Alaskan Smoked Porter

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

22oz bottle. Poured very dark, looks like a little bit of brown peeking through. Nice smokey, roasty aroma. Very easy to drink, slight smokiness and a hint of coffee maybe. Very good, my first Alaskan SP in years.

2008 bottle. Pours a deep black with a large creamy deep tan head that left wonderful lacing. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt, smoked Gouda, caramel and nuts. Flavor of smoked meats, earthy, caramel, sweet malty notes, toffee and chocolate. Smoke is not overdone but instead balanced nicely with the sweet malts and touch of hope.

500ml bottle, 2007 edition. I’ve been eager to try this beer for years, being a huge Smoked beer fan. Pours a thick, deep black with a smoked malt aroma. The smoke is very present in the beer as well, very nice. Somewhere in between medium and full-bodied. Some chocolate and coffee flavors. Some light sandy hop balance. This is an awesome, world class beer.

(11/1/08) Draught at Father’s Office in Santa Monica. Very dark brown color with a light brown head. Aroma of campfire. Sweet and smoky flavor with some BBQed meat, burnt wood, malt and some caramel. Medium-bodied.

I will trust the mob on this one. Very smoky. Taste of whitefish and campfire. Not my style. I’m sure it’s good. Just not for me.

Bottles, 2007 one night, 2008 the next. Quite similar even with a year’s difference between them. Both are up front with smoked, salty meats, though the 2008 also finishes this thought with some sharper campfire smoke. Both have a milky, milk chocolaty maltiness that shines through more in the 2007, creating a greater balance with the smoke, though in the 2008, the smoke dominance is more interesting and lively with the campfire notes and a tangier, sweeter feel from the meat smokes. Long sentence. I did feel that the smoke and the milkiness in the 2007 were both solid qualities in their own right, but didn’t seem to want much to do with each other, so the 2008 with its more dominant and interesting smokiness wins out. Tasty regardless. Numbers from the fresh batch.

2008 vintage. Pours clear dark brown, almost black, with a puffy one-finger khaki head, good lacing. Smells of smoke with some molasses, apple, and coffee. Medium, crisp body. BBQ smoke flavor, reminds me of mesquite, with notes of espresso, dark chocolate, some subtle fruit flavors, and minerals. Slightly bitter pine and coffee aftertaste. Well balanced and drinkable.

2007 bottle courtesy of my Secret Santa! Pours black with a thick tan head. Aroma of smoked meats and roasted malt. Flavor is sweet initially with smokey meats and oak in the finish. Very nice smoked, even with a year of age. 8/4/8/4/15 (3.9/5) 1/16/09: I got to try the 2008 version of this. Nice and smoky with TONS of smoked meats. Smooth palate, very drinkable. This is an awesome beer and I underrated it the first time around. 8/4/9/5/17 (4.3/5)