Alaskan Summer Ale - Alaskan Brewing Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright gold with the merest suggestion of orange. The smallish cap is yellowed ivory in color and is a little too frothysoft to persist or to leave much lace. This kolsch smells like a wheat beer to me; soft and understated. There's no toasted maltiness to speak of and barely any hoppiness.

On the palate, it's untoasted blonde malty as well as lightly spicy-herbal hoppy (Hallertauer). I also detect a slight metallic flavor that is fairly easily ignored and fades anyway. The beer is bolder on the palate than it was in the nose, but isn't anywhere close to bold in a general sense. Each mouthful starts out moderately sweet and finishes mildly sweet with a lingering, light stickiness.

Alaskan Summer Ale is an unassuming, unchallenging, balanced, drinkable summer ale. It isn't overly impressive, but then I don't need to be blown away by every beer that I crack open. It does what it was undoubtedly designed to do.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2004 20:31:38 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another in a series I am working my way through this weekend. I went for the lighter fare right after dinner. Served cold and poured into a pint glass.

The pour was yellow straw colored with a good amount of carbonation rippling throughout into a big fizzy white head that settled dwon to leave a bare top after a few moments. Light wet hay in the aroma, hints of banana and maybe clove? Clean crisp flavor here with a very light body and a clean and very quick finish, leaving almost no flavor behind as it moves past the tongue.

Overall this is not bad at all, but put in the category of a Kolsch and I have had much, much better. Still I would go for it in a pinch.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 15:08:39 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light, thin straw color with he tiniest bit of an orange hue. Thin head and negligible lacig as it goes down. Nose is pretty light with wheat but brigs forward some fruity elements. I get a bit of lemon and maybe some tangerine. Flavor draws back a bit with some wheat and a bit of hops. Some fruity elements remain. Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Not too much flavor, but a nice feel and good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 12:16:55 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a modest head and little lacing

Smell: Grainy aroma with a bit of biscuit

Taste: Starts out with a bready flavor that becomes very fruity, mid-palate; after the swallow the fruitiness lingers and provides a slightly sweet flavor on top of the grainy bitterness

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Nice fruity tones make this a terrific example of the style

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2007 00:27:19 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear light yellow color with a 1 inch white head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. Random spots of lacing dot the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet grains, citrus, and some fruity notes. Taste is exactly the same with the sweet grain taste being the most prominent and the fruit flavors coming through on the finish. This beer has a lower carbonation level but is still bubbly and smooth. Overall, this is a pretty good beer and I can see why this would be a Summer selection. Very easy to drink with a lower ABV but nothing all that special.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 07:48:32 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured an orangey color beer with an average size head with some medium retention. Aroma of grainy and somewhat unrefined grain is slightly bland. Taste is also dominated by some unrefined and grainy malt and some semi-sweetness. Body is slightly oily with a full body and some medium carbonation. Interesting take on the style but not something I would go for on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2007 18:07:10 | More by Phyl21ca

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a clear golden color with a white head. The aroma is full of wheat with some grain and a hint of grape vine. The flavor is similar, with some nice wine-like notes mixed in with some yeast, wheat and white pepper. Thin mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A nice kolsch, glad Alaskan is now available in Texas.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 05:16:20 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, bubbly, golden-yellow color with a small, white, fluffy head. It left no lace.

S - It smelled of grains and caramel malt. There were some floral notes, too.

T - It tasted of sweet caramel, slightly bready. There was a mild grassy bitterness.

M - A crisp, sharp and smooth Kolsch-style ale. It was light bodied and easy drinking.

D - This is a nice summer brew. It is tasty and makes a good session brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2009 15:37:18 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with a brilliantly clear, dark gold color and is topped by a frothy, initially four finger thick palest of the pale tan colored head. The aroma is a mix of fruit and herbs at first; sort of a berry note predominantly with a touch of leafy herb-like notes. Actually the berry note is the most pronounced note in the nose of this beer.

