Loyal Husky Returns as New Year-Round Beer at Alaskan Brewing

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing

JUNEAU, Alaska  – In response to the popularity and near-cult following it gained this spring as a seasonal beer, Husky IPA returns, joining the pack as Alaskan Brewing Company’s newest year-round beer. Husky IPA is a celebration of Mosaic hops and their unmistakable tropical and fruity aroma. 
 
“Experimenting with Mosaic hops, we knew we wanted to brew an IPA with them, something that highlights the juicy Mosaic flavor, without being too overpowering or overly sweet,” said Tyler Lindquist, brewer at Alaskan Brewing. “These hops are celebrated for their complex, broad aroma, backed by clean bittering, which makes a big impression. This beer really stands out from the pack when you’re looking at the selection of IPAs available out there.”

Known for their incredible endurance and power, the Alaskan husky is a working dog, able to pull heavy loads over long distances. Mosaic hops also pull their weight as the heart (and tail) of Alaskan Brewing’s latest addition to the year-round lineup. This brew was created with the goal of highlighting Mosaic hops’ tropical and stone fruit flavors. It is a Juicy IPA with the bright aroma of tangerine and papaya.

In early 2017, Alaskan Brewing supported animal organizations with the Ales for Tails program, where participating locations made donations to local animal organizations in honor of Husky IPA.

“Life in Alaska isn’t just about the place, it’s about the creatures we share it with,” said Lindquist. “Huskies have been a part of the Alaskan lifestyle for a very long time, and we wanted to recognize that.”
Alaskan Brewing introduced Husky IPA as 2017’s spring seasonal just eight months ago and chose to reintroduce it as part of the permanent lineup in response to popular demand.

“This is a beer that’s moved from seasonal to year-round within one calendar year, partly because the story of the husky really resonates with fans,” said Lindquist. “The beer is great, the community connection has been great, and the response has been incredible. We are excited about this beer and how it brings a different expression of the IPA style to our lineup.”

Husky IPA will be available beginning September 1^st where Alaskan Beer is sold. The Ales for Tails program will resume in 2018.

Alaskan’s Autumn Beers Feature Northwest Coffee Roots

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

Collaboration key in the making of Heritage Coffee Brown Ale

JUNEAU, Alaska (August 24, 2017) – Alaskan Brewing Company is featuring innovation and collaboration in its 2017 fall seasonal Heritage Coffee Brown Ale. First released on a limited basis in 2015, Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale is back once again this autumn. Brewed with a goal of smooth coffee flavor from start to finish, this seasonal brew focuses on local ingredients and the spirit of collaboration to craft a rich brown ale with big cocoa aroma. 
 
“This beer started with the idea of coffee roasted malts, similar to what has been done with Smoked Porter for years – instead of smoking the malts, we wanted to try to roast them in a coffee roaster, incorporating coffee beans into the malt itself,” said Darin Jensen, Marketing Specialist at Alaskan Brewing Company. “We met with Heritage Coffee and they were as excited as we were about the idea. This was the first coffee beer we’ve brewed where we tried this new method of roasting the malts in the coffee roaster, which imparts an even deeper, richer, core coffee aroma.”
 
Heritage Coffee Brown is Alaskan Brewing’s second collaboration of the year with Juneau mainstay Heritage Coffee Roasting Company. Coupled with the Alaskan Mocha Milk Stout, this fall’s selection is coffee-inspired, in a break from the standard autumnal selection of pumpkin-flavored beers. 

“The team from Heritage worked with us to figure out the best coffee to pair with the earthy, more herbal hops we planned to use,” said Jensen. “We wanted to do a really good representation of a true coffee beer, something that wasn’t acrid or bitter, but brought out that roasted aroma. A lot of the time with coffee beers, it’s a huge beer – high alcohol, tons of coffee flavor – so it can be a challenge to drink. We were shooting for the perfect balance between coffee and beer, to get those two to match up and be very drinkable.”

