Let's talk about beer

Technical Difficulties

2012-01-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

I have made the switch wordpress, come check my new site at ltabeer.wordpress.com.

HOWEVER, I can't convince godaddy to switch my url forwarding over. Until I figure this out ltabeer.com will only bring you back here.

Come check out the new site!

And the winner is...

2012-01-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Schikora in Anchorage AK!

Cohoho Imperial IPA

2012-01-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

The weather outside is frightful! Up here in Alaska, our winter started off with a bang; we got almost 40 inches of snow in November. It was a fun and wintery Thanksgiving, then the rain started. During the weeks before Christmas, we were listening to Christmas music trying to imagine a white Christmas while everything around us was drippy and cold. I can't remember how many times I heard complaining about the rain and wishing for it to get just a little colder...

Then it started to snow.

Starting on Christmas, we woke up to more and more snow. Every morning Jonah shoveled at least 4 inches off our car. Wonderful! A white Christmas!

Then the snow didn't stop.

By the end of the week, we had a record making 82 inches of snow accumulation and it didn't stop as we started 2012. Nearing the end of the first week of January, Cordova has not only declared one, but two snow days. I have to say I found a great way to celebrate and/or recover from the frightful weather, opening the bottle of Cohoho Imperial IPA by Midnight Sun Brewing that my coworker Kate gifted to me for Christmas. This beer takes Sockeye Red IPA and amps it up full of holiday spirit, or maybe just more maltiness and hops. Cohoho is packed full of flavors, rounded out to make a snowy day a little more cheery, or maybe that's the higher alcohol content. Anywho, extend the holiday season by grabbing one of these if there's any left!

Check out our little town covered in snow. Amazing enough, the sun also made it over the mountains before it started to set again. We haven't seen that happen in some weeks.

Photo by Rochelle Van den Broek

Favorite Beers of 2011

2011-12-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

In order of consumption...

Crye Baby Rye by Arbor Brewing
Bitter American by 21st Amendment Brewing
Puget Sound Porter by Harmon Brewing
Immersion Amber by Two Beers Brewing
Ol' Ball & Chain by The Price Boys
Matt Porter by Denali Brewing
Nut Red Ale by Fort George Brewing
Kitty Kat Red by Coalition Brewing
Perseverance Ale by Alaskan Brewing
Old Growth Imperial Stout by Caldera Brewing
Na Zdravi by Southern Oregon Brewing
Breakside Aztec by Breakside Brewery
The Trip by New Belgium & Elysian Brewing

New Year Photo Contest

2011-12-30T09:08:00.000-08:00


Alex Harris, our logo designer.

Photo Contest!
Let's see your favorite beer pics from the best party night of the year!

Go to facebook.com/letstalkaboutbeer.
Like the page.
Post your photo.

I will pick the best photo on January 7th.

Cheers!

Breakside Brewery

2011-12-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

820 NE Dekum St.

Portland, OR 97211

503.719.6475

www.breaksidebrews.com

First night in Portland and I explored a new brewery, I am a very lucky girl. I know I've said this before, but it's very hard being away from Portland when all these new breweries are popping up. When I moved away from Portland in 2009 I had been to every brewery in Beertown, now I can't keep up - even with multiple vacations south every year.

Mr. Peter Price picked me up from my lovely airport hotel. (I'm in town for my job with the Copper River Salmon Association.) My family lives in Southwest and Jonah's in Southeast, therefore accessing Portland from the Northeast made a handful of breweries much more accessible. In no time, Peter and I were in the Woodlawn district, walking up to the brewery. The first thing I noticed was the architecture; I am a BIG FAN of the melding of industrial and organic, a mix of metal and wood. The second was that Breakside Brewery is the essence of a neighborhood brewery. Man I wish I had a neighborhood brewery!

Peter and I sat outside on one of the many picnic tables. They had the garage doors open, letting the warm fall air into the building. We started with an IPA and the Dark Mild. I won this round, the Dark Mild was DELICIOUS: light, crisp and full flavored - I could drink a hundred of these beers. The IPA is no slouch though; maybe the opposite of the Dark Mild, it's a big beer with dramatic flavoring. Second round was the Oatmeal Stout for Peter and the Farmhouse Golden for me; Peter won this round. The Oatmeal Stout had a royal flush of flavors: coffee, chocolate, and a smokiness. The Farmhouse Golden was a little intense for me; I'm still working on my saison knowledge.

When I first came into the brewery I questioned the bartender about the beers on tap to figure out my game plan. After two beers, I think the bartender was worried we weren't going to get to all his suggestions - he brought us out samples of the Aztec and the Dry Stout. Ah! These were the best beers we had! Both of these beers are on their VERY short year-round list so count yourself lucky when you visit Breakside. When I visited in October, the brewery was a year and a few months old and had already produced 37 beers. The BEERS page of their website is by far the most extensive section with tabs for YEAR ROUND, SEASONAL, BEERS OF THE PAST, UPCOMING RELEASES, and most excitedly, there's a tab for the current beers on tap. Usually that wouldn't be big news, but the list changes so often the tab is a blog, less than a week in between the posts.
Here's what it looked like the day I visited:

I wonder what it will look like when I visit next!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

Fireside Chat by 21st Amendment Brewery

With Love, The Hyatt PDX

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

There's the bomber of Na Zdravi I thought I brought home for Jonah! I forgot I couldn't wait until I got back to Alaska. Amy and I barely survived the long drive to Portland, so we celebrate with some crisp brews and a game of cribbage!

Continuing on the Oregon Brew Crawl

2011-12-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

Oh my god, it is taking me FOREVER to tell you about my trip to Oregon. Hopefully I will finish before I visit Beertown again in February! I could give you a hundred reasons why it’s been 22 days since I last posted, but nobody really cares about the reasons. So, here I am! I’m back. Plus, I’m working on a surprise for all of you who have been putting up with my flakiness.

Anywho…. Amy and I left Southern Oregon Brewing with hopes to camp on the coast in Crescent City. Yet again, our plans didn’t turn out the way we hoped. We enjoyed our drive to the Northern California coastline via Highway 199, stopping at Kate's to use the bathroom, which is only for paying customers... 2 famous Kate's Bloody Marys please! Probably one of the best Bloody Marys I have ever had (which reminds me, I need to add "invent my perfect Bloody Mary mix" to my bucket list.) We were offered seats at the bar and conversation quickly sparked with the request to see my [Alaskan] driver license. This is one of the best conversation starters ever, people always have questions about Alaska and what it's like to live there. Have trouble getting to know people? Totally get a fake I.D. or move to Alaska, we're pretty friendly up here. Amy earned high marks when a fellow patron was super bummed Kate ran out of salsa, she bolted out to the truck and produced the container we had been living off for the last two days. After our Bloody Marys, it was time to go, we needed to make it to Crescent City before dark to set up camp.

