Beer of the Weekend #98: Alaskan Amber
Here we go, Hawkeyes, here we go! [Clap clap.]
The beer this weekend is Alaskan Amber brewed by the Alaskan Brewing Company of Juneau, Alaska.
Alaskan Amber has been on my brewdar for a while. It’s kind of been my unofficial backup beer for months. Every week I thought about trying it, I found something more interesting, so Alaskan Amber was always relegated to my second choice. Whenever I went to BevMo! and was unsure what to get, I passed it over. I almost did it again this time, opting to get a sixer of Karl Amber Lager, but this is Alaskan Amber’s weekend.
After ringing up the sixer, checking my ID, and scanning my club card, the cashier at BevMo! moved to place the carrier in a plastic bag.
“Oh, I don’t need a bag,” I told him.
He put the sixer on the counter and threw his arms in the air.
“Hallelujah!” he said. “Someone who gets it!”
He was relieved to the point of being ecstatic.
“Do a lot of people ask for bags?” I said.
“Yeah. They say, ‘Oh, put that in a bag.’ They just don’t get it. Geez!”
“That’s why there's a handle.”
“EXACTLY!”
I had to mention that.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date printed on the bottle or label.
Appearance: Poured a deep copper-red, almost brown, color. Two fingers of thick, off-white head developed and dissipated slowly to a billowy cap and then a spotted lacing with thick ring around the outside.
Smell: Very faint at first, but the aromas reveal themselves somewhat as the beer warms. I got toasted caramel malts, which were almost dark enough to be coffee or chocolate. There’s also nuttiness and a little citrus bitterness.
Taste: The flavors almost feel distant for some reason, like I’m not getting everything they have to offer. It’s slightly spicy with touches of cinnamon and pine, reminding me of a winter ale. Toasted caramel follows (much lighter than what I got in the smell), and the nutty and citrus qualities are also present. A hop-like tingle from the spice remains after each sip has gone down. (By the way, the spice isn’t overpowering in any sense.)
Drinkability: Alaskan Amber is a smooth, tasty brew. I’d gladly drink it after two straight days of crabbin’ (especially since it’d probably be the only thing available).
Fun facts about Alaskan Amber:
-Price: $8.49/sixer at the Beach BevMo!
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The Alaskan Brewing website has this to say:
-Gravity: 1.054.
-Color: 22 SRM.
-IBU: 18.
-Alaskan Amber is an alt beer. “Alt” is German for “old,” and it refers to the aging the style go through. Alts take longer to ferment at colder temperatures than other ales. Instead of calling it “old” ale, I think “slow” ale would be more appropriate, but, from my Google research, none of the German translations of “slow” are suitable for naming beer (1. Langsam, 2. Lahm, 3. Begriffsstutzig, 4. Schwerfällig, 5. Stier, 6. Langweilig, 7. Schwer, 8. Bummelig, 9. Schleppend).
-Along with being an alt, Alaskan Amber was inspired by a recipe from a turn-of-the-20th-century brewery based in the Juneau area. So it’s old in two different ways.
-The fishing boat featured on the label is a drawing of a real boat, the F/V Caribou, anchored in Juneau. The depiction was redone last year, and here’s an article about the boat and new drawing from the Alaskan website: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/artman/publish/article_195.shtml.
-Annoyingly, whenever I searched for reviews of Alaskan Amber, Google always asked me “Do you mean Alaskan amber alert?” No. Fuck off, technology.
-According to the Alaskan website,
-Alaskan Amber was voted “Best Beer in the Nation” in the 1988 Great American Beer Festival Consumer Poll.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
The beer this weekend is Alaskan Amber brewed by the Alaskan Brewing Company of Juneau, Alaska.
Alaskan Amber has been on my brewdar for a while. It’s kind of been my unofficial backup beer for months. Every week I thought about trying it, I found something more interesting, so Alaskan Amber was always relegated to my second choice. Whenever I went to BevMo! and was unsure what to get, I passed it over. I almost did it again this time, opting to get a sixer of Karl Amber Lager, but this is Alaskan Amber’s weekend.
After ringing up the sixer, checking my ID, and scanning my club card, the cashier at BevMo! moved to place the carrier in a plastic bag.
“Oh, I don’t need a bag,” I told him.
He put the sixer on the counter and threw his arms in the air.
“Hallelujah!” he said. “Someone who gets it!”
He was relieved to the point of being ecstatic.
“Do a lot of people ask for bags?” I said.
“Yeah. They say, ‘Oh, put that in a bag.’ They just don’t get it. Geez!”
“That’s why there's a handle.”
“EXACTLY!”
I had to mention that.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date printed on the bottle or label.
Appearance: Poured a deep copper-red, almost brown, color. Two fingers of thick, off-white head developed and dissipated slowly to a billowy cap and then a spotted lacing with thick ring around the outside.
Smell: Very faint at first, but the aromas reveal themselves somewhat as the beer warms. I got toasted caramel malts, which were almost dark enough to be coffee or chocolate. There’s also nuttiness and a little citrus bitterness.
Taste: The flavors almost feel distant for some reason, like I’m not getting everything they have to offer. It’s slightly spicy with touches of cinnamon and pine, reminding me of a winter ale. Toasted caramel follows (much lighter than what I got in the smell), and the nutty and citrus qualities are also present. A hop-like tingle from the spice remains after each sip has gone down. (By the way, the spice isn’t overpowering in any sense.)
Drinkability: Alaskan Amber is a smooth, tasty brew. I’d gladly drink it after two straight days of crabbin’ (especially since it’d probably be the only thing available).
Fun facts about Alaskan Amber:
-Price: $8.49/sixer at the Beach BevMo!
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The Alaskan Brewing website has this to say:
Great with a variety of foods. Serve with king or silver salmon, flavorful meats and hearty Italian dishes. Perfect with pizza. A good beer for the first-time micro drinkers as well as seasoned connoisseurs.
-Gravity: 1.054.
-Color: 22 SRM.
-IBU: 18.
-Alaskan Amber is an alt beer. “Alt” is German for “old,” and it refers to the aging the style go through. Alts take longer to ferment at colder temperatures than other ales. Instead of calling it “old” ale, I think “slow” ale would be more appropriate, but, from my Google research, none of the German translations of “slow” are suitable for naming beer (1. Langsam, 2. Lahm, 3. Begriffsstutzig, 4. Schwerfällig, 5. Stier, 6. Langweilig, 7. Schwer, 8. Bummelig, 9. Schleppend).
-Along with being an alt, Alaskan Amber was inspired by a recipe from a turn-of-the-20th-century brewery based in the Juneau area. So it’s old in two different ways.
-The fishing boat featured on the label is a drawing of a real boat, the F/V Caribou, anchored in Juneau. The depiction was redone last year, and here’s an article about the boat and new drawing from the Alaskan website: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/artman/publish/article_195.shtml.
-Annoyingly, whenever I searched for reviews of Alaskan Amber, Google always asked me “Do you mean Alaskan amber alert?” No. Fuck off, technology.
-According to the Alaskan website,
Alaskan Amber is made from glacier-fed water and a generous blend of the finest quality European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and premium two-row pale and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field and the more than 90 inches of rainfall we receive each year.
-Alaskan Amber was voted “Best Beer in the Nation” in the 1988 Great American Beer Festival Consumer Poll.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
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