Heritage’s roast of the Brazilian Paixao is a caramel, honey-sweet bean that was ultimately the coffee of choice to blend with the flavors of the brown ale. Coffee flavor is introduced several different points in the brewing process: first, some of the malt is roasted in Heritage’s coffee roaster, complete with the inclusion of coffee beans; later, the coffee is cold-brewed to reduce bitterness, and incorporated in both the kettle boil and the end of fermentation. The end result is a medium-bodied beer, but with a full coffee taste and aroma. 

“Ideally, we were looking to incorporate the coffee in both the roasting stage, which we weren’t even sure was possible at first, then cold-brew it, and reintroduce it later as well. It’s a double dose of coffee, which really gets that deep, rich flavor in there, without being too dark or heavy,” Jensen said.
In contrast, the limited edition Pilot Series Mocha Milk Stout is a full-bodied beer with a rich, robust and fairly sweet coffee and chocolate flavor, brought forward through the use of cocoa nibs and Heritage’s roast of Guatemalan Huehuetenango coffee. The creamy full body is augmented by the addition of lactose, which is the reason it is classified as a milk stout.

Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown is now released and will be available until the end of October. Mocha Milk Stout is also available through October.

Alaskan Brewing Releases Husky IPA for Spring

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

Ales for Tails charitable program also unveiled

JUNEAU, Alaska (Jan. 12, 2017) – Husky sled dogs are bred for the perfect characteristics to carry them to the finish line. Breeders look for endurance, strength, speed, tough feet, a good attitude and drive. Mosaic hops come from that same pursuit of perfection and serve as the centerpiece of Alaskan Brewing spring seasonal Husky IPA.

Inspired by brewers’ experimentation with a SMaSH Mosaic brew (SMaSH stands for Single Malt and Single Hop brew), Husky IPA seeks to take the Mosaic hop’s best characteristics to the finish line, providing for a juicy IPA with tropical and stone fruit flavors and a bright aroma of tangerine and papaya.

“Our experimentation with a single malt and single hop brew with Mosaic really led to the formulation of this recipe,” said Brewer Greg Morgan. “We’re taking two great ingredients and attempting to get the best characteristics out of them, creating a really tasty beer that in this case accentuates the Mosaic hops.”

Husky IPA, released in January, features on its label a Husky cresting a snowy ridge on the label. The Husky — bred for Alaska’s tough climate and expansive and unforgiving terrain — is the ideal choice for teams taking on long-distance races, whether 50 miles, 100 miles or 1,049 miles — the length of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, of which Alaskan Brewing is a sponsor each year.

In addition to supporting the Iditarod, Alaskan Brewing is supporting local animal organizations around the US with its Alaskan Ales for Tails program this spring. At participating locations, $1 from every pint of Alaskan Husky IPA purchased will be donated to help local pets have better lives.

Alaskan Brewing will make donations benefiting nearly 20 organizations from Alaska to Ohio, including Project Delta in Minnesota, which pairs rescue dogs with soldiers and first responders who experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Straw for Dogs in Alaska, which helps to provide safe and warm bedding and shelter for outdoor dogs across the state.

“Dogs are a valuable part of our lives in Alaska, whether working hard pulling sleds or rescuing missing persons or simply as companions for a hike or at home,” said Alaskan Brewing Co-Founder Marcy Larson. “Making contributions to animal organizations allows others to enjoy the benefits of a canine companion, in all aspects of life."

Husky IPA will be on the shelves from January through April where Alaskan Beer is sold. The Ales for Tails program will run during the same time frame at select locations around the US.
 
Husky IPA Specs:
7% ABV
50 IBUs
5 SRM
OG 1.060

Alaskan Brewing Co. was founded in 1986 in Juneau, Alaska, by then 28-year-old Marcy and Geoff Larson. Alaskan Brewing just celebrated 30 years of award-winning craft beer from the Last Frontier, with distribution in 18 states across the US. For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at www.alaskanbeer.com.


