Beer Club 4/28/12 Doppelbocks

Spring calls for the bock. Those lovely lagers of so many variations and sub-genres. My original intention was to pick up a bunch of different varieties, but I found I really just bought a bunch of Doppelbocks. The heavier, sweeter, boozier big brother to the traditional bock, I figured right away that these would be a hit with this crowd.

First of the night was the Celebrator from Ayinger. I’ve really enjoyed this beer in the past and it really presented itself as the roastiest of the night. It also seemed a bit drier than the later examples. I really liked this one, but it wasn’t a favorite with the crowd.

The Hirschbrau Doppelhirsch ended up being a good example of what most of the beers had to offer. It was sweeter with a lot of caramel coming through. Much bigger hit than the first one.

The Korbinian was probably the most surprising brew of the night for me. It had this lovely earthy-tobacco flavor that wasn’t present in any of the other examples. I really liked this one.

The Schnee-Bock was a new brewery for me and it was a similar but slightly more boozy version of the Hirschbrau. Pretty solid and generally liked.

Salvator was next, and probably the easiest to find of the beers we had. A good beer, but wasn’t noteworthy against the competition.

The Alaskan Birch Bock was the only non-German brew we had. This presented as the sweetest of the bunch. This was not a favorite of mine.

EKU 28 is an 11% monster of a Doppel. It drinks more like an Eisbock. The alcohol, relatively well-hidden, but was immediately picked up by the group.

Something a little different here. The Aventinus is a Weizen Eisbock. The yeast and wheat character really set this beer apart. It was by far the fruitiest of the beers. It was a nice “light” break from the heavy caramel component of the rest.

The Kulmbacher Eisbock brought up the rear. This was a big, but delicious way to end the night.

This tasting was a huge hit, so next month, I just may have to do IPAs!

Alaskan Birch Bock

Another new addition to the Pilot Series, we have a doppelbock brewed with Alaska birch syrup. They’ve used this birch syrup in a couple of beers, namely the Perseverance Ale. I’m not sure if this is a product that ferments or is just used for added sweetness in the beer.

Stats:
Doppelbock. 8.5% ABV. Alaska. Limited Release.

Nice caramel color with a little bit of head.

It smells very sweet and malty with that brown sugar and vanilla component coming through. It just smells cloying.

Mouthfeels is quite thick, but also has a fairly high amount of carbonation which cuts through just a bit.

Quite sweet with a ton of a malty-ness. It’s got caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, honey. It also has a fairly noticeable bitterness on the finish. Lots of length of caramel and honey.

First of all, this is definitely not a beer for me. It’s sweet, malty, and thick. That certainly doesn’t make it a bad beer, it’s just not for me. It’s a big, warming beer, and has some lovely flavors. Unfortunately, it is a bit cloying and a bit over-the-top. 87 points.

Alaskan Black IPA

This beer is apparently a more “sessionable version of the Double Black IPA” that Alaskan released. The website says it has eight different malts and at least Cascade and Centennial hops.

Alaskan’s New Spring Seasonal Black IPA from Alaskan Brewing Co. on Vimeo.

Stats:
American Black Ale. 6.4% ABV. 65 IBUs. Alaska. Spring Seasonal.

Really nice reddish hue with a tan head.

Nice nose of chocolate and orange. Reminds me of those jelly candies covered in chocolate. Hint of pine needles come through as well.

Mouthfeel is actually pretty nice. Medium body with a crisp carbonation.

Pine and orange meets that chocolate with a hint of caramel. Definitely has some bitterness, but fairly well-balanced.

Another solid black IPA here. To me, this is the proto-typical example of the style that has emerged, so why not give it a chance? 88 points.

Alaskan Perseverance Ale

I finally got my hands on this beer. After watching the video posted below, I couldn’t wait to try it. This RIS has birch syrup and fireweed honey, with a little bit of their alder-smoked malt used in the Smoked Porter. They also add some brown sugar, so this thing is loaded with the sweets.

Alaskan Brewing Co. | Perseverance Ale from Redtail Media on Vimeo.

Stats:
Russian Imperial Stout. 9.0% ABV. 50 IBUs. Alaska.

Dark brown to black with a tan head.

The nose is a bit sweet with chocolate, vanilla, fresh espresso. This really does smell delicious.

Mouthfeel is full bodied, really nice amount of thickness.

Vanilla and chocolate with a nice sweetness. It’s got just a hint of coffee and honey.

I’m not getting the birch flavor, but this is just a nice, sweet stout. Easy drinking and a great dessert. 91 points.

Alaskan Amber

The first thing you need to know about this beer is that it’s not technically an Amber Ale. It’s an Altbier. Alt means old, but what does that mean to you? Not much. It’s fermented slower and at a bit of a colder temp than than an “ale” would be.

Stats:
Altbier. 5.3% ABV. 18 IBUs. Alaska.

Nice dark amber color. The head doesn’t stick around very long.

