After Midnight Dark Belgian - Pinter Review

When the odd world of Belgian beers clicks, you will find yourself reaching for oddly shaped bottles with dragons and gnomes, swimming in sweet, malty, spicy, and strange libations. Then one day you’ll try to brew your own, and well …

Belgian beers are challenging at first because they are very complex, a real dance between malt, hops, sugar, and yeast character. This balance makes it difficult for a homebrewer to achieve a great final product. Trust me, I know. But that’s where we’re hoping Pinter comes in clutch with their After Midnight Dark Belgian ale.

This euro ale comes in at 5.8% ABV and is supposed to offer notes of caramel, toffee, molasses, licorice, coffee, dark fruit, and chocolate all aided by the dash of Belgian yeast spice. As I said, complex, and complexity takes time so watch out for the long recommended brewing time, 10 days, followed by 7 days of conditioning.

There is no hopper with this recipe, only the fresh press and the Rise yeast. It’s an easy brew, but we’re hoping for a malty bang at the end.

First Impressions:

• On the Eyes--Dark like its name but deep ruby when held up to the light. Topped with a milk-chocolate head.

• On the Nose--Fig and molasses are most prominent with an underlying sweetness of caramel and a hint of Belgian yeast spice.

• On the Palate--Immediately full-bodied and rich with layers of caramel and dried fruit. It has an almost cola flavor, which is good because cola is quite complex. The coffee flavor lends to a slightly bitter and dry finish from the longer brewing time, and After Midnight offers a noticeable amount of Belgian spice. There are lots of layers in this Belgian Dark from caramel to molasses to coffee all around a fruity core. The licorice comes in after a few sips, only adding to the experience.

Final Thoughts:

Just the mention of Belgian beers evokes complexity, spice, and a little funkiness, layers and layers of malt only added to with sprinkles and dashes of yeast character and hops. They are challenging beers, and even more so when taken even darker with heavily roasted malts. It’s not an easy task, so how did Pinter do?

Quite well, I would say. After Midnight is complex with layers of caramelized sugars, spiced fruit, and bitter hops and coffee. But my favorite thing about it is the full body that is fit for a winter sipper, and the dry finish keeps things clean and the drinker coming back. It’s a good beer, and the longer brewing time seemed to be worth it to have those deep flavors developed and the dryness resolute.

Of course, the question that has to be asked: Would I brew it again?

Honestly, probably not. It’s not a slight against the beer, just me being true to my palate and also my mission to try more of Pinter’s offerings. But I could see this being a great winter beer, and the urge could come back to me then. If you like Belgian beers or rich dark ales, give After Midnight a try. I think you’ll like it.

Cheers!

Mr. Brew

Curious about our experience brewing with the Pinter? Check out our review of it here!

And if you’re a fellow hop-head, check out one of our favorite IPAs from Pinter: Space Hopper DIPA!