The complete list of beneficiary organizations as of Jan. 10 includes:
Halo Rescue in Arizona: http://www.halorescue.org
DMK Rehoming in Colorado: http://dmkrehoming.com
Seattle Humane Society in Washington: http://www.seattlehumane.org/

In Wisconsin:
Animal Rescue and Veterinary Support Services (A.R.V.S.S.): http://awos.petfinder.com/shelters/arvss.html
Wisconsin Humane Society: http://www.wihumane.org/
Project Delta in Minnesota: http://www.project-delta.org/
And in partnership with Pints for Pups in Texas:

In Austin:
Wags Hope and Healing: http://www.wagshopeandhealing.org/
Austin Animal Center: http://www.austintexas.gov/department/aac
Love a Bull: http://love-a-bull.org/

In Dallas:
Greyhound Adoption League Texas: http://galtx.org/
Paws in the City: http://www.pawsinthecity.org/
Texas Husky Rescue: https://www.texashuskyrescue.org/

In Houston:
Shaggy Dog Rescue: http://houstonshaggydogrescue.org/
Lucky Penny Rox Rescue: http://www.luckypennyroxrescue.org/
Red Collar Rescue: http://www.redcollar.org/

In Alaska:
Gastineau Humane Society in Juneau: http://www.ghspets.org/
Loving Companions Animal Rescue in Fairbanks: http://lovingcompanionsanimalrescue.org/
Straw for Dogs, based in Anchorage, serving statewide: http://www.strawfordogs.org/

Alaskan Brewing Celebrates 30 Years with Special Edition Beer

Courtsey of Alaskan Brewing

JUNEAU, Alaska (Aug. 31, 2016) – Thirty years ago, a young couple in Juneau, Alaska started a brewery — a common occurrence today. But back then, there were fewer than 100 breweries operating in the US and none in Alaska. Now, the Alaskan Brewing Company ranks 22 out of more than 4,300 craft breweries by volume. As a celebration of 30 years in the business, Alaskan is releasing a special 30^th Anniversary Beer, Perseverance Ale.

“A whole bunch of hard work, local know-how, cooperation, and perseverance went into the making of this brewery,” said co-Founder Marcy Larson. “So we thought Perseverance Ale – a Russian Imperial Stout with a lot of historical significance and local ingredients was a perfect beer to brew in celebration of our first 30 years.”

The style choice is a nod to Alaska’s rich Russian history, which “Seward’s Folly” officially ended on March 30, 1867, with the purchase of the vast territory in the name of the United States. Added to this traditional Russian Imperial Stout style are local ingredients Alaskan has become well known for, such as birch syrup and alder-smoked malts. The name refers to an ethic that has seen the brewery through many years of development, hardships and innovation. It is also a reference to the Perseverance Gold Mine, which operated in Juneau from 1912 to 1921. It was considered one of the most innovative mines, with a method of extracting gold that avoided many of the powerful chemicals used in other contemporary operations. For a time, it was the largest gold mine in the world.

Alaskan Brewing’s history is marked by innovation as well, not just as one of the pioneers and explorers of the craft brewing industry, but also through the use of local ingredients and breakthrough brewing methods.


“We have spent much of our time figuring out different ways of operating, because our remote location often did not let us conduct business as usual,” said co-Founder Geoff Larson. “Looking back now, we’ve realized that the challenge of brewing in Alaska has shaped us and made us who we are. After 30 years, it is the challenges that have made us stronger and more able to adapt as our business has needed to change. It’s been quite a ride!”

Larson says the fact that Alaska has been so much a part of the brewery’s identity is the reason that many of Alaskan’s beers reflect the state through the use of local ingredients, or by re-creating and reimagining historic brews. From adding spruce tips to flavor the iconic Winter Ale, to the use of alder-smoked malt in the highly regarded Alaskan Smoked Porter, and the re-creation of a 100-year-old recipe in Alaskan Amber, the brewery strives to reflect the best of the state in every beer it makes. The Larsons say that locally-based focus will remain a guiding principle for Alaskan Brewing for the next 30 years as well.

A short video celebrating 30 Alaskan years in the craft beer business - Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing

For more information, on the history of Alaskan Brewing, and on Perseverance Russian Imperial Stout, see www.alaskanbeer.com.