Swing and a miss... this is the view of the sunset that welcomed us to Crescent City. (And the best photo I got, too bad Jonah's not on the trip.) We drove around the area, hungry and grumpy, and could only find closed campgrounds. Finally came across a motor home campsite and drank our worries away with all the bombers and growlers we had been collecting. The next morning our breakfast view made up for all the frustrations.

From Crescent City we made the long drive to Portland to drop me off.
Next on the tour....
Breakside Brewery
Hopworks Bike Bar
Tugboat Brewing Company
Bailey's Taproom
Widmer Brewing Company

Christmas Beer

2011-12-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

Seasonals! I love seasonal beer. (I also love year-round beer, I must just love beer.) Every time another season rolls in, I think to myself: I think [insert current season]'s beers are my favorite seasonals. Christmas seasonals are no exception, they might even be my favorite ;) Big beers with lots of flavor, belly-filling and cheer-bringing. This is my first Christmas season without my family and lineup of Oregon beers, how will I survive?!? I bet a big hug from my husband and some tastings of a few Alaskan seasonals will do the trick.

What seasonals are you looking forward to this holiday season?

Happy Birthday Pops!

2011-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

Southern Oregon Brewing Co.

2011-11-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

1922 United Way

Medford, OR

541.776.9898

www.sobrewing.com

Amy and I drove from Ashland to Yreka, CA in a vain attempt to get closer to Redding CA, our destination. Waking up the morning of Amy's birthday, after checking the distance to our second day destination, we realized it would take 2 hours less to back track through Medford rather than continuing down to Redding. What a lucky circumstance! After checking my BreweryMap app on my iPod, I found our next mark on the Oregon Brew Crawl: Southern Oregon Brewing!

Amy with the SOB lineup.

Go visit this brewery! Amy and I had so much fun. Not only did we get to chat the entire time with the lovely bar manager, Jenn Brown, also the #1 of the Mug Club and the owner. We started with samplers, quite an excellent lineup.

Gold Digger is a crisp, classic "Northwest lager." The owner, Dr. Tom called it his gateway beer, introducing people who aren't convinced of the power of craft brews to the SOB lineup.

SOB Pale is in the works to be renamed then bottled into 22s. The Pale is subtle, definitely a second step in the introduction to the brews.

Nice Rack IPA is a "British style IPA," also Jenn's Mug Club moniker, a mellow IPA with a kick of bitterness at the end.

Na Zdravi, a "Czech-style Pilsner" was my favorite. I fully intended to bring a bottle back for Jonah, but lost it along the way :) It's a strong pilsner with full-flavor and a lot of kick. The name means cheers in Czech, which I love.

Pin Up Porter, a "dry finishing Porter," is very complex; nutty with a clean aftertaste. The Pin Up is the #1 seller in the Rogue Valley; Amy agreed claiming it her favorite.

Old Humbug, a "Traditional British Winter Ale" is yum yum yum good. Be careful though, this beer is very sneaky.

Jenn Brown, the wonderful bar manager.

Not only does SOB have great beer, the taproom is a great place to be. I got to chat with Tad, the #1 of the Mug Club, his dedication to the brews was clear. When asked which is his favorite beer, his response: "that's like asking a parent who their favorite child is." SOB puts a genuine effort toward green practices that you can read about on their website. My favorite part of the taproom is even though they don't have a food service, you can order to-go dishes from local restaurants to munch on while you drink. Have dinner at home and need beer to-go? SOB will fill other breweries growlers, a definite plus for me and for the Eco-conscience practices SOB strives for.

Touring the brewery.

We left with full arms. Jenn filled our quart growlers with Old Humbug and Na Zdravi. Amy even got a free 22oz for her birthday! We were well taken care of and had a hard time moving on, but we needed to make it to at least one camp destination on the trip! The check was paid and we were on our way to Crescent City.

Crescent City, CA

Happy Birthday Katie!

2011-11-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

Congrats on making it through the teenage years! To 20 more!

Best Lady!

Monsters and the Lemon Tree (a favorite children's story)

Action Movie Stars!

"Ya, I'm talking to you"

Speechless in Seattle

2011-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Sorry I have been absent this week. I'm in Emerald City, visiting many excellent breweries. It has been an excellent time, however I haven't figured out how to use blogspot to my liking on my iPad. Suggestions anyone?

I will be back in Cordova next week with the rest of my Oregon Brew Crawl and some great breweries of Seattle.

Cheers!
Jessyka

Standing Stone: To Go

2011-11-12T10:45:00.001-08:00

101 Oak St.

Ashland, Oregon 97520.

541.482.2448

www.standingstonebrewing.com

Around the block from Caldera Tap House is Standing Stone Brewing. Since there was no way we were going to make it down to Whiskeylake, CA, Amy suggested we stop by for a beer before heading out of Ashland. The place was packed! We decided to grab some growlers and head to the hotel instead. I must say that Standing Stone's growlers are kick-ass! We got a few to celebrate Amy's birthday the next day.

The Oatmeal Stout was a great breakfast beer.

The Octoberfest was a great celebration for an October birthday.

The Farmer Brown was a great fall seasonal.

Caldera Brewing Company

2011-11-12T09:43:00.001-08:00

Caldera Brewing Company

31 Water Street

Ashland, OR

541.482.4677

www.calderabrewing.com

Camping gear... check. Chocolate for the smores... check. Hangover... check. For the trip down south, Amy and I had the truck packed, the dog settled and all by 3pm, only 4 hours after our intended leave time. Cursing ourselves for going out the night before, we cruised down I-5 at a leisurely pace.

We pulled into Ashland, ready for a quick in and out: the sun was going down soon and we were hours from our intended destination of Whiskeylake, CA. Caldera's Tap House is right off the main drag, easy walk from the downtown area, and opens at 4pm daily (good thing we didn't leave Eugene until 3pm, right?). The tap-house has a big porch to enjoy the sunny Southern Oregon weather, and a cozy tavern inside.

