Bill Howell's Blog, page 7

Pearl Harbor Day

It's December 7th, "a date that will live in infamy," especially to a retired Naval Officer such as myself. I was stationed for three years at Sub Base Pearl, including 1991 for the 50th Anniversary of the attack. I don't know how many times I stood at attention to render honors as we passed the USS Arizona Memorial, or was topside for colors as the Ship's Duty Officer on a quiet Sunday morning, just like my predecessors were that fateful Sunday so long ago. Of course, I've also stood there at attention while the Japanese National Anthem played after our own, because there was a Japanese ship in port. It was a good reminder that whatever our current hostilities are, time heals all wounds.

Sub Base Pearl, December 7, 1941 The USS Narwhal fires on the attacking aircraft with her deck machine guns.

Sub Base Pearl today, with the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri in the foregroundAs long as we're talking about historical dates, the Brewers Association has announced the end of the year numbers for breweries in the US. There are now 4,144 breweries in the US, which tops the previous all-time high of 4,131 in 1873. However, that should not indicate that there isn't room for any more. In 1873, the US population was only 42 million people, with breweries producing one barrel of beer for every 4.7 persons. Today, the population is 312 million, and we only produce one barrel of beer for every 14 persons. So we've still got a long way to go to match 1873 in beer production per capita.

But enough history, let's talk about Alaska beer. Elaine and I made another up-and-back shopping run to Anchorage on Friday, and I got a chance to make quick stops at  a couple of new establishments.

First, we stopped for an early lunch at the new Baked Alaska Alehouse in the Glenn Square Shopping Center in Mountain View, right next to the Bass Pro Shop. Dr. Fermento wrote about them extensively a couple of weeks ago (read his column here), so I won't repeat what he covered, but just add my impressions.

Exterior
The back barElaine and I both ordered burgers, which were excellent. The menu looked quite varied, and the other orders we saw being served (pizza, calzones, and sandwiches) all looked delicious. The place definitely has a sports bar vibe, with lots of big screen TVs, but they were turned down low, at least when we were there, so they weren't obtrusive. Service was good, with an order at a counter followed by table delivery. There also seemed to be a lot of take out orders. The beer selection looked pretty good, with lots of local beers on tap, and even some Duvel and Chimay bottles in the cooler. I did get the feeling that the beer was a bit of an afterthought, but perhaps that was only because it was early when we visited. Bottom line: while Humpy's and Cafe Amsterdam certainly don't have anything to worry about, the Baked Alaska Alehouse is a nice place to eat and have a decent beer in Mountain View. Or you could just get your food to go and head for the Resolution Brewing Company around the corner...

The second stop I made was to finally get out to Eagle Rive to check out Odd Man Rush Brewing Company, something I'd been trying to do since it opened in September.

Exterior of Odd Man Rush Interior of Odd Man Rush
Current tap list
It was pretty quiet early on a Friday afternoon when I got there, which gave me to chance to chat for a few minutes with Reid MacDonald, the master brewer, who was manning the counter. A couple of folks came in for growler fills and a couple of people were enjoying beers and the view from the mezzanine. I only had small taster samples of three of the seven brews on offer, so no formal beer reviews, but I enjoyed them all. The Gordon Lyon Gose was easily the most unusual, light and spritzy, more at home on a warm spring day than in December, but still nice. The Pararescue 212 Vanilla Porter was nice and smooth, with lots of vanilla flavor. The UK Enforcer IPA is a variation on OMR's standard Enforcer IPA; it uses the same hops but replaces the American 2-row with Maris Otter malt. That classic malt gives it a rich backbone that helps balance the strong American hops. Reid told me that currently OMR's beers are only available at the brewery, though they may look at distributing to local bars and restaurants eventually. The brewhouse is a 10-barrel from Premiere Stainless, and they have three 20-barrel fermenters. Bottom line, we've got another fine local brewery in Alaska, something Eagle River has been sorely missing. It's a little out of my way, but I plan to be stopping in at Odd Man Rush Brewing every chance I get.

Let's move on to other beer news. As I reported in my last blog, La Bodega 's third location, between REI and the Middle Way Cafe on Northern Lights, is now open. It's fairly small, with only 6 taps and a limited selection, but now there is a La Bodega option closer to downtown.

Photo courtesy of La Bodega

Arkose Brewery is continuing to expand its production capacity to support its new bottling operation. The brewery just took delivery of another 20-barrel fermenter. Here on the Peninsula, you can find Arkose Brewery beers at Country Liquors in Kenai.

Photo courtesy of Arkose BreweryGakona Brewing Company has its beers occupying both taps at the Trapper's Den at the Gakona Lodge, and sent kegs  of its Killer Rabbit IPA to the Texas Roadhouse at Tikahtnu in Anchorage earlier this month .

Photo of Killer Rabbit IPA kegs courtesy of Gakona Brewing

Winterlong Brewing Company in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, has started to bottle its beers, so if you are passing through while driving the Al-Can, be sure to look for them.


Photo courtesy of Winterlong Brewing
HooDoo Brewing Company's Belgian Golden Strong Ale went back on tap on 11/25. It  has also published its Saturday cask release schedule for the rest of 2015:


Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that there will be a limited release of its A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine this year. Because of the move to the new brewery, Gabe Fletcher did not brew any for release this year. However, three years ago, he filled a whiskey barrel with some of batch #2, where it has been ever since. At noon on January 10, 2016, 200 bottles of this very special beer will go on sale at the brewery for $50 each, limited one to a customer.  In case you are wondering if it is worth it, the latest issue of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine gave the regular A Deal with the Devil a perfect 100 rating. I wonder what they would give to this limited release? 100+?

From Craft Beer & Brewing MagazineIn addition to releasing its new Imperial Series beers, King Street Brewing Company released an Oaked Cherry Blonde on 11/25.

Photo courtesy of King Street Brewing

On the new breweries front, Quake Brewing 's fundraising campaign has only 7 days left, and Bearpaw River Brewing in Wasilla has just announced the date of its grand opening: Saturday December 19th from noon to 8 PM . The brewery recently posted a picture of the completion of sealing its taproom floor. Looks like it's going to be a great place to drink some beer!

Photo courtesy of Bearpaw River BrewingHere on the Peninsula, St. Elias Brewing Company has its Green Giant Imperial IPA back on tap, along with a Kriek Lambic. You should also check out its new December Pizza of the Month, the York. I had one on Saturday and it was excellent.

Tap list at St. Elias Brewing
At Kenai River Brewing Company, the Winter Warlock and Gummie Bear Tripel are finished, but a barrel-aged version of its Skilak Wee Heavy is on tap. See below for a review.



Finally, before we move on to reviews, I'd like to remind everyone about two opportunities coming up. First, Wynkoop Brewing's Beerdrinker of the Year contest is looking for submissions for the 2016 contest. I won this award myself in 2010 and had a wonderful time. The contest was on hiatus for a couple of years, but is now back in business. This time around, you can even submit a video resume if you'd like, but it's not required. For more information and to submit your entry, go to this webpage. You must submit your entry by February 1, 2016. Remember, if you don't enter, you're guaranteed not to win!

The second opportunity is the course I will be teaching next year at Kenai Peninsula College, The Art and History of Brewing (CED A157) . I've taught this course annually since 2007, and it's a great deal of fun. We taste beer in class, tour the local breweries, and generally have a great time learning about beer styles, brewing, and pairing beer with food. The class is taught on Tuesday nights from 5:30 to 6:45 at the Kenai River Campus in Soldotna, starting on January 12 and running for 15 weeks. If you'd like more information or to sign up, call 262-0330.

Let's move on to beer reviews. I've got three this time.

Arkose Brewery's Boxcar Porter: I picked up a bottle of this at Country Liquors in Kenai.  It poured dark with ruby highlights and a nice tan head. The nose had some roasty notes, mouthfeel was light, and the carbonation was good. On the palate the roasted malt flavors were balanced, and the taste was very clean. Stylistically, I'd call it more of a brown porter than a robust one, and a very tasty one. 5.3% ABV.



Broken Tooth Brewing Company's Cocoa Caliente Porter: Another porter, but quite different from Arkose's. This one is made with the addition of both cocoa and hot peppers. It poured a deep ruby color with a nice cream-colored head. There was a hint of smoke in the aroma, either from the roast malt or, more likely, from the smoked peppers. Carbonation was good, and the mouthfeel was nice. On the palate, besides the usual malt flavors, there was some richness from the cocoa and hints of spice from the chilies, which grew into a distinct warmth on the finish and as part of the aftertaste. I've always been a little leery of peppers in beer; sometimes they work quite well, but other times it can be a disaster. This beer is a bit in the middle: it tasted fine, but I'm not sure I liked the heat on the finish. 8.4% ABV, 30 IBUs.



Kenai River Brewing's Oaked Skilak Wee Heavy Ale: The Wee Heavy version of Kenai River's flagship ale has always been a huge favorite of mine; check out my review of it on 2/9/2009. The latest release of this beer spent a year and a day in a bourbon barrel. I believe the barrel was not particularly "wet", as the beer did not pick up a tremendous amount of bourbon flavor. What it did pick up was a great deal of oak, a nice addition to this strong, malty ale. If you like oaked beers or Scotch Ales, you should make it a point to taste this beer before it's gone.



Well, that's it for this time around. Good luck with the Christmas shopping, and I'll be back again in another week or ten days.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Another New Beer Tour

I wrote in last week's blog about a new bicycle & beer that will be offered next year here in Alaska by a company out of Florida. Given how strongly I advocate buying local to support Alaska businesses,  it seems only fair that I should give some time to our local Alaskan beer tour company, Big Swig Tours out of Anchorage.

