Alaskan Winter Ale - Alaskan Brewing Co.

rawfish

California

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dullish amber, very small head from a normal pour. Slick lacing and nearly no retention.

Bready, with cinnamon, honey and brown sugar spices, a bit of pine, syrup and noble hops. Sweet and dry.

Bready and grain husks, rather clean with some nuances of simple syrup, cola and maple. Hops keep things clean and dry with a bit of pine and grassy bitterness. Sticky malt but dries rather well. Medium body, average carbonation and well hidden alcohol.

Simple old ale, plenty of spice notes and a grainy malt backbone. Much better than Alaskan's amber as a winter session beer. Not a bad beer, rather middle of the road, interesting to try.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 05:31:03 | More by rawfish

spoony

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

From a 12 oz bottle into a snifter (from notes dated January 13, 2013).

A-A normal pour produces a shortish, one-finger head of very-off-white foam. The brew is a pleasant, red-hued, dark amber color. It is mostly clear.

S-Smell is malty with lots of brown sugar, maybe some cinnamon. There is touch of hoppy resin, but I don't pick up much tree.

T-Taste is unique. I detect medicinal, herbal, astringent flavors from the spruce and hops, but the tree flavor is not overpowering and there is a warming, fruity alcoholic flavor, as well.

M-Medium bodied with slightly prickly carbonation. Good balance for the flavors.

O-This beer gets points for originality and for not over-doing it on the spruce tips. Usually, tree is quite bitter tasting, but here, the tree pairs well with other flavors. I would not want to drink it every day, but it made for a good winter brew, so extra points for truth in marketing.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 03:44:38 | More by spoony

Pegasus

Texas

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: The body is copper-colored with sharp clarity., crowned a large, show-white head, which retains quite well. The lacing is interesting in appearance, it leave a pattern that closely resembles a dusting of snow on a window pane. The carbonation is composed of numerous streams of small bubbles that drift lazily to the surface.

Aroma: Rich toasted bread notes vie with moderate hop aromas that seem to have a Noble component. There is also an aroma that I associate with spruce, although it could be the hops or a combination of both. In all, the aroma is a touch less sweeter than I would have expected from an Old Ale.

Taste: Opens with toasted malts, and a slight flush of sweet alcohol, soon followed by rather piney hops. The hops dominate, but the malt presence and hops carry throughout the taste, but in a supporting role to the dominant hops. There is a mild, lingering hop note at the end of the taste.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, and quite pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: A very nice example. I have never really thought of visiting Alaska, but I think I might like to, just to check out the craft beer scene.

Presentation: Packaged in a stubby twelve-ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 15:43:20 | More by Pegasus

MarioM

California

3.35/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz poured into tulip

A: Nice clear orange color, good carbonation, small bubbles rising as white head disappears with no lacing.

S: slight maltiness but nothing else, I was expecting some spices but i'm not getting much.

T: slightly sweet, very light hop character but mostly malt characters with some spice.

M: Smooth with some bitterness left over, slight warmness too.

O: Definitely unlike other winter ales, very drinkable and mild, its just not as spicy as I would expect. Others are too spicy but this one just doesn't feel like a winter ale. Still a good beer though.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 05:55:31 | More by MarioM

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber pour with a thinnish head, minimal lace. Smell is crackers, bread, malt, with a lightness that may be spruce, but its certainly not piney. Taste is a solid cracker crust malt base, quite tasty, with a nice helping of hop leaving the palate lightly refreshed, a hint of bubblegum and perhaps lemon toward the end. Nice medium body with a hefty, well crafted feel. Easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 05:11:08 | More by JackieTH

bmwats

Louisiana

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint.

A: Golden hue. Pours about a finger and a half, foamy, white head. Craters quickly and unevenly leaving some dry sticky residue on the sides of the glass. Disintegrates completely. Virtually no lacing.

S: Italian bread, with significant floral notes, and the sweetness of cinnamon toast.

T: Sourdough bread, slightly spiced and slightly sweetened. Pretty solid balance of bread, sweet, spice, and hops.

M: Steely, almost synthetic feeling sweetness in the front, with a nice lingering hop bite.

D: This goes down smooth and easy, but not a session.

Atmosphere is pretty solid. Appearance is good enough on the front end, although quickly deteriorates. Nose is, however, a really nice floral bready thing going on with some sweet notes. Flavor is a hoppy, sweetened, bitter experience. Overall, this is a good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 04:39:51 | More by bmwats

Behrhunter

4.23/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried this ale at a bar and really enjoyed it. Found it at my local liquor store and bought a sixer. Poured it in a glass, and had at it. Smell's great, tastes better hints of fruit and spice, and I dare say minty finish but not too sweet or minty. One beer turned into 2 then 3 and I actually drank 4 of them I was so intruiged by the taste. Really nice Ale! Awesome Winter beer!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 00:53:13 | More by Behrhunter

Vashtar

Texas

4.63/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Chris_Cali_2o9 nailed it in his review.

