Alaskan Amber - Alaskan Brewing Co.

woemad

Washington

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap last night. It had been a couple of years since I'd had one, so I figured why not.
Had a nice, orange-red color capped with a finger of foam. Not a lot of lacing. Moderate mouthfeel. Malty, hoppy smell. The taste was well balanced between malt and hop flavors. Finished nice and crisp. I think this could make a good session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2003 13:25:08 | More by woemad

beerguy101

California

3.63/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Medium copper color, large head. Aroma is malty. Medium bodied amber. Complex malt flavor, medium hopped. Malts have a near fruitlike taste (pears and or apricots?) Finish is smooth. Aftertaste is malty, very little bitterness. Complex taste, very smooth. Very drinkable. Nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2003 21:23:46 | More by beerguy101

Jason

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz short brown twist-off, no freshness date.

Appearance: Thin lacing with a lacking retention gives the head a shorter than normal life. The tawny hue has some depth and shows off the clarity.

Smell: Toasted grain and biscuity malt aroma.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Faint crispness in a moderate body, simple malt flavours of toasted grain and sweetness. The hop bitterness is slightly spicy in the palate and balances the modest malt flavour. Hops have a light astringent note to them middle to end. More sweetness comes through at the end.

Notes: An average altbier, minus the light astringent character and I would come back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2003 18:14:58 | More by Jason

Reidrover

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought in the 12 oz brown short neck.
Nice deep dark amber colour smallish head that dissapears almost completelly to leave a slight lace ring round the top of the beer.
wonderful sweet malty aroma, with hints of butterscotch..and toffee ( slight).
taste is very sweet and at the same moment it turns dry..small hop bitterness near the end.slight tea flavour to this.
feels reasonably good in the mouth..not too dry and not cloying.
A slightly above average beer buit the low alcohol volume would make this a cracking session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2003 20:04:30 | More by Reidrover

tavernjef

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes from a trip to Cordova AK June 2002

This is a very good drinker. Good color of rich golden orange and light brown highlights. Good smell of malt and a solid fresh tone with some hop presence. Taste is quite good, very smooth, nice malty back. Good medium body feel smooth malty tones all over. Drinkable indeed.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2003 14:56:16 | More by tavernjef

jtw5877

Ohio

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a medium reddish brown with a decent white head. Toasted malty aroma, sweet malty taste. Nice body, a really good amber. My thanks go out to my Brother and his family who brought me a nice beer package from Alaska this holiday season.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2002 15:42:32 | More by jtw5877

Fabric8r

Montana

4.63/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Excellent pre-dinner beer, if on tap because the bottled version is nothing like the draft. Wonderful aftertaste that I cannot describe. Usually ask at a restaurant if they have it on tap, if not, we usually don't return. (it's that much of a great pre-dinner beer for me). I have found different batches taste different. Alaskan needs to pay attention to their consistency (or maybe that is their plan ?) If you find it on tap before dinner, Enjoy!

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2002 11:37:44 | More by Fabric8r

Zraly

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first time that I had this beer was at a restaurant on Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. It was "love at first sight" and before I had tasted this beer, I was a through and through wine snob.

There is really no prominent scent to the Alaskan Amber besides a slight hint of the grains. This beer is very polite in appearance, pouring a decent, white with an orange tint head to compliment its orange-red-rust color.

The beer is really an easy-drinking choice. The flavors that come out are sweet maltiness that have been kissed with a touch of caramel. I even taste a lil' bit o' sugar cookie in this one. The hops are more or less an afterthought. And for this beer, I kind of like that feature.

Whenever in doubt, I grab a six-pack of Alaskan Amber. It's a mellow, user-friendly beer that adapts to all different types of dining and entertaining situations.

