/1001
Page No: 206
Category: Amber
After returning home from Haven Gastropub last night, I wanted to keep the beer flowing, so I broke out this bottle of Midnight Sun's Obliteration VI. While Obliteration VI isn't in the book of 1001 Beers, Obliteration V is. These experimental brews from Midnight Sun in Anchorage, Alaska are all brewed with heavy hops and different varieties of hops each time. So I realize that the Obliteration VI isn't the same as the Obliteration V. The "V" is brewed with Warrior and Nugget hops with Amarillo added in the dry-hopping stage while "VI" is brewed with Summit, Summit, and Summit hops. But, I have no idea how I could ever get my hands on the Obliteration V, so VI will have to do for now. Plus, at $14/bottle, I'm not too keen on trying to find an older bottle with an even bigger mark up (and, Google has no shopping results for "Obliteration V").
Back to the beer. Weighing in at 95 IBUs, I figured this Double IPA would have a really hoppy nose, but surprisingly, it didn't. The taste is also pretty toned down as the malts blend well with the summit hops. But there's just something about this beer that didn't sit right. It was oily and fizzy and the hops just didn't seem to play well with all the other ingredients. While tasting it, and noting the single-hop blend, I flashed back to the Shipyard IPA I had a few weeks ago which was all Fuggle hops. Whereas the Shipyard is a standard product in their lineup, this Obliteration is an experimental beer like most single-hop brews. And while I found it interesting to get the full flavors of the summit hop, I just don't think it stands up well on its own. A nice hop mixture could have made something special here, instead we're left with an oily, astringent, bitter DIPA. At least it's experimental. But I'll keep trying the series if I can ever find them.
My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:
Midnight Sun Obliteration VI from Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.8 / 5.0
Had from bottle from unknown shop. Pours dark orange with good sized head and nice retention. Not much lacing. Aroma of fruits, malts, and hops. Though not as many hops as I expected. Flavors of pine, citrus, sweets, and bread. Very oily texture, a bit fizzy, not what I was expecting. I’ve had many better DIPAs and those I shared it with were not impressed either.
