Birch Bock (Alaskan Brewing, Juneau, AK)

Picked up a bottle of Alaskan Birch Bock based on a sample at the St. Paul Summer Fest a few weeks ago.  I have an affinity for "tree" beers after helping make a spruce ale with the MN Home Brewers at the first Teach a Friend to Homebrew day in 2005.  The experience helped me get into homebrewing more, so "tree" beers have an odd emotional appeal to me.

Classic doppelbock color: deep copper to ruby. Dirty white head falls quickly over alcohol hotness and deep malt with a clear birch nose.  Dark fruits and malt are smoothed by a slick oiliness over, what I assume, is a birch spicy note since it's low on hops.  Very fun to drink.

Not a knock-your-socks off beer, but a testament to the creativity of the beer world.  I like it and would drink it again.

Newt's North (Rochester, MN)

 

5/27/12

For years, I've driven by Newt's on Hwy 52 through Rochester and never took the opportunity to stop.  In reality, it was vegetarian bias since it looks like a local meat-centric burger joint. In this case, it seems to have been a mistake. 

Some teacher friends (thanks Scott and Heather!) are regulars (after school happy hour), so when several coaches got together here for some Sunday afternoon out-of-season socializing, Newt's feel like our local.  Newt's is a fine pub with a very friendly feel and a solid beer list to keep you entertained.

Let's start with beer. Not recognizing what the 21st Amendment Dark could be, I asked and the server wasn't impressed with the beer.  It turned out to be Brew Free or Die IPA, one of my favorites (I'm drinking it at home right now!) and not Dark at all.  The beer list is respectable, especially for Rochester, so that's fine, but the staff doesn't seem to be overly knowledgeable of craft beer.  But I'm use to Al at the Blue Nile as a guide, so maybe I'm spoiled.  But the staff made up for it in friendliness, even joining in our group photo.

It doesn't say it on the menu, but Heather said she knew of others that ask for a Boca Burger on any of the main burger combos.  So, I ordered the Shroom Burger with a veggie substitute, which was good and reheated well as left overs.  While just a Boca Burger, it was still very good and something I couldn't make as well at home (an eating out food criteria for me).  However, it would be great if that was listed on the menu so I wouldn't have to feel so high maintenance by ordering off the menu.

Ended with after lunch drafts of Alaskan Amber and Lagunitas IPA.  Both were well served and the beer is taken care of well at Newt's.  Inside information--a member of our group is related to the line cleaner of Newt's, so we know that it's done by someone we trust.  And, it shows in clean pints that taste fresh. Taking a closer look at my list, I evidently visited Newt's back in 2001 and had a Mantorville Stagecoach Ale.  My memory of this stop is vague, but it doesn't seem to mesh with Newt's North so I'm guessing I was at the downtown location (and the pictures online do seem to mesh with my memory).  Newt's is not a beer destination for those out of state, but it is a great local bastion of craft beer.

Alaskan Black IPA (Alaskan Brewing, Juneau, AK)

Alaskan Black IPA @ Hopkins Tavern

For my stop at the Hopkins Tavern, the Alaskan Black IPA was the best surprise of the stop.

The bartender poured the draft a bit hard, so the head was a frothy dark tan.  Mouthfeel on first sip is somewhere between creamy and silky--full bodied and satisfying.  Good lace on the glass, so a nice serving job by the tavern.  Clean roasted malt in the nose, but not burnt or acrid--like standing back a bit from a hardwood campfire.  Earthy and floral hop in the nose--some grapefruit in the background.   Roast is just as pleasant in the taste and there's a very respectable hop bite with a slight fruity tint (from hop?).  Dry finish leaves me wanting more.  Excellent Black IPA that I need to do again, but haven't in the intervening two months it took for me to post the write up.

Took me a while to find the description on the Alaskan website under spring release (that I drank in January).  Alaskan emphasizes the high hops and citrus, though my draft was understated compared to the touting.  However, my experience was significantly better than the reviews on BeerAdvocate.  While there are those who reflect my high praise, we are in the minority.  Maybe I need to try it again to confirm or deny my first draft.  At any rate, the draft above was well loved and enjoyed right after the picture.

Alaskan Barley Wine (Alaskan Brewing Co, Juneau, AK)

According to Alaskan Brewing, Alaskan Barley Wine was introduced in 2003,brewed yearly and even won a Bronze medal at the 2008 World Beer Cup.  First time I've been able to get a bottle thanks to Alaskan being distributed in Minnesota now.

Thin dirty tan head was tough to pull up. Even with a hard pour down the middle, the head fell quickly to nearly nothing.  Iridescent ale that moves between copper and mahogany.  Dry hopping apparent in the nose along with a strong alcohol hotness from the 10.7% ABV.  Hops smells like a combination of English and northwest hops.  Not listed on the website--just a guess.  Dark cherry, figs, raisins, and a strong caramel malt--but still hangs below the hops.  Heavy fruit and alcohol continue in the taste to support a strong hop bite.  While not a lightweight ale, the beer has a subtle balance between big hop, malt and alcohol.  Everything is big but balanced, so the effect is sweet and mellow.  As it warms, all three elements open up and invade the senses.  Drink it slow and enjoy.

Smoked Porter (Alaskan Brewing, Juneau, AK)

I've had a tough time finding this beer over the years, but now have a case of it!  Smoked Porter is an opaque, nearly brown black porter with a hint of ruby tint. Tightly bubbled light brown head that is an inch high singular shade that lingers nicely. Light smoke, chocolate and black licorice in the nose that is very subtle. Smoke pops into the mouth with burnt toast, along with a charcoal taste like the burnt edge of bbq. Chocolate, malt and a bit of hop tingle that backs up the smoke. Mouthfeel seems a little light, but an excellent beer overall that's a joy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 11-10-2011 01:08:44