Before visiting, I had only sampled Caldera's tri-fecta of canned brews: Caldera Pale Ale, Caldera IPA, and Ashland Amber. Caldera IPA was a staple in my life when I lived in Eugene and I miss having the access to these brews up in Alaska. Once we entered the tap-house, it was clear that a sampler tray was the only option with so many brews on tap. Amy and I each got our own, 5 beers each, and didn't repeat any style, nor did we sample everything on tap!

Well, our quick in and out turned into a 2.5 hour session. We slowly sampled the beers and enjoyed the ambiance of the little local tavern.

Here are some highlights:

Lawnmower Lager - Excellent, solid lager.

Pilsner Bier - A pilsner with girth.

Hibiscus Ginger Beer - Surprisingly subtle, sweet & spicy. Great specialty beer.

*Old Growth Imperial Stout - Full flavor that you don't want to leave.

Rauch ur Bock - Super smokey, would be a great pairing beer.

*Mogli - Tastes like ice cream!

*Brought a bottle home for Jonah.

Let's Shout "Hey" for Stout Day

2011-11-10T03:30:00.000-08:00

Actually, shout "YAY!" for Stout Day. Last Friday, November 4th, I helped the Reluctant Fisherman host a Stout Day. The Reluctant Fisherman is my favorite local watering hole in my town, Cordova, AK. I have written about the bar manager Adam's love for finding new beers for his patrons in these posts, check them out:

The Reluctant Fisherman + Fish On! IPA = Happy Jessyka

Alaskan's Rough Draft Series

Rotating Tap At The Reluctant

When I heard about Stout Day coming, it wasn't hard to get Adam on board for an event. Starting with the stouts he already had in the cooler, Alaskan Brewing's Perseverance Ale and Denali Brewing's Chuli Stout, we decided there needed to be a third to obey the golden rule. Adam did some investigating and came up with Kassik Brewery's Roughneck Stout. We ended up with three great Alaskan stouts that offered quite a bit of variety even though they belong to the same style group.


Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

The stouts came in pitchers and pints, of course, but Adam also put together a taster tray of all three options that I saw at many tables.

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

There was a prize drawing, every stout purchase earned you a ticket! We raffled off a LTAB shirt, a Reluctant tee, some Alaskan sifter glasses, and a lovely tee from Denali Brewing Company that they sent to us as soon as they heard we were featuring the Chuli Stout at the event.

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Overall it was quite a success! Everyone at the event got excited about trying and comparing the different stouts offered. Many enjoyed the event for the sake of celebrating beer, which put a smile on my face!

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Jonah and I had a wonderful, snowy walk home talking about all the fun we had. I hope we can do it again!

Wordless Wednesday: A travel back in time

2011-11-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

Stout Day: Almost Here!

2011-11-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Stout Day!

Technically (according to stoutday.com), Stout Day is November 3rd, so crack one open and toast to that delicious, dark brew that keeps us warm on cold winter days.

If you happen to be in Cordova this Friday, November 4th, come to the Reluctant Fisherman! I am helping Adam with a Stout Day celebration for the town. Here's the line-up + 3 facts:

Denali Brewing Company's Chuli Stout.

1. Is a dry Irish stout with coffee-like flavors.

2. Was named after the Chulitna River, one of the 3 rivers in the Talkeetna area.

3. Won Best Ale in Alaska at the 2011 Alaska State Fair Microbrew Invitational.

Alaskan Brewing Company's Perseverance Ale

1. Is a Russian Imperial stout.

2. Was brewed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the brewery.

3. Uses fireweed honey from Delta Junction for delicate sweetening.

Kassik's Roughneck Stout

1. Is an Oatmeal Stout.

2. Was brewed as a tribute to the oil industry workers.
3. The brewery is located in the woods of Nikiski, next to the home of the brewer.

Hint: these facts might come in handy.
See you tomorrow!

Eugene City Brewery

2011-11-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

844 Olive Street

Eugene, Oregon

541.345.4155
www.rouge.com

I'm back in Eugene, my old stomping grounds, home of the mighty Oregon Ducks and delicious Willamette Valley beer. When I lived in Eugene, I really enjoyed going to Eugene City Brewery. It has great food, a relaxed atmosphere, and a wide variety of Rogue beers. ECB is not technically owned by Rogue; it is a Rogue brewery. That's where I was confused before, I thought that ECB was a brewery that had its own beers and was acquired by Rogue, this is not the case. The name Eugene City Brewery is a historic name of a brewery that was established in 1866 and was open for 7 years. The pub, now named Rogue Ales Public House, was the location of Eugene City Brewery in 1866 and housed a Henry Weinhard's distributor from 1890-1914. This space, furthering its beer history, was revived as a brewery by West Brother's BBQ restaurant in 1996. In 2004, Rogue Ales purchased the building, renovated the facilities, and restored the brewery's historic name: Eugene City Brewery was reborn.

So now we're here in 2011 and at Rogue's Public House: Eugene City Brewery. While researching for this trip I asked the question "Does anybody care about Eugene City Brewery anymore?" Even though I got little response through my social networks, the answer was overwhelming when I stepped into the pub: it was packed! Trivia night + the eve of a Duck game brought hoards of people in. This includes my own hoard of lovely Eugenians (and Portlanders) I miss so much: Shannon, William, Erik, Amy, Spencer, Brandy, and Joy. Then Amy's roommate Adam popped by, followed by my parents, and Shannon's friends Jenny and Scott. It seems more and more like people love it here!

What's not to love? This place has a ton of beer to choose from. Track Town Ales are the beers that are brewed in-house by Nate Sampson. Nate loves to experiment, so if you're looking for something out of the ordinary definitely choose a Track Town seasonal. The other beers are obviously Rogue ales; these ales are brewed on at Rogue's flagship brewery in Newport. Lots of beers to choose from, all of them sounding delicious after a day of plane travel. I went with the Wet Hop Ale; it had the earthy, fresh taste that makes the wet hop season something to look forward to. Our waiter informed me that Rogue and Track Town both brewed wet hop ales with the same recipe but differing in type of hops used. Rogue used cascade hops while Track Town used crystal hops. In the end, I preferred the Rogue version; I'm a sucker for darker beers.

Oregon Brew Crawl

2011-10-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

Oregon, ah Oregon, the beer lovers favorite state. Yes, I know I'm biased but 97 breweries in 54 cities makes Oregon a true beervana. Oregon has the largest number of breweries in the U.S. and the largest number of breweries per capita. ALSO it has the largest craft brewing production AND craft brewing consumption! Do I have you convinced? Yes? Alright then, let's move on.

