Alaskan Pilot Series: Imperial Red
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.
3.7
153 reviews
Juneau, United States
Community reviews
On tap @ Alaskan Brewing Company. This one is smooth, bitter, complex, strong, bold. Looks great in the glass. Great balance of slightly roasted malts and strong hops to round it out.
06.15.16 best by date. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pub glass. A: Caramel, flower, citrus, and toffee. A: 1 finger fluffy head that stays. Hazy ruby red body with bubbles streaming up. T: Bready malt and lingering citrus dominate. Raisin and woodiness are subtle. P: Smooth with bubbles on the finish. O: It’s ok. The bitterness does stay around for awhile. The malt seems a little light, surprisingly.
Poured from 12 oz bottle pint glass.
Appearance: pours 1" cream colored head that drops slowly with some lacing. Color is a rich red-mahogany with tons of streaming carbonation.
Aroma: complex and strong with citrus and floral being dominant along with bread dough.
Mouthfeel: medium to full bodied with a somewhat astringent dry finish.
Flavor: complex combination of strong hops grapefruit, orange, and floral along with rich roasted malt, caramel and raisin.
Overall: very well made. A sipper, definitely not a ’lawnmower’ beer.
Bottle picked up in jeanu. Pours dark Amber with white head. Aroma is malt forward, bready. Taste is super malty, lord of caramel, missing some hop presence.
Btl pours clear light Amber color with a rocky off white head that stays around for quite awhile, leaving webs of lace in glass. Aromas of citrus, pine and mango. Taste of citrus,grapefruit, orange,pineapple, and sweet caramel. Medium body, good carbonation, smooth, slippery mouthfeel and a dry bitter finish. Great easy drinking red ale that is extremely balanced between hops and malt. Alcohol is hidden nicely untill you have had a few. Probably one of the best Alaskan beers out right now.
Almost clear red, with a rocky tan head. Aroma is sweet typical red citrus and malt profile, with a cutting ethanol edge. Taste is the same with odd toffee espresso notes into the finish, along with some biscuit. $3/12oz
12 oz pour from refrigerated bottle into nonic pint. Brown or very dark red, nearly opaque, strong white long-lasting head. Full and creamy body. Herby and malty nose. Pretty complex taste. Very malty. Much more so than I would have expected for a red. A little sweetness and quite bitter. Herby, a little tropical fruit, a little woody. Very drinkable for something of this size.
Several bottles, pint glass. Clean red color. Crisp, clean taste. Red fruit, citrus. Nice.
Beautiful red color with an off white head. Citrus hops, caramel. Crisp up front with a nice bitterness in the middle then a smooth and creamy on the back end. Extremely easy drinking for a Imperial/Strong Ale.
22 oz. bottle served in a shaker- poured transparent maroon, copper crossbred color, foamy one finger head formed and laced nicely upon the vessel. Low carbonation, aroma of pine, caramel, and some darkened fruit. Hits the mouth with a light body, malt is very restrained but it still retains flavor in the form of fruit esters and some light caramel, finish has some acidity to it, finish is firm, almost pillowy in feel. Alot better than the crap I just had!
(tap) bright, reddish amber colour with a small beige head; aroma of vanilla, sweet fruit; balanced flavour with a long, light bitter finish
Clear ruby pour with a half inch offwhite head, thicker lacing. Soft carbonation, frothy mouthfeel, finishes clean and slightly dry. Deep carmel aroma, cloudy bitter pine and floral hops, tropical too. Flavors of pineapple and tropical fruit, grapefruit, strong carmel too.
Aroma is pine and thick malts, standard ASA. The flavor is fruit, pine needles, hops, malts, mild sweetness and a mix of earthy and bitter in the finish.
Bottle. Beautiful copper-red with substantial tan head and some lacing. Aroma is caramel, dark fruits, and citrus. Interesting mix of sweet fruity flavors, citrus, and hoppy bitterness. Creamy texture and medium body and carbonation. Nice beer overall.
