Alaskan Amber

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

Serve in Kölsch/Altbier

Very light-tasting beer. Clear amber color with moderate head. Aroma of flowers and malt. Taste wheaty and maly, with deifnite fruity-sweet flavors and and minor hops. Above average beer.

Alaskan calls this one an "alt style" beer. Like the classic altbiers of Dusseldorf, this beer is indeed an ale, and enjoys a long, cold conditioning, which is traditionally done with lagers not ales. The similarities end there however, as Alaskan Amber Ale ,just does not have the right amount of hop aroma and flavor stylistically to be a classic example of altbier. Alaskan Amber is actually based on a 100+ year old recipe, from the Douglas City Brewing Company, a 19th Century Alaskan brewer. So stylistically, if you are looking for a classic Dusseldorf altbier, you will not find it here. That is OK though. I have yet to find domestic version of alt, that really comes close, to the altbiers I enjoyed vom fass in Dusseldorf. So what you do have in Alaskan Amber Ale, is a rich, malty, smooth, and drinkable ale, just packed with character. Alaskan Amber Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep amber color with a thick and creamy head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic with lots of good sweet malty aromas paried with some light herbal hop aroma. The palate is soft and full on the tongue with lots of good sweet malt and biscuit flavors. Alaskan Amber finishes with more good malt flavor up front, then ends malty but with enough herbal hop bitterness to take the malty edge off this beer. Wow. This beer is just so fresh and flavorful, and just so smooth and drinkable. Alaskan Amber is a wonderful session beer, one you could pound with impunity. It is also a very food friendly beer that would match up with a number of dishes. I really enjoyed this one. Its only flaw is the fact that it too malty as an altbier, and it would have been a better example of alt if it had more hop character. That being said, this beer is one you will want to try, one you will enjoy, and one well worth seeking out in markets where Alaskan beers are sold.

I’ve had this a few times at the bars and thought it was an odd tasting amber ale, but to my surprise, it is an alt! Pours a sparkling clear, coppery-amber color with an average, cream-colored, frothy, pillowy head which sticks around with a small, frothy layer and leaves nice, tight lace. Nose is toasted cereal, sweet grains, faint brown sugar, faint doughy yeast, faint fruity notes; fairly light but pleasant. Flavor is buttery sweet biscuits, light toffee, almonds, sweet and toasted cereal, and a moderately light bitterness into the finish. Palate is nearly medium, nearly lively carbonation, and a soft, silky feel with a touch of dryness. Finishes fairly short, drying out some, with some nutty notes, and bitterness remaining. Not bad; a fairly nice alt. Not the most exciting of beer styles but very drinkable and pleasant.

On tap at Dexters in Madison, pours a clear dark amber/brown with a decent off white head, the aroma was sweet with a good amount of caramel and dark fruit, the flavor had a nice sweet front end with dark fruit, a hint of chocolate and a finish of hops, not bad at all.

Deep amber. Poured with virtually no head. Smells like pretty typical amber brews. Smooth going down, but has a quite average/plain taste. Seems like they could have done a lot more with this one (especially since I’ve heard so many good things about the Alaskan brews).

Pours a deep amber with a really nice head. Aromas are nutty and sweet with some anise in the background. A good firm body with some nice mild noble hop flavor. Great session beer.

Woody, nutty, sweet processed malt backbone. Mildly bittered with some light floral hopping. Earthy ensemble may turn people away bu regardless this is a decent drink.

Dark Reddish orange brown color. Medium sized white foamy head. Big malt and caramel aromatics. Caramel and crystal malt flavors, aligned with a slight toastiness. Finish is slightly ester fruity sweet, with a crispness of residual hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium, but very clean and wieldy.