Alaskan Imperial Red Ale

Alaskan Brewing Co. was one of the first craft breweries I toured almost 10 ten years ago and they are still growing and brewing strong.  The have a series called the Pilot Series that is a rotating collection of different beers that are offered in 22 oz. bombers.  Alaskan Imperial Red Ale (8.5% ABV and 70 IBU) is a west coast style Imperial Red and Alaskan is going for a balanced beer that is slightly malt-forward.

American Amber / Red Ale -http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/128 - BeerAdvocate.Com 

Appearance - Deep amber / ruby with a two finger head that takes some time to recede.
Aroma - Let it warm up a bit - one can detect sweetness (honey?) from the malt, alcohol, and citrus, herb, and resin from the hops.
Taste - Sweetness if the first sensation, then bitterness (citrus - grapefruit / lemon) and then a dry finish.
Overall - B - This was not a bad beer; however, it is not a great beer. I think the Barley Wine, Perseverance, and the Double Black IPA were fantastic beers. I suggest to try one of these, Smoked Porter or Alaskan Amber if you are looking for something from Alaskan Brewing Co.

Website description - "Alaskan Imperial Red is a full-bodied deep mahogany ale with ruby red highlights. Citrus notes of chamomile, grapefruit and Meyer lemon brighten the aroma. A zesty array of hop flavors from mango and bitter orange to green mint and hibiscus meld with the nutty, roasted caramel and subtle dried fruit flavors of the complex malt profile to create a surprisingly fresh, yet warming example of the style."

URL - http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brew/limited-edition/pilot-series/alaskan-imperial-red-ale.html

Sierra Nevada – Beer Camp 2012

Sierra Nevada hosts a Beer Camp each year and the lucky participants work with the brewer to try some recipes and create something new for Sierra Nevada.  Sierra Nevada releases a Best of Beer Camp 12 pack that contains 3 bottles of four different selections.  When I see this offered up each year, I just pick up a twelve pack as the selections are always tasty and there is a good mix of different styles.  This year’s selection included a Pilsner, an Imperial Red Ale, an IPA, and an Oatmeal Stout.  I had tasted Red-Oric, the Imperial Red, at Parry’s earlier this year and I thought it was very good.  The Oatmeal Stout was excellent and my favorite of the selections, followed closely by Red-Oric, the Floral IPA, and finally the Pilsner.  All of these selections are very good and these are only in stores for a limited time – get them while they are still available.

Beer Camp #43 – Imperial Pilsner or Sticke Pilsner (5.7 ABV and 35 IBU)

Beer Camp #45 – Oatmeal Stout or Snowed in Stout (9.4 ABV and 51 IBU)

Beer Camp #53 – Floral IPA or Long-stem IPA (5.6 ABV and 54 IBU)

Beer Camp #65 – Imperial Red Ale or Red-Oric (8.5 ABV and 65 IBU)

Beer Camp - http://www.sierrabeercamp.com/#/camp-beers

July Beer Dinner - Oskar Blues

Dennis and Gayle hosted the July Beer dinner and we focused on the beers from Oskar Blues. Gayle made some family favorites and the food was excellent – sausage that has specially prepared from a family recipe, cheese grit casserole, corn on the cob, carrot salad and strawberry rhubarb pie. Lori made guacamole and her salsa that is just fantastic for appetizers. Nicole and Tibor brought over chocolate chip cookies and a cherry cheesecake. Everything was excellent and all of the beers were fantastic. Tibor brought over some of his home made wine – a Gewürztraminer that was very good. I had picked up beer earlier and Tibor picked up beer too – we had all that is currently canned by Oskar Blues. Oskar Blues is based in Lyons, CO and there are 7 different styles available in cans. Ten Fidy is brewed in the fall and luckily, I had some stashed away in the beer fridge. I wanted to age some and taste it as time passes.

We started off with Mama’s Little Yella Pils (5.2% ABV and 35 IBU) a Traditional Pilsner and Silver medal winner for Bohemian Style Pilsener at the 2011 GABF - Great American Beer Festival.

Next up was Dale’s Pale Ale (6.5% ABV and 65 IBU) an American Pale Ale.

Followed by Old Chub (8% ABV), a Scottish Ale and winner of the Bronze medal at the 2011 GABF - Great American Beer Festival.

G’Knight (8.7% ABV and 60 IBU) was formerly called Gordon Knight and is an Imperial Red / Double IPA.

Deviant Dale’s (8% ABV and 85 IBU), an IPA that took a sliver medal at the 2011 GABF – Great American Beer Festival.

Gubna (10% ABV and 100 IBU) an Imperial IPA

We ended the evening with Ten Fidy (10,5% ABV and 98 IBU), an Imperial Stout. I think the beer improved with aging and I was amazed with the balance and smoothness enhanced by a little aging.

The food and the beers were excellent. All of these beers are really good and I highly recommend anything made by Oskar Blues. We were split on the favorites for the evening. Gayle liked Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Dennis picked G’Knight, Tibor picked Deviant Dale’s, and I picked Ten Fidy. I always have something in my fridge that is brewed by Oskar Blues. We are planning to go tour the brewery in August and eat at the Tasty Weasel. Next beer dinner will be in September – just in time for Oktoberfest.

Oskar Blues - http://www.oskarblues.com/

You Cannot Judge a "Pub & Grill" by its Cover

During the trip to Arizona, I wanted to stop by a local establishment called The Handlebar Pub and Grill.  I had completed a previous web search on “craft beer in Apache Junction” and was surprised to find the listing – with a number of very positive remarks.  The building is almost non-descript and is very easy to drive by.  It does not look great on the outside and is a classic depiction of the quote “you cannot judge a book by its cover”.  The inside of the Handlebar is very nice with a cooler in the corner filled with very good beer for carry-out, nice wood tables and chairs, two chalk boards showing the beers on tap and the menu, and a very nice (and long) wood bar with ~15 taps on the side wall that I think connects to kegs in an adjacent walk-in.  There are also a number of TVs on the walls and entertainment performs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  I had one of the best burgers in a long time – a blue cheese bacon burger with a side salad.  The burger was perfectly cooked and I informed Danny, my father-in-law, that he has to check this place out with his group of guys that check out burger joints. 

One item I appreciated was Trevor, the bartender, explaining to one customer when she asked what was like Rolling Rock and his response of “water”.  It was classic and I knew right then that I was in an establishment that knows and enjoys good craft beer.  The other “tell” was the lack of “macro-brewer” taps and if you want one, they are available in bottles; you will most like get an “are you kidding me” look from the bartender and the other patrons as well.  A further “tell” was the number of different tap handles that serve as decorations on the exposed ceiling beams – and they have ran through a large number.  I enjoyed an Oskar Blues G’Knight (8.7% ABV and 60 IBU) an Imperial Red / Double IPA and a Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA (8.5% ABV and 95 IBU) a seasonal India Pale Ale.  Both of these were very tasty and went well with the blue cheese bacon burger.  I will be stopping by the Handlebar Pub and Grill on the next trip to Arizona.

URL – Handlebar Pub and Grill - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Handlebar-Pub-and-Grill/413937897673

URL – Oskar Blues – http://www.oskarblues.com/

URL – Deschutes - http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/