Pints And Steins

Alaskan Amber is from Alaskan Brewing of Juneau, Alaska.

Alaskan Amber looks more pale in color in the bottle I had than the image on the right.  However, even though I was expecting a Pale flavor, this is very much a classic Amber ale.  It has enough malt and hops to bring forward a flavorful sip that is sure to satisfty.

This ale is a perfect beer going into summer, as it has enough flavor to keep you satisfied, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed.  I can easily see this beer going well with a salmon or other white meat on the grill.

I have also had the Alaskan IPA which is a healthy, hoppy beer, so Alaskan is a beer that comes highly recommended.  The guys and gals up in Juneau know what they are doing when it comes to the brewing!  Nice job guys!

I’m at Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District of Portland Oregon right now as I write this.  I just ordered a Quail Springs IPA.  Here’s a quick review:

This IPA is not very hoppy…rather it’s smooth.  More like a Pale Ale with a bit more hoppy-ness to it.  Fans of Widmer’s Broken Halo will find this beer to be wimpy in the hoppi-ness/bitter category.

However, if you’re an Ale lover who wants to get his/her feet wet with an IPA, this is a great ‘gateway beer’ that will expose you, lightly, to a taste of what an IPA can be.

Try it out…available at the Portland pub and your favorite beer store.

When it comes to types and styles of ales, Imperial Pale Ale is amongst my favorite. We have many great IPAs here in the Northwest including Widmer’s Broken Halo and Deschutes Inversion IPA.

However, at my local micro-brew grocer, I had a new IPA catch my eye on my last trip. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA is the product of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Milton, Connecticut, USA.

The 120 Minute IPA is continually hopped over a 120-minute boil and then dry hopped every day for a month. According to Dogfish, the 120 Minute IPA is the “Holy Grail” for hopheads.

This IPA weighs in at 120 on the IBU scale for bitterness and has 20% alcohol – so this is definitely a sipping beer.

This beer snob was very surprised with my first taste of 120 Minute IPA. Surprised, that is, not in a good way. The beer, at first sip, is especially sweet, almost like a Barleywine such as the one from Anchor Steam of San Francisco, CA. The intense sweetness doesn’t last long and after it wears off you are greeted with a slightly bitter after taste.

This beer is so strong and sweet, that this puppy (pun intended) would take well over 120 minutes to finish – it’s truly a strong sipping beer.

Have you sampled Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA? What are your thoughts?

I look forward to the conversation in the comment section below.