Alaskan Amber

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Altbier
Juneau, Alaska USA

Heavy and light at the same time, yet this doesn’t negate either of these characteristics. Its full of flavour yet light enough to enjoy one bottle after the other. I’d say color is what you’d expect from a nicely flavored beer. Smells like candy for a drunk. Try one and think of Alaska when you drink it! Something pure, and relatively untouched.

Poured to a dark copper color, with thin off-white head that dissipated quickly and left little lacing. Aroma was a very pleasant blend of malty dark fruit, peat and a hint of smokey wood. Flavor was not quite as pronounced, although more of the same. Mouthfeel was slightly sweet and rich, and finish long with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I could not drink many of these at once, but a good tasting sipping beer.

This is one of my favoite ambers. Rich and malty on the palate and lingers for quite some time. Awsome amber color, nice white head, great nutty and caramel flavor.

Draft at Library Alehouse in Santa Monica, CA. Pours a deep brown with ruby highlights and a light tan head. The aroma is toast, toffee, and fruit. The flavor follows the aroma: sweet, toasty, caramel toffee, subtle chocolate, unexpectedly ester-fruity. The finish is full, and the mouthfeel is medium-full in body with soft carbonation. Overall, a very interesting ale. I’ve never had an authentic altbier, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of this product, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.

Tap at the Falling Rock taphouse. Amber orange with a full, creamy beige head. Aroma of brown sugar, cinnamon, toffee, and tea-like fruit sweetness. Flavor is calm nuttiness and fruity bitterness; pear skins, orange rind, and wood. Reserved, quenching, and softly rich. Palate is crisp and medium in body, with some acidic dryness and fruitiness in the finish. Seems to be treated very well fresh on tap; charming, laid back, ultimately refreshing, and pristinely drinkable.

Alaskan Amber is exactly what an altbier is supposed to be. it is smooth, medium bitterness, with a hint of spice or nuts and caramel, it seemed more robust in flavor when I first discovered this gem doing TDY at Ft. Wainwright eleven years ago. However, it is a great beer for converting my spudweiser piss beer drinking friends to real beer.

Draft. Rich, red/brown color with a head that sits on top all the way. Good lacing. Caramel and toffee on the nose. Sweet, a perfect blend of hops and malt, a little sweet. A sticky, full flavored finish. Good stuff.

On tap. Pours a hazy coppery color with a medium tan head that dissipates fairly soon. The aroma is an attractive malt-citrus mix. There is a flavor of caramel with just a hint of roasted barley. The maltiness is not overpowering, and there is a nice balance with the hops, The brew has a nice, soft mouthfeel and smooth finish. Serve with blackened salmon.