I started my trip in Eugene, Oregon. An hour after leaving the airport, I was within the walls of a brewery, Eugene City Brewery. I came with a question "Does anybody care about Eugene City Brewing anymore?" I definitely received an answer from the people of Eugene that night.

The next morning the race around Southern Oregon began: 3 breweries, 2 days, 1 birthday. Interest piqued? Awesome, tell you all about it later, we're trying to do a summary here for goodness sake.

Ok, so now that I've asked questions in Eugene and ran around the bottom of Oregon, it's time to visit Beertown herself, Portland. How many times do I need to go to Portland before I've written everything you need to know? A million. Seriously. First of all, mine and Jonah's family live in Portland so it will be a frequent stop for us. With that aside, Portland has more breweries than any other city in the world and is constantly gaining more so it's definitely a great place to explore. This visit I stayed entirely on the Northside: reapeating some favorites and finding some new ones.

Check back this week and next to hear about each brewery I visited on my 10 day/ 8 brewery (+ 1 beer bar) Oregon tour.

Wordless Wednesday - Fort George Brewery

2011-10-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Season of the Wet Hop

2011-10-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is here. To a great portion of the country, especially up here in Alaska, fall is harvest time. Time to hunt, gather, and store your food for the long cold winter. The hop farming business has a similar schedule, September is time to harvest the hop fields. Since fresh hops have a quick expiration date, most are dried then vacuum sealed or turned into pellets to ensure we have freshly brewed beer all year long. HOWEVER there is a small batch of hops that are not dried and packaged but instead sent to those who ask to make Fresh Hopped or Wet Hopped ales. The wet hops need to be used within 24 hours (quick expiration date) of being picked which makes October not only fall, but the season of the Wet Hop.

Are Fresh Hopped ales worth all the trouble? Well, that's really up to you. Wet hops do add definite variety to ale recipes. When done right, they add a fresh, grassy, hoppier taste and have a strong hop bouquet. Sierra Nevada is credited with introducing this style to craft brewers in 1996 with their Northern Hemisphere Harvest ale. Since then it has become a phenomenon. In the Northwest, the arrival of the posters for all the Wet Hop Festivals is one of the signs of fall. In Portland, the Green Dragon chalkboard is filled with breweries' wet hop/ fresh hop concoctions. This time of year I definitely miss living in the Northwest. Oh well, when I'm in Portland next week I am going to concentrate on fall seasonals and maybe bring a few home with me!

Here's a few to look out for in your local market.
Merry Fall!

Wordless Wednesday - Deschutes Brewing Company

2011-10-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Oregon - Still Deciding...

2011-10-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Two trips in two months, going to the same city? Yes it's true, I'm headed to Oregon again. Just last month I was in Beervana to attend Emily and Alex's wedding. Not only did I find time to hit some breweries (all East-side, both North and South), Jonah and I also jetted out to the coast to sample the wonderful breweries of Astoria.

This trip revolves around my work for Copper River Salmon. As luck has it, I was able to stretch 3 days of training near the airport into 9 days of the Great Northwest including a road trip down to Northern California.

I'm hoping to make a few brewery visits: Mt Shasta Brewing, Dunsmuir Brewery Works, Breakside Brewing Company, Hopworks Bike Bar.

I'm still trying to decide my Friday night dinner brewery: Widmer, Bridgeport, or MacTarnahans?

Also, what brewery should I go to on Saturday? Burnside Brewing or Upright Brewing?

Let me know where I should go!

Perseverance Ale

2011-10-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jonah came back from his trip to Juneau with some goodies, beer and yarn (he knows how to keep his wife happy). When our friends Shelly and Heath invited us to dinner, Jonah suggested we bring over the Perseverance Ale by Alaskan Brewing Company. The more people in on the tasting, the better I say!

The Alaskan Perseverance Ale is a Russian Imperial Stout (holy cow!) that was brewed to mark the 25th anniversary of the brewery. It is part of ABC's Pilot Series; therefore it is only served in select bars and bottled in 22oz bombers with a small distribution. The beer was as big and bold as I expected it to be, but didn't have an overwhelming alcohol presence. Perseverance was thick and sweet, like molasses Shelly pointed out, but kept a dry, clean taste. The aftertaste was rich and the sweet flavors lingered then moved on, not overstaying their welcome. It was a great beer, especially on it's own. When I finished my glass after starting in on the sushi, the flavor pronounced was licorice!

When tasting this beer, I used my new book The Beer Journal by Chris Wright. It was pretty handy with the single tasting (although I did tear a sheet out so I wouldn't have to carry the whole thing). We'll see how it works with multiple tastings when I take it to Portland in a couple weeks.

Alaskan Brewing Company - Guest Blogger

2011-10-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

5429 Shaune Dr.

Juneau, AK 99801

907.780.5866

www.alaskanbeer.com

Guest posting by Jonah Dart-Mclean.

After enjoying many (many X 10³) glasses, cups, pitchers, schooners, bottles, etc of Alaskan Brewing Co.’s liquid offerings, I had the good fortune to visit their home base in Juneau. ABC is a great example of a beer company that has found its niche. Their mainstay beers (Amber, IPA, Summer, Pale) are all very drinkable and accessible to those whose microbrew palette might not be ready for something as complex as say, the Smoked Porter, a delicious and deep “rauchbier” that has the pleasing rich taste of a dark porter and an amazing smoked flavor that doesn’t overwhelm. Innovative as well, ABC was apparently the first brewery in the US to release a rauchbier (which means smoked beer in German).

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

The brewery is located about 5 miles north of downtown Juneau in an industrial area. It has the typical small-big-brewery look to it, a warehouse looking building that has the expansion of brew equipment hanging off of it. The tasting/souvenir room was not large, probably with enough room for thirty people crammed in. They recently expanded to a taproom downtown to cater to the hordes of tourist that the cruise ships disgorge regularly in the summer. I visited the original location with my friend Ariel Rolfe who has the good fortune to be from Juneau. We got to the tasting room around 5pm and immediately started in on our 6 free samples.

