Alaskan Brewing - Amber

As far as many of my beer drinking friends are concerned, this is the beer that Alaskan Brewing has built its name on.  Their Amber is known across the country.  My roommate in college, who is from Alaska, buys this beer in bulk, at a premium, and online, so that he can taste it once a year.  Both he and I lived in an area where Alaskan Brewing did not distribute to until about a month ago.  And that's when my outlook on this brewery changed.

I had never tasted Alaskan Amber prior to them shipping to MN.  The hype around their arrival was palpable.  Local bars were doing tastings, men were sacrificing their first born to be the first to get their hands on Alaskan's Amber... it was nuts.  But a month after its arrival, what is the feeling of most Minnesotan craft beer lovers now?  Well, since I'm too lazy to do a survey we will never know.  However, I do know that this is the second six pack I have purchased, and I know Dunz has procured a few sixers of Amber in the past few weeks, and we rarely buy the same beer more then once since we enjoy tasting a variety of beers.  So that must mean something, right?

Alaskan Amber is classified as an Altbier which, by style definition, is malty, with little to no hop aroma, and smooth since its lagered.  This should be a very clean tasting beer.

My first observation after disposing its stubby, twist-off capped bottle, is of its color.  Perfectly clear with a bold, rusty amber hue and light tan head.  This is what all craft beers should look like.  A+ for presentation.  A grainy, malty aroma is all that is present here.  Nothing too complicated.  Caramelized malt with hints of chocolate and black tea meld their way into this creamy brew.  Carbonation is laying low and alcohol is on vacation.  All six of these could disappear instantaneously.  An easily drinkable beer, no doubt about it.

Overall - By far, my favorite in their current line-up within MN.  We have reviewed their Summer Kolsch and IPA since they started shipping out our way.  But in my opinion, neither match the quality and accuracy to its stated style like this amber.  Well done Alaskan Brewing.  Maybe sometime soon you will start sending us your Smoked Porter?  Here's to hoping... Cheers!


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Tyranena - Headless Man Amber Alt

Tonight I'm bringing another Tyranena brew to the table.  This brewery is located out in Lake Mills, WI.  I did a review of their Three Beaches Honey Blonde back in February, which didn't turn out to be any good.  But, it's hard for me to resist the Tyranena section of the LQ store, with their crafty-looking labels and such.  This beer is classified as a 'Dusseldorf-style" Altbier, according to Tyranena.  We'll see about that.

The label on the bottle depicts an x-ray style image with a skeleton that doesn't include a head.  There is also a little story on the side, which is pictured below.  The beer is a murky, dark copper-brown with a small, weak layer of head.  Sweet malt aroma with some yeasty character to it.  Also a hint of metallic smell is there (like a handful of pennies, I do not like).  The taste certainly isn't as sweet as the nose, it starts with a light bready malt flavor that's thin and astringent.  The up-front malts give way to a slightly sour, nutty flavor that must be the yeast making an unwelcome appearance.  Then comes some watery corn meal, and a dry finish. 

Overall Rating:  (2.0 out of 6.0)  I was hopeful that Tyranena would deliver on this one, especially after the last few Tyranena duds I've tried, but unfortunately it turned out to be just blah.  This beer would be good.... for beer pong and other games that distract you from the fact that you're drinking fizzy barley-water.

Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale 2010

Tonight is a very exciting night for me....tonight I get to review one of my favorite winter seasonals - the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale! Sierra Nevada is one of those craft breweries that always seems to get it right, probably because the founder, Ken Grossman, is a damn genius. He studied chemistry and physics at California State University back in the 70's, and soon after opened up his own Home Brew Shop. After a couple years, he pieced together a brewery from salvaged dairy tanks and other big pieces of old shitty equipment - in those initial years he focused on using premium ingredients (including obscene amounts of quality hops), which they are known for now. They've stuck to their guns over the years, maintaining a lot of the same techniques and attention to quality (and shitloads of hops), and it shows - this Celebration Ale is a Sierra Nevada showcase - OK let's drink!

Statistics:
Alcohol (ABV): 6.8%
Bittering Hops: Chinook

Finishing Hops: Cascade and Centennial

Dry Hopping: Cascade and Centennial

IBUs: 65

Malts: Two-row Pale and English Caramel

Yeast: Top-fermenting Ale yeast

The bottle is red and festive - on top of the bottle is listed "Fresh Hop Ale". I like fresh hops, I like Ales, and I like festive things, this is a good start!

Pouring this brew into a pint glass - it pours with a nice copper hue, a bit cloudy but still looks clean, with a big frothy egg-white head. It smells very citrusy, kind of reminds me of that opening theme scene on Dexter, when he is cutting the orange and they show the citrus spraying all over the place. There's also some pine-cones in the nose, all very fresh.

My first drink of this brew makes me think of....wanting to take a second drink. It's like a masseuse on my palate, it hits all the right spots. First thing that comes through is a slightly sweet maltiness, but the hop-hulk loaded with oranges, grapefruits, and pine trees comes through immediately after that and body-slams my tongue. Kind of a bitter ending, but in a good way, with a little alcohol warmth to wash everything down.

Celebration Ale has a medium, smooth body that is almost creamy - carbonation is just right. The drinkability is outrageous and flat-out dangerous....

Overall Rating: Excellent (5.10 out of 6.00) This is a great, well-balanced American IPA that really hits the spot on the cold winter nights in this arctic tundra of a state. I don't typically think of IPA's as "winter warmers", but this beer fits in the category well with those big stouts and porters that are more commonly used for thawing. This 2010 edition is even better than the 2009, and that's a hard thing to do, the 2009 was pretty damn good. Pick up a 12-pack of this ASAP!