Alaskan Brewing Co.: IPA

Alaskan's IPA is nothing special . . . it is no where near on the same level as the IPAs produced by Dogfish Head, Stone, Speakeasy, etc. But, it is not bad . . . I have had far worse.

At first glance, one notices its crystal clear appearance. It is very translucent, sort of halfway between the 60 minute and your standard American light dirty water. The aroma is fresh, gives you the sense that you are walking through an orange, lemon, and lime orchard, a definite positive for this beer. Clearly this IPA has been dry-hopped.

Weighing in at 55 IBUs one may expect a little bit of a punch to the mouth upon tasting. However, I do not get that. In fact, the pure crispness of the beer comes through far better than the hops that one comes to expect from IPAs. The benefit to this is that it is a very drinkable beer for just about everybody (except maybe someone who usually drinks something like PBR). I am willing to bet that some crystal malt and maybe even a bit of roasted barley was added to this guy giving it a slightly toasted flavor. This sets the Alaskan IPA apart from many other IPAs. With that said though, I think a few more hops (i.e., warrior or admiral) would make this a killer beer, especially for the end of long autumn work day. As it stands now, its a good beer for a summer picnic . . .

The bottom line: An average IPA, great for any summer occasion.