Alaskan IPA - Alaskan Brewing Co.

dcloeren

Texas

2.68/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a crips pale straw color with 1 finger of foamy white head.

The nose is faint but getting some tropical fruit and orange. Not much of a strong hop present...

The taste is pretty similar to the nose but getting a some bready characteristics. Slight citrus hop taste... not much going on here.

Light in body and crisp with carbonation. Very slight drying taste.

Overall, this was a disappointing IPA. Not much going on anywhere with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 18:22:25 | More by dcloeren

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into taster

Pours a pale golden color with a crop of white head resting on top. Streaks of lacing run across the glass with some filmy residue left behind.

Slightly muted and muddled nose with flairs of pine and citrus hops. Soft sweetness with bread and biscuit malts and a touch of lemon peel.

Kiss of bitterness up front with citrusy hops and lemon peel. Light grapefruit notion with a dash of pine. Biscuit and cracker-like malt consistency resting upon a mild sweetness. Finishes lightly bitter and dry.

Medium body, nicely carbonated, dry and lingering on the tongue. Alaskan makes some great beers but this unfortunately isn't one of them.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 12:28:39 | More by xnicknj

TriggerFingers

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had from a bomber while in Alaska.

Unable to find this in California, I jumped at the chance to try it.

Nice citrus and some pine on the nose. I really liked the caramel malt backbone of this beer, more so than probably any IPA I had on the trip. This beer also showcased a northwest hop profile of what I like to think of as an older American IPA (they kind you saw a lot about 10 years ago which were a tad more spicy/pine driven (Chinook and Columbus), rather than sweet/citrus driven (Amarillo)).

That being said, I loved the balance and the malty mouthfeel of this IPA. This was a nice change of pace for my palate, and one I will seek out again next time I can find it.

Grade: B+

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 01:38:56 | More by TriggerFingers

waldoiverson

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into nonic

A: pale golden color with great clarity, fairly firm head that left moderate but not exceptionally fine lacing

S: predominant pine with a background of bitter citrus, a bit minty

T: pine and pineapple with a far more pronounced bread backbone than the nose would suggest. Alcohol warms it up at the finish which is fairly herbal in nature

M: rich and carbonated at first, ends slightly tanic and dry

O: It's a good match to the style and I like the balance of pine and citrus, worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 01:02:55 | More by waldoiverson

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: clear/golden rod, trace white head, patchy lacing

S: lemon grass, pine, malt nose

T: lemon peel, grassy/pine, malt, low bitter finish

M: med/light body, light oily/sticky mouth

O: Really nice brew, would love to try to
more of their brews. Recommend to others.

QUITE NICE, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 01:41:58 | More by BeerLover99

jimmah120

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle with no date

Look is clear gold with a slight orange tint. Smell is lemon, pine, and earthy hops. Taste is pine/earth(hops) with a white bread(malt) background- emphasis on the hops. Light body with a sudsy finish. Bonus points for it's extreme drinkability.

Bitter and hoppy, enjoyable for sure, but doesn't knock it out of the park. Still wouldn't mind having a few more of these around.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 05:45:45 | More by jimmah120

GPHarris

Alabama

3.93/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a - poured a three-fingers thick off-white and rocky head into an english pub glass that left nice lacing and sheeting throughout. the body was dark gold and bubbly.
s - muted earthy hops.
t - much more fruity with the hops in the taste.
m - very crisp and lively.
o - great AIPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 14:55:50 | More by GPHarris

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is biscuit malt with some nice orange citrus and tropical fruit notes. The flavor has a decent amount of bitterness with some orange citrus and a touch of pine. There is also a hint of biscuit and toffee malt, but the hops are far more present than the malt. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not a great IPA, but a nice drinker that won't disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 02:28:35 | More by Mora2000

BryanCarey

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Alaskan IPA pours to a straw color with a body that is completely clear. A good pour will result in a nice head of foam that gradually subsides to a thin white layer and leaves lace as you consume. The nose on this beer is one of citrus with a touch of pine and it succeeds at enticing you to take that first sip.

The flavor of this IPA isn’t too surprising. It has a taste of bread, pale malts, earthy notes, and of course, citrus fruit, mainly grapefruit and orange. This IPA is a dry hopped for a dry finish and it has a pleasant aftertaste of biscuits and fruit.

One quality of Alaskan IPA I wish was slightly different is the body of the beer. It is a little lighter than usual and if poured into a glass and held up to a light, it has that transparent around the edges look. I prefer my IPA to be a little fuller than this, but I know that the somewhat lighter body will suit others perfectly fine.