Big Swig Tours was founded in 2014 by Bryan Caenepeel, a ten-year veteran of the Alaska tourism industry. Tour size is limited to twelve, so you really get an individual experience. It currently offers two year-round tours, the Anchorage Brews Tour and Hops on the Rail . The Anchorage Brews Tour takes about 3.5 hours and hits King Street, Midnight Sun, and Chilkoot Charlies . The Hops on the Rail , the newest tour, starts with a train ride to Talkeetna, then visits to Denali Brewing Company, Arkose Brewery, Odd Man Rush Brewing, and finishes up at Resolution Brewing. You can find tour schedules, prices, and lots of details on Big Swig Tours' website. These are year-round tours, with others available during the summer only. As I wrote in my last blog, I'm always excited to see new opportunities for people, tourists and locals alike, to experience the exceptional craft beers we are lucky enough to have made here in Alaska!

Also of interest, I received an email this week about a new craft beer web series on YouTube. It's called All Hopped Up and follows a couple of guys as they try pairing craft beers and dishes at local restaurants. The only downside is that they are based in upstate New York. However, it's still an interesting idea and one that someone here in Alaska might want to take on. I might have given it a go myself, if I lived in Anchorage and had lots of restaurants to chose from. Below is their most recent video:




Let's move on to news from the breweries.

King Street Brewing Company released the next beer in its Imperial Series, the Imperial Pilsner, on November 11. Most of this batched was bottled, but a limited amount was offered on tap at the brewery. Not sure if there is any still left. Here's how they described it:

"If you like our Czech style Pilsner you may just love our Imperial version. This Pilsner intensifies Czech hop aroma and flavor while amplifying European malts. Spicy and flora aromas of Saaz hops slowly give way to the bread-like grain of Central European 2-row barley."

Photo courtesy of King Street Brewing
La Bodega has a couple of pieces of good news. First, there are several new beers on offer; the list includes Denali's Slow Down Brown, Sierra Nevada's classic seasonal Celebration Ale, Arkose Brewery's Bitter Earth ESB, Boxcar Porter and Steed Rye IPA  in 22oz bottles, Deschutes' Hop Trip and Chasin' Freshies, Two Beers Fresh Hop, and Bridgeport's Hop Harvest. Also available are a new doppelbock from Maui Brewing Co., The Doppel Shot Double Bock, New Belgium's Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale, Hopworks Urban Brewery's new winter ale Abominable, and Denali Brewing's One Tree Birch Beer. In addition, La Bodega just announced that they will be opening a third location, on Northern Lights between R.E.I. and the Middle Way Cafe. It will be a small place, with only a six tap growler bar and a limited selection, and the soft opening is schedule for this Wednesday, November 25th. Congratulations to Pamela and the rest of the La Bodega team!


There are a couple of beer events in Fairbanks, tonight and tomorrow. Tonight's event will be at 7 PM at the Blue Loon and will have a $20 flat fee. Tomorrow's event is at The Pub on the UAF Campus and charges $1 per ticket to taste a beer. To learn more on tonight's event, click here. The event at The Pub runs from from 6 to 9 PM, and you can learn more about it here.

Midnight Sun Brewing Company will be featured at both events, and will be releasing this year's versions of a couple of its classic beers next week. On Monday, November 23, this year's Arctic Devil Barley Wine will be released, while on Friday, November 27th, MSBC will release Barfly Smoked Imperial Stout. The Loft will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, of course. Both of these beers are absolutely amazing (see my reviews in previous blogs) and are not to be missed!




Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that it is working on a new batch of its outstanding Time Waits For No One Imperial Stout. Where the last batch was aged in used Laphroaig Scotch whisky barrels, this new batch will be aged in used 600 liter tawny port casks from Portugal. Also, today a limited quantity of ABC's Darkest Hour Imperial Stout goes on tap at the brewery; get it before it's gone.


The guys at Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer have finally received their federal brewing license. Now they get to start threading their way through the state's bureaucratic maze to get their state license.


Kodiak Island Brewing Company has received a top rating on Expedia.com's Trip Advisor site. Congratulations to Ben and the rest of the Kodiak Island team.

Photo courtesy of Kodiak Island BC

I mentioned above that Arkose Brewery's new bottled beers were available at La Bodega in Anchorage. The are also available at Country Liquors here on the Kenai. I picked some up there on Wednesday.


 Also here on the Kenai, construction of the new home of Kenai River Brewing Company continues at a rapid pace. Yesterday and today, they were setting the roof trusses into place.

Photo courtesy of Kenai River BC
Meanwhile, at the current brewery, Gummi Bear Tripel is back on tap. Here's the latest tap list:



Over at St. Elias Brewing, both the Queen of Hearts Lambic and the 2013 Moose Juice Barley Wine have kicked, but they have been replaced by the Kriek Lambic and the 2014 Moose Juice, which won 1st Place in the Barley Wine Competition at the last Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival . Next up is Green Giant Double IPA. Also, if you haven't gotten in and tried the Pizza of the Month, the Achilles, you really should. I had one last weekend and it was delicious!

St. Elias tap list
St. Elias Seasonals The Achilles, the November Pizza of the Month
As far as reviews go, I haven't actually been drinking much new over the last few days, as I've been hitting local brews like St. Elias's Czech Pilsner and H & H East India Porter, along with Kenai River's Winter Warlock Old Ale pretty hard. But I do have one beer to mention.

Guinness Brewing's Foreign Extra Stout: While the standard bottle of Guinness Draught is nothing special (better than having to drink a typical macro lager, but not that much better), this beer is truly something else.  For many years, it wasn't even imported into the US; most Americans got their first exposure to it in the Caribbean, where it is extremely popular. However, a few years ago, likely in response to the growing popularity of craft beers, Guinness started importing here, and you can find it in 4-packs in better beer stores, like Country Liquors in Kenai or La Bodega in Anchorage. It pours and looks very similar to a regular Guinness, but looks are deceiving. For starters, it's 7.5% ABV instead on Draught's meager 4.2%. Second, on the palate it is thick, rich, and luscious, almost like drinking rich chocolate milk, but with enough roasted barley notes and hops for balance. In short, it tastes like I think Guinness did a hundred or a hundred and fifty years ago, before it started it's long, slow dumbing down. If you like Guinness or any other dry stout, you really owe it to yourself to give Foreign Extra Stout a try.



Well, that's it for this week. Don't look for a blog next week, what with Thanksgiving and all. If you are here on the Peninsula, I'd like to let you know that I'll be at Kenai Fine Arts Guild Arts and Crafts Fair at Kenai Central High School on Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 28, selling and signing my books. A book with a personal inscription from the author makes a great Christmas gift for family and friends! Even if you don't need any books, be sure to stop by and say hi if you're at the fair.

Until Next Time, Cheers.

Snow on the Ground

There's snow on the ground here on the Kenai, but we still haven't gotten any really bitter cold yet, though the forecasters are promising us some of that for the end of the week. Fortunately, the weather doesn't seem to be slowing brewery construction down very much; more on that below.



First up, I got a very interesting press release from an outfit in Gainesville, Florida called Pedalers Pub & Grill , about a new tour they will be doing next year in Alaska.  Here's the press release in its entirety:

 Craft Beers & Roadhouses: A new 10 day bicycling and beer tasting tour in Alaska from Pedalers

The bicycle touring company with a rather unique name - Pedalers Pub & Grille - recently announced a new bicycle tour that fits well with the company's name. Craft Beers & Roadhouses combines two of cyclists' favorite pastimes into one grand adventure - cycling through awe inspiring landscapes and relaxing with extraordinary craft beers after wards. The 10 day tour takes cyclists and adventurous travelers from Anchorage up to Denali National Park then across the Denali Highway, rated as one of the most beautiful highways in the world, before looping around to its conclusion at Sheep Mountain where guests enjoy a glacier walk. Each evening before dinner, guests will sit down for a beer tasting featuring a different one of Alaska's great craft breweries. The 10 day trip offers departures through the summer months and the per person price is $4250.

Highlights of the bike and sip experience include a visit to eclectic Talkeetna, the inspiration for the town of Cicely in the TV series Northern exposure, truly a town of characters and home to Denali Brewery. Bed down in a lodge on a homestead that was one of the first near Denali and enjoy a layover day at Denali National Park. Visits to three different micro-breweries are built into this first cycling leg, along with tastings of beers from as far away as Baranof Island located in Alaska's panhandle and as nearby right down the street.

The cycling is all about magnificent landscapes during the second leg, starting off with a traverse of the Denali Highway, frequently voted in the top spot for most scenic highway in the world. Guests will roll through vast areas of tundra with its lakes and diminutive trees, past the towering volcanoes of the Wangrell Range. The cycling winds down along the Glenn Highway snaking between the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountain Ranges capped off with a walk across the icefields of the Matanuska Glacier led by local glacier hiking guides. Of course each night will provide tastings of more Alaskan micro-brews from around the 49th state. And will be capped off with a final dinner and sampling at one of Anchorage's award winning brewpubs.

According to Tom Sheehan, Pedalers' founder and head Tour Imagineer "We have been organizing tours in Alaska for near 20 years and have watched the local brewing scene evolve from hobbyists to award winning small breweries. And as cyclists we have enjoyed sampling these beers while touring, and wanted to bring this experience to the forefront of one of our cycling trips. Craft Beers & Roadhouses fits perfectly with today's focus on experiential travel."

