Alaskan IPA // ALASKAS

  Welcome to Tape and a Brew volume II. Today's theme is Alaska. Alaska is a pretty depressing place from what I hear, which is fitting because today we're feelin' pretty blue. Have no fear though, the good people at Alaskan Brewing co. in Juneau, Alaska are doing something about that. 
  
  This morning I picked up a sixer of their Alaskan IPA. For those unaware, an India Pale Ale is a style of beer developed in early 19th century England with higher alcohol and hop levels than a standard ale. The British held a large colonial presence in India, and it's colonists demanded delicious beer imported from Britain. The problem however, the darker more malty porters and brown ales popular at the time would spoil on the long hot journey across the seas. The solution was found by a man named George Hodgson of Bow Breweries in London. He found that brewing a beer with a stronger alcohol content and adding a considerable amount of dry hops would help retard the spoilage of the ale, thus making IPAs a travel ready brew to be shipped across the globe. Pretty cool, right? now you can impress your friends and family with your wealth of knowledge of the history of ales.

        Anyways, back to the beer...  
  
A hearty brew at 6.2% alcohol by volume, lightly malty and dry hopped to the bitter end (ha) with cascade hops, Alaskan IPA showcases all of the qualities of a well crafted India Pale Ale. On a one to ten scale, Alaskan IPA sits around a seven. Not the best of IPAs I've experienced, but its crisp flavor is smooth and floral, something many IPAs I've tried tend to lack. Some have the tendency to be "too hoppy" in taste without a delicate background flavor to balance, but the folks up north did a good job in finding that equilibrium. Points were lost on the finish, or aftertaste if you will, for a slightly twangy kick that leaves a weird sour taste in your mouth. All in all though, Alaskan IPA is a well rounded brew, definitely worth a purchase if you're looking for a new IPA to try.

                                

on to the tape

 

 Following the theme, we have ALASKAS with "Dillon James Rego is FEELIN' BLUE". Appropriate, as I mentioned before, ALASKAS croons about the girl next door, ending relationships, and lost love, all over a surprisingly twisted amalgam of beats and wacky noise. Definitely an adventurous listen for those less versed in the world of strange music, but if you enjoy art that is produced ars gratia artis, or art for the sake of art, then I would recommend giving it a listen. Head over to Prison Art's bandcamp to cop this release, and check out the link below to learn more about Alaskan Brewing co. 

  

 Cheers. 

www.alaskanbeer.com

prisonart.bandcamp.com