Sixty seconds after the clock struck midnight, the ace team at Coldfire stood around the beer cauldron in their pointy brewers hats chanting “Roasted malts and coffee double, chocolate, fruit and caramel bubble!”

The result? Today’s ridiculously creamy and coffee-filled Minute after Midnight Imperial Stout!

At least that’s what I imagined after downing one of these 10.5% ABV bad boys at Coldfire’s cozy Eugene, Oregon taproom.

How else would these GABF Award-Winners have blended the complex flavors so melodiously? There’s fresh ground coffee on the nose, delving into a full mouthfeel of malty chocolate with bold splashes of espresso and echoes of fig and dark cherry. Yum.

Sipping another pint of Minute after Midnight, I realized how awesome it’d be as a couch sipper after a long day. Maybe I’d even pour it out into a glass and throw on Harry Potter to finally see what all the fuss is about. Do they teach magical beer brewing at Hogwarts?

Snapping me out of my daydreams, the Coldfire bartender assured me the brewers were not warlocks. I pondered this over another mouthful, getting a note of caramel on the backend. There’s gotta be some kind of magic here!

You don’t have to make the trek to Eugene or recite some otherworldly beer-conjuring incantation to decide for yourself. Once I learned this Imperial Stout rarely ventures beyond coven headquarters, er, brewery, I grabbed some cans just for Tavour members!

Grab your midnight stash soon, because this one’s gonna vanish faster than you can say “Abracadabra!”

Rated 4.07 on Untappd!