Bomber - Dark red with a light cream colored head. Grapefruit hoppiness that is not too dry. Medium body.
Pours a deep amber red with a stingy off white head. Fresh aroma: caramel, bread, nuts, grassy hops, dough, some leather, nice. Taste eventually balances out. Sweet malt and bitter then sour/umami. Medium body, creamy, average carbonation, long finish, bitter. My favorite offering from this crew.
Bottle from cwsample. Red pour with a big off-white head. Aroma is lots of citrus, caramel, and a little floral. Taste is toasted bread, brown sugar, grain, and a little fruitiness in the finish.
Bomber poured a clear red hue w/ large cream tan head and nice lacing. Bold malty aroma. Initial flavor is moderate sweet w/ a bold bitter finish of moderate duration. Tastes are rye, caramel, brown sugar, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange, and hay. Full bodied and creamy mouthfeel.
An aromatic cap crackin’ went along with my first experience here, and although I certainly wasn’t overwhelmed by the fragrance, it wasn’t too bad. Hugely grapefruit, but I am finding some sweet fruits behind that aroma; apricot, that flowery mango. The first sip was tiny, and just gave a hint of hibiscus, but the caramel was a huge backdrop for it. I am finding no mint at all in the flavor, but as the brew warms, I am finding a touch of it in the aroma.
The amber liquid is capped at first by a thick head, but this gently recedes, and quite slowly, over the course of the first half of the snifter. The aroma is getting larger as the brew warms, and is becoming the one I expected when I opened the bottle. Nice.
I must admit that my first experience with the taste left me sad...a bit of a biter for me, and for what I expected to be a mellow experience on my taste buds, too bitter. However. The longer I taste, the more I let flow past my tongue, the warmer and more laid back it gets. It’s not the ABV by a stretch, as I’m only through half the glass. It’s only that my tasters adjusted and I let the brew warm a bit. Much more well rounded now through a half glass.
The full body is nicely carbonated, carrying those flavors and aromas through in a medium perfectly adjusted for the task. Nice finish, although slightly long and slick, but the whole of the experience has been much more pleasant than expected from the first couple of minutes.
great nose on this one with a beautiful taste to follow...very nice malt hop blend.....
Bottle. Pours a clear reddish orange color with a light head. Aroma is hoppy sweet, Caramel and grains. Flavor is dry hops with big sweet notes. Caramel dry malts. Finishes dry.
Pours clear garnet with a big foamy head that leaves lovely lacing. Caramel and brown sugar wonderfully balanced with pine resin and grapefruit.
Bomber, thanks EW2014, amber pour, white head, nose is caramel, taste is bitter, dark fruit, vanilla, awesome.
22 oz Bomber. Tasted on 12/3/14. Bottle from Total Wine Lewisville, TX. The aroma had notes of light citrus, grapefruit & fresh hops. The taste was full in body with biscuit, citrus, good malt body & well balanced. Very easy to drink.
Bottle to goblet
Spruce, loads of resin, and flowers. Reddish amber thin freamy off white head. Taste is dark chocolate, spruce, hops.
Bottle. Dark red pour with light white head. Aroma is malty hops, brown sugar, very sweet. Taste is sweet up front followed by bitter hops, finish is bitter sweet. Tasty.
Fresh bottle. Pours a dark reddish almost brown color with off-white head. Pine, citrus, and floral notes on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with a bit of nutty malt.
Pours a cola brown color with a caramel malt aroma. Taste is malt, caramel, zest, and grapefruit. True Imperial beer flavor with a lasting bitternes that lingers well after the swallow. A nice beer for the style that got better as it got warmer.
Pours two fingers of head on a clear dark red body.
The aroma is loaded with dark fruit, dry grains and spice.
The taste is mildly sweet at first, then quickly moderately bitter, tending towards a dry bitter finish.
The texture is crisp.
Quite enjoyable.
sample from bottle at 2014 houston big brew fest. Deep amber red with small head. Sweet malty base with big hops. Some crystal malt and marmelade. Quite a bit of booze. Big beer.