Photo Jonah Dart-Mclean

Straight away, we both ordered the Perseverance Russian Imperial Stout, one of the ABC‘s pilot series (an ephemeral program that tantalizes one with amazing, out of the ordinary beers and then snatches them away after a too-short period of time). This happens to be my favorite variety of beer and this particular example of it was no disappointment. Rich, smooth, dark, just a hint of sweet, and lots of hops. I honestly don’t know how a person would want to drink a different beer. Unfortunately, or perhaps prudently is the word, the tasting room has a one drink maximum on the Perseverance, probably because it’s 9% alcohol. So, moving on to the other delights, we chose next the Marzen, which is currently available in honor of Oktoberfest. I will admit that prevailing beer tasting etiquette is correct in suggesting beers be sampled lightest to darkest because after the Perseverance my taste buds only had eyes(?) for that dark beauty (once you go black….). Nonetheless, the Marzen was very good, light and with rich malty flavor that was surprising for a light colored beer. Besides the two above mentioned beers I only sampled the Smoked Porter, it being a beer I can’t usually get on tap at the local watering hole (the Reluctant Fisherman, Cordova Ak). After four glasses, I was sure that I liked Smoked Porter and reaffirmed in my suspicions that Alaskan Brewing Company knows a thing or two about brewing good beer.

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Happy Birthday Jonah!

2011-10-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

What a day! Today is the birthday of my husband, my love, my beer partner.
The man who fills this blog with beautiful photos and my life with love.
Happy Birthday Jonah!

North Coast Brewing Company - Fort Bragg, CA

21st Amendment Brewing Company - San Fransisco, CA

Downtown Brewing Company - San Luis Obispo, CA

Wedding Pints - Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Cordova, AK

Wordless Wednesday - Anchor Steam

2011-10-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

Photo by Margaret Jeffery

Conflux No. 2 White IPA

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

No matter the occasion for a trip to the big city of Anchorage, one must bring back beer! I wasn't able to join Jonah on the last trip "over seas" (the little town we live in has no roads connecting it to the outside world, to reach Anchorage we must take a ferry or an airplane), but he did bring me back a beer I was dying to try since I researched it in May.

Photo by Jessyka Dart-Mclean

First of all, you have to feel special drinking this beer because it was and only ever will be brewed once. It's a very dry beer and lived up to the description I read of it being a Belgian IPA. The No. 2 had had the dry crispness of an IPA with the coriander and lemongrass flavoring of a Belgian.

What a great gift! Thanks Jonah!

Amnesia Brewing Company

2011-10-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Amnesia Brewing Company

832 N Beech Street

Portland, OR 97227

503.281.7708

As we got closer to the weekend, the wedding events began. With the venue set up and the rehearsal dinner over, we headed over to North Portland to stay at Jonah's sister, Dana's apartment and meet up with friends who had come into town for the wedding. As we drive closer to the apartment, I begin to get excited. I’m realizing that Dana lives near N Mississippi that happens to be where (drum roll please) Amnesia Brewing Company is located. ABC is a familiar brewery to me, habitually visited with friends when I lived in Portland.

It's a great place to be with mostly outdoor seating. The seats that are inside are practically outdoors as well with the front of the building opening as garage doors. The atmosphere is relaxed and beer-centric. Even on a Friday night with all the picnic tables on the porch packed, the vibe was spirited but mellow.

I had the Desolation IPA, which is one of my favorites there. All their beers are very appealing, they stay true to the English styles and have quite a line-up of IPAs. Everyone else got the cream ale (Cream-of-the-Crop Ale?) that was a great compliment to the warm evening that followed a hot day. We only lingered for one beer, needing to get some rest for the festivities of the next day, but were glad to experience a Friday night at Amnesia Brewing.

Coalition Brewing Company

2011-10-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

2724 SE Ankeny

Portland, OR 97214

503.894.8080

coalitionbrewing.com

So, we're back in Portland after our early escape to some coastal breweries. We're sitting around Jonah's mom, Debra's house trying to think so something to do. What should we do to get out of this crazy hot Oregon heat? (We have TOTALLY adapted to living in Alaska by the way.) Racking our brains... racking our brains... wait, doesn't Portland have 39 breweries? And don't we love going to breweries?

So we hitched up the bikes (?) and set out, our destination was Coalition Brewing Co. This was Jonah and my second visit to Coalition, our first trip really struck a cord and I was anxious to see if it stayed true to all the hype I had built up in my head. Bingo. Coalition, though a small brewery, has brews with big flavor. The Kitty Kat Red was again my favorite brew of the night while Jonah voted for the WU C.R.E.A.M. Ale (the brew he always recommends whenever the brewery comes up). There was talk of riding out towards another brewery, but we decided to stay put and enjoy the warm evening with Coalition's cool session-ales.

Photo by Jessyka

Photo by Jonah Dart-Mclean

Fort George Brewery

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Fort George Brewery + Public House

1483 Duane St.

Astoria, OR 97103

503.325.7468

www.fortgeorgebrewery.com

I have traveled to a few handfuls of breweries across the United States. When asked which are my favorite breweries I always have a hard time deciding, but visiting Fort George Brewery I gained some clarity. Of course the top requirement of one of my top breweries is amazing, unique, drinkable beers but what pushes a brewery to the next level? What makes it become a best brewery? For me it's having an amazing space to drink amazing beers. Fort George Brewery fits this bill.

The building where FGB is located is fantastic from it's large windows to the coloring to the hop logo. The land is the original settlement of Astoria which was renamed when it was temporarily taken over by the British (and King George III) as Fort George, hence the name of the brewery. The building was built in 1924 as a auto repair shop and still has that warehouse/ industrial look today. The industrial look is mirrored in the interior with really amazing metal fabricated stools and booths. Breweries like Fort George is why I like visiting breweries instead of being satisfied with enjoying their brews at bars or at home. When breweries take the time to create an incredible place to drink their brews, I'm happy to think of them in the best brewery category.

Well enough about decor, let's talk about beer!

The Nut Red Ale was hands down my favorite FGB brew. The play of hop and malt makes red ales usually high on my list and the balance in the Nut Red Ale is perfection.

The Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale was a close second. Nutritious & delicious! The smoothness the oatmeal adds to a usually hoppy style adds intrigue and drink-ability.

The Vortex IPA is the brewery's flagship beer and can be found in cans at the store (big plus for this blogger). It's an easier to handle IPA so non-IPA drinkers there is no need to pass it up. The Vortex also comes with a great story of the owners almost being swept away by a tornado while migrating all the brew equipment to the West Coast.

Oh, did I mention they give you all the beers on tap in the taster, THEN explain all the styles to you. Definite A+ since the waitress was also quite entertaining.

