As many of you know, I love
beer. Heck, I wouldn’t have started this
blog if I didn’t enjoy talking about, writing about, and drinking beer. Coincidentally I also really like spicy
foods, so when one of my friends mentioned last week that Alaskan Brewing Company released a Jalapeno Imperial IPA, I knew that I had to try it. Alaskan Brewing releases very good beers, so
I was pretty sure that their newest Pilot Series beer would be enjoyable. I was not sure if the spicy jalapenos would
play nice with the hops, but I will get more into that at the end of the
post. However, with my love of spice, my
previous enjoyment of Alaskan Brewing Company beers, and my increasing
enjoyment of imperial IPAs, I was intrigued.
Read on for more info…
At Beeradvocate, Jalapeno Imperial IPA has a score
of 86. Over at ratebeer, it has an 89 overall with a 95 for
style.
They Say:
Pilot Series
The Alaskan Pilot
Series showcases the boundless creativity of the Alaskan Brew Crew through a
rotating collection of big, bold and distinctive brews packaged in 22 oz
bottles. Each new recipe is first perfected in our 10-barrel pilot brewhouse,
then tested through our Rough Draft series of draft-only beers. Those special
brews that fly beyond expectations ascend to a limited release in the Alaskan
Pilot Series.
The specialty beers in
our Pilot Series are available in limited quantities throughout the states
where Alaskan beers are sold. Because this is a rotating collection, we
recommend trying our Pilot Series brews soon after their release date - they
may not be around for long!
Style
The American Imperial
IPA style was developed and made popular by west coast American breweries
seeking to create a highly intense drinking experience. The style is most often
characterized by a gold or copper color, citrus hop character, big malt body
and lingering bitterness. The addition of jalapeño peppers lends itself to
furthering this intensity, while effortlessly pairing with the style’s hop
profile.
Flavor Profile
This Jalapeño
Imperial IPA is fresh from the onset, with a quartet of bright hops playing off
zesty jalapeño heat. A lustrous head retains the citrusy combination of
Centennial, Sterling, Magnum and Apollo hops. Fresh jalapeños are used not only
during brewing, but also after fermentation for a pleasant aroma, full-bodied
flavor and genuine picante kick. A sweet bready malt backbone provides balance
to the peppery fire.
History
Alaskan brewers set
out on a quest to brew up a hop-forward beer with a smooth malt body and just
enough heat to stave off the cold of an Alaskan winter. In the spirit of
exploration, and as a challenge to their skill, they sought to maximize the
flavor of jalapeño. The result is a well-balanced beer that showcases not just
the volcanic power of the jalapeño pepper, but also its flavor and aroma.
Ingredients
Alaskan Jalapeno
Imperial IPA is made from glacier-fed water, the finest quality Centennial,
Sterling, Magnum, and Apollo hops, premium two-row and specialty malts, and a
whole lot of fresh jalapeños.
Recommendations
A complex hop build
and jalapeño kick make this beer a perfect pairing for pub fare, such as fish
and chips and cheeseburgers. Rich foods like red meats and cheeses will pull
out the malty characteristics, but ultimately South and Central American food
is the partner this brew was born to tango with.
The Story Behind the Label
Forming the Northern
part of the seismically-active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the Alaska Peninsula and
Aleutian Islands are home to dozens of active volcanoes, making up over three
quarters of the volcanoes that have erupted in the past 200 years in the U.S.
The largest 20th century explosion on earth occurred here, the
1912 eruption of Novarupta and Katmai, which formed the Valley of Ten Thousand
Smokes. While Alaska is often thought of as a cold place, this unexpected heat
is also a part of who we are, and the jalapeño heat in this double IPA provides
a reminder that you may be surprised by what you find in Alaska. The volcano
pictured on our label is Augustine, named by Captain Cook in 1778, which is the
most active of the eastern Aleutian volcanoes and is often seen letting off steam
in Cook Inlet.
Stats:
Original Gravity: 1.081
Alcohol by Volume: 8.5%
Bitterness: 70 IBU
Color: 15 SRM
Original Gravity: 1.081
Alcohol by Volume: 8.5%
Bitterness: 70 IBU
Color: 15 SRM
I Say:
Alaskan
Jalapeno Imperial IPA pours a brilliantly clear copper with a thick creamy
white head that holds moderate retention and leaves intricate lacing behind in
the glass. This is a gorgeous beer to
look at but no one ever pours a beer with the intention of staring at it, so
moving on… Mild citrus hops immediately
come to the forefront on this beer, with notes of bready and caramel
malts. Fresh, green jalapeno comes in
just behind the hops and malt. The spicy
jalapeno carries through to the finish with a hint of orange. The aroma is pleasantly complex, an excellent
combination of citrusy hops, and spicy peppers.
Bready
malts and orange citrus hops come to the forefront in the flavor with a dose of
fresh green jalapenos rounding out the hops.
Lingering citrus and jalapeno carry throughout the flavor and linger long
after the last sip. The jalapeno is only
moderately spicy, but the combination of the spicy jalapeno, orangey citrus
hops and bready malts work well together.
Jalapeno Imperial IPA is moderately malty with a moderately high level
of hop bitterness. It is medium bodied with
a moderately high level of carbonation.
Alaskan
Brewing Company’s Jalapeno Imperial IPA is a great beer! Going into this, I didn’t think that
Jalapenos would work well in an IPA because hop bitterness enhances spice, so I
thought one would overwhelm the other.
Fortunately though, the spice is subtle enough, and the bitterness is
smooth enough that the two do not interfere with each other. The citrusy hops, bready malts, and jalapenos
all work together excellently in this beer, although I find myself wishing
there was a more heat. That doesn’t
highlight a deficiency with the beer more than just a personal preference on my
part. In fact, it’s probably better that
the spice isn’t more pronounced because the subtle spicing will get more people
to enjoy this beer and go back for a second bottle.
If
you are new to spicy beers, pick this one up, it will be an excellent
introduction to the joys of brewing with peppers. I know I will be picking up a few more
bottles the next time I see Jalapeno Imperial IPA on a shelf and isn’t that
really the best thing anyone can say about a great beer?
That’s
all for today, check back soon for the next post!
Cheers!
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