Guests cycle on average 60 miles daily along paved roads with some stretches on dirt. While the terrain is mountainous, the roads follow gentle grades as they cross the ranges, tend wend through the valleys in between. Traffic is light to moderate at times.

Except for air the trip is all inclusive of accommodations, most meals, evening beer tastings, professional guides, daily route directions and maps, sightseeing and cultural activities, rental bikes. Personal departures may be scheduled for private groups and bike clubs. More details can be found online at: https://www.pedalerspubandgrille.com/alaska-bike-tour-roadhouses-craft-beers

Pedalers Pub & Grille Background: Annually, PP& G offers multiple set departures and custom trips to 19 exotic destinations in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and Alaska. The company has been conducting cycling tours of these regions since the 1980's and is known for creating spontaneous, up close and personal cultural encounters along its well-researched cycling routes. Asia's most seasoned bicycle tour operator, Pedalers Pub & Grille specializes in sag wagon supported road bike tours. They organize rides that are geared toward cycling enthusiasts, featuring longer daily rides designed to fill the day with adventure, while still allowing sufficient time for "off the bike" exploration at fascinating stops along the route. Accommodations are carefully chosen to provide modern western amenities, a comfortable night's rest and an immersion in the local culture and lifestyle. Meals are a celebration of local cuisine and beverages. Trips are led by either a bi-lingual international guide living in the area or a native born guide fluent in English, complimented by an English speaking support crew from that country. All levels of riders are welcome, from energetic beginners to elite cyclists.

National Geographic Adventure magazine selected PP& G as one of the "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth". And National Geographic Traveler has selected some of Pedalers Pub & Grille's tours for the 50 Tours of a Lifetime honor. For more details you can visit Pedalers Pub & Grille online at their new website www.PedalersPubandGrille.com or send an Email to tours@pedalerspubandgrille.com.

For more information and/or photos on Pedalers Pub & Grille please contact: Tom Sheehan tom@teampedalers.com

I'm glad to see that this tour company has recognized what a unique combination of superb beer and spectacular scenery that Alaska has to offer, and I hope these cyclists have a wonderful time when the visit our great state. It's things like this that should remind our local and state politicians what a valuable asset Alaska's craft brewing industry is.

Alaskan Brewing Company will be holding a beer dinner on this Thursday, November 12th, in Anchorage at The Lakefront Hotel on Spenard. It starts at 6 PM and cost $50 per person. Here is the flier with the beer list and menu:

Click to enlargeAlso on Thursday, from 5 to 8 PM Resolution Brewing Company will be donating 20% of its beer sales to The Great Land Trust. Here's the flier for that event:

Click to enlarge Speaking of charity events, Odd Man Rush Brewing will be hosting Fill the Keg for Maddy this Saturday from noon to 8 PM. Maddy is a local 5th grader battling a rare form of cancer. All tips go to help her family pay her medical costs.



I wrote in my last blog about the release event for Denali Brewing's Slow Down Brown in Talkeetna. Cans of this spiced brown ale should be on store shelves around the state this week.

Photo courtesy of Denali Brewing Company
King Street Brewing Company will be releasing the next beer in its new Imperial Series, the Imperial Pilsner, this Friday, November 13th. See my last blog for a review of the Imperial IPA and below for a review of the Imperial Hefeweizen. The Imperial Stout is scheduled for release on December 1st.


Up in Palmer, Arkose Brewery took delivery of a new 20 bbl fermenter last week. The brewery also has another Beer Meet Canvas Event scheduled for this Saturday, November 14.

Photo courtesy of Arkose Brewerey
Here on the Peninsula, there's quite a bit of brewery activity. At Kenai River Brewing Company, construction on the new brewery continues on schedule. Doug Hogue tells me he has ordered his new 20-bbl brewhouse from Specific Mechanical, along with an additional 80-bbl and a 100-bbl fermenter from Premiere Stainless. For any of you aspiring or expanding brewers out there, this means he'll be looking to sell his current 10-bbl Specific Mechanical brewhouse in the April-May time frame. Contact Doug if you're interested.



At St. Elias Brewing, Zach Henry put a keg of 3.5 year old Barley Wine on tap last week as a prelude to the release of this year's Moose Juice Barley Wine, which will go on tap soon. The Oktoberfest Lager is gone, but Zach has brewed another batch of the excellent Czech Pilsner, so that one should be around for a while.

No more Oktoberfest until next year.
At Kassik's Brewery, they were bottling Cherry Chocolate Stout on Saturday. The specialty beers on tap were Imperial Spiced Honey Wheat, Big Nutz, Caribou Kilt Scotch, & 2014 Barley Wine.


However, the biggest news on the Peninsula is that construction is underway on a new brewery in Homer, Grace Ridge Brewing Company. Back in my 7/17/2015 blog, I mentioned that Don Stead and his wife Sherry were working on starting a new brewery in Homer. Well, things are finally coming to fruition. The building which will house the brewery (along with a UPS office) is under construction at 1495 Ocean Drive, and should be finished in December. According to Don, the brewery expects to receive its final license from the ABC Board about the same time. The brewery's portion of the building will be 1500 square feet, split evenly between the brewery proper and the tap room, which should allow for an occupancy of about 25 customers. The brewing system is on order, a 3-barrel direct-fired system from Stout Tanks and Kettles of Portland, along with three 3-barrel conical fermenters and two 3-barrel brite tanks, very similar to the set-up at Resolution Brewing in Anchorage. Don is planning to do the brewing himself, with an assist from his son Scott. He plans to have six beers on tap continuously, focusing primarily on English-inspired styles. Besides retail sales at the brewery, Grace Ridge will self-distribute to select restaurants around Homer. As of now, Don plans to be open at least five days a week year-round. Currently, the target opening date is sometime in March or April.

This all sounds very exciting to me. Grace Ridge will be the sixth brewery operating on the Peninsula (at least in the summers when the Seward Brewing Company is open). I am very gratified to see the craft brewing culture continue to expand, both here on the Kenai and across the rest of the state. The golden age of brewing in Alaska is still in front of us, I think!

Now let's do some beer reviews. Just two new beers to cover this time, and plus a renewal of an old acquaintance. First up, my old friend Kassik's Brewery's Smoked Russian Imperial Stout. I reviewed this beer back on 4/5/2011, but I picked up a bottle as part of a column I was writing for The Redoubt Reporter on smoked beers. I found it to be excellent, with no perceptible change from the draft version I thoroughly enjoyed 4.5 years ago. Highly recommended for fans of smoked beers or imperial stouts. 8.5% ABV.


The second beer is the 2015 release of Alaskan Brewing's classic Smoked Porter. This beer has won more gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival than any other, and deservedly so, as it is the granddaddy of every American smoked beer sold today. This year's vintage poured opaque with ruby highlights and a nice mocha-colored head. The nose was a blend of alder wood smoke and malt. There was good carbonation and nice mouthfeel. The flavor profile had lots of smoke, as these porters always do when young, plus some good, roasty malt flavors. Very good now, and destined to become outstanding with a few years in the cellar. 6.5% ABV.


Finally, something completely new, King Street Brewing's Imperial Hefeweizen. This beer poured a cloudy honey color with a very nice off-white head. The aroma had the banana and clove notes of a hefe brewed with a proper Bavarian yeast. The  carbonation was excellent and the mouthfeel was fairly light. On the palate, there were plenty of the banana and clove notes, along with the spicy flavors you expect from a wheat beer. There was a touch of alcohol heat on the finish. Overall, a very nice amped up hefe. 7.5% ABV, 30 IBUs.


That's it for this blog. Notice, it didn't take me two weeks to get this one out, just ten days! Meanwhile, it's time to start shopping for Christmas. I'd remind you that a signed copy of my book Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun makes an excellent gift. If you are local, I'll be selling and signing copies at the Christmas Craft Fair at Kenai Central High School, November 27th and 28th. If you're not local but would like a signed copy, contact me at beeronthelastfrontier@gmail.com and we'll work something out.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Happy Halloween

Here it is, the day before Halloween and I'm beginning to wonder if I should just change this from a weekly blog to an every other week blog, since that seems to be how often I can actually get the bloody thing done! Anyway, it's the end of October and we actually have snow falling from the skies here on the Kenai. Not sure how much accumulation we'll get, but it looks like winter might finally be here at last. Lots of beer stuff happening, so let's jump right in with news and events.

I already made a Breaking News post about this, but at Anchorage Brewing Company today from 2 to 8 PM is Jolly Pumpkin Night , with five different brews from that excellent brewery on tap. Free admission, pay as you go. In addition, the brewery will be releasing a new IPA in its Expiration series. This one is brewed using a new German hop called Manderina Bavaria, Germany's answer to all of the citrusy hops that have been coming out lately. It's also dry hopped with Manderina and a touch of Simcoe at the end. Sounds delicious, so stop by and get some while it lasts! ABC also put a new beer on tap last Sunday, a sour wheat beer called Debbie's Delight.

Click to enlarge
Last night, Arkose Brewery celebrated its 4th Anniversary with a Beer Dinner at the Jack Sprat Restaurant in Girdwood. I haven't heard any reports, but based on the menu that was published, I'm sure it was a great time. Congratulations to Arkose Brewery on reaching this milestone.



Speaking of milestones, HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks will be celebrating its 3rd Anniversary tomorrow, October 31st. There will be a party at the brewery, and the finalists in its annual limerick contest will face off to see who will take home the grand prize and bragging rights for the year.