All in all, go to this brewery. Seriously! Go, it's totally worth it. Not only would you get to drink great beer, you feel really cool just being in the space. And who doesn't want to feel cool? I definitely felt it when I snapped this awesome picture of William.

Astoria Brewing Company

2011-09-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Wet Dog Cafe

144 11th Street

Astoria, Oregon

503.325.6975

www.facebook.com/wetdogcafe

Land in Portland Sunday; depart for the Oregon Coast on Tuesday. For many years now I have been intrigued by the mentions of Fort George Brewing Co. and have uttered the words “we should go on a brew trip to Astoria” many times. All it took Jonah and I was a move to Alaska, then a quick one-week trip back to Portland to seize the opportunity. Like many good brew trips, we needed more than one brewery to visit so I referenced The Beer Mapping Project and found that Astoria has TWO breweries. We had found our first stop, the Wet Dog Café which houses the Astoria Brewing Company.

What an amazing view! As I'm typing this up, I'm searching for a photo to prove these words but there are no great shots of the ocean. How did that happen??? Oh well, I guess it’ll be a pleasant surprise when you visit yourself. We watched container ships and gill-netters moving across the water and moved our chairs inch-by-inch to try to stay in the sunlight (it can get a little chilly on the Oregon Coast). Most importantly, we sampled some great beer. Jonah and I both got the taster tray that included 6oz samplers of 5 styles of beer. I just loved their presentation of the samplers in the miniaturized beer steins.

Here are some highlights…

Strawberry Blonde Ale – it was great! I’m not much of a fruit beer connoisseur but Strawberry is a great fruit to pair with beer, brings a little tartness into the mix.

Old Red Beard Amber Ale – this was a favorite around the table. Both William (my brother) and Shannon (my sister) indulged in a pint of this rich amber.

Lincoln Lager – William’s second pint and a true winner in its contest against the West Coast Lager from my sampler tray. When a craft brewery takes the lager style to another level, celebrations should always occur.

My list of beers that we tried got lost in the shuffle traveling back home, on it was the correct name for the Imperial Stout that was on Jonah’s sampler tray (Imperial Bad Ass Stout?). It was rich, yet easy to drink without any overwhelming additive flavors, by far one of the best beers on the menu.

After all those samplers we needed to work some fullness off, so we went in search of the Astoria Column and fell in love with the historical town of Astoria on the way. I could totally live here.

WINNER! of the Facebook Photo Contest

2011-09-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Mariko Sasaki!

Photo Contest Entries

2011-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

We are in the mist of the voting portion of the Facebook Photo Contest.
Vote on your favorites before Friday Sept 23 at 5pm AK time.
Check out the competitors...

Nobad Days

Karol Syzmula

Andrew Deaett

Cathy Long

Mariko Sasaki

Micah Renfeldt

Leif Stavig

Shannon Reed

Molly Wolf

Kevin Synder

Kate Cary

Shannon Reed

Wordless Wednesday - Astoria Brewing Company

2011-09-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Photo Contest!

2011-09-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

It is time for the first Let's Talk About Beer photo contest!
Here are the rules.

1. The contest is taking place on facebook, click here to "like" the page and post your photos.

2. Post your photos of your favorite beers, of you drinking your favorite beers, or/and of you at your favorite brewery. You have from Sept 2nd to Sept 16th at 5pm (AK time) to submit your entries.

3. On Sept 16th at 5pm (AK time) I will make a photo album of all the entries. Then you get to vote!

4. From Sept 16th 5pm to Sept 23rd at 5pm (AK time) you can vote for your favorite photos.

5. The photo with the most "likes" wins a LTAB t-shirt!

Goodluck!

Copper River WILD! Salmon Festival + Denali Brewing Co

2011-08-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Every year, passionate people from many organizations throughout Cordova AK come together to plan the Copper River WILD! Salmon Festival. In a town where salmon is the backbone of the economy, citizens look forward to spending a 3 day weekend celebrating the essential fish. Commemorating local harvest is a important part of the Cordova culture where not only can you catch great fish out of the streams, but hunt for moose and deer, also gather all sorts of berries. One of the important festival needs that we can't find locally is beer, so we look to the greater community of Alaska to find our dance and chit-chat lubricant. This year we were lucky to serve the brews of Denali Brewing Co from Talkeetna, AK.

We started off on Thursday with 9 kegs and a chance to celebrate salmon by eating it! The Taste of Cordova served the Twister Creek IPA and the Mother's Ale. Twister Creek is an 6.7% IPA that reminds me of the IPAs of the Northwest: crisp, clean, and full of flavor. The Mother's Ale is a golden ale which complimented the sunny day really well. Cordovans sipped on these two brews while enjoying a fillet demonstration by a master fillet-er. The Mother's Ale was a great compliment to the salmon appetizers and main course, delicious all-around. The Twister Creek IPA helped everyone to the dance floor at the end of the night to boogie down to the Copper River Drifters.

If we only emptied 2 kegs on Thursday night, what happened to the other 7 you ask? Friday and Saturday night the party moved to the Ski Hill for the Salmon Jam portion of the weekend. The founders of Denali Brewing Co, Sassan and Boe set up an amazing system involving 2 huge coolers, copper pipings, 7 kegs, and ice; corresponding tap handles were the icing on the cake.

The beer menu included:

Mother's Ale: probably the most popular beer of the night, we ripped through the 2 kegs of it in no time!

Single Engine Red: the red was a big hit, everyone loved the combo of malt and hop.

Twister Creek IPA: "Give me an IPA" was a phrase I heard a lot Friday night.

Chuli Stout: I was super stoked when I saw the nitro tank strapped to one of the folding tables. Having that option really bumped up the sophistication of the beer garden. We had quite a few dedicated drinkers for this brew.

Matt Porter: the porter was my favorite, such a rich flavor but still light in texture.

Louisville Sour: the blonde ale fermented in an oak barrel, people loved trying this new beer.

The moral of this story? Hang out with us next year at the Copper River WILD! Salmon Festival. Come for the salmon cook-off, the kids activities, the arts & crafts, the marathon, and the live music. But most importantly, stay for the beer.

LTAB Tees

2011-08-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

The second batch of LTAB Tees are SLOWLY on their way to me. While we're waiting, I have to give a second round of applause to Alex Harris who designed the logo, it looks great. Those who already have their logo tee, Let's see some pictures! You can post them on the facebook page. I would love to see all the places you go in your LTAB tee.