Alaskan Brewing makes some great products and Alaskan IPA is another in a long line of quality brew. The lighter body is about the only issue I have with this beer. Otherwise, it is a very nice, tasty IPA good for most any occasion.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 02:10:13 | More by BryanCarey

hoplover82

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a pleasantly surprising light golden color (I like my IPA's on the lighter colored side). With a vigorious pour it only has a small to medium white head that has pretty good retention and some noticeable lacing.
S- By the aroma you can tell it's an IPA but it's quite mild for American IPA's which ought to be more in your face. I get tropical fruit notes, some pine and mango notes, and with a swirl of the glass comes a very noticeable sweet pilsner like, fresh bread aroma.
T- There's plenty of hop and malt flavor but they don't go well together. I definitely pick up the pine hop flavor with some fruity esthers from what I am assuming is a yeast thing. On the finish it has a crisp pilsner like malt flavor. I just don't think that the flavors in the beer merry well together.
M- It has a medium body. Low carbonation, which lends to a balanced mouthfeel (Not to sweet not to dry.) It has a nice lingering hop bitterness in the finish.
O- Overall, I don't think this beer is a homerun but it's above average in my opinion. I am glad I bought a six pack to try it. Cheers Everyone!

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 23:54:55 | More by hoplover82

joecalderoni

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: golden yellow color, high carbonation! Very clear!

S: very nice citrus, grapefruit aroma almost no malt aroma! You can tell its dry hopped

T: Nice bitterness well balanced with caramel malt taste! Nice hop flavor

M: medium body, high carbonation!

O: a very nice IPA, extremely drinakble and very enjoyable!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 03:08:03 | More by joecalderoni

elNopalero

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This pours with a bright, vibrant, almost-gold color. I get a noseful of vivid, grassy hops, followed by a flavor that is hop forward. It is dominated by the fresh, crisp flavor of the hops, grassy, and lightly bodied with a lingering bitterness on an otherwise clean, bright finish. I can see this falling apart if the hops fade as I don’t think the malt backbone has enough to hold up. Not bad, just drink it fresh!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 19:54:47 | More by elNopalero

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Glad to finally be able to purchase Alaskan beers in Tx! 12 oz bottle pours a clear gold color with a nice cap of off-white head. Retention and lacing are both excellent.

Nose is fairly balanced for an IPA, with graham cracker and honey malt peeking through the pine and fruity hop aromas.

Sharp bitterness, crackery malt and a low sweetness make for a solid, if not spectacular, IPA experience. This seems like one of those IPAs that would have been considered top tier 10 years ago, but now just falls into the 'meh, it's pretty good' category. I also dont think this is as good as many of the other standard lineup/seasonal beers they do compared to their stylistic counterparts.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 01:05:09 | More by twiggamortis420

Siriusfisherman

Montana

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden with a decent soapy head, slightly hazy. The smell is of herbal hops, almost lager-like, with some tones of grapefruit and light, earthy pine. The taste is very similar, with a nice malty flavor that becomes more prevalent as the beer warms. The hop character is very unique and quite strong when fresh. An excellent summertime IPA, and a nice deviation from the more tropical examples that seem to be so popular right now.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 19:54:00 | More by Siriusfisherman

hopfacebrew

Colorado

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

Bottle stamped 062212 poured to pint glass the beer arrives a translucent golden color with a nice 1.5 finger head, good retention and lacing. The nose is a pleasant blend of resiny floral citrus and pine hops mixed with an underlayer of caramel malt sweetness. Similarly the flavor starts with a crisp blend of citrus and pine hops with a caramel sweetness beneath. Medium bitterness. Finishes crisp and clean. Adequately carbonated. Overall, a good IPA. I'd purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 16:13:33 | More by hopfacebrew

allengarvin

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Chimay glass. It's an amber-gold beer with an ok head, though it fades soon. The nose is decent, with lots of grassy, herbal hops. Flavor offers mostly hops, moderately high bitter, with hop flavor that follows the nose. Body is a tad watery.

Pretty bog-standard IPA. Alaskan just made it to Texas. Hard to see how they'll survive with their bland line-up, but I hope we can make it to this smoked porter this fall.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 00:21:37 | More by allengarvin

JMad

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a clear golden color with a filmy white head. Nice fruity hop aroma with some citrus and caramel malt. Taste has rush of hop bitterness, lemon peel and pine oil with some tropical fruit, almost like fruit salad that finishes very bitter. It's surprisingly light with a decent amount of carbonation and a dry finish. This beer hangs with the best IPA's it's not as malty as most which I actually like.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 05:38:40 | More by JMad

obrike

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sixer at Round Rock Specs for about 8.50.