Click to enlarge

Gakona Brewing Company has gotten some of its brews finished and on tap. The Berry Bunny Wheat (5.2% ABV) was on tap at the Texas Roadhouse in Anchorage, but I believe it's all gone now. The Killer Bunny IPA (6.0% ABV) should still be available at the Trapper's Den in Gakona. Plenty of more details in this week's Dr. Fermento Anchorage Press column.


The Quake Brewing Company is working to open on Tudor Road in Anchorage. You can read more about it in Dr. Fermento's column from last week here.

There will be a new beer release event at Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna tomorrow at noon. Slow Down Brown will be released in cans.

Click to enlargeKing Street Brewing has released the first two beers in its new Imperial Series, its Imperial Hefeweizen and Imperial IPA. It will release its Imperial Pilsner of November  13th and its Imperial Stout on December 1st. See my review of the Imperial IPA below.



Midnight Sun Brewing Company has a new beer on tap at The Loft , Hellion Hellesbock, brewed by founder and President Mark Staples as part of the brewery's celebration of its 20th year in business.  The beer is 7.7% and 22 IBUs.

Photo courtesy of Midnight Sun BCMidnight Sun was also recognized with two "The Best of Anchorage" Awards:



Resolution Brewing Company is currently closed for the installation of some new fermenters and to catch up on its brewing.  Here's the announcement posted on its Facebook Page:

"Dear loyal RBC fans: We are closing the doors for just this week, Wednesday - Sunday. We'll be getting our 7BBL fermenters up and running and working to get more beers on tap. We will be back open on Nov 4th with four beers ready for glasses and growlers: The Madam, Black Cup Porter, Tent City Saison, and Peak 3 Pale Ale. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience."

Moving on to the Peninsula, construction on the new home to Kenai River Brewing Company is proceeding at a rapid pace. Check out the brewery's Facebook page for the latest pictures, but the walls are going up!

Photo courtesy of Kenai River Brewing Company

At Kassik's Brewery, the barrel-aged Statny Statny Stout is available in bottles at the brewery, and the Imperial Spiced Honey Wheat is on tap at the brewery.



At. St. Elias Brewing Company, here's a list of the current beers:


Zach Henry tells me that Moosejuice Barley Wine will be back on tap soon, along with more of his excellent Czech Pilsner. I'm still trying to convince him to replace his flagship Even Keel Kolsch with this excellent lager.

Moving on to beer reviews, first off, I must note the returns of a trio of my perennial favorites from Midnight Sun Brewing Company.

First up, CoHoHo Imperial IPA. See my review way back on 10/20/2008, written not long after I started this blog. One of my favorite things about fall in Alaska is that this seasonal from MSBC reappears on local shelves. I literally can't get enough of this beer!


Second, Termination Dust Belgian-style Barley Wine. This is another fall seasonal, as its name implies. See my 11/10/2014 review from when it was first released last year. This beer also took Second Place in the Barley Wine Competition at this year's Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival , so it is great to see it back on the shelves as well.


Finally, Pride, a Belgian-style pale ale aged in chardonnay barrels with brettanomyces. The first release of this beer predates the start of this blog by about a year, as it was initially part of MSBC's Deadly Sins Series in 2007. Because of that, I've never actually published a review of it, until now. It poured a slightly cloudy dark honey color with a nice, cream-colored head. The notes of brett funk were clearly evident in the nose, along with some oaky notes from the barrel-aging. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was borderline light to medium. In the flavor profile the brett funkiness was quite evident from the start, along with the vinous, oaky contribution from the barrel aging, before falling away gradually to a long, dry finish. One of the first brett beers I ever had, and still an excellent example of the style. 6.5% ABV, 40 IBUs.


Besides these re-releases, I reviewed two other beers during the last two weeks. The first is a world-class beer, the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen from Brauerei-Heller/Trum in Bamberg, Germany. This is one of the famous smoked beers (rauchbier in German) produced in this region. It poured a very deep ruby color with a nice, persistent cream-colored head. The aroma was of smoke and malt.The carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was nice.The flavor profile was the clean, smooth malt notes you expect from a good marzen, with a nice overlay of smoke from the beechwood used. Subtler than many other smoked beers, its truly is a classic of the style. 5.2% ABV.


Finally, King Street Brewing's Imperial IPA. As mentioned above, this is the second release in the brewery's new Imperial Series, at 8.5% ABV and 85 IBUs.It poured a slightly cloudy copper-gold color with a big off-white head. The nose was full of bright, citrusy notes from American hops. Carbonation was quite good and the mouthfeel was fairly light. In the initial attack there was good but not excessive bitterness, followed by lots of hop flavors and aroma, falling away gradually to a fine, hoppy finish. This is a well-balanced beer, with enough malt backbone to stand up to the massive hop presence, and quite drinkable for an imperial IPA. Well-made and delicious.


That's it for this week. I'll be back next week (or maybe the week after...) with more news and reviews. Meanwhile, be careful on the roads out there, as folks try to remember how to drive on snow again...

Until Next Time, Cheers.

Breaking News: Jolly Pumpkin Night At Anchorage Brewing Company

I just received the following breaking news from Gabe  Fletcher of Anchorage Brewing Company:

"So we don't make a pumpkin beer here at Anchorage Brewing right now and maybe never will, but we brought you the next best thing for Halloween this year:
Jolly Pumpkin Night at the brewery!!! Our great friends at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales sent up five amazing kegs of there beer from there brewery in Michigan, including there first pumpkin beer ever! So come down to the brewery this Friday Oct 30th from 2-8pm and try these rare treats we have gathered!"

Click to enlarge

Still Waiting on the Snow...

It's mid-October here on the Kenai Peninsula, but still no snow. Last year, we got out first significant snowfall on October 9th, but here we are a week later with nothing and none in the forecast. Perhaps all the predictions of a warm winter will be accurate. Or maybe Mother Nature is just saving up to give us a super big blast, like she did to Fairbanks a couple of weeks ago. Time will tell, I guess.

Meanwhile, it's two weeks since my last blog. In my defense, I can only say that I have been pretty busy, between teaching my college class, doing presentations and book signings, and taking an on-line class together with my wife. The Peninsula Clarion covered my presentation at Kenai Peninsula College on October 8th and did a front page story on it, which you can read here. Plus I've been watching the baseball playoffs, of course... So let's start playing catch-up.

The really big news is, of course, AB-InBev's buying SABMiller for $104 billion. This deal has been rumored for years, but now it looks like it might actually take place. It will be interesting to see what the US regulators force them to divest, but from my perspective, the biggest impact on/threat to craft breweries may come from the consolidation of distributors. We are lucky here in Alaska to have three distributors ( K&L, Odom,  and Specialty Imports ), each of which handles craft beers. In some areas, there are only two, and one of them handles only AB-InBev, forcing all the craft breweries to use the other. It's much too soon to panic, but the merger process will certainly bear close watching, at least for craft brewers located Outside.

Like Alexander, will Carlo Brito weep because there are no breweries left to buy?Speaking of distributors, Alaskan Brewing has announced that it is changing its Seattle-distributor to Odom Distributing . Odom has been distributing Alaskan's beers in Eastern Washington since 2004, and now will be handling the Seattle area as well. There is no indication that Alaskan has any plans to change its distribution within Alaska from K&L Distributing to Odom .



Since my last post, both the Eagle River Brewfest and Bodega-fest took place, along with the Great Alaska Beer Train . I wasn't able to attend any of them, but by all reports, they were each a great time. Tomorrow night, Saturday October 17th, will be the Mighty Matanuska Brewfest in Palmer.  Here's the poster for it:

Click to enlargeI received the following updates from Darcy Kniefel, Beer Ambassador at Midnight Sun Brewing Company:

"Full Curl Wee Heavy Scotch Ale is BACK! A trusty favorite has returned for a fall (is that winter out there?) release. Originally brewed in the late 90's, Full Curl makes an appearance to many a fan's delight from time to time and we are sneaking him in for some fall sipping. First pour will happen on Wednesday (10/7) at 11am at The Loft at Midnight Sun and a draft only release will follow in the Anchorage Areas.

BarFly - OH YES! We will be celebrating National Stout Day, November 5th, with this year's release of BarFly Imperial Smoked Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Somber and smoky, BarFly Smoked Imperial Stout saunters into the room slowly. Thick smoke. Cool swagger. Good wood. Bit of bourbon. Sticky leather. Slow glances. Lingering looks. Vanilla. The only thing that didn’t make the glass was maraschino cherry. Bring your own and…WEAR OUT YOUR WELCOME. First brewed as part of our 2010 Pop Ten Series, BarFly was added to our Alaska’s Most Wanted line-up in 2014. Bourbon barrel-aging requires a long leisure so this beer is not on a set schedule but we hope to get a batch out about once a year. This will be a very limited release with some heading to each of our distributors in draft and bottle after the initial release in November at The Loft.

Toklat Hoppy Golden Ale aged in Chardonnay Barrels was released to a great reception at the March of Dimes Signature Chef's Auction last week and what a splash it made! For those looking to get a taste, you will have to come by the brewery as it is only available through our taps or cooler. The artwork was provided by local artist Katie Sevigny and the original artwork went home after the release to a very happy raffle winner! Grab your own version of the artwork on the bottle, and enjoy this oaky golden with Nelson Sauv hops, the fruit mingles with the barrel in a magical tango. A portion of all proceeds goes to March of Dimes. Very limited edition, get yours now!"