Have you gotten yours yet?

Click the link on the right to order yours today, only $20!

Midnight Sun Brewing Company Part 2

2011-08-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

8111 Dimond Hook Drive
Anchorage, AK 99507

(907) 344-1179

http://www.midnightsunbrewing.com/

This is my second trip to the Loft at Midnight Sun Brewing Company. How was it different this second time around? Well, they have a great new addition: a canning system! Such an exciting addition to any Alaskan brewing company. I ran into head brewer Ben Johnson when trying to peak behind the scenes. Ben informed me that not only have they recently branched out their distributing (they can now be found in Washington, Oregon, AND California), they're expanding throughout Anchorage. Midnight Sun still uses their space in Midtown, brew and can in the space underneath the Loft, plus occupy a warehouse within a stone's throw of the Loft. Expansion seems to be the name of the game for Midnight Sun, Ben also informed me now that they have mastered canning the Sockeye Red IPA, the brewery is looking to start canning another one of Midnight's creations. The beers in question? Kodiak Brown Ale or the Arctic Rhino Porter. Which would you like to see in a can first?

Midnight Sun Canning System

All of the beers on tap.

Mary and Jessyka

Rotating Taps at the Reluctant

2011-08-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Spontaneous Tuesday night out turned out well for me last night. Ever since Adam Pierson, the bar manager of the Reluctant Fisherman, gave me a sneak peak at the "kegs on deck" I have been dreaming of the Boulevard Brewing Company's Unfiltered Wheat Beer. The beer is light with a low hop profile and easy to drink. Very low in complexity, the wheat is definitely a good beer for the hot Missouri summers it was brewed in. Although we don't get too many occasions for backyard beers up here in Alaska, it was great to have a session beer under the 5% alcohol line. It could have kept us well-behaved if the Irish coffees were never ordered.... Oh well, thankfully Adam has a 1/2 barrel of the Unfiltered Wheat Beer, maybe we can behave next time.

Beervana here we come!

2011-08-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

One month until we leave for Portland! Jonah and I are heading south for his sister Emily's wedding. Recently we decided to stretch the trip out to 8 days instead of a 3 day hop in and hop out.

Do you know what that means???

Breweries!

So Portlanders, which ones should I visit?

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.7is7.com/otto/countdown.html?year=2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;month=09&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;date=04&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;hrs=13&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ts=12&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tz=-540&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;min=22&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sec=0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lang=en&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;show=dhms&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;mode=t&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;cdir=down&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;bgcolor=%23FF8C00&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;fgcolor=%23DCDCDC&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;title=Trip%20to%20Beervana%21"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Trip to Beervana!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

My IPA Day Celebration!

2011-08-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happy IPA Day!

2011-08-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite holidays of the year, IPA day! Makes me wonder, do they have celebratory days for other beer styles? I'll have to put that on my research list. Anywho.... it's still pretty early in the morning here in AK, so for now I'll just be dreaming of the different IPAs I would love to be drinking this evening.

What are your favorite IPAs?

What will you be drinking this evening?

Crazy July Life

2011-08-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, sorry for being so lame with my lack of blogging this month, but it has been a CRAZY July. At both my daytime jobs, I had large events that went off wonderfully but took a lot of time and effort. The goods news, YES! there's good news, is that even though I was working hard, beer was still in my Crazy July Life. I went to Anchorage where I visited some breweries there AND picked up my first batch of blog t-shirts. My event with the Copper River Marketing Association included a beer tasting with Alaskan Brewing Co that I got to organize! Finally, this weekend I ran the beer garden at the Copper River WILD! Festival Salmon Jam, which included tasting some delicious brews from Denali Brewing Co.
I have much more to tell you all about these events, alas I am still so exhausted. Stay tuned this week for some in depth postings of my Crazy July Life.

Birthday Beers!

2011-07-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

Rogue Northwestern Ale at Childs Glacier. Great mix of my Northwest roots and current Alaskan status. LOVED this beer: crisp, hoppy, downright delicious.

Turning 28 isn't so bad.

Here's some others I enjoyed!

Plus it was our 6th month anniversary so we enjoyed some...

Wish I Was Here Wednesday

2011-07-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

North Coast Brewing Company * Fort Bragg, CA

Check out more Wish I Was Here Wednesdays at For Me.

Cure For Spicy Foods

2011-06-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

I made excellent soup tonight! Spent a lot of time preparing all the different ingredients. Baking the chicken in white wine and tomatoes in oil and thyme before adding them to the pot. Also sauteing garlic, onion, and celery to bring out flavors. BUT I put in too many jalapenos!

What will cure this?????

Save Wisconsin Beer!

2011-06-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's been all over the beer news recently: there is a bill awaiting to be passed that will force brewers to go through distributors. This eliminates independence and hurts small and potential breweries. Not only do we live in country that should honor independence and small businesses, we live in a society that is moving towards localization lowering our carbon footprint. How does it make sense to pass a bill that will make it unlawful for a brewer to use a handcart to make a delivery to the bar around the corner?

Please, help the craft brewers of Wisconsin. Sign this petition. Help keep the independence in the craft beer world.

If you do, let us know!

Logo Tee!

2011-06-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

This isn't exactly what the shirt is going to look like, but an idea. The shirts are still in the works. They will be heathered navy with the logo center front. The blog address will be on the back. Get one fresh off the presses!

It's Summer Time!

2011-06-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

And more importantly, time for summer beer. Seasonal beers are great for many reasons, for one it's exciting to see new beers at your local brewery or in the beer cooler. Another is enjoying a beer that reflects what's going on in the world around you. Last night I was able to sit in the "hot" Alaska summer solstice sun with 21st Amendment's High or Hell Watermelon, their summer seasonal. HHW has a fruity tone (you guessed it... watermelon!) that works as a Sunny Time Beer, but wouldn't be as appropriate after a day of skiing.

What beers are you going to be drinking this summer?

P.S. Look at our new logo!

Happy Birthday Will!

2011-06-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Cheers! I hope you get your present today!

Lagers: Regaining Respect of Craft Beer Lovers

2011-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

There has been a prejudice against the watery lagers of macrobreweries since, well since there's been macrobreweries. The lagers of Budweiser, Coors, and Miller are made perfectly to deliver the same exact taste in every bottle and market to the masses; and they do a damn good job. Here's the but... What about the part of the beer market that drinks craft beers? Don't they deserve a crisp light beer that still has the complexity and innovation of craft beers? Not only do I think so, but also a widening number of microbreweries.