 

No Pumpkin Here: Alaskan Brings Coffee Brown Ale to Fall Lineup

Heritage Coffee Roaster Mike Dunlevy and Alaskan Brewer Tyler Lindquist examine the malt and coffee mixture as it comes out of the roaster and onto the cooling tray - courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

Heritage Coffee Brown Ale uses radical technique for rich flavor

JUNEAU, Alaska (Aug. 22, 2016) – Alaskan Brewing Company this fall is nixing the pumpkin beers in favor of a rich coffee ale created by teaming up with Juneau-based Heritage Coffee Roasting Company. First released on a limited basis last year to rave reviews, Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale uses an unusual technique and the highest quality ingredients to bring out the best coffee flavor and aroma, and will be available as the autumn seasonal in all states where Alaskan Brewing is distributed.

“We were looking to brew a coffee beer that wasn’t overly-dominated by dark malts,” said Alaskan Brewer Tyler Lindquist. “That’s why we went with a Brown Ale for this beer. The subtleness of the Brown Ale then allowed us to accentuate the richness of a great coffee, instead of the bitter acrid flavor that sometimes comes through in coffee beers”

That subtle flavor allowed for a radical technique that required close collaboration between the brewers at Alaskan and the roasters at Heritage.

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

“They wanted to have a deep coffee backbone to this beer, so we all came up with the idea of roasting some of the malt in our coffee roaster with some of the beans used in the beer,” said Heritage Coffee Roaster Mike Dunlevy. “That’s pretty tricky, because the flashpoint of malt is much lower than that for coffee beans, so the potential of fire was very real.”

Heritage Roasters worked with Alaskan Brewers to sample coffees in order to find a blend that would bring out chocolate, caramel and honey in the final beer. They decided on a Brazilian variety called Paixao, which they cold-brewed to reduce bitterness. This cold-brewed coffee was added at multiple stages throughout the brewing process of the beer, in order to infuse it with a deep and rich coffee flavor and aroma.

Alaskan has released pumpkin beers for the past few years during the fall season, but this year, among a seeming flood of pumpkin beers available on the market, Alaskan’s brewers wanted to break away from convention and offer an alternative to their loyal fans.

First sampled at last year’s Great American Beer Festival, Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale garnered rave reviews, with at least one reference to it being part of a “next level” of coffee beers. The beer will be out in September and will be available until mid-November.

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at www.alaskanbeer.com.

Alaskan Brewing Company Taps New CEO

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

JUNEAU, Alaska (May 11, 2016) – Alaskan Brewing Company’s long-time Chief Operations Officer, Linda Thomas, has been named the new CEO, while the founders of the company, Geoff and Marcy Larson, are looking forward to dedicating more time towards building the pioneering legacy of Alaskan, focusing on innovation and the spirit of craft brewing.

“Alaskan Brewing is growing and exploring many opportunities, which pulls Geoff and I further afield,” said Co-Founder Marcy Larson.  “We really rely on Linda Thomas here at our home office, and feel moving her into the pivotal CEO position will give us more stability for solid future growth.  Linda has been excellent at providing organization and infrastructure to our management group, so it makes sense and we trust her to step into the lead slot here at the brewery.” 

Geoff Larson will maintain his role as President and Chair of the Board, and will be sharing the “Beer Powered Beer” concept industry wide.  “This is a cutting edge use of the brewers spent grain that turns waste into fuel, and is revolutionary to the beer industry,” Larson stated.  “Additionally we want to showcase manufacturing successes in Alaska.”   Thomas noted that the Larson’s started Alaskan Brewing in the midst of a recession in Alaska in the mid-1980’s, and their ability to successfully weather the challenges of operating a nationally recognized regional craft brewery from the remote area of Juneau is a story that should resonate with today’s economic headwinds.

“Our brewery has so many opportunities to grow our leadership in the craft industry here in the U.S. and even internationally, and I’m excited to drive that train forward, while keeping to the core values and mission of Alaskan Brewing,” Thomas said. "We have met countless challenges of doing business in Alaska over the years, creating an internal strength and sense of pride in our company, and my goal is to have that success and pride continue for future generations of Alaskans and all stakeholders involved." 

Geoff Larson stated that in Thomas’ 22 years with Alaskan, she has been instrumental in developing a financially sound company, ranked in the top 1% of the over 4,000 breweries in the U.S. in 2015 according to the Brewer’s Association. She led the development of the brewery’s Employee Stock Ownership Program, or ESOP, and has fostered a talented and highly dedicated crew that is poised to build on the strong foundation for this remote craft brewery based in Alaska.