Personally, I'm very excited to see Full Curl make a re-appearance. It was always a personal favorite of mine, and I was bummed when it went out of regular production a few years back.


On Wednesday, King Street Brewing Company released the first of four beers in the brewery's new Imperial Series. The first beer was an Imperial Hefeweizen.  Here's how owner Shane Kingry described it:

Photo courtesy of King Street Brewing

"King Street Imperial Hefeweizen has roots that were inspired by our own tap room attendants that blend IPA and Hefeweizen.  King Street’s Imperial Hefeweizen is brewed to artfully blend a strengthened version of a classical Bavarian Hefeweizen with New World citrusy hops to create an incredible new bouquet of aromas and flavors."

The beers are in 750-ml screen-printed bottles, as well as limited draft distribution around town. The next beer in the series, King Street's Imperial IPA, will be released next Wednesday, 10/21.


Today in Anchorage is the release of Resolution Brewing Company's first collaboration beer, Black Cup Porter:

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Arkose Brewery in Palmer celebrated its 4th Anniversary this month and has begun bottling its four flagship beers. Here's a photo, courtesy of Arkose, that shows its new bottles:


Congratulations to Stephen & June, and the rest of the folks at Arkose on reaching both these important milestones.


Here on the Peninsula, Kenai River Brewing Company continues to make good progress on the construction of its new brewery. The pour of the concrete for the brewery's floor was completed on Monday, and the walls will be up soon.

Photo courtesy of KRBCAt Kenai River's current brewery, Arctic XPA is back on tap, at least for the moment. The Winter Warlock Old Ale is still on and drinking extremely well. The KRBC Tap Room in Soldotna is getting to be a little like Rick's Cafe in Casablanca , as in "Everybody comes to Rick's". I was in there last Friday and snapped this picture:

Soldotna's Mayor-elect Pete Sprague meeting with his constituents

Kassik's Brewery will be teaming with 1 Crazy Cupcake for a series of events pairing beer and cupcakes. The first event scheduled for Thursday, October 22th, from noon to 7 PM at the brewery. Subsequent events are on November 5th & 19th. The event lasts all day, but the supply of cupcakes is limited so RSVP at 776-4055 to reserve yours. On tap at the brewery: the 2009 Barley Wine and the 2014 Smoked Russian Imperial Stout, as well as last keg of the Apricot Wheat. Coming soon: Barrel-Aged Statny Stanty.


No changes to the tap list at St. Elias Brewing since my last blog, but it does have some swanky new tap handles.

New tap handles made by Adams Fabrication
Finally, a short personal note. I'll be doing another signing of my books next weekend at River City Books in Soldotna. I'll be there from noon to 3 PM on Saturday, 10/24, if you need an autographed copy for yourself or perhaps as a gift for someone else. It's not too early for Christmas shopping, you know.



With the news done, let's move on to beer reviews. I only have two this week, along with a quasi-review. Let's do the quasi-review first.

Kenai River Brewing's 2015 Winter Warlock Old Ale: I don't really have a new review of this beer, as Doug Hogue consistently produces the same excellent brew year after year. Almost a year of cold-conditioning produces an exceptionally clean-tasting brew.  So rather than repeat myself, I'll just refer you to my review on 9/8/2008 and add that you really don't want to miss out on experiencing this annual fall treat. A truly outstanding old ale.

Brouwerij de Molen's Heaven & Hell Russian Imperial Stout: Another leftover from The Culmination , this beer poured opaque with a nice tan head that left good lacing as it slowly dissipated to a collar. The aroma was roasty and rich, promising a very intense experience. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was thick and chewy, which is how I like my imperial stouts. The flavor profile was rich and complex, heavy with both roasted and sweet malt notes. A definite sipper at 10.2% ABV, this was an excellent Russian Imperial Stout from The Netherlands.


Stone Brewing's Ruination Double IPA 2.0: First things first: I picked this off the shelf at Country Liquors in Kenai on 10/7/2015 and got around to opening it on 10/13/2015, at which point I noticed it had an "enjoy by" date of 10/6/2015. So shame on me for not checking it in the store, and I'm sure the folks at Stone would say that I shouldn't even review this bottle. However, I'm going to do so anyway, mainly because I thought the beer, despite being a week out of date, was still excellent. It poured clear gold with a big white head. The aroma was loaded with bright, slightly citrusy American hops. Carbonation was excellent, and the mouthfeel was light. The initial bitter attack was not excessive, and was followed by tons of hop flavor. As much as I liked the Stone's original Ruination Ale, I think this beer is a significant improvement, with more hop flavor and less palate-wrecking hop bitterness. If you like a good DIPA, I highly recommend you hunt up a bottle of this beer, preferably prior to its enjoy by date. 8.5% ABV.

Well, that's about it for this post. Hopefully I'll get a blog out next week, with more news and reviews, but you never know. Expect it when you see it.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Awards, News, and Reviews

Hello again, craft beer fans. I had hoped to get this out early in the week, but I was overcome by events (again). I hope everyone is busily enjoying their Permanent Fund Dividend, as I've got a feeling we won't get too many more like this one. At least we can each spend some of it on some good local craft beer. Anyway, let's move on the awards, news, and reviews.

AWARDS: 
Congratulations to Jay Bullen and the rest of his brew team at 49th State Brewing for earning a Gold Medal at this year's Great American Beer Festival in Denver. His Smoked Marzen (reviewed back on 8/1/2013) took gold in the Smoked Beer Category. A frequent past winner in this category has been Alaskan Brewing's Smoked Porter, but this year the little brewery from Healy took home the prize. If you's like to sample this brew, you'd better hurry, as 49th State closes for the winter after tomorrow's big Halloween Party.




Also at the Great American Beer Festival , the North American Guild of Beer Writers announced the winners of its 2015 Beer Writing Awards . Awards were made in nine different categories, and you can see the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in all of them here. I'd like to call your attention to the 1st place winner in the Local/Regional Category: Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun by yours truly! It's always great to be recognized by your peers, and I'm very excited that all my hard work researching and writing that book paid off, as well as the superb photos by my wife Elaine.  While we are talking about the book, I will be doing a reading/signing session at 4 PM tomorrow at the Soldotna Public Library, with part of the proceeds going to benefit the Friends of the Library. I will also be doing a presentation on the role of beer and brewing in Alaska history on Thursday, October 8, at 6:30 PM in The Commons at Kenai Peninsula College. This presentation is part of the KPC Showcase series.



1st Place!
NEWS: The October issue of Alaska Airlines Magazine has a nice article about brewing and distilling in Alaska. You can read it at  http://www.paradigmcg.com/digitaleditions/abm-1015/index.html. The writer actually called and talked to me for about an hour in August regarding the history of beer and brewing in Alaska, and you'll see that I was quoted in the article.

See my last blog for information on the upcoming Bodega-Fest Beer Dinner , Bodega-Fest itself, the Eagle River Beer Fest , and the Great Alaska Beer Train , all coming up next week.



Just-opened Odd Man Rush Brewing Company has posted its hours of operation:

Wednesday thru Saturday: noon to 8 PM
Sunday: noon to 5 PM
The Chef Stop food truck will be on site Thursday thru Saturday, 5 to 8 PM. Here's a copy of its menu:

Click to enlarge


Resolution Brewing Company has just purchased two new 7-barrel fermenters, which are twice the size of its current 3.5-barrel ones. It also has the excellent Ixelles Belgian Tripel back on tap. Today the brewery will be opening a new show in its taproom for First Friday by photographer Kristen Swann.

Photo courtesy of Resolution Brewing
Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse will be celebrating Oktoberfest with a special dinner on Saturday, October 10th.  Here's the flier for it:

Click to enlargeMidnight Sun Brewing Company released a new beer yesterday: Toklat Blonde. It's a blonde ale aged in chardonnay barrels and named after the grizzly bears on Denali. It is a one-shot release, so get it while you can.

Photo courtesy of Mark Staples

Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that in a couple of weeks it will be tapping its first cask-conditioned beer, a firkin of its Triple IPA. The brewery also has cheese from the famous Trappist monastery Chimay available in the taproom. I had some of this cheese several years ago, and belive me, it's amazing!

Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company.
Also Anchorage Brewing Company Owner Gabe Fletcher is on the cover of the latest issue of The Beer Connoisseur :


You can read his interview at http://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/brewing-gabe-fletcher.

Arkose Brewery will be having its anniversary Beer Meets Chocolate event on Thursday, October 8th, and its anniversary Beer Meets Canvas event on Saturday, October 10th.



Tomorrow, October 3, Baranof Island Brewing Company will be holding its 4th Annual Oktoberfest .



Kodiak Island Brewing Company was featured in the latest issue of Brew Your Own Magazine . Its Oktoberfest beer was the subject of the magazine's "Replicator" column.


Here on the Peninsula, both Kenai River Brewing Company and St. Elias Brewing Company have new beers on tap.

At Kenai River Brewing, October 1st means the annual release of its Winter Warlock Old Ale. This year, things were even more exciting with the release of a limited amount of barrel-aged Winter Warlock. I hear that the barrel-aged stuff was gone in a couple of hours, but there's still plenty of the classic Winter Warlock available, so stop by and grab some of this excellent brew.

Kenai River chalkboard. The right-hand column now says "Winter Warlock"!
At St. Elias Brewing Company, there are three new beers on tap: H&H East India Porter, Czech Pilsner, and Oktoberfest Lager. All three are reviewed below.