Thefullpint.com recently polled their readers, asking 'What the Best Craft Lager?' Full Sail Session topped the list with 18% of the votes. Session brings me memories that are quite fitting with lagers, basking in the sun, enjoying a cold brew. Sadly I have only tried 4 on the list! I need to get to work! (Also, I was confused by the inclusion of Rogue's Dead Guy Ale; I have brewed Dead Guy even and did not use lagering techniques.)

A good place to start your experimentation with craft lagers would be your local bottle shop. I bet you find a winner or two among the selection. When you're ready to get serious, head out to Colorado in August for the Craft Lager Fest. From the pictures on the website, it looks like a fun time.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Logo Color Tests

2011-06-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks Alex Harris for an awesome logo!
Now for yet another hard decision, choosing a color!

Ol' Ball & Chain

2011-06-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

We cracked open a bottle of the Ol' Ball & Chain last night. We save these for special occasions because of their limited release. One of the brewers, Peter Price, finally making his way up to Cordova was the perfect reason to indulge. Ol' Ball &Chain is an Imperial IPA that the Price Boys brewed as a wedding present for Jonah & I. Cheers guys!

Logo Contest!

2011-06-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

The day is here! All the logo designs for the contest are rolling in. Stay tuned to find out the new face of Let's Talk About Beer!!!

Destination Brewfest: Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival

2011-06-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

You heard it here first, I'm totally going next year! I love Haines Alaska and Haines Brewing Company beer; I always thought if I was given a good reason to visit again that of course I would go. But this year when our friend Ariel Rolfe invited us to go, I had to say no :( You know, it's the same ole story of low on funds, not enough time, and the frustrating transportation in this part of AK. But next year, I'm going!

The breweries that take part are all Alaskan brewed; most, if not all of the Alaskan breweries make the trip to the Festival. From big to small, they have them all.
Alaskan Brewing Company ~ Juneau
Haines Brewing Company ~ Haines
Skagway Brewing Company ~ Skagway
Midnight Sun Brewing Company ~ Anchorage
St. Elias Brewing Company ~ Soldotna
Yukon Brewing Company (ok here's the exception from Canada)
Homer Brewing Company ~ Homer
Silver Gulch Brewing Comany ~ Fairbanks
Sleeping Lady Brewing Company ~ Anchorage
Kassik's Brewery ~ Kenai
Moose's Tooth ~ Anchorage
Glacier Brewhouse ~ Anchorage
Kenai River Brewing Company ~ Soldotna

If you want to experience Alaskan beer without the hefty travel costs, maybe I'll see you May 26-27th, 2012 in Haines Alaska.

Capital City Weekly article on the 2011 Brewfest.
Beer Fest Homepage.

Alaskan's Rough Draft Series

2011-06-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

When researching today's post about Alakan's Birch Bock, I came across something of interest: Alaskan's experimental group of beers called the Rough Draft Series. The Rough Draft Series are beers brewed in small batches, made by ANYONE at the brewery that has an innovative idea. Alaskan Brewing Co allows all employees to put forth ideas to create one-of-a-kind beers. I love this! It's a great way to achieve more variety. The only bummer is for beer drinkers not in Alaska, because the Rough Draft Series is only distributed to bars in the state.

But it's good news for me, because Adam at my favorite Cordovan bar, the Reluctant Fisherman, is keeping the Rough Drafts flowing. The Xtratuf Imperial IPA was a great favorite at the Reluctant, both a friend and foe with an 8.5% alcohol percentage. The Reluctant was actually the second largest consumer of Xtratuf, quite an accomplishment for a tiny town. The Xtratuf proved its worth and got upgraded to the Pilot Series, but lost it's endorsement of Xtratuf; from now on it will be known as Alaskan Imperial IPA. Being bumped up to the Pilot Series means bottling and a wider distribution including the lower 48 states.

When I went into the Reluctant Fisherman this weekend, the always lovely Rhea informed me of a new beer on tap and handed me a sample of Alaskan Birch Bock. Yay! The Bock is thick and sweet, definitely a good pairing beer but not a session beer for me. It's great to have variety available though and it would taste great with salmon. At the moment you can find this beer at the Alaskan Brewhouse, the Reluctant, and according to the website "in bars/restaurants around Juneau." Hey Alaskans, have you seen any Rough Drafts beers in your local pubs?

Meet the Blogger

2011-06-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

I write what I drink.
Sometimes it's reviews of breweries across the country; sometimes it's a commentary the way beer is produced, styled, and imbibed.

I started my brew-education during college in Eugene OR with the help of my hop-headed roommates Brandy Rodtsbrooks and Amy Gurzick. Living in Eugene gave me access to Rogue Ales and Eugene City Brewery, plus a wide-range of craft beers from many of the eccentric bottle shops in town. During my reign in Eugene, both Ninkasi Brewing and Oakshire Brewing opened, giving me a very joyous last few years in Track Town USA.

After my time in Eugene, I headed north to the big city, Beervana, Ptown, Beertown, Portlandia. Portland has 37 breweries in the metro city-limits, more than any other city IN THE WORLD. Needless to say, my time in Portland was a lot of fun.

Since my awakening to the wonder of craft breweries, I made a point to seek them out wherever I traveled. However my beer travel writing really came to life when I met my husband Jonah. Together we've explored Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and working on Alaska. Alaska is where we're stationed now: Cordova AK to be exact.

I have a lot of ideas for this site and I'm glad you'd like to come along for the journey. Cheers!

Tippin' Back Cans - Kenai River's Skilak Scottish

2011-06-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

It wasn't the Kenai River that I was watching while drinking the Kenai River Brewing Co's Skilak Scottish, but I think the Copper River will do. On the first day of this long weekend, our friends Mary, Weston, and Alberto accompanied Jonah out to Childs Glacier to grill brats and drink BEERS IN A CAN! Skilak Scottish Ale is much calmer than the other scottish ales I've experienced, which works well for me. Scottish ales in general are much too thick and sweet for me; although this beer also has a sweetness, it does not overwhelm. Skilak works well as a session beer, a perfect quality for a beer in a can.

I'm so happy to see yet another beer can choice in the cooler of our local liquor store. The demand in town for a recyclable option is being met by a growing selection.

Craft breweries > Macrobreweries

2011-05-31T14:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Shannon!

2011-05-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a delicious birthday beer!