In addition to her own adventuresome and pioneering spirit that comes with being a lifelong Alaskan, Thomas has a long history of community and professional involvement in Alaska.  She has served as President of the Bartlett Regional Hospital Board, Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Juneau, and the Juneau Chamber of Commerce Board.  She has co-chaired the State Board of Accountancy, serves on a bank board established in Alaska and was appointed as a National Quality Examiner by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.  In 2007, she was recognized as the Juneau Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.  She holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is a licensed CPA.

Alaskan Brewery Releasing Kicker Session IPA

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewery

JUNEAU, Alaska (March 1, 2016) – With a goal of making a refreshing session beer that still packs the full flavor of an IPA, the brewers at Alaskan Brewing Company used five hop varieties to create Kicker Session IPA. All that hop flavor is carried with a light to medium malt body and a low 4.5% alcohol content, making Kicker a trusty companion after adventures that can last a full day – which in Alaska can be 24 hours long.

“Our brewers were inspired by the long daylight hours of summer here in Alaska, and the idea of having a beer to take along as a companion after the adventure,” said Brewing Manager Rob Day. “The name Kicker comes from the small engine used on boats in our waters as a trolling motor and also often used as a backup to the main engine. Those little kickers have saved many folks here from having to paddle back to port – they may be small, but they’re reliable and always up for the challenge.”

Customers in the Brewery’s tasting room in Juneau have for years asked for a beer that had the robust flavors they had come to expect from the Alaskan style of brewing, with a lower alcohol content so they could enjoy more of that flavor.  

“It’s always been some sort of unwritten rule that if the beer has a lower alcohol content, it somehow has to have less flavor,” said Day. “It isn’t easy to get good body and flavor into a lower-gravity beer, but we achieved a light to medium body by using Munich and Dark Crystal malts to bring a lot of backbone to the malt build without increasing the gravity. Then we just went a little overboard with the hops.”

Dry hopping with five varieties brings a high level of complexity to Kicker – both in aroma and flavor. Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hop flavors and bitterness come through boldly, with fruity flavors of strawberry and tangerine notes coming from the Citra and Amarillo, and a grapefruit and pine taste from the Simcoe and Mosaic.

The red skiff depicted on the label with the small kicker engine is a staple of living the Alaska lifestyle in coastal communities across much of the state. They are the packhorse of living near the water, whether used for hauling gear to a remote cabin, trolling for salmon, or hitting a secret halibut hole. Their aluminum hulls and light kicker engines allow them to be hauled on shore, and their “V” shape cuts through the often daunting Alaska seas.

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewery

Kicker is the first new year-round six pack Alaskan has introduced since 2013, and will be available in all 17 states where Alaskan beer is distributed. For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at www.alaskanbeer.com.

Hop Turn IPA is Alaskan Brewing’s Newest Rotating Seasonal

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

European influences make the Pilsner malted beer a crisp, brisk alternative

JUNEAU, Alaska (Jan. 1, 2016) – Named after a radical skiing and snowboarding maneuver, Alaskan Brewing Company’s newest Spring Seasonal Release, Hop Turn IPA offers a change in direction from the recent trends in West Coast IPAs. Meant as an alternative to the hop bitterness wars that have defined much of the current development in IPAs, Hop Turn seeks a more delicate taste experience influenced by legendary old-world beers.

“We wanted to do a German-style IPA, which doesn’t really exist,” Alaskan brewer Greg Morgan said. “So we used German-style malts and hops. Often an IPA implies assertive hops, but this one is more subtle in character — it’s clean, without super long, lingering bitterness. It has more of a soft malt, soft hop character with a clean, bracing finish.”

Each spring and fall, Alaskan Brewing introduces an exciting new beer style to the lineup for a limited run, which allows brewers to showcase their creativity and experimentation.

“We first brewed Hop Turn on our in-house one-barrel system, which is a great place for us to play with different concepts and ingredients,” said Morgan. “The combination of Pilsner, Vienna and Munich malts, gives a light body and crisp finish, and the Magnum and Sterling hops lends a floral, peppery and lemony aroma and flavor. It has a lot of hop flavor, but it isn’t overly bitter, which is why we started calling it a German IPA.”

