Alaskan Smoked Porter

A while back I asked Jim (swissy) if he could send me a couple of these to try, since I had heard so many good things about them. Not only did he help me out, but he sent me an aged bottle along with a fresh one. I decided to do a review of both to see what a couple years of age did to this great beer. Thanks again for the opportunity Jim.



Style - American Porter
ABV - 6.5%
Brewed In - Juneau, Alaska
Availability - Brewed Year Round


2006

Appearance
VERY dark brown, almost black with a medium tan head, which is acutally pretty thick for a porter, and has medium/heavy lacing when you take a couple drinks.

Smell
Real smokey with a hint of sweetness.

Taste
Believe it or not, this beer is smokey! The smokiness is definately the dominant flavor, but there is also a touch of malt sweetness, maybe caramel, and coffee undertones. Just a touch of bitterness which is perfect to my tastes. Alcohol is completely hidden to my tastes, very smooth.

Feel
Very nice, medium/full feel to this beer. Lines the inside of the mouth and leaves you wanting another drink. Carbonation is pretty light.

2004

Appearance
Same dark, dark brown with a medium tan head that is a bit lighter than the '06 version.

Smell
Same as the '06 bottle, but there is also some fruitiness to it that was absent in the '06 bottle. Sweetness is a little more pronounced also.

Taste
I didn't think it was possible, but this is even smoother than the '06. Smoke is still the most pronounced flavor, but the caramel and coffee are more up front and there is a hint of fruitiness that I can't quite put my finger on, maybe cherry?

Feel
Same as the '06 batch, very satisfying.


Verdict

The '06 bottle was a great beer, but the '04 was even better. It was more complex and even more smooth. I'd love to get my hands on a case of this to let sit for a couple years and then see what happened with even more age. Thanks again for the opportunity to try these Jim!

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Great review bro!!!
The only one I've had is '06, and it was amazing IMO!!!
Great play Jim for hooking Justin up with these, to try out and review for us!!!

:thumbs:

Alaskan smoked porter, yummmmmm..... My absolute favorite. I recently had an alaskan oatmeal stout that was damn good too. Swissy, correct me if i'm wrong but I haven't seen the stout until this year. new brew? It definitely doesn't go with garlic fries. I found that out the hard way.

Do any of you guys know anything about the Alaskan Baltic Porter? I'm assuming it isn't a regular release?

First off great review as well as pic's. What is the prefered method for storing beer for an extended period of time? 2nd does beer not have a shelf life? I know some beers are fermented in the bottle such as Hef's so that is not so much an issue. I always thought beer eventually went bad within a few months. :blush:,

Opus meX said:

First off great review as well as pic's. What is the prefered method for storing beer for an extended period of time? 2nd does beer not have a shelf life? I know some beers are fermented in the bottle such as Hef's so that is not so much an issue. I always thought beer eventually went bad within a few months. :blush: ,

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Jonas sent me this link!!! A ton of good info!!!

Damn, that's some sweet looking beer. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the link David, it was really informative. :thumbs:

Opus meX said:

Thanks for the link David, it was really informative. :thumbs:

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No problem bro! Jonas told me about it a while ago! There are tons of reviews on there, so if you are ever curious about a beer... chances are, it's been reviewed on that site!!!

:thumbs:

davidr2340 said:

Opus meX said:

Thanks for the link David, it was really informative. :thumbs:

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No problem bro! Jonas told me about it a while ago! There are tons of reviews on there, so if you are ever curious about a beer... chances are, it's been reviewed on that site!!!

:thumbs:

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BTW, I found a place locally that carries the 2006 Smoked Porter, I can't wait to try it. :thumbs:

Even my wife liked this beer.

I loved that beer when I lived up there. Alaska has many MANY excellent beers and a ton of indie brewpubs. I miss almost all of them

I was surprised by this brew, good stuff

Question on smoked porters. Is it only the Alaskan that is made for aging or can one age any smoked porter, such as the Stone smoked porter?

can't speak for the others, but the Alaskan does age well. I have a few bottles of '04 and smooooooth they are. :thumbs:

kiwifruit said:

Question on smoked porters. Is it only the Alaskan that is made for aging or can one age any smoked porter, such as the Stone smoked porter?

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The Stone smoked porter will age OK although it is a bit low in alcohol (5.9%) to age for more then a couple years at the most I would think. In my experience the aging sweet spot starts around 8% and gets better as the ABV increases.

Thanks guys.

denverdog said:

kiwifruit said:

Question on smoked porters. Is it only the Alaskan that is made for aging or can one age any smoked porter, such as the Stone smoked porter?

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The Stone smoked porter will age OK although it is a bit low in alcohol (5.9%) to age for more then a couple years at the most I would think. In my experience the aging sweet spot starts around 8% and gets better as the ABV increases.

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The reason that you can age smoked porters even though they have a lower ABV is because the smoke acts as a preservative, just as it does with food, so I would assume you could do the same with Stone.

From the Alaskan brewery website:

A unique aspect to smoked beers that we have found at the Alaskan Brewing Company is that the smoke acts as a preservative even in beer. The smoke combined with the yeast left in the bottle allows the beers flavor and aroma to evolve over time. We have been known to hold vertical tastings with a variety of vintage years of Alaskan Smoked Porter. As it ages, the smoke becomes more of a subtle background note. Around the third and fourth years the beer's other flavors such as sherry, currant, raisin, and toffee-like nuances come forward. The fifth year sees the reemergence of the smoky character to the forefront.

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Good info Justin, thanks. :thumbs:

I'm drinking an '07 right now, and it really needs some down time.