Big Mountain
Alaskan Brewing Co.

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This beer pours a nice amber color with about a finger of off white head. There is very little lacing left on the glass. This is slightly above average. I will say that this beer is a session beer if you have 2 or 3.

 216 characters

3.77/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

For whatever reason I remember drinking these with Jerry. Anyways, this pours golden and has a good amount of clarity and 1/2" white head. Aroma was interesting, there's been simcoe and amarillo it seems like.

Taste was a nice bitter middle of the road pale ale. Mild dry pale toasted malts, golden promise. Good hop flavor, dank forest, mild tropical fruit along the lines of papaya and pineapple. Well carbonated. Seems like it also has that Chinook hop flavor and bitterness at the same time. The light body is enjoyable yet sturdy. Definitely one of Alaskan's best, if not the best hoppy beer.

 608 characters

2.97/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

There's nothing special about this beer, it's a solid pale ale but nothing your gonna remember after your done drinking it. Most other beers from alaskan brewing company are better.

 181 characters

3.34/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into stemless wine glass

Great looking with a sticky cap of foam that stays. Smell is dull; it's just dry leaves and soapy hops. This alternates between tasting like a very bitter average apa and soapy dishwater. The hops at times show a lot of fruit flavor (apple, pear, pineapple), but mostly fall flat

Not bad, but the flavors can clash. In an overcrowded APA market this isn't even on my radar

 411 characters

3.99/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured cold from a 12-ounce bottle into a standard pint glass. Clear light copper colored body. A tentative pour yielded a one-finger white head that quickly settled into a thin ring. Not much lacing. Very pleasant burst of pine and citrus aromas upon opening the bottle. nicely balanced in terms of both aroma and flavor. Besides the aforementioned pine and citrus, there are floral notes, light biscuit, and orange zest. The zesty bitterness is quite lovely as it lingers on the palate. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a very well crafted and excellent beer.

 571 characters

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear, tan in color with 1/4 inch head. Taste is hay, papaya, pear, and mosiac hops. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Makes for a really enjoyable malty treat.

 170 characters

3.99/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appearance has a beautiful somewhat clear golden amber colored body with a nice gentle coating of lacing sticking through rings around the sides of the glass. The head is a good one finger’s worth and dissipates within about thirty seconds. The smell has super large amounts of citrusy fruits pummeling my nose in a sweet drastic way and ends up letting the grapefruit dominate. Some light spice does come out as well. Some light malts do come out near the end of the drink as it warms. The taste is bittersweet like a fantastic APA should. The aftertaste has a combined bittersweet quality to it. It leaves a good bitter dry finish. On the palate, she sits about a light to medium in body, and showcases a very good harsh-like quality like a good APA should. Carbonation is good for the style and for me as it shows just enough harshness for the style and just enough to sit just right on my mouth and tongue. Overall, pretty nice APA that I would have again.

 966 characters

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle, fairly fresh- best by date is 3 months away. Served in a snifter glass. Pours a darker copper-orange body, one finger offwhite head, lots of retention, bits of lacing. Smell is grain, biscuit, touch of honey, orange peel, citrus, slight floral resin. Flavour follows the nose, although a little sweeter than expected; biscuit and honey, mild grainy bread, orange peel, grapefruit, with a slightly astringent but reasonable bitter floral on the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, appropriately drinkable and carbonated for the style. Straight forward APA with a good hop and malt balance.

 601 characters

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle to wine glass
Appearance: amber clear, clear medium foam that quickly disappears
Aroma: hoppy, grains
Taste: medium bitterness sweet follow through
Palate:Lively carbonation, long finish, but low bitterness lingers, carbonation but drops quickly
Overall: very good pale ale
Drank: 9/17/2016 10:52 PM

 316 characters

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter/tulip/wine glass from a 12 oz bottle

A - Very pretty translucent deer copper, little to no white head and little to no lacing

S - Huge yeast up front, toasted malts/grains, very earthy, simple but nice pine/citrus hops, slight sugar, lightly floral, crisp mountain air and terroir

T - The taste definitely runs a little flatter than the nose. Everything in the nose is their for sure the only note that stands out is a very big floral and malt that melds awesomely.

M - Medium minus body, medium acidity, medium carbonation, decent balance, decent complexity and a very malty APA from start to finish.