Pretty nice nose. It’s actually pretty sweet with a vanilla and brown sugar thing. It’s also got this hint of strawberry that’s pretty nice.

Mouthfeel is light to medium body with a frothy carbonation.

Tastes like an amber ale. It’s a bit sweet with that brown sugar, vanilla thing I always get. You get some maraschino cherry. Hops make a slight appearance near the finish, with just a hint of bitterness.

Solid beer, but nothing special. 86 points.

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2010

This is a beer that I’ve had quite a few times. You can see my 2008 and 2009 reviews for this beer. It’s a new year, and a beer that I’m especially fond of, so let’s try it again! This is one of the original US smoked beers, and features 5 types of malt and 2 hop varieties. The malts are smoked locally in Juneau using Alder wood. These beers are also able to be aged for many years due to the preserving properties of the smoke.

Stats:
American Porter/Rauchbier. 6.5% ABV. 45 IBUs. Alaska.

Typical porter look. It’s dark brown with great head and lacing.

Obviously the smoke comes through, but really isn’t obnoxious at all. You also get some porter aromas including chocolate and vanilla with some dessert like properties. BBQ spice rub and a hint of alcohol also come through.

Medium bodied, mouthfeel is alright. I’d prefer to see it slightly thicker.

Campfire smoke and BBQ hit the palate followed by some chocolate. It does seem to get a little watery and hollow on the mid. Slight earth of the backend with a lot of green apples.

It’s a classic, and I love it. But I do readily admit that it’s not the greatest beer ever. It’s just too light on the mid-palate. But it’s a beer you need to try if you live where Alaskan is distributed. 88 points.

Alaskan Imperial IPA

This is the latest in Alaskan’s Pilot Series beers. I know the beer has 2-row Pale and Crystal malts, but not sure what other malts and seems to be hopped with Chinook, Amarillo, and Centennial hops. This one was a little spendy, but we enjoyed drinking it as you can see above.

Stats:
Imperial India Pale Ale. 8.5% ABV. 60 IBUs. Alaska.

Amber to copper in color and a nice head and lacing.

Hugely hoppy nose and a lot of pine in this one. Very earthy with a lot of pine, mushrooms and a little bit of citrus comes through.

Mouthfeel isn’t too bad, but it’s a tad light for me.

Very earthy IPA, lots of pine, mushrooms, a little bit of that citrus again and a hint of vanilla as well.

One of the more earthy IPAs I’ve had in awhile, but pretty tasty. It’s spendy though. 88 points.

Alaskan Raspberry Wheat

This limited release beer has one pound of raspberries per gallon of beer. In addition, it features 2-row barley, wheat, and specialty malts, European and Pacific Northwest hops and 3,000 pounds of raspberries.

Stats:
Fruit, Wheat Ale. 6.5% ABV. Alaska.

Looks similar to a dunkel, but much more on the pink side.

Pureed raspberries on the nose is all I really get, but it doesn’t seem over-the-top or fake.

Medium bodied with quite a lot of carbonation.

Raspberries on the palate, of course, with a little wheat, minerality, and apricot. It has some sweetness, but drys out quite a bit on the finish. The finish is just a bit tart, and actually a little bitter.

Reminds me of a heavy, dry lambic. I respect the restraint in this beer to not be just fruit alcohol, but actually have some beer sensability, while still being a nice apertif. 87 points.

Alaskan Barley Wine 2009

This barley wine features “glacier-fed water, northwest hops, and premium two-row and specialty malts.” So not very specific there. But this is a limited release like most barley wines and is apart of their “Pilot Series”.

Stats:
Barley Wine. 10.4% ABV. Alaska.

Typical barley wine color with a brown, caramalized color. Not any head on this.

Very sweet nose with caramel, but there is this weird, food like smell that I can’t place exactly. Actually, I think what I get is some mushrooms, yeah. And just a little bit of hops.

Medium to full bodied with a slightly high carbonation, but pretty nice mouthfeel.

Not as sweet on the palate, but has that caramel and mushroom thing going on, with a little bit of orange and cherry. There is a hint of oak and vanilla, and a tiny bit of bitterness, but really vanilla-y on the back end which I really like. I’m also getting a bit of tobacco on the back.

Not a bad beer and surprisingly approachable at this age. 90 points.

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2009

I just reviewed the 2008 vintage here, so I won’t go through the whole intro again.

Stats:
Porter/Rauchbier. 6.5% ABV. Alaska.

Very dark color, practically black. Doesn’t have much head.

Again, it has a pretty subtle nose. Smoke comes through. I also get quite a bit of chocolate I don’t remember from the ’08

Not too thick or thin with a little bit of carbonation, nice mouth feel.

Again, not over the top, which I like. Very similar to the ’08, raisins and molasses, chocolate, vanilla, and some burnt bbq on the back end.

I didn’t notice much of a difference from the ’08, except for maybe a little more chocolate. I’m gonna stay with 87 points.