Beer of the Weekend #380: Alaskan Summer Ale
I will be camping tomorrow night if all goes as planned. However, if scheduling disaster strikes, I will have spent nine dillies for a site that will sit empty until Saturday. Either way, though, I am covering all bases by writing my proper BotW post tonight.
The beer of the weekend was a surprising and delightful find at the liquor store we stopped at before leaving Minneapolis: Alaskan Summer Ale, brewed by the Alaskan Brewing Company of Juneau, Alaska.
I have wanted to try Alaskan Summer Ale for a long time — long before I left California. I wanted it to be my first kölsch, but it was not to be; the BevMo! on Beach never had it when I wanted it. Though my intention Tuesday was to load up with good Gopher State beer, I could not resist the sixer of ASA. This time it was meant to be.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. Printed on the label is, I assume, the “best by” date: “101112.”
Appearance: Poured into a 400 ml stange. The color is medium gold. Two fingers of light, off-white head dissipated to leave a skim of lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots of grain and fruit — apricot, strawberry, granny apple. It also has a sweet floral hop aroma, too. Honestly, it does smell a lot like summer.
Taste: My first sip made me think of a boat. I have no clue why. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. The flavor is subtle but tasty and mostly mirrors the smell: grain, floral hops, fruits.
Drinkability: Light, tasty, and easy drinking. This is a summer beer I wish could buy locally.
Fun facts about ASA:
-Style: Kölsch, though it is obviously not the genuine item from Cologne.
-Price: $8.49/sixer at Richfield Municipal Liquors, 6600 Cedar Avenue South, Richfield, Minnesota.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: ASA’s webpage says “[e]njoy this Kölsch-style beer with delicately flavored foods like fresh, wild Alaska crab or halibut or try it as an accompaniment to salads.”
-ASA history from the webpage:
-The webpage also includes this interesting graph on the ingredients:
Ninety inches! Damn! Of course, I am sure that is the total precipitation (rain and snow combined).
-I needed a box to contain all the frosty beverages I bought in Richfield. Needless to say, its contents will be featured on BotW posts well into the next month.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
The beer of the weekend was a surprising and delightful find at the liquor store we stopped at before leaving Minneapolis: Alaskan Summer Ale, brewed by the Alaskan Brewing Company of Juneau, Alaska.
I have wanted to try Alaskan Summer Ale for a long time — long before I left California. I wanted it to be my first kölsch, but it was not to be; the BevMo! on Beach never had it when I wanted it. Though my intention Tuesday was to load up with good Gopher State beer, I could not resist the sixer of ASA. This time it was meant to be.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. Printed on the label is, I assume, the “best by” date: “101112.”
Appearance: Poured into a 400 ml stange. The color is medium gold. Two fingers of light, off-white head dissipated to leave a skim of lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots of grain and fruit — apricot, strawberry, granny apple. It also has a sweet floral hop aroma, too. Honestly, it does smell a lot like summer.
Taste: My first sip made me think of a boat. I have no clue why. The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. The flavor is subtle but tasty and mostly mirrors the smell: grain, floral hops, fruits.
Drinkability: Light, tasty, and easy drinking. This is a summer beer I wish could buy locally.
Fun facts about ASA:
-Style: Kölsch, though it is obviously not the genuine item from Cologne.
-Price: $8.49/sixer at Richfield Municipal Liquors, 6600 Cedar Avenue South, Richfield, Minnesota.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: ASA’s webpage says “[e]njoy this Kölsch-style beer with delicately flavored foods like fresh, wild Alaska crab or halibut or try it as an accompaniment to salads.”
-ASA history from the webpage:
Brewed in our original brewhouse in 1997, this beer is part of our Rough Draft series and has met success with each limited edition release. The enthusiastic reception led the Brew Crew to bring it to the West Coast as a summer seasonal. A gold medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup and silver at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival have Alaskan Summer Ale fans wishing it was available in every season.
-The webpage also includes this interesting graph on the ingredients:
Alaskan Summer Ale is made from glacier-fed water and a generous blend of European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and premium two-row and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field and from the more than 90 inches of rainfall Juneau receives each year.
Ninety inches! Damn! Of course, I am sure that is the total precipitation (rain and snow combined).
-I needed a box to contain all the frosty beverages I bought in Richfield. Needless to say, its contents will be featured on BotW posts well into the next month.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
