Alaskan Stout

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Sweet Stout
Juneau, Alaska USA

12 oz. bottle from Bottleworks. Not a very big viscous pour. Not much head to speak. The head faded away rather quickly. Nice black/opaque brew. Sweet roast aroma, but other than that there is not much else to speak of. Sweet malt and roast aroma. The aroma is fairly pungent, but I can’t say it is terribly nuanced. There is almost a soy sauce type of aroma. Rather thin brew. The beer does have a nice ash/roast flavor, but it doesn’t develop as well as I would like it to. Slight bitter flavor to compliment the ash flavor. A very thin brew without much to offer.

Poured from 12 oz., dark brown with minimal tan head. Nose was sweet, chocolate, a bit of roasted malts and oats, just a tad bitter, Nice mouthfeel, medium bodied, almost to the creamy side, overall a good stout at a good price.

12oz bottle. Pretty black with a small light tan head that leaves a ring of foam. Tasted in m SABL glass, which keeps a stream of bobbles coming out the top due to the etching, but none of that foam seems to want to stick around at all. The aroma has rich dark caramel and bread with a hint of roasted grain and an almost woody, bourbony note including some vanilla. Nice rich malty aroma all around, with a softer roast, but really almost has a barrel aged touch to the aroma, which is pretty interesting. The flavor is low on bitterness and roast in general, but has lots of caramel, and milk chocolate. Starts on the sweet side--there are no doubts that this is a sweet stout--but has a nice balanced finish that has just enough hops and light roast to dry it out enough to invite another generous sip. The mouthfeel is full and soft with a very nice texture added by the oats. Almost as thick as many imperial stouts, but not too chunky or sticky. The etching on my glass did let it go flat a little too soon though, as it started out with a modest level of carbonation. A very solid oatmeal stout and another win to hang up next to their smoked porter, even if I still prefer that one’s raw smokey attack.

12oz., bottling date 9-19-09. Roasty, sweet aroma, some burnt sugar and dark caramel combined with lighter notes of vanilla, chocolate, licorice, smoke and a faint oatmeal tang. Black in color with dark brown highlights and a fine, lasting, tan head. Flavor is full of semi-sweet chocolate, toasted and lightly burnt grain, with coffee, faint tartness and prune, finishing dry with a quick dash of bitterness and lingering cocoa. Mouthfeel is smooth, moderately carbonated and very lightly coating, body is medium. Not bad at all.

2009 Bottle - Pours thin and almost black with a medium tan head...aroma is roasty and dry, dry malt and a bit of burnt grain...flavour is similar, dry coffee and cocoa, slightly sweet malt and lingering char bitterness...average...

12oz bottle. Beautiful, light ABV stout with medium roast. Chocolate, espresso and nicely balanced. Just a bit of sweetness. Perfectly made with robust flavors for a light stout. Really enjoyabe.

12oz bottle, purchased at Booze Bros. Pours a dark, chocolate-brown color; thin, medium-brown head with decent lacing. In both the nose and the mouth, there’s an overt, milky vanilla note that really pervades all of this. Lots of sweet vanilla, milk chocolate and very little in the way of lactic tartness in the aroma; just dense chocolate and vanilla, creamy, with a hint of roast. Medium mouthfeel: again, lots of creamy vanilla (almost seems syrupy); nicely roasted, plenty of chocolate, and a slightly sharp level of carbonation for what I’d like to see here; still, drinkable, interesting vanilla presence, fluffy and generous at its core; the carbonation’s a bit off-putting. Lengthy, generous finish of roasted malts, chocolate, and vanilla.

This black ale poured with a rich tan head and a smoky chocolate aroma. There is a good flavor that consists of smoked malt, light chocolate and decaf coffee, with a creamy oat texture. It’s a good try on the blend, but the flavor misses the mark slightly. Still, a pretty good stout.