It has a nice head with acceptional lacing.

The berry taste is definite, but doesn't become monotonous. It isn't a typical winter beer, but it's one of my favorites.

The mouthfeel is like laying down a heavy grocery sack that you haven't been carrying for more than a few seconds.

The smell could be a wonderful air freshener, but better.

I would definitely like a six pack. I just wish the labeling were more appealing so that more people might discover it.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 02:26:22 | More by Vashtar

Hoopster4hire

Oregon

2.8/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served this in a standard pint glass. Poured from a brown 12 o. Bottle.

Going to keep this short and sweet. This beer us sub-par on multiple levels. Numerous pours lead to little or no head, and what stays around evaporates quickly. The smell is light and slightly aromatic with the spruce tips hardly noticeable. This tastes like a ightly upgraded lager, low in carbonation and just disappointing all around. Will not but this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 05:19:49 | More by Hoopster4hire

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass. Pours an orange-gold amber with a thin white head that dissipates to small patches of foam and slight slippery lacing. Aroma of sweet bready malt and light fruit. Flavor of sweet malt, grain, a hint of toasted malt and hint of spruce. Skates on the edge of too sweet, but sweetness is balanced by the malt and apple and grape juice flavors. Light to medium bodied. A pleasant light flavored ale with an interesting pine flavor from the spruce, but not nearly malty enough to be an old ale. I enjoyed it, but not what I expected.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 05:34:29 | More by LiquidAmber

Chris_Cali_2o9

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Sam Adams cup

A- Amber, 1" fluffy off white head

S- Berries, pommegranet, citrus, apple cider, grapefruit

T- Intensely fruity with a bready malt backbone

M- Medium bodied, low carbonation

O- Pretty good, when i think of a winter warmer, gingerbread and spices come to mind. This one has taken the fruitcake aspect of the holidays. It's very fruity and sweet, but never overbearing. If someone offered me it, i would graciously accept it, but i don't see myself buying it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 03:50:41 | More by Chris_Cali_2o9

TheSixthRing

California

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a clear, golden amber with a head that's just under 2 fingers. Average retention. Lacing is very small and spotty.

Smell - Faint, but the aroma hits on notes of graham cracker, caramel and berry, with slight hoppiness well beneath.

Taste - Forward malt sweetness, with a lot of fruity berry character upfront and hints of graham cracker beneath. A tingle of initial mint. Grassy hop bitterness is subtle, and comes through near the finish, and becomes more significant as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with quite a bit of stickiness. Fair carbonation. finishes smooth, and is quite quaffable.

Overall - Not exceptional in any way, but this is a good, well-rounded beer. One I like to have at least once a year during the winter months, especially if it's on tap. The flavor of the spruce tips does well to add a uniqueness to this beer, a character you don't often see in other winter seasonal offerings.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 01:11:57 | More by TheSixthRing

diamondc

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

$2 for a 12 oz bottle. Best before 031013.

A: Deep amber, pillowy egg shell white head. Filtered. Lots of lacing. Looks good.

S: Fruity, almost raspberry-like, grainy, caramel.

T: Big butterscotch note here, sticky caramel, Fruity Pebbles-like. Wow! Really unusual for this style.

F: A bit 'light' almost lager like, but packed with flavor.

O: A surprise from Alaskan Brewing, will probably buy a six pack soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 09:29:45 | More by diamondc

JMad

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice golden amber color with a thick frothy off white head. The aroma is slightly fruity with a hint of caramel. It tastes bready and malty with some lemon and spruce. The beer is very smooth, medium bodied with a long satisfying finish. Very nice beer here, would definitely drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 04:26:35 | More by JMad

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow, I really like this brew! Poured it a bit warm and I think that was a good idea as the spruce tips really come out, giving a sweet, ripe berry component. Poured with a smallish, cream-colored head that soon settled out to a few islands and a ring with a bit of lace. Color is a medium clear amber with huge amounts of bubble trails. Aroma is malt, caramel, toffee, fruit, wet grain. Flavor's like nose, on the sweet side, but not overly; sweet and carbonic tang are in front with just enough bitter to balance it all nicely. Body and carbonation are perfect. Finish is like flavor, lingers for a while, has a slight booziness, and is so drinkable. Curious to see if it's this good a little colder.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 03:54:23 | More by drpimento

GPHarris

Alabama

3.13/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

a - poured a one finger thick eggshell-colored head into a tulip glass that left some nice lacing but it disappeared halfway through the beer. the body was a bright amber color.
s - caramel, toffee, and an almost cake-like sweetness dominate.
t - caramel and toffee with just the faintest hint of piney hops.
m - medium and slick.
o - disappointing beer overall. it had some good points but i did not get any spruce flavors or aromas here.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 15:57:21 | More by GPHarris

budgood1

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours out a peach tinged copper colour with a thin white head reducing quickly to some sparse lace. malty aroma...some cookie dough and spice with a dash of mint and sugar. the taste was a surprise, very malty sweet...like a liquid, minty, candy/cookie concoction with a slight boozy undertone. this has x-mas beer written all over it like egg nog or tom and jerry's do. the spruce tips are not overdone and meld wonderfully with any alcohol spice present. definitely belly warming and face flushing. the body is medium to slightly above medium and has a smooth slick mouthfeel that allows this winter ale to slide down too easily. therefore, it's easily drinkable and quite enjoyable.