That European influence also comes through in the beer’s name, derived from a skiing technique first developed in the Alps in the 1970s by adventuring skiers who negotiated chutes that could be well over 60 degrees in steepness for runs of 4,000 feet. Today that same move is used by skiers and snowboarders in Alaska’s biggest mountain ranges.

“We hope that we’ve bottled a bit of the exhilaration of a turn down the mountain, wind whipping and powder flying – our environment here in Alaska is always a part of the inspiration for our beers,” Morgan said.
Hop Turn IPA will be available through spring in all 17 states where Alaskan Brewing distributes.

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

 For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at www.alaskanbeer.com.

Alaskan Founder Geoff Larson Recounts Start Of Winter Ale

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing CO

Obstacles and Inspiration Marked the Invention of the Spruce Tip Beer Now in Stores

JUNEAU, Alaska  – Alaskan Winter Ale is once again in stores in all 17 states  where Alaskan Brewing Company distributes, and will be available through the rest of 2015. Alaskan
co-Founder Geoff Larson recently sat down for a few questions about the inspiration behind the beer he first brewed nearly 20 years ago.

So what was the inspiration to put Sitka Spruce tips in a beer?
Geoff: The historical inspiration behind Winter Ale came from Captain Cook. He had 14 separate references in his logs about Spruce and Beer. Not all the references were positive – at first he added full boughs of spruce, bark and all, and then wrote of a “mutinous crew”— so that batch was not appreciated! Then he wrote about adding only the new growth of the spruce, new shoots, and said this was an especially fine brew and this seemed to go over well with his crew.

Was Spruce an ingredient you had heard about before reading the accounts of Captain Cook?
Geoff: There was an awareness of spruce as an ingredient – homebrewers had been using spruce essence for years. But to me those always tasted piney and tarry – not hedonistically pleasurable, which is what I look for in beer! Things like jellies and spruce syrup which are pretty unique to this area of the world, caught the character of the spruce I was after – that berry-like quality with tartness and a high aromatic character – very different from the spruce essence beers I had tried.

Once you had brewed a beer with Spruce tips, what did it take to put it into production?

Geoff: A big hurdle was picking the tips – getting enough and at the right time. To make beer in the volumes we need – that’s a lot of tips. Marcy (Co-Founder and Geoff’s wife) hit on the idea of using Pep’s Packing out in Gustavus because they do food packing and processing out there and can handle that end of it, and they end up coordinating getting essentially the whole town of Gustavus out picking spruce tips right when they first bud out in early spring – which here in Alaska is beginning of June. Pep’s perfected the packing – there are a number of steps including a process of aerating the tips once they’re packed – we found out that freezing and vacuum packing needs to be done in the right order or the tips can spoil.

Does that process, picking them locally in one small town, affect the quality of the Spruce tips?

Geoff: It does in a very positive way that we didn’t anticipate. Because the people in Gustavus get excited by the prospect every year of picking this “cash crop,” they end up picking them quickly when they first bud, so during the “first flush” when the buds are being infused with that first flow of sugar-rich sap to promote the new growth. As a result, our tips benefit from being particularly tart and packed with flavor.

Why did you choose the base style of Olde English Ale?
Geoff: We actually first used spruce tips in our Old Growth Barleywine. I thought it was potentially how Capt. Cook might have brewed beer – in the method of creating “threads” on one brew – so the higher gravity first part of the mash was used for Barleywines, and then an Old English Ale, and then perhaps something with even less alcohol. After we did that Barleywine, I thought a nice cold-weather beer would be something fairly warming, but also mellow enough to have a couple with dinner. The Olde English Ale fit the flavor I was hoping to get and seemed like a likely style that Captain Cook would have been brewing.


To find Alaskan Winter Ale, use the Beer Finder on Alaskan Brewing’s website at alaskanbeer.com

2015 Alaskan Smoked Porter Releases this Week

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing CO

Limited Vintage Releases with 21 GABF Medals to its Name

Juneau, Alaska (November 4, 2015)- The limited edition 2015 vintage of Alaskan Brewing Co.'s Alaskan Smoked Porter officially releases this week on draft and in 22 oz bottles throughout the 17 states where Alaskan beer is sold.

