If there's one thing living in Alaska will teach you, it's to respect the weather. Up here, the weather is something we may battle, but it's never something we can afford to ignore, unlike a lot of the lower 48. Alaskan weather is like Alaskan wildlife in that respect; there just aren't many places in the lower 48 where you have to have your wits about you when you walk out to get the morning paper, lest you get stomped by a moose...Anyway, showing due respect to the weather up here occasionally gets in the way of us Alaskans doing what we really want to do. Case in point, my big trip to Anchorage was completely scuttled by a sudden warm spell, which turned all the roads between here and there into ice rinks with water running across them. My lovely wife and I discussed it, but we finally decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and that we'd feel pretty stupid if we totaled a car or even got ourselves killed trying to get to Anchorage for a beer fest.
So, that will just have to wait another year...
We did manage to make it to Anchorage for a day trip on Wednesday of last week, after the weather had finally stabilized back down at 20F or so (where it belongs this time of year!). That trip was critical, since we'd let our pantry get a bit low, in anticipation of shopping the previous weekend, plus I needed to buy the beers for my class, The Art and History of Brewing, which starts the day after tomorrow. It's not to late to sign up, by the way...
In addition to buying beer for my students to taste, I did manage to grab a couple of interesting ones for myself. First, I stopped at Midnight Sun to pick up a growler to take to a Super Bowl party. They had Zeus on tap, a draft version of the soon-to-be-released Jupiter from their Planets series. I had a sample and all I can say is WOW! This beer is phenomenal! It's in the style of a tripel, with about 10.5% ABV and a fresh, spicy taste which has to be experienced to be believed. I have that growler parked in my beer fridge and it calls to me each time I see it. So far, I've resisted its siren song, but I know that when Jupiter it release in corked 750 ml and 1.5 l bottles, I'll be snapping them up. Meantime, if you get the chance, be sure and try Zeus.
Another interesting beer I picked up from Midnight Sun is their Specialty XXX Anniversary Ale. This beer was commissioned by Specialty Imports to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary in business. It claims to be a Black Double IPA, which is somewhat similar to Stone Brewing's XI Anniversary Ale from last year. I thought it was OK, but it seemed to me that the hops chosen came across as a little too grassy, if that makes any sense. Frankly, I think I prefer their CoHoHo Imperial IPA or even their Sockeye Red IPA to this one. Still, it was interesting and certainly different from the norm.
Finally, at La Bodega I picked up a bottle of Port Brewing Company's Old Viscosity, simply because I liked the look of it. After taking it home and trying it, I wish I'd picked up a second for my good buddy Curt who's crazy about beers aged in bourbon barrels. According to the brewery's website, 80% of the beer is fermented in stainless steel via normal methods, while the other 20% comes from a previous batch and has been aged in used bourbon barrels. The brewers call it "The Big, Black Nasty" and state that it is brewed "in no particular style",as it sits on the intersection of porters, stouts, old ales, and barleywines. It weighs in at a hefty 10.5% ABV and has a wonderful heavy mouthfeel, with chocolate flavors melding and mingling with the vanilla flavors picked up from the casks. A wonderful sipping beer, I can't wait to find another bottle or two.
Until next time, Cheers!
