Brew Review - Alaskan Pale

It's been a long two weeks since I've had a new beer let alone review one. Going on vacation doesn't always mean it's time for a beer. And when you travel with Boy Scouts, beer is a no-no. So at last I am home and back to work. Time for a beer run! While scanning the beer coolers at my neighborhood liquor store I noticed another Alaskan Brewing Company 6-pack that I hadn't tried, so I grabbed it. Today I'll be reviewing the Alaskan Pale (aka Golden Ale). I still have fond memories of my trip to Alaska last summer and the opportunity to get another beer from that great state was a no brainer for me.

I used my trusty Sam Adams glass again for this test. I really like how this glass keeps the bubbles flowing. It helps to bring out the aromas. After I got over the shock of seeing a twist off cap I poured the brew into the glass. A huge white head grew in this glass as I poured. So much head in fact that I had to stop before all of the beer was out of the bottle. The beer itself is a nice clear golden color. The aroma instantly reminded me of a nice summer brew - a hint of lemon citrus and floral notes. I also detected a bit of bubble gum in this beer.

The Alaskan brewing site said that they mixed in a pairing of European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties in with the 2-row and specialty malts. They tout their glacier run-off water as a key ingredient. Glacier run off? Have you seen what that really looks like? It's cloudy and gritty with tons of sediment. Luckily for us, they filtered this water extremely well so that none of the pulverized mountains were included in this beer.

The beer tasted just as good as it smelled. Light, crisp and with very little bitterness. Served cold this beer goes down quick. Perhaps it was my craving for a beer after a long hiatus that made me drink this beer down in nothing flat and then open up another one. This is one refreshing brew. The ABV is only 5.2% and the IBU rating is just 24. A great combo for a good session beer.

What made this beer purchase even better was the fact that is was already on sale plus they took off another 10% with my coupon. So this 6-pack only cost me $6.74. Not bad for a beer that traveled all the way from Alaska.

The beer rating sites were mostly favorable but didn't give this an outstanding mark. Typical of a light colored 5% alcohol beer. But in my book, this beer is a winner. Light, tasty and refreshing. It makes you want to grab another when you're done. Grats Alaskan - I'll give you a 3.4 out of 5 rating and a repeat buy recommendation.