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?
