Beverage of the Week: Alaskan Smoked Porter

Given the stupid cold, snowy weather here in New Mexico today, a tribute to one of my all-time favorite beers seems appropriate. Yes, it's undoubtedly tropical here compared to what's knocking on the doors of my friends back east - but trust me, nothing will take the edge off a frigid snowy night (or my incessant whining about the weather) like an Alaskan Smoked Porter.

ASP is a vintage beer, meaning they brew a batch yearly (on Nov 1), date it appropriately, and it will age quite nicely for 5 years or so. Back in New Albany, Richo's kept a small stock going back a few years on their menu with prices appropriately increasing to make sure a few bottles would linger forward from year to year. I still remember the first time I ponied up the 10 or so for a recent bottle - a damn lot of money back when ramen was the nutritional alternative to not eating. The first smoked beer I tried, it's still the standard I judge them by - smoke and musk on the finish, but not overpowering the rich chocolate and barley malt up front....just complimenting, accentuating it. In the past decade smoked beer has become more commonplace, but many just overpower everything with smoked malt until it tastes like a glass of bacon (not that a glass of bacon is all bad, mind you). The longer ASP ages, the more complexities you'll find in it - if you can put off drinking it for that long. I picked up an '09 a couple months back intending to shelve it until '13, but temptation got the better of me last weekend....

I've loved this beer for nearly a decade, way back when I first discovered the joys of porter, but I've only recently gotten to know more about the company behind it and their other products. Alaskan Brewing Company was started by an intrepid Alaskan transplant couple in the 80's, who obviously had way more constitution for snow and bone-cold than I ever will. Back east I'd never seen anything but the smoked porter, but in New Mexico and Colorado others aren't too hard to come by, and while their stout wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped, I must say their pale ale is quite pleasant and unique. And who can't love a brewery whose mission is dedicated not only to improving craft beer, but the local economy as well? Well done.