St. Elias chalkboard as of 10/1/2015I think that about does it for news, so let's do some reviews.

REVIEWS: A new craft beer documentary is being released today on iTunes: Blood, Sweat & Beers is directed by Chip Hiden and focuses on two craft breweries, one in Ocean City, MD, which is already open, and a new craft brewery trying to open in the decayed steel-town of Braddock, PA. Interspersed between the two stories are interviews with craft brewers from around the country, talking about the present state and future of craft brewing in the US. The stories of the two breweries are very engaging, especially that of Danny Robinson, whose boardwalk brewery in Ocean City is facing a potentially devastating trademark lawsuit. The film is well-shot and visually interesting, as well as being an engaging look at the challenges facing small craft brewers in today's marketplace. Full disclosure: I contributed to the Kickstarter campaign which made this film a reality and I'm glad I did, as it's an excellent look at the current state of play in the craft brewing industry. If you'd like to watch it, Blood Sweat & Beers can be found on iTunes at  http://apple.co/1iMfp56. Here is a trailer:






 Now let's move on to some beer reviews.


Holy Mountain Brewing's The Gray Tower: Another leftover from The Culmination , this beer poured a clear, light gold with a big white head. The aroma spritely, with a mix of brett funk and oak. Carbonation was good, and its mouthfeel was light. On the palate it was tart but effervescent. The brett was noticeable but not overbearing. Very refreshing and enjoyable. 5.3% ABV.


Alaskan Brewing's Heritage Coffee Brown Ale: The latest beer in Alaskan's Pilot Series, this beer uses coffee from Heritage Coffee Roasting Company. In fact, some of the malt was also roasted with the coffee beans. The beans were then cold-brewed to reduce the acidity and the resulting coffee was added at various points throughout the process. The beer-poured a semi-translucent brown with a cream-colored head. The nose was not as roasty as many coffee beers, with sweet malt notes present along with the roasted coffee ones. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was nice. On the palate there was good balance between the flavor elements from the coffee and the malt. On the subtle side as coffee beers go, but I think that's what they were aiming for. 7% ABV.


Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project's Colorado Wild Sage Brett Saison: Also a leftover from The Culmination . The beer poured a clear gold with a small white head that left good lace on the glass. The aroma mixed notes of lemon grass and sage with brett funkiness. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. On the palate the beer was tart with spicy notes from the herbs used. Personally, I prefer my saisons without spices, but this one was well-made and the spice notes were not overly aggressive. 7.2% ABV.


St. Elias Brewing Company's H&H East India Porter: As the name implies, this beer was another collaborative project between myself and Zach Henry. To learn the background on this historic beer style read my latest column in The Redoubt Reporter . The beer poured very dark in color but with some ruby highlights and a nice mocha-colored head. The nose was primarily roasted and chocolate malt notes. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. On the palate, the bitterness and the body were fairly balanced, which was slightly surprising, given how heavily hopped the beer was. We used English malts and East Kent Goldings exclusively in the brew. OG was 1064 and FG was 1019, for 5.9% ABV. I realize I am a bit biased, but I think this beer tasted outstanding, and I strongly suggest you give it a try.


St. Elias Brewing Company's Czech Pilsner: Zach Henry contiues to demonstrate his master of the art of making pilsners. Each beer he releases in this style seems better than the last, and I truly wish he would replace his Even Keel Kolsch flagship beer with this Czech Pilsner. It poured a crystal clear gold with a nice white head. The aroma was full of the noble Saaz hops that define a classic pilsner, backed up with some biscuity malt notes. Carbonation was excellent and the mouthfeel was light. On the palate there was the clean, crisp bitterness you expect in a good pilsner, balanced with nice, fresh malt, before falling away to a crisp, clean finish. Every time I taste a really well-made pilsner, I am reminded again why this style took the world by storm a century and a half ago. As I said, hopefully one day this beer will be a flagship brew at St. Elias, but until then, you need to enjoy it while you can.

St. Elias Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Lager: It's that time of year, so we are again treated to the release of this excellent marzen/Oktoberfest brew. It poured a rich, honey color in the glass, with a small, cream-colored head. The nose is of clean malt flavors. The carbonation is good and the mouthfeel is medium. Clean malt flavors dominate is this beer, with the hops providing the balance to keep things from getting too sweet. Rich and satisfying, this beer heralds the coming of autumn and warns us to get ready, as winter is just around the corner.

That's it for this blog. If you'll be in Soldotna, remember I'll be at the Public Library at 4 PM on Saturday, October 3, and at Kenai Peninsula College at 6:30 PM on Thursday, October 8.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

Talkeetna Brewfest After-Action Report

Hello again, craft beer lovers. As I mentioned in my last blog, I decided to delay this one until I had returned from the Talkeetna Brewfest , which took place on Saturday, September 19th. I'm back now, so it's time to get this blog on the street.

First things first, let's talk about Friday and Saturday in Talkeetna. The weather was very nice, with cold mornings and frost to remind us that winter is just around the corner, but lovely days and clear enough nights so that we could see some amazing displays of the northern lights. Elaine and I stayed at a wonderful place, the Talkeetna Chalet B&B , which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Talkeetna. On Friday night, I attended the beer dinner at the Denali Brewpub/Twister Creek Restaurant .  It was some amazing food, paired with some outstanding beers and meads.  Here are some photos of the various courses:

First course
Second Course
Third Course Happy folks at the beer dinner
Denali Brewpub Tap List

Check out the menu in last week's blog to read a description and to see what was paired with with. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the dessert course, but I was pretty well gone by that point!  Sassan Mossanen and the rest of the team at Denali Brewing Company really outdid themselves with this one.

The next afternoon, the brewfest itself took place between 2 and 6 PM in the Sheldon Arts Hangar. I'd never been inside it before, but it's a very cool space to have any sort of event. Because the weather was nice, they were able to open the big hangar door, so while all the breweries were set up inside, the fest goers were able to spread outside while they enjoyed their samples. Besides unlimited pours of the various beers, wines, and meads on offer, there was also excellent cheese and charcuterie on offer as well, along with bread, fruit, and vegetable trays.

Cheeses from Fromagio's Artisan Cheese in Anchorage
Charcuterie from Mat-Valley Meats
Getting the fest started in the Sheldon Arts Hangar
As for the beers on offer, I had a couple of very interesting sours. Broken Tooth Brewing Company was pouring its Silvertip Sour (ABV 8.4%, 25 IBUs), which was a saison made from a sour mash, and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company was pouring its Bramble On Tart Raspberry Ale (4.5% ABV), also kettle soured. I enjoyed them both, along with many other great beers from the rest of the breweries in attendance. The only disappointment was the absence of both HooDoo Brewing and the Seward Brewing Company, both of which had to cancel. In summary, it was an excellent fest, very well-run and highly enjoyable to attend. I'm glad I finally made it and look forward to attending again in the coming years.

While I was in Talkeetna, I stopped by Denali Brewing Company's production brewery at Mile 2 on the Talkeetna Spur Road. Every time I visit this brewery, it seems to be undergoing another expansion. When I stopped in May, the brewery was about to receive three new 240-barrel fermenters, a silo to hold its 2-row pale malt, and a silo to hold its spent grain for pick-up by local farmers. When I stopped by this weekend, all those new addition were in place and the form was laid out to pour the slab for a huge new packaging hall.  Here are some photos:

Spent grain silo
The forms for the packing hall slab with three 240-barrel fermenters in background
The new 2-row pale malt silo
The taproom entrance, unfortunately closed on Saturday morning...
Congratulations to Denali Brewing Company on its rapid and sustained growth.

Speaking of growth, three more new breweries have either opened or are about two. Icy Strait Brewing in Hoonah apparently opened back in August. It has sifted to its fall hours and is open from 4 to 8 PM every day. Here's a picture of the taproom from the brewery's Facebook page:
Photo courtesy of Icy Strait BrewingI ran into Ed Miner of Gakona Brewing in Talkeetna. He tells me that the brewery has received its final license from the state and that its beer's will soon be on tap at the Trapper's Den Tavern in the historic Gakona Lodge. The tavern is open year-round, so if you are passing through Gakona, stop and have a beer from Gakona Brewing. The first two offerings will be Berry Wheat Ale, made with raspberries, blue berries, and black berries, and Killer Rabbit IPA.



Finally, Odd Man Rush Brewing is holding its Grand Opening on this Friday, September 25th, from 5 to 8 PM. It has been holding some soft openings and initial reports are very positive, so check it out if you are in Eagle River this Friday.



However, as new breweries open, others are shutting down for the winter. Saturday, 9/19, was the last day for the Seward Brewing Company this year.  Owner Erik Slayter tells me they will be doing some projects in the brewhouse over the winter, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed next spring.


Also getting ready to pack it in for the winter is 49 State Brewing Company. Prospectors Pizzeria is closing after tonight and 49th State's last day will be Saturday, October 3rd. They will be holding an early Halloween Party on that date, including big prizes for the best costumes.


This Saturday, September 26th, Fairbanks area beer lovers will be able to ride the Hoo Doo Choo Choo, a trip from Fairbanks to Nenana and back, while enjoy light fare from Lavelle's Bistro and good beers from HooDoo Brewing.



Of course, the original Alaska Railroad Beer Train will be running on October 10th. The annual Great Alaska  Beer Train will be running from Anchorage to Portage and back. This train ride costs $169 for appetizers, music, and six half-pints of Glacier BrewHouse beers.

