Perseverance Ale

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's Rough Draft Series

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?