Alaskan Black IPA
Alaskan’s spring seasonal release is a new beer experience created from a combination of traditional beer styles. Alaskan Black IPA has the appearance of a porter or stout but combines the roasted malty characters with the refreshing flavor and bright aroma of an American IPA.
Alaskan’s spring seasonal features the hop-forward profile of an IPA with the dark black color and flavors of a fuller-bodied porter. A burst of fresh, citrus notes from Cascade and Centennial hops balance the hints of coffee and bitter chocolate with a subtle toasted sweetness and dark fruit highlights leading to a pleasantly dry finish.
The Black IPA style is also known as “American-style India Black Ale” or “Cascadian Dark Ale,” and though we still may not know what to call it, we do know it’s dark, hoppy and we can’t get enough of it. Alaskan first shared their take on this new style with the limited Pilot Series release of Alaskan Double Black IPA. This spring release is a more sessionable version with the same surprising balance between hops and roasted malts.
Alaskan Black IPA is made from glacier-fed water, generous additions of Cascade, Centennial and other Pacific Northwest hops, and an array of eight different pale, caramel and chocolate malts.
The combination of big citrus and dark malt flavors make Alaskan Black IPA an outstanding pairing beer for dishes that combine sweet and savory. This includes everything from chocolate & ancho-chipotle rubbed pork, fried chicken and waffles or curried chocolate.
Alaskan’s spring seasonal features the hop-forward profile of an IPA with the dark black color and flavors of a fuller-bodied porter. A burst of fresh, citrus notes from Cascade and Centennial hops balance the hints of coffee and bitter chocolate with a subtle toasted sweetness and dark fruit highlights leading to a pleasantly dry finish.
The Black IPA style is also known as “American-style India Black Ale” or “Cascadian Dark Ale,” and though we still may not know what to call it, we do know it’s dark, hoppy and we can’t get enough of it. Alaskan first shared their take on this new style with the limited Pilot Series release of Alaskan Double Black IPA. This spring release is a more sessionable version with the same surprising balance between hops and roasted malts.
Alaskan Black IPA is made from glacier-fed water, generous additions of Cascade, Centennial and other Pacific Northwest hops, and an array of eight different pale, caramel and chocolate malts.
The combination of big citrus and dark malt flavors make Alaskan Black IPA an outstanding pairing beer for dishes that combine sweet and savory. This includes everything from chocolate & ancho-chipotle rubbed pork, fried chicken and waffles or curried chocolate.
3.5
220 reviews
Juneau, United States
Community reviews
Memorial weekend- 2013, one if the smoothest black IPAs I've had, today anyway! Tender as a baby's bottom the hops are- lets go
Nice Cascade IPA, bordering on a hoppy porter in style. The malts are what make this one. Sensual and roasty, providing a great solid base and the ultimate mouthfeel. The hops are a bit more subdued -- I'm getting some bitterness, and some citrus, but overall this is the story malts wrote. A nice sweetness comes into play as well, from origins that are above my pay grade to determine. Recommended!
Aroma is pine, light spices and wintergreen/candy. The flavor is light grapefruit, dark malts, mint candy and a mix of acidity and tangy in the finish.
Draft on tap at Sugar Maple (Milwaukee, WI). Pours a deep blackish brown pour, darker middle, touches of ruby brown glow on the edges. A frothy light brown head atop dies to a mellow layer, laces ok. Aromas are medium grapefruit, some lemon and florals. Touches of toastiness, black malt, bit of cocoa. Some pretzels, bready malts, and touches of resiny pine. Initial is medium bodied, a decent to medium bitter front end shows good grapefruit rind, some lemon, florals. Some resiny pine, gentle toastiness. Middle keeps that nose but starts to fade a bit. Toasty, bready middle. Some pretzels, still a nice grapefruit note keeps trucking through. A bit of bubblegum, almost Amarillo fruity quality comes on as we move further into the middle. Some melon, citrusy hops, some tangerine. Touches of florals, grass, some toastiness and carmelization as we round that corner cut in. Finish is decent bitterness, some toasty and cocoa elements linger well. Bready, biscuits, a bit more cocoa. The hops have died out a bit, a touch of fuzzy fruity hops, grapefruit. A firmer hop profile or one that sustains throughout is more desired, but it’s well constructed that’s for sure. Solid.