Click to enlarge
Also on October 10th, the 5th Annual Bodega-Fest will be taking place from 3 to 8 PM at the Aviation Heritage Museum. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online in advance. There will be live music from Moonicorn, The Dirty Hands, Superfrequency, The High Pets, and Big Fat Buddha. There will be food available from local vendors. On Wednesday, October 7, the 2nd Annual Bodega-Fest Beer Dinner will be held at Kinley's , starting at 6 PM. There will be five course, each paired with two beers, plus a greet beer, all for $75. Call 644-8953 to make reservations.

On Friday, October 9th, the Eagle River Brewfest will be held as a fundraiser for the Eagle River Boys and Girls Club. It will be at the Eagle River Elks Lodge from 6:30 to 9:30 PM. Tickets are $50 advance purchased here, or $60 at the door.

Click to enlarge


It's also Oktoberfest season, and breweries around the state are celebrating in their own ways. King Street Brewing Company will be celebrating Oktoberfest this Saturday, September 26th from 1 to 8 PM. For $25 you get 36 oz of authentic German-style beer, served in a commemorative 0.5 liter glass stein, and two German bratwurst sausages, along with traditional side dishes.  Here are the beers that will be on offer, along with their descriptions:

Munich Oktoberfest – An amber lager that has been brewed with all German malts (including Munich and Vienna), Noble hops, and Munich Lager yeast. Traditionally brewed in the spring and stored in caves during the summer, this beer is used to celebrate the autumn harvest. Grab some pretzels and a stein full of this!

German Bock – This dark lager with notes of grape and plum was released in February. It has been aging nicely in our cellar. The fuller flavor of the Bock is just perfect for these recent days that seem to have just a hint of chill in the air.

German Helles – Released as our Golden lager early spring and quickly sold out. Good thing we saved one keg for the party! It is the perfect beer to quaff down with a spicy sausage. This is our last keg and once it’s gone…you’ll have to wait until next summer to enjoy it again.

Bavarian Hefeweizen - Premium German wheat and Pilsner malts burst with flavor and perfectly compliment the rich clove and banana aromas in this authentic German Wheat Beer. Unfiltered and perfect for this occasion…pass the rye bread and mustard please!

German WeizenBock – A dark and malty version of a strong German wheat beer, this beer comes in at 7.4% ABV. We brewed this beer in 2014 and dug a keg of this exceptional brew out of our cellar just for this celebration!

Imperial Hefeweizen – The first beer from of a new Imperial Series of brews from King Street, this strengthen version of our Bavarian Hefeweizen has been given a healthy dose of New World hops for an unparalleled strength of flavor. 8.0% ABV.


HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks celebrated the traditional start of Oktoberfest last Saturday in the traditional way, by having the mayor of Fairbanks tap a cask of Oktoberfest lager.

Courtesy of HooDoo Brewing Company.I recently got an update from Midnight Sun Brewing's Beer Ambassador Darcy Kniefel.  Here's what she had to say about upcoming releases:

"Where the F@#$ did summer go?!?! I can not believe we are already back in to fall, and with that note we have this year's release of Termination Dust coming out at 5:00pm today. I fully admit we had seen Termination Dust sticking around on Monday, however we weren't quite ready in the packaging area to put the Termination Dust out there, this is almost 6 weeks earlier than last year's release, but hopefully this is a sign that we are going to get some good snow and we can get Head Brewer Lee back up on the slopes! The rest of us will be comforted by this 13% Belgian Style Barley Wine aged in Oak Barrels. It was an award winner last year, and we look forward to another great winter of TD keeping us happy and cozy by the fireside.

We finally got to release the Big Fish Home Brew Competition Winner last night at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse. We had some waiting to do as we needed Spruce Tips to be collected at just the right time. Just the Tip Spruce Tip Ale was brewed with Josh and Sean in a summer heat and came out as the perfect fall beer. Crisp and warm with a hint of fruit from the tips. We will have this available around town as well as on nitro fairly soon.

On October 1st we will be proudly attending the March of Dimes Signature Chef event at Den'aina as we release a beer created just for the Alaska March of Dimes. Toklat Hoppy Golden Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels was brewed to go in a very special bottle with the label art created by local artist Katie Sevigny. There will be a VIP tasting of the beer prior to the main event, a tasting during the event and an opportunity for the attendees to win the original artwork. Bottles will be available for sale on October 2nd at The Loft and a portion of all sales will go to the March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.org/alaska/events/events.html.

As the guys were pouring Toklat in to the Chardonnay barrels they realized they had a few to spare, so they filled the rest with a round of Midnight Sun Golden Ale (formerly Kolsch) and a small batch will be released next week at the brewery. The flavor is amazing on this guy, with a light time in the barrels, the oak comes through without overwhelming!"

Darcy also mentioned a special upcoming event:

"Finally in October, on Saturday the 24th, we will pair up with Anchorage Waterways Council to do another round of Brews and Bites. This is the only private tasting session we do in the brewery and we go deep in the cellar to find some fun stuff. Tickets are not yet available, but as soon as they are we will share the link. They sold out pretty quick last year."

Sounds like a great time, so mark your calendars and get your tickets early.

Finally, way out in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, it appears that newcomer Winterlong Brewing Company is having trouble keeping up with the demand for its beer, something many craft breweries around Alaska can relate to. In the latest post on the brewery website, the husband & wife owners explain that while they are currently completely out of beer, they have just taken delivery of enough new fermenters to double Winterlong's capacity.

Well, that's about it for news this week. Since I'm running late on this blog as it is, I think I will hold off on my reviews until later in the week. Enjoy this nice fall weather while it last, 'cause we all know it won't last very long!

Until Next Time, Cheers!

It's Raining, So This Must Be September...

The coming of fall is making itself felt here on the Peninsula. The trees are turning, school is back in session, and it's raining. Even with this dreary weather, there's lots happening on the beer scene, so let's dive right into it.

The big news on the national level is Heineken's purchase of 50% of Lagunitas Brewing for $500 million. You can find various spins on the deal from owner Tony Magee's "Everything is Awesome!" post to various ones that decry the end of craft beer as we know it. As usual, reality is somewhere in between, but in keeping with my philosophy that there are plenty of truly small and independent craft breweries out there who really need my money, I will be crossing Lagunitas off my "beers I drink regularly" list. See my previous post on the Elysium buyout for more details.

Moving on to more pleasant stuff, there are several beer events happening this weekend. Tomorrow, Saturday September 12th is the Beer Dinner at Seward Brewing Company. It was limited to 25, so it may already be sold out. Here's the menu:


Seward Brewing Company has also shifted to its winter hours, until it closes next Saturday, September 19th.

Also this weekend is another Beer Meets Canvas event at Arkose Brewery in Palmer, tomorrow at 2 PM. Arkose also re-released its excellent Spindrift IPA yesterday.


Speaking of re-releases, Midnight Sun Brewing Company is re-releasing a classic today: Pride, a Belgian-style pale ale aged in chardonnay barrels with brett, which was first brewed back in 2007 as part of its Seven Deadly Sins Series. See my review from 9/14/2009.


Over at Resolution Brewing, there is a nice new sign out front, to replace the temporary banners:

Photo courtesy of Resolution Brewing
Here's what's on tap today at Resolution:

Photo courtesy of Resolution Brewing
Speaking of being on tap, next Saturday, 9/19, will be Cantillon Zwanze Day 2015 at Anchorage Brewing Company. The following amazing brews will be on tap:

By the Bottle:
VigneronneCuvée St-Gilloise,Drie Fonteinen Oud Geuze,Grand Cru Bruocsella
 On Tap:
Zwanze Wild Brussels StoutKriekIris Grand CruRosé de GambrinusClassic Gueuze  
If you are all interested in Belgian beers and you'll be in Anchorage next Saturday, you need to check this out.




Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this event, because I'll be in Talkeetna next Saturday for the excellent Talkeetna Brewfest . It's from 2 to 6 PM at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. I'll also be attending the beer dinner on Friday night at Denali Brewpub . I suspect it's sold out, but here's the menu:

Click to enlargeIf you'll be at either the dinner or the brewfest, be sure to look me up and say hello.

More news: Paul Wheeler of Haines Brewing has brewed his 1337th and last batch of beer at his old location in Dalton City. He'll be moving the brewhouse to his new digs at the corner of 4th and Main in downtown Haines. The new brewery is scheduled to open to the public on Monday, September 14th. Paul is still looking for a new 7-barrel system to replace his current 3.5-barrel one.

Courtesy of Haines Brewing

Construction on the new home for Kenai River Brewing in Soldotna continues at a good clip. The last time I stopped by the site, it looked like they were working to put in the sewer and waterlines before beginning the foundation work.  Meanwhile, the road work in front of the old location looks like it's almost finished at last. Here's what was on tap at Kenai River Brewing yesterday:

Tap list as of 9/10/2015

Last Friday, Zach Henry and I brewed another of our historical recreation-collaboration beers at St. Elias Brewing. Our previous efforts included a Scotch Ale and a Burton Ale. We plan to call this one H & H East India Porter, and it's based on research by Ron Pattison (Shut Up About Barclay Perkins).  If you are interested in reading more details, check out my latest column in The Redoubt Reporter . The beer we brewed is a very hoppy (90+ IBU!) porter, with an O.G. of 1.064 and a target F.G. of 1.014. It's hopped and dry-hopped exclusively with East Kent Goldings and fermented with an English yeast. We won't be able to send it around the Cape of Good Hope by ship, but otherwise it's a close a recreation to an 1860 East India Porter as we can manage. Look for it to go on tap in a couple of months or so.