The berry note continues through to the flavor of this beer, it is again the most pronounced note as well. A sweet malty note accentuates the fruit character as well. A sharp, clean, yet in no way dominating, bitterness is found throughout the flavor profile of this beer, and helps to temper the slightly heavier body that is contributed by the sweetness. It seems to disappear in the long finish, where a malty, caramelized grain note seems to linger. Perhaps a touch fruitier than I was expecting from a Kölsch, but it adds a touch more character to this beer. Certainly a tasty tipple, especially for a hot summer's day; I certainly am enjoying it.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2006 22:47:08 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired via trade from plaztikjezuz, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a very thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is bready with light malts, a little spice and some hops.

T: The taste starts out spicy and bready, then a decent hops presence comes in to provide a good balance. The malt character is light as it should be in this style. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not filling at all, mild kick, good representation of style, I could drink several of these and it has that refreshingness factor which makes it a nice summer seasonal worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2007 02:27:09 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bomber pours an effervescent gold into my Muhlen Kosch glass with 3 fingers of pearl white head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Slight citric & grainy notes

T: Some honey malt, citric lemon hops with slight dryness up front. Bready notes, some chalky dryness, & some honey notes once warm. Finishes with floral hops, honey & touch of fruittyness

MF: Vigorously carbonated & light bodied with good balance

Drinks extremely easy, this will be a nice summer time staple, thanks for joining the party here Alaskan!

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2008 19:40:29 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Orange gold color, already a little odd for a Kölsch. Thin cap of white foam, about a fingers width, that settles quickly. Still glassy surface with minimal lace and a thin strand of foam at its edges.

Sweet aroma, slight bubblegum and shortbread.

Flavors are similarly sweet, some orange and sugar cookie notes, pale malt and light banana ester from the yeast. A bit watery and thin bodied, and lightly astringent. Not really something i'd revisit with better local options available (Krankshaft, Summertime).

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 02:42:24 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.8/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Light amber, with little to no head, with bad retention.

S: Slight bready malts, with some fruitiness - apples and pears, with some grapes.

T: The taste is quite delightful - It is light, but with some delicious bread malts and fruity grapes, with a slight kiss of hops. A lighter style of beer, but extremely well done, very tasty.

M: Light-bodied, smooth, and crisp, good amount of carbonation for the style.

D: Incredibly drinkable, perfect for the summer, a great beer on a hot summer's day to have.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2007 20:22:46 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear yellowish orange in color with a 2" head. Mild lacing developed.

Smell: light citrus is all that is picked up by the nose.

Taste: very light malt level here, with soft citrus, grass, and very mild bitterness. Simple but extremely refreshing. A nice example of a flavorful summertime beer.

Moutfeel: crisp throughout. Clean aftertaste. Light-medium in body.

Drinkability: refreshing and enjoyable. Got to enjoy this on a cruise in Seattle, and this was a perfect beer to enjoy the sunshine and skyline.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2006 23:54:45 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours yellow with a thin head that soon disappears.

The smell is very thin - some berry-like fruitiness under a barnyard mustiness.

The taste is of light malt with some wheat-like crispness. Honey sweetness with light fruit.

The feel is also light. Considering the style, that would be fine, but a quick effervescent carbonation turns to a watery thinness. Still, it is good for a refreshing thirst quencher.

Easy enough to drink. A "beat the heat" beer that is not so exciting, but not bad.
I've been wanting to try this one, and thank bitterbill for including in our trade!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2007 03:29:02 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A souvenir of a cross-border jaunt to see the Independence Day fireworks of Oroville, Washington...

This beer pours a clear pale yellow colour, with many fingers of thick, foamy white head which leaves some nice random branched lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells of fruity grain, and mild grassy, herbal hops. The taste is mild dry bready malt, some soft lemon essence, and some floral, soapy hops. The carbonation is on the low side, the body light, airy, and refreshing, and it finishes off-dry, biscuity, and somewhat floral.

A nice kolsch, crisp and malty, good for even a pseudo Canadian summertime...