"As far as we know, Alaskan Smoked Porter has no real end to its shelf life. We are still enjoying vintages from our cellar that date back to 1993, when we started leaving some yeast in the bottle for better aging," explains Alaskan Brewing cofounder Geoff Larson.

The first release of this now vintage-dated beer was called "Alaskan Seasonal" in the late 1980s - a hearty winter seasonal brewed as a nod to the malting and brewing practices of the turn-of-the-century brewers in Alaska who had to malt their own barley using local alder wood for direct-fired heat. While the name officially changed to Alaskan Smoked Porter a couple of years later, the Alaskan Brew Crew still employs the same smokehouse used for the first batch those many years ago.

"Alder adds a traditional smoke character to our Porter that is true to the Alaskan landscape. Due to natural flavor changes in the wood and malt each year, no two vintages will taste the same when brewed, and they will not age in exactly the same way," says Alaskan Brewing Plant Manager Curtis Holmes, "That's what makes each year's release so exciting for us."

More information on Smoked Porter and all the beers in the Alaskan Brewing lineup is available at alaskanbeer.com
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Alaskan Brewing Releases Heritage Coffee Brown Ale

Alaskan Brewing Offers a New Take on Coffee Beer

Heritage Coffee Brown Ale uses radical technique to bring rich flavor

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

JUNEAU, Alaska (Oct. 1, 2015) – Alaskan Brewing Company teamed up with Juneau-based Heritage Coffee Roasting Co. to craft a new beer that accentuates the richness of coffee and the smoothness of premium malts. The result is Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale, the latest of the Pilot Series of beers, available starting in October in 22-ounce bombers and on draft in the 17 states where Alaskan Brewing is distributed.

“We were looking to brew a coffee beer that wasn’t overly-dominated by dark malts,” said Alaskan Brewer Tyler Lindquist. “That’s why we went with a Brown Ale for this beer. The subtleness of the Brown Ale then allowed us to accentuate the richness of a great coffee, instead of the bitter acrid flavor that sometimes comes through in coffee beers.”

That subtle flavor allowed for a radical technique that required close collaboration between the brewers at Alaskan and the roasters at Heritage.

“They wanted to have a deep coffee backbone to this beer, so we all came up with the idea of roasting some of the malt in our coffee roaster with some of the beans used in the beer,” said Heritage Coffee Roaster Mike Dunlevy. “That’s pretty tricky, because the flashpoint of malt is much lower than that for coffee beans, so the potential of fire was very real.”

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

Heritage Roasters worked with Alaskan Brewers to sample coffees in order to find a blend that would bring out chocolate, caramel and honey in the final beer. They decided to use Heritage’s signature Brazilian blend “Paixao” (Portuguese for passion) which was cold-brewed to reduce acidity. This cold-brewed coffee was added at multiple stages throughout the brewing process of the beer, in order to infuse it with a deep and rich coffee flavor and aroma.

Heritage Coffee and Alaskan Brewing have common roots in Juneau, where Heritage founder Grady Saunders first started bringing freshly-roasted coffee to the community in 1974. Saunders was one of the people that helped inspire the idea of smoking malts to create the award-winning Alaskan Smoked Porter in 1988.

First sampled at this year’s Great American Beer Festival, Alaskan Heritage Coffee Brown Ale is already garnering rave reviews, with at least one reference to it being part of a “next level” of coffee beers.

For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at alaskanbeer.com/our-beers/pilot-series-heritage-coffee-brown-ale/.

 

Alaksan Brewing Releasing A New Fall Seasonal - Alaskan Pumpkin Ale

Courtesy of Alaskan Brewing Co

A smooth twist on last year’s highly-regarded Pumpkin Porter

JUNEAU, Alaska (August 12, 2015) – Alaskan Brewing Company’s newest beer is Alaskan Pumpkin Ale, a Fall Seasonal that will start appearing on taps and shelves throughout the company’s 17-state distribution footprint beginning this month. Alaskan brewers have put a new spin on the Pumpkin Porter that has come out the past two years, and produced a smooth brown ale-based recipe that combines holiday spices and organic pumpkin for a perfect autumn pour.