This one's a clinger. Great sticky lacing on my pint glass. A golden yellow hue that looks quite refreshing.

Getting some faint scents of fresh grapefruit, a bit of sweet malt, but nothing out of this world.

Not bad. Getting the semi-bitter grapefruit, some lemon as well, but a decent amount of sweet malt for balance. Very dry finish...makes me want to take another sip immediately...always a good thing in my book. Mouthfeel is good for the style...fairly thin, but freaking refreshing.

I think the drinkability of this one puts it a notch up on a lot of IPAs out there. Super smooth and so easy to drink. Dare I say, maybe an IPA for folks weary about "bitter beer face" IPAs

Good job Alaskan, and welcome to Texas!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 23:18:28 | More by obrike

BucannonXC5

California

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22-oz. bomber into a pint glass. About a finger of head. Color was pale and fairly clear. Lots of bubbles initially. A lot like some dehydrated urine or apple juice. Light lacing on the top that dissipated fairly quickly. Some foggy, wet film on the sides.

Smelled sharp crisp notes of citrus hops. Mainly a lighter grapefruit and some lemon. Got a bit of caramel as well.

Taste was pretty plain. Got the citrus hops, more lemon than anything else, but it was nothing special. Some caramel malts, but very watery. Slightly bitter on the tongue after.

Light body.Thin, olily texture. Above average carbonation. Abrupt watery finish.

Below average IPA. Nothing too special about it. I wouldn’t try it again on purpose.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 04:48:11 | More by BucannonXC5

marc956

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

If you've seen my reviews in the past you know I enjoy IPAs and this one didn't disappoint. Lots of flavour not an extreme smell like in some others. Great drinkability - had 2 pints in an hr or so without feeling the alcohol. Step up from Lagunitas which has been among my favourites in the genre for many years. Not quite as good as Stone but quite good nevertheless. I'm glad to see Alaskan with a hop-friendly alternative to their smoked porter which I'm also quite fond of.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2012 10:50:23 | More by marc956

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a white head. Leaves some sticky lace. Color is a clear golden orange.

Aroma: Bready pale malts. Grapefruit citrus. Floral hops. Very earthy. Pretty fresh.

Taste: Orange and grapefruit citrus. Bready pale malts. Floral and piney. Earthy.

Mouthfeel: Bitter. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky.

Overall, a decent ipa. A little above average. A bit malty. However, this is pretty solid.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 06:39:20 | More by mothman

budgood1

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pours out of the twist off 12 ounce stubby bottle a clear pale gold colour with a thin off white head. head reduces to some thin bubbles and leaves some spotty lace. light caramel malt aroma and a healthy dose of herbal and piney hops. grainy malt flavour, rather light for an IPA. hopping is again on the reserved side of things, slightly medicinal and herbal. almost tea like. this has an english IPA feel to it and really resembles nothing of any west coast characteristics. moderate bitterness. medium body at best, feels like an ordinary pale ale with its spritzy tongue tickling character. nice enough drinkability, but nothing that leaves me longing for more. would probably be a nice compliment to some chicken wings or other appetizer.

overall rather tame and a bit disappointing. nothing bad about this offering, just nothing to get even a little excited about. i'll probably not revisit this, and could not recommend.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 21:06:31 | More by budgood1

UpNorthLager

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I like the fresh, zesty citrus aroma and taste of the hops, but that's about it. I generally like a little more complexity from an India Pale Ale. The mouthfeel, color and head - nice lacing - are fine, the flavor is fine. A good, simple India Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 23:40:26 | More by UpNorthLager

TheSixthRing

California

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a nice, clear honey orange color, with a white, frothy 3-finger head which dissipates in due time, leaving behind a decent lace.

Smell - Primarily citrus hop, but also getting a lot of sweet, bready malt aromas.

Taste - Big sweet malt upfront, then kicks into an underwhelming, slightly bitter, citrus hop kick which finishes with an orange zest like quality.

Mouthfeel - The body is a bit thick and malty for the style. The carbonation feels a bit subdued, likely due to the malty body.

Overall - For an IPA, this is rather tame. Certainly drinkable, but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 02:46:57 | More by TheSixthRing

bierbrauer

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tasted in a pint glass from a newly tapped keg at Silver Creek.

A: Clear gold with a fluffy white had that leaves a fair amount of lacing; no effervescence.

S: Citrus, floral & pine; earthy.

T: Brief malt sweetness, followed by fast-building, strong bitterness that lingers.

M: Thin/medium body, light carbonation; dry finish.

O: Dominant bitterness, thin; simple.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 23:27:42 | More by bierbrauer