alaskan winter ale

[studentofbeer]

box calls this an old ale brewed with spruce tips.

pours a good clear burnt sienna color in my unibroue tulip glass. The off-white head had the larger bubbles and more meringue consistency, but it completely disappeared in just a few moments. No ring, nothin.

odor is faint, but softly fruity and piney from the spruce. it's nice, just wish it were a bit more powerful. Good body, just thick enough but not flabby. the taste has some sweet currant flavor-- a nice light maltiness with the spruce and hops giving it a nice tartness and crispness. light and lively overall, with some alcohol notes of spicy pepper that come through with the herbal, piney flavors.

this beer is subtle and i like it. definitely some similar characteristics to Alba, another spruce tip-spiced beer. would be fun to sit down with the two of them together. The only thing that i find a bit questionable is the aftertaste, which sits on the back of my tongue with a sappy, someone astringent feeling. just keep drinking and it doesn't bring you down, tho. ;)

i like this beer a lot better than a lot of the other winter offerings i've had this year. not so roasty, rich or hoppy as the offerings ive had from deschutes, pyramid and full sail-- instead, like SN celebration it goes for a brighter taste, and i'm appreciating that this year. seems happy rather than plodding. not sure if it exactly fits in the old ale style, but a fun beer. At 6.4% it's serious enough to qualify as a winter warmer, but the light fruity taste keeps it quaffable.

goods: light, fruity taste, enjoyable pine spice that adds some sweet, tart and spicy character

bads: no head to speak of, aroma could be stronger, aftertaste doesn't stand up to the rest of the beer

[chazwicke]

I have only tried the Alba once. I enjoy trying all of those alternative beers and would like to try the Alaskan. I visited that brewery before. And of course love the Alaskan Smoked.
I hope they were careful to use pine or spruce and not hemlock!

[studentofbeer]

never had the smoked porter, but always wanted to try it.

[davesarman]

I've had both the Alba and the Alaskan. I prefer the Alaskan. For me, a little spruce goes a long way and I thought the Alba was just a bit too much. I like that the Alaskan was more subtle.

[unkle bik]

Could it be the oils of the spruce knocked out any head retention?

[studentofbeer]

Originally posted by unkle bik
Could it be the oils of the spruce knocked out any head retention?

im no brewer or chemist, but seems like a logical interpretation. just cracked another one tonight and it seemed to have more aroma, at least as long as the head was around. flowery/perfume, almost creamy, though that is not really a smell. but it receded along with the head. just goes to show how important a good head can be on a beer.

but like you said, there are probably trade-offs regarding head retention and certain ingredients, which may have effects on other aspects of the beer (like aroma) as well. still a nice glass of beer.

drinking this also makes me want to grab a theakston's, the only other old ale i can readily think of, and compare. Oh, i forgot about third coast old ale, which always seemed closer to barleywine to me. i have ONE left from last winter that made the trip from chicago to san francisco, that i'm reluctant to finish since it and an expedition are the last bell's i may ever have :( but perhaps once finals are over i can drink it and report.

[unkle bik]

Charlie Papazian once wrote something about spruce beer in "Homebrewer's Companion."
He mentioned that his recipe for the spruce tasted a bit like Pepsi.
Does this beer remind you that?