Speaking of food, I highly recommend this beer to be used in beer batter for fish. Two cups of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, a bit o' salt and your favorite spice seasoning (I use a paprika-based blend) along with one bottle of Alaskan Amber makes for an incredible beer batter for cod. Make sure that once you have blended the ingredients to use it within the hour. It loses its airy-ness if you let it sit for too long.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2002 17:56:48 | More by Zraly

aracauna

Georgia

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Suffers from its proximity to the amber I had at Glacier Brewhouse the day before. Color is a little thin but not as light at some of the poorer excuses for ambers. Taste is the same, not bad, pretty typical, but not outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2002 21:48:25 | More by aracauna

QXSTER1

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Balance! This is what the word is about. Nothing overpowering but everything is there. Great malty nose accentuated by the deep amber color. Rocky white head that calms to a sticky white lace. Sweet complex malt notes with caramel and biscuit, and just before malt overload the hops kicks in to a smooth mid-palate. Finish is velvety and full bodied but not cloying. A great accompaniment to a summer grill dinner.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2002 17:00:08 | More by QXSTER1

cokes

Wisconsin

4.22/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A showcase Alt.
Pours a deep amber, leaning toward brown. Thin, yet dense off-white head quickly diminishes to a film, then stays the duration.
Big malty nose. Caramel and toffee, with underlying fruit. There is something here that is just slightly wrong-smelling. Reminds me of horses It keeps this from scoring huge in the nose dept. But very nice, nonetheless.
Taste is big on the caramel/toffee flavors. Strong breadiness. Some toasted and nutty notes. Hops, while not huge, add the right amount of bitterness to this one. I am pulling some faint grape and raisin notes in the background.
Medium bodied. Solid in the mouth.
Goes down like a dream. Too fast for my liking, since I only have one bottle.

Much gratitude goes to Mr Bighuge for landing me this treat.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2002 00:46:38 | More by cokes

tigerpaws

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I must admit in other circumstances this beer may have gotten a better review here. It was at a football game in Idaho snowy and very cold. But I was impressed witht he taste and how smooth this beer tasted. I would recommend trying it, in fact I look forward to trying it again so that I can truly enjoy it...............CHEERS

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2002 11:43:34 | More by tigerpaws

beernut7

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +32.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is probably my favorite ale. I enjoy the balanced flavors and nothing goes down smoother. Wish I could get it in MA without the extra shipping.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2002 18:44:16 | More by beernut7

jreitman

California

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of my favorite beers. Very nice orange color, lightly hopped and a pretty nice malty taste. Very nice NW US alt beer. Living in the seattle area, it is my default beer of choice at restaurants and bars.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2002 17:54:30 | More by jreitman

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep copper color. Thin fizzy white head that dissipates quickly. Clarity is good for an ale. Aroma is a bit musty. Taste is clean and mellow. Hops are evident but my preference for an alt is even hoppier. There is a smooth, malty taste. It is evident that this alt has been prepared properly with an extended lagering period. A very solid alt. I've only had a couple other alts that I have enjoyed more.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2002 23:32:04 | More by Bighuge

ZAP

Minnesota

4.88/5  rDev +33.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Outstanding...my kind of beer...very malty and sweet with a slick mouth feel (almost oily or greasy)..minimal hops...light orangish color....I didn't get much head retention, but you can see the carbonation...doesn't taste charged up though...this is a brilliant beer..truly exceptional....I expected a little more hop bite on the aftertaste but it is fine just the way it is..

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2002 00:24:41 | More by ZAP

Todd

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12oz snubby brown twist-off top bottle.

Appearance: Rich and deep copper in colour with an off-white creamy foam head. Loads of carbonation activity and great head retention.

Smell: Very light aroma of grain and light esters.

Taste: A full-bodied brew with a smooth mouthfeel and creamy palate. Malt sweetness is sugary/dextriny with notes of raw grain. Nutty, biscuit and touch of chocolate are all part of the malty flavours that pull-thru when warmed up a bit. Bitterness is low, like weak floral tea. There's a touch of rind, but it gently creeps away into the malt sweetness. Finish is clean with hardly any residuals.

Notes: Despite it's name, this is an Alt beer and a very nice Alt at that. Outright tasty as hell if you ask me. All the right flavours are present and balance each other very well.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2001 00:00:01 | More by Todd