The color of dr pepper. No head at all. Espresso and molasses. Mouthfeel has a delicate creaminess. Malts are surprisingly light if it wasn't for the espresso notes and the color I never would have guessed the black part. Finish is clean but a bit short.
---That dog will hunt!
Kinda nailed it. This brew is a great blend between a black ale or lager with sweet roasted caramel malts and barley with a great floral, slightly grassy hop character.
Nice and smooth and lingers on the palate just right.
This is clearly an IPA made bold and deep enough for those cold Alaskan springs, or as we called the season, breakup - when the snow and ice start to (go figure) break up revealing the burgeoning spring developing below.
Has a lightly fruity smell. Yet it looks like a dark stout. It gives you a a tangy IPA flavor combined with a bit of sweet creaminess. It was not a bad beer and I would try it again.
Aroma of chocolate and lemons. Tastes of herbal hops that blend somewhat well with astringently dark malts but the astringency is too much. Also slight chilis flavor in the mix. The palate is light for the style with minimal carbonation. The mouthfeel leaves a postage stamp reside on the tongue with a similar woody taste.
This one gets better as it warms. Lots of nice chocolate notes with a slight fruit aroma. Appearance is nice and dark with a lingering head. Taste is great malt character with a great, balanced amount of sweetness. It's also has a good smoothness. The bitterness on the end really adds to the overall complexity making this one dry and really drinkable... Let it warm a bit; you'll love it.
Gorgeous deep amber color and a pleasant balance of toasted malt and clean hops on the tongue. Best part is the aroma. Amazing fresh citrus notes over a more subtle roasted nuttiness. Probably my favorite from the brewery thus far.
So I like black IPAs and I like his beer. Beer pours dark brown with a nice thick, retained tan colored head. Hoppy, piney aroma and chocolate. Taste is sweet and bitter. Yum!!!
A poor abandoned bottle excavated from the cooler at work & given to me by a bartender who must have been sick of looking at it or something.
Bartender: "Have you had this"
Me: "no"
Bartender: "well if you want to try it, take it home... it’s just been sitting in the cooler"
Me: "ok"
Pours a dark brown with a nice thick head and plenty of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is hop forward, fruity, & pleasant. The aroma suffers mildly from that "Guinea Pig Pellet" aroma that many beers of this style can’t seem to shake off... but it’s mild here. The roastiness is only mildly apparent in the nose.
The flavor is again mild on roastiness, but big on hops. There is plenty of pleasant citrus and fruit forward hops here with some piney notes as well. I think blindfolded this one would be a dead ringer for a black IPA, which is fine, but I normally like the ones that I wouldn’t be able to tell a little better. While the roastiness is mild, it does lend to some of the bitterness & there is most defiantly a black licorice note to this one. The beer is largely dry and while it clams to be fairly malty it’s really not an especially malt focused example of Black IPA (thankfully)
Overall it’s pretty damn fine though... I don’t think this could have been left in the cooler for very long, it tastes pretty fresh.
Thanks Doofgoblin for this one (never imagined I’d write those words.) It is really black. Nice belgian lace left by the tan head. I’m not getting as much hop aroma as I’d like. But, there are some pleasing smells- a fruity kind of chocolate note. The hops play nicely with the dark malt flavors and then combine for an assertively dry finish. I could drink this every day.
Had this side by side with Sierra Nevada’s and this one just felt like a black ale, nothing more.
Clear brown with a large, off-white lacing head. Aromas of chocolate coupled with grassy hop notes. Slight sweetness balanced by hops. Coffee finish. A bit thin on the palate.
Black pour with a cream head. Nose is roasted malts, fruity hops, light bitterness. Very smooth on the palate, hops up front, followed by roasted malts, light coffee finish.