Mashing in H & H East India Porter

Speaking of on tap, here's what was on offer at St. Elias Brewing as of last Friday:

St. Elias tap list on 9/4/2015See below for a review of Snowbird Belgian White IPA.

Speaking of reviews, the Alaska Dispatch News finally got around to reviewing Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun.   You can read the review here. If you're still looking to buy a copy, you can get one at several of the local breweries, Barnes & Noble, or via my Amazon store.



That looks to be about it for news this week, so let's move on to some reviews.

Anchorage Brewing Company's Czech Pilsner: I picked up a growler of this on my last trip to Anchorage and shared it with Zach Henry while we were brewing last Friday. It poured a slightly cloudy gold with a big white head. Lots of good noble hop aroma. Good carbonation and the mouthfeel was light. Crisp ho bitterness up front, nice hop flavor followed. Overall, a very well-made, highly drinkable beer.



St. Elias Brewing Company's Snowbird Belgian IPA: I had a pint of this after drinking the aforementioned Czech Pilsner. It poured a cloudy gold with a white head. Lots of citrusy notes in the nose from the Citra, Simcoe, Centennial, and Sorachi Ace hops used, along with orange peel. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was fairly light. On the palate there was plenty more bright, citrusy hop flavor. A refreshing brew, but it's 7.2% ABV so not as sessionable as some.  Excellent beer.

Holy Mountain Brewing's The Goat Rustic Brett Saison: A leftover from The Culmination , I picked this up at La Bodega . It poured a crystal clear gold with a white head that was smaller than you usually see on a saison. There were hints of brett funk in the nose, but not super strong. Carbonation was on the low side, but still okay, and the mouthfeel was nice. On the palate there was a bit more maltiness than I'm use to in brett saisons; they tend toward the dry side. With more time to work, it's likely this one would dry out also. The brett was present in the flavor profile, but it was subtle. This is the brett saison for folks who don't like brett a whole lot, I guess. Overall, good but not great. 4.9% ABV.

Midnight Sun Brewing Company's Tundra Wookie Belgian Special Dark Ale with Tart Cherries: This beer poured a semi-translucent ruby color with a small, mocha-colored head. The nose was rich, with notes of plums, figs, and the tart cherries. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was very nice. On the palate there were more dark fruit notes, balance by some pleasing tartness. The overall impression is a beer that in vinous and rich, almost like a dessert. I really enjoyed it. 13% ABV, 13 IBUs.

Well, that's it for this week. With the Talkeetna Brewfest coming up, I may or may not get a blog out before it. Either way, it's time to get out and enjoy these festivals and start laying in your beer supplies for winter.

Until Next Time, Cheers!

The End of August

Well, it's been almost three weeks since my last blog. Sorry for the long dry spell, but I've been rather busy, first due to going Outside for ten days, then with getting ready for and starting to teach my class for the fall semester at Kenai Peninsula College. I spent most of the time I was Outside in Maine. While this was primarily a family trip, it did give me time to check out a bit of the Maine beer scene for the first time since 1996.

Marshall Wharf's Taproom Menu
Marshall Wharf's Food Menu

In many ways, Maine's craft beer scene today is what I'd love to see Alaska's become someday. Granted, Maine has more population and is considerably more compact than Alaska, but it currently has some 60 craft breweries, is growing hops locally and producing barley and malting it within the state. I only made it to one actual brewery, Marshall Wharf Brewing Company in downtown Belfast, but good, locally produced craft beer were easily available in every grocery store I went into. I got reacquainted with an old friend, Geary's Pale Ale, produced by D.L. Geary Brewing Company in Portland. When I visited Maine regularly in 1994 to 1996, stopping to pick up a six-pack of Geary's Pale Ale was a routine part of each trip. I'm happy to say that the beer tastes just as good as it ever did. D.L. Geary Brewing is the oldest craft brewery east of the Rockies, and continues to brew amazing beers. I also enjoyed other local beers like Allagash's White Ale and Sebago Brewing's Frye's Leap IPA.


 Another advantage to being in Maine was the availability of some beers which, while not local to Maine, aren't distributed in Alaska.  Here are a couple I picked up and enjoyed.



So all-in-all it was a pretty good trip, beer-wise. However, the downside of the trip was that it kept me from attending this year's Culmination Beer Festival on 22 August. However, I have heard from several attendees that it was another great festival. You can review the list of beers that were on offer at the festival's webpage. Of note, the bottles which were not used at the festival have been sent to certain liquor store across the state, so if you missed the fest but would like to try some of the beers, here's your chance.  The stores that received the leftover beers are:

In Anchorage:

La Bodega
Gold Rush
Brown Jug Warehouse
Crush
Humpy's

Plus the Brown Jugs in Seward & Fairbanks.  Get them while you can; I hit La Bodega on Saturday myself and purchased several bottles.

The reason I was in Anchorage on Saturday was for a signing of Alaska Beer at Barnes & Noble. Of course, that meant I also missed the Midnight Sun Cooper Landing Campout which took place on Friday and Saturday. By all reports it was also a great time, with plenty of vintage beers being consumed. I did get to stop at Cafe Amsterdam for lunch before the signing; here's a shot of its current offerings and see below for a review of what I had to drink.

Cafe A on 8/29. Click to enlarge.

One upcoming beer event which I do intend to be at is the Talkeetna Brewfest on Saturday, September 19th. I've been trying to get to this fest since it began three years ago, but something has always gotten in the way, until now.


The date of the 5th Annual Bodega-Fest has also been announced: Saturday, October 10th, at the Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage. The theme is Alaska Harvest, so look for the brewers to be offering beers made with local ingredients or with the Alaska Fall in mind. There will be food vendors and local bands as well. Tickets are $35 and will go on sale very soon.

As long as we are talking about upcoming beer festivals, tickets are on sale for the Y ukon Beer Festival , being held in Whitehorse at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Center on Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27th. Also on Friday, September 26th, in the 4th Annual Capital Brewfest in Juneau.

Seward Brewing Company has announced its 1st Fall Beer Dinner , to be held at 6:30 on Saturday, September 12th. Seating is limited to 25 people, and there will be six courses by Chef Sean Mac, each paired with a beer. Tickets are $75 and are on sale at the brewery.


In other beer news, I'm told by Jim "Dr. Fermento" Roberts that Gakona Brewing and Supply Company has finally jumped through all the required hoops to be licensed, and that owner Ed Miner should be brewing soon.


Dr. Fermento also told me about a proposed brewery in Girdwood. Here's a link to the Turnagain Times article which mentions the future Girdwood Brewing Company. Finally, he also tossed this little tidbit my way:

The Icy Strait Brewing Company?As long as we are talking about breweries opening, let's do an update on Haines Brewing Company. Paul & Jeanne Wheeler hope to open the new brewery on 4th and Main in a little over two weeks: September 12th. Then as tanks empty at the old location, they will be moved to the new one.  Here are a couple of photos that they sent me of the new building.




While Haines Brewing is almost finished, Kenai River Brewing Company is just getting started on its new brewery. Ground was broken on Friday, August 13th, and the site preparation work is just about finished. Here is a photo I took last Wednesday, August 26, of the work in progress.

The future home of Kenai River Brewing Co.
Finally, here's a shot of St. Elias Brewing Company's taplist a week ago:

St. Elias on 8/24. Click to enlarge.
Let's move on to beer reviews.

St. Elias Brewing Company's Colonial Porter. I first reviewed this beer back on 2/1/2011, but Zach Henry just re-released it, so I thought it merited another look. It poured opaque with a nice light mocha-colored head that left good lace on the glass. The aroma had a nice mix of roasty and sweet notes, like a coffee with sugar in it. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was nice. The flavor profile is classic robust porter, roasted notes and a touch of malt sweetness, just like the nose. A very delicious porter, one which George Washington would have approved of.

Firestone-Walker's Easy Jack IPA: One of the best in the new breed of "session" IPAs, this beer is designed to be hoppy yet drinkable. It poured a clear gold with a nice white head. The nose had plenty of citrus hop notes. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. There is good but not overwhelming bitterness up front, followed by lots of bright hop flavors. This is the IPA to have when you are planning to have more than one. Fairly low alcohol at only 4.7% ABV. Outstanding!

Alaskan Brewing's Hot Scotch Ale: Part of Alaskan's Rough Draft series, I has this one at Cafe Amsterdam in Anchorage. In the glass it was a dark ruby color, with a small cream-colored head that dissipated to a collar. The aroma was good, sweet malt, like you'd expect from a Scotch Ale, and the flavor profile was also all about the malt. I picked up a little warmth on the finish, which I thought might be from the 7% ABV, but when I questioned my server Adam, he told me that the beer was made using habanero peppers, which was likely what I was getting on the finish. I am not a big fan of hot pepper beers, but the pepper element was so subtle in this one that I didn't mind it at all. A very nice Scotch Ale.

BrewDog's Libertine Black Ale: Another beer I had at Cafe Amsterdam , this import from Scotland is a black IPA. It poured completely black, with a nice off-white head. The nose was fairly hoppy, but not insanely so. The overall flavor profile was actually more balanced than I expected; hoppy, yes, but with enough malt backbone to keep things mostly in balance. Overall, a pretty good brew. 7.2% ABV.

Well, that's it for this blog. You shouldn't have to wait so long for the next one. Meantime, good luck trying to avoid from the deluge of pumpkin spiced and flavored beers hitting the shelves....

Until Next Time, Cheers!