Alaskan brewing company

While on a stopover in Juneau, we toured the Alaskan brewing company. We had been drinking Alaskan brewing company beer on our cruise (and have had it before in Oregon), so we decided to check it out. The tour was interesting. The brewery is about 20 minutes outside Juneau. We took a shuttle there from the company store in downtown Juneau (population 30,000, and no roads in or out). We learned about the history of the brewery and how they choose the ales they will brew. They have a 1 barrel experimental set up for local brewers to showcase their recipes. If the folks at the brewery like it, it goes to a slightly larger production - a "rough draft" production which is sent to local bars. If the locals like it, it is chosen for a seasonal production and sent to the roughly 16 states to which they distribute. If its well received, it may become a fixture of their production. For example, their Alaskan White started on the single barrel system.

The ale in the picture, the smoked porter, is a regular in their lineup. It is a very good smoked porter. I like a smoky beer, or scotch, and I frequently complain that a beer is not smoky enough. This beer, however, has a nice amount of smoke, but it doesn't overwhelm you. It has a thick, but minimal, head of a chocolate color. There is smoke on the nose and the tongue, with a balanced dose of malt. I hope they sell this in the lower 48 soon.