22 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 5/4/2013. Pours crystal clear very dark reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, char, light coffee, grapefruit, orange zest, pine, lemon zest, floral, grass, and floral earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hop and roasted malt notes; solid strength and very pleasant. Taste of dark chocolate, char, light coffee, grapefruit, orange zest, pine, floral, lemon zest, grass, and floral earthiness. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, char, citrus zest, floral, pine, and grass on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of hop and roasted malt flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy, sticky, and fairly crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice black IPA. Nice complexity and good balance of hop/malt flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
bottle from Rakuten. It pours a dark brown/black with a light thin tan head. The aroma is floral & citrusy. Wow, very nice! Floral hop at first, a mid mouth malt caramel/chocolate notes and ending on a clean crisp hop bitterness. The second well made Black IPA I found after Mikkeller’s Sort Gul. Really interesting to see them meld the styles so well, impressive.
Pours blackish brown with a creamy white head that fades to a ring with nice lacing. Aroma is roasted malt and piney hops. Taste is roasted malt, floral hops, and grapefruit. Lively carbonation and a long bitter finish.
Pours dark black off tap. Hoppy and oaky aroma. Great hoppy taste with finish of smooth oak taste.
From a 12 fl oz / 355mL bottle into a tasting glass.
Aroma: Strong bitter hops dominate, and are backed up by roasted malts.
Appearance: Opaque dark brown with a dark tan head.
Taste: LOTS of hops. The hops almost cover up those nice roasted malts. The hops do cover up the other flavors in this one; you have to dig to get to them.
Palate: very full bodied. long, long finish.
Overall: Very good! I don’t know if it’s that I couldn’t pick up on the more subtle flavors, or if there weren’t any. Either way, the hop/malt combination in this one is outstanding.
Still unsure what to do with this style in particular, so I’ll just say it’s a beer and I’ma rate it. Pours a clear brown with a tan head. Earthy, leafy hops, with some roast coming in the background. Such a weird combination. Watery mouthfeel. Some hops, bit of light roast, but mostly watery. No flaws really, but not very interesting either.
Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Aroma is roasty, smoke, and floral hops with some alcohol. Smells great. Taste is bitter hops and roast. A decent beer considering I’m not a fan of the style.
From bottle. Black pour with small tan head. Moderate lacing. Nose is subtle--boozy with some dark chocolate. Tastes better than it looks or smells. Smooth--particularly for a BIPA--with some roasted malts in the finish. Decent.
Poured from bottle into snifter, super dark, transparent as dirt. Aroma is quite subtle, coffee and chocolate hop. Quickly dissipating head but lasting lacing. Surprisingly smooth and quite sessionable.
12 oz. bottle served in shaker- poured a black with tints of brown and dark ruby color when held to a light source, one finger darkened tan head formed and did some lacing to a degree. Aroma of pine hops and some hate. Hits the mouth with a high-medium body, malt was roasted and toasted fairly, ash and cheap coffee in the middle, finish has a bittering twang with some light acidity. Much needed beer after a long day where I damn near went to county- again. But whoppin’ some Texahhtucky ass would have been worth it- too bad they ran!!!
Bomber shared by my friend Doug. Pours very dark brown with a medium sized head that fades normally, leaves some lacing. Aroma is faint, light citrus, light burnt wood. Taste is better than the aroma would suggest. Grapefruit citrus mixed with burnt wood, light chocolate, and pine. Finish is pretty smooth, but very bitter and dry. Overall, not bad but I’ve had many better.
Translucent black like a porter. Strong citrus grapfruit aroma. Decent citrus flavorpalate followed by a slight roasted malt aftertaste that finishes a bit bitter on the toungue. Overall, a very pleasing brew.
Dark brown to black from bomber. Not much aroma. Roasted malts and fresh hops. Can drink many if inclined
had at a chilli festival, but i didn’t get to have any chilli, how fucked is that .. . deep brown .. mild foam .. . rich mouthfeel .. . roasty hops .. . very clean and razor finished .. . enjoyable beer .. . . maybe they no liking the human being.