Release number five in 7th Day Brewery’s 2022 Making Waves series comes just in time for the imperial stout season we all agree makes winter just that little bit better. Midnight Surfer is the name and being an imperial coffee stout is the game. Better break out that pint glass because Midnight Surfer is also a nitro beer which after a shake and vigorous pour forms a thick latte foam up top that cascades down the interior of the glass like sinking sand. Very satisfying and we haven’t even tasted it yet.
On the nose are the familiar bittersweet stout notes, it’s not really until you take a sip that you are hit with the titular ingredient courtesy of Barrel One Coffee Roasters. The coffee taste itself is pretty damn good. As a black coffee drinker, I really enjoy coffee notes that play on the edge of bitter without going too far. Midnight Surfer gets that done with the addition of real cocoa, who appears to be surfing with the coffee beans on the label. Coffee and chocolate are great buds and this beer is no exception.
Worth noting is that for 9 percent ABV this drinks more like something in the 5 to 6 percent range, possibly due to the strong coffee providing perfect camouflage for the alcohol. Chocolate, coffee, and a little creamy nitro kick unite to create a full whack beer that could stand aside an earthy cigar, provided you don’t need to get to bed early that night.
Benedict Kennedy-Cox
Published July 20, 2022 2022-07-20 00:00:00