“In Juneau, we’re acutely aware of the transition from Summer to Fall, and we like to make the absolute best of the season by bringing as much flavor as possible to our Fall Seasonal beer,” said Brent Kesey, one of the lead brewers on this beer. “So, even though the days are getting a little shorter, we have something to be happy about! We think folks are going to really like the holiday flavor and drinkability of this new beer.”

Following in the footsteps of the highly regarded Alaskan Pumpkin Porter, this Pumpkin Ale has the holiday spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and brown sugar plus a pinch of Alaskan’s famous alder-smoked malt, with a base of a lighter brown ale featuring Vienna malt and Goldings hops.

“We were going for a warming spicy brew with a rich welcoming flavor that reminds me of the great flavors and aromas of pumpkin pie,” said Kesey. “Up here in Alaska we fight the cold and dark by getting together with family and friends. This time of year is when the strong community we have here is so important, and this beer is perfect for keeping those great get-togethers going strong.”

This very quaffable Fall Seasonal beer will be perfect with any holiday fare or sweeter breads, but can also work well with salted meats or pretzels to let that spicy sweetness compliment the savory saltiness. Alaskan Pumpkin Ale will be available in most markets by mid-August, as Alaskan Summer Ale begins to leave the shelves, and will run until November when Winter Ale ships out.
For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s website at www.alaskanbeer.com.
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Alaskan Brewing Releases Imperial IPA The Latest Beer In Its Pilot Beer Series

Imperial IPA is Latest Alaskan Brewing Pilot Series

 Big and bold, with tons of flavor and a concentration on Simcoe and Mosaic hops

JUNEAU, Alaska (July 1, 2015) – Alaskan Brewing is releasing its latest Pilot Series beer today, simply called Imperial IPA, that is dedicated to exploring and accentuating the unique and exciting hops of Yakima Valley growers.  One hop grower and developer in particular is a common thread among two of the hops used in this new beer.

“Our Imperial IPA is a celebration of hops, and especially two hop varieties – Simcoe and Mosiac. Both hops have the same developer in common, a remarkable Washington State hops grower named Jason Perrault,” said Alaskan Quality Assurance Manager David Wilson, who is chiefly responsible for the hops buying at Alaskan Brewing.

Perrault is a fourth-generation hops grower in Yakima Valley, and is part of a vibrant hops-development region that has in large part been a catalyst to the growth of the West-Coast IPA style.

“He worked with other hops developers, including Chuck Zimmerman and Gene Probasco, to accentuate the high aromatics and complex flavors that we are trying to showcase in this Imperial IPA,” said Wilson. “He also helped develop the Citra variety of hop that we use in many of our beers. But in this beer we are concentrating on the intense pine and tropical fruit taste and aromas of the Simcoe and Mosaic hops.”

Imperial IPA is made with Juneau’s glacier-fed water and an array of hops used in the boil and dry hopping, including Simcoe, Mosaic, Topaz, Bravo, Summit, Nugget and Apollo hops. Pale, Munich, and Light Crystal malts provide the backbone.

The label depicts a group of Stellar’s Sea Lions hauled out on a buoy in Southeast Alaska waters. Named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, the pioneering German botanist who sailed Alaskan waters with Vitus Bering in 1741, these massive creatures are classified as “near-threatened,” but have maintained a stronghold here in Alaska. Noisy and pretty darn stinky, the buoys where they rest are a spectacle for any passing boats, and at over 1,200 pounds these sea lions can be an intimidating presence in the water for nervous kayakers.

Alaskan’s Pilot Series beers come out 3 to 4 times a year on draft and in 22-ounce bombers, and are typically available for about 3 months. They are usually bigger beers, and this Imperial IPA comes in at 8.5% ABV and 80 IBUs. Imperial IPA will be available in all 17 states that distribute Alaskan Beer.

For more information, check out Alaskan Brewing’s new website at alaskanbeer.com/our-beers/pilot-series-imperial-ipa/

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