overall a unique and understated brew that delivers subtle yet tasty ale drinking enjoyment. i might have to revisit this at some point this upcoming winter. hits the spot on the first real cold spell this november. go try it.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 22:35:12 | More by budgood1

beergoot

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden amber body with active carbonation, crowned with a rich, foamy white head. Sweet malts, softly pungent spiciness in the nose; light pine and licorice in the aroma. Warm and sweet in the mouth; smooth and creamy texture. Flavors range from roasted grain and malt (e.g., cookie dough) to a lightly pine-like flavor (must be the spruce); nutty; hints of ginger; a bit of alcohol warmth.

An excellent winter ale. Flavorful with interesting taste complexities. Nicely balanced with a subtle boldness. Tasty and easy drinking...

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 03:09:22 | More by beergoot

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from the bottle into a snifter

A- Poured a very clear medium golden color with lots of visible carbonation with off-white frothy head that left minimal lace

S- Big sweet apricot and peach aroma, white grape juice

T- Huge white grape juice, apricot, and peach flavors. Lots of sweet fruitiness, some almost mint like flavor, lots of breadiness, and barley

M- Dry, pretty smooth, lighter to medium body

O- This beer is not what I expected out of an old ale, but damn is good. Lots of big fruity flavor and a minty freshness.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 03:17:54 | More by Hoptometrist

DavidST

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, coded bottle date. This pours an amberish color with a smaller but decent off white head with a med retention length. The smells are light but nice, a little sweet, some caramel malts, some spruce, berries. The feel is medium with higher carbonation. The taste is high malts, a little bitterness and some berries.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 03:19:58 | More by DavidST

elNopalero

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Alaskan winter ale, brewed with spruce tips—not sure if this is in place of or to supplement the hops, or even how much of a presence they actually have. But, the power of suggestion is a strong thing indeed.

This looks fantastic, a glowing amber with a toasted white cotton puff atop it. Thick & cloudy like the SF fog. The bouquet is pleasantly piney, like an evergreen or pine forest, backed by an orange marmalade note. Flavor has a mild bitterness, and there’s some definite pine notes, and a sweetish caramel malt finish. Smooth and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 01:29:11 | More by elNopalero

obrike

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a single at my HEB in Round Rock for a bit under 2 bucks.

A honey colored ale, not much head and very little lacing. Big fat bubbles shooting from the bottom of my pint glass though.

Not a strong scent, but getting some sugary malt, blueberries?, graham crackers, maybe some faint pine. Certainly not pronounced...wish it were more prevelant.

Taste followed...some malty graham crackers, maybe a bit of honey, malts certainly dominate here. Quite dry on the backend. I like that. Makes me want to take another sip almost immediately. In fact, I've nearly finished this beer during this review. Hides the booze well and would certainly be good on a cool fall/winter day.

Not a bad beer from Alaskan. Would buy again and recommend to friends.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 22:41:50 | More by obrike

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle pours a mostly clear copper color with a dense off-white head. Retention is ok, as is the lacing. A pretty good looking brew…and the label has a nice, classy look to it.

Nose is fairly sweet and bready with a little bit of caramel. Some honey and blueberry skins seem to be the main aromas I am getting from the spruce tips. Lightly hopped and pretty pleasant overall.

Taste has more of the blueberry-esque fruitiness with a grainy sweetness that screams honey. Very smooth and easy drinking ale, although it does plenty to stand apart from your typical winter offering. I like it, the mouthfeel is full and silky and flows from malty to fruity to mild finish quite well. I'll buy this again for sure...good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 00:55:11 | More by twiggamortis420

Mora2000

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is full of honey, dark fruit, toffee, caramel and a hint of alcohol. The flavor is similar. The spruce comes through in the flavor, adding a bit of a herbal, minty quality. I also get some honey and the associated sweetness, as well as some grape and cherry notes. The alcohol is not present in the flavor, which makes the beer quite easy to drink. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A nice winter beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 03:11:14 | More by Mora2000

merc7186

New York

3.08/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I have had this beer so long I do not even remember to thank for sending this beer as an extra.

I had this beer poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Amber/Golden Straw Hue, Passes Some Light, Thin White Head Ring, Mild Lacing

S: Raisins, Mild Honey

T: Raisins, Honey, Mildly Malty

M: Average Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sweet, Mildly Malty

Overall, I didnt get much of the spice base that is advertised and for an old ale, not much flavor to coincide with it.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 03:01:10 | More by merc7186