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2010 03:02:40 | More by biboergosum

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale golden hazy pour, with bright white head forming fine speckled lacing. Aroma clean mild fruitiness with a biscuit pale malt breadiness, a touch of herbal hops and mineral water. Flavor has a balanced blend of light herbal hops pale biscuit flavored hops, mild fruitiness from the ale yeast. Again the mineral water mild metallic tone in the finish works and really cleanses the palate between sips. Mouthfeel is light bodied, sturdy carbonation. Perfect for summer time refreshment this one held up quite nicely this late into the fall. Drinkability solid drinking well this Indian Summer, a nice version of a Kolsch definitely blends nicely with the rest of Alaskan brewing's lineup.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2010 15:34:45 | More by WVbeergeek

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a straw colored yellow wit some decent cartbonation. Nose was fruity, lemon and some other light citrus undertones to it. The flavor carries more of the bready malt flavor and has a slight sourness(maybe from the lemon and citrus) and touch of bitterness in the finish to keep it interesting. Pretty easy to drink but not my fav seasonal.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 21:40:48 | More by barleywinefiend

Wasatch

Utah

3.3/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Pours a golden yellow color, nice carbonation, head quickly disappears, not much lacing.

S - Scents of malts, hops, spices, and yeast.

T - The taste is kinda sweet/bitter, nice clean finish.

M - Light-Medium body.

D - Drinkable. Not a bad brew, but not really my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2006 23:17:53 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.47/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Well, uglyguy must have gotten a bad bottle, this bottle was bought in Anchorage maybe that makes a difference. The head was real good but didn't last too long. Low on the bitterness scale and a slightly sweet flavor one of the best Kölschs I have had. Good balance of hops and malt.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2002 15:58:56 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz brown bottle with some sort of freshness code I can't make out.

Crackling off white head leaves a scattered bubbly lacing on the glass, golden straw color shows off its clarity. Dusty grain, lemony hop and a mild fruitiness from the yeast in the aroma. Snappy crispness settles into a nice smoothness for the light to medium body to roll in. Light maltiness, faint orange lemon citric combo from the hops and perhaps yeast. Grainy and mostly dry with a dusty husk tone in the finish.

Its tough when a brewer slaps "Kolsch" on a label, the style is so narrow and there is only a small handful of true Kolschs that are sent to the US from Germany. A little to ale-like rather than Kolsch, this is not to say that this beer is not a decent quaff. Its sums up to be a simple Golden Ale at best.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2009 01:23:58 | More by Jason

Zorro

California

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an ultra clear golden brew.

Smell is sweet and fruity with a caramel and malt scent.

Taste is a bit sweet with malt and has a pleasant fruit flavor. There is a bit of tartness to this and a mild bittering hop to keep it balanced.

Mouthfeel is good not thin or thick.

A super tasty and drinkable brew, I could drink this often.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2004 03:15:38 | More by Zorro

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sun yellow body. Clarity is good. Carbonation looks to be moderately high as many tiny bubbles surface at a nice clip. Nice and fresh boquet of light biscuity malts and floral hops. Feel is crisp and refreshing. Light bready malt base with hay and lemon sprinkled on top. Hops provide a very slight dryness to the beer. Fairly decent Kolsch. It's hard to pack a lot of flavor into a Kolsch, but I have had some that were pretty outstanding. This is not that, but yet a good summer quaffer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 03:00:01 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.1/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of Alaska's more mundane offerings, which I guess is to style. Clear, faint yellow appearance. Dusty aroma.

Taste, lots of carbonation, minimal hop presence. Interesting aftertaste, slightly metallic and earthy at the same time. Very easy to drink. A good hot weather girlfriend beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 00:25:29 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DoubleJ

California

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Venice Ale House. I'm surprised that I never had this before, so here it goes:

A typical kolsch styled beer. It's pale gold, with solid head and okay retention on top. A bit fruity with ceral grains in the nose. Similar in taste as well, with more cereal grains than the fruitiness. Light and crisp, easy to drink, non offensive....sure, let's drink one this summer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2012 03:10:34 | More by DoubleJ