D/O - Overall this ale is quite refreshing. Drinks like a pilsner or a lager but tastes a whole heck of a lot better. Simple, tasty and the glass ends up being empty pretty quickly.

Final Thoughts - Not sure on price as it came in a IPA sampler 12-pack that was $11. The abv is under 6% which is both good and bad, haha. Worth a go or two.

 971 characters

3.84/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Stunning, mostly clear bright copper. Head is tan, large, pillowy, retains incredibly well. Lots of large-bubbled lace. Resin, citrus zest, orange or grapefruit, mango aromas. Much of this is lost or subdued on the palate, apart from resin, which is now more like pine. Crackery, grassy, exquisite dried fruit notes, not so much citrus. Peppercorns and herbs in the back. Bordering on perfumy, not unpleasant in my estimation. Light to medium, lower level of carbonation, may be available in spring, but it's meant for the heat of a summer day.

 544 characters

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle from Brewers Haven. Pours out with a huge fluffy head, hazy medium golden body. Light citrus hoppy nose, but taste comes in much stronger, grapefruit, tangy. Its that tang that lingers. Malts can be detected in the background. Very satisfying, quenching, tasty APA.

 272 characters

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: A gold amber pour with just a slight haze supports a 1” white foam collar that slowly recedes to a thin film. S: Malt, spice, earthy hops. T: Biscuit and light fruitleadying to a dry bitter finish with melon notes. F: Medium to medium light body and medium carbonation. O: A good serviceable beer but not outstanding.

 322 characters

3.85/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Maybe I'm being a little critical of this beer, but it is close to being really quite good - in a quiet kind of way. Nice pour, deep golden, not perfectly clear, can see some floculant material in the bottle, probably from the hops...floral, nice hop profile, enough malt to not have it too thin. A nice beer. Got it once in 2014, then a few times in 2015 - consistent quality ( I like Alaskan Brewing for that).
A = 3.75 - nothing too special - beer!
S = 3.75 - some citrus and pine but not slapping you in the face
T = 4 - enough malt to stand up to the hops, not too bitter, a solid beer
M = not too thin which is good, much better than most 'session' IPA which seem to drive the malt down to keep the %alcohol/w down, and thus the calories down...
O = I like this beer and am being a little 'tough' a bit more hop forward than some pale ales, kind of a 1/2 IPA if there is such a thing. Try this beer!

 907 characters

3.73/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled
A really nice blend of hops that puts flowery next to tropical fruit with a menthol twist & somehow results in a liquorice midget gems flavour

 150 characters

3.64/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from 12oz bottle into a dimpled mug.

Appearance: lightly murky yellow-golden hue with a thin layer of ivory foam. Quite good.

Smell: rather sweet malt aroma with a big floral character. Not bad, but I think it's a bit sweet for my taste (at least for a pale ale).

Taste: sweet and malty with a hint of toast and biscuit and more of that floral hop character. It's interesting -- not a bad beer at all, objectively, but it really doesn't light my fire, you know?

Mouthfeel: medium body with a huge well-integrated carbonation and a massive creaminess. Wonderful!

Overall: this beer is decent, even if it doesn't excite my palate. That said, it is light and refreshing and drinkable (and that texture -- great!).

 732 characters

3.94/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked up a single in early April from TW Arrowhead for $1.49. Best by 05/02/15 - doh!

Beer poured golden orange with a nice white head that leaving lacing behind.

Nose is very nice, mango and peach shines through.

Taste is lemon up front with the peach, pine, and mango lingering in the aftertaste.

Body is light and a bit out of step with the flavors.

Overall this is solid APA. I do not have them often but Alaskan does them nicely!

 445 characters

3.79/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Rich gold color with a thick, white, foamy head. Strong floral hop aroma with minor citrus notes; strawberries. Mild malt base topped with a strong fruity and bitter hop flavor. Medium body; crisp and clean; somewhat juicy; mostly dry finish.

Overall, a pleasant, easy drinking ale that highlights hops. Aroma and bitter flavors dominate the senses, leaning towards the fruity and floral side of things.

 404 characters

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a golden amber color with a thick head of white foam. The head has a fantastic level of retention, slowly fading to leave a ton of foamy lace on the glass.

Smell – The aroma is big of a sweet smell of some fruit and caramel with it mixed with some aromas of a more bready nature. Along with these aromas are some lighter aromas of grass and herbal smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a bready flavor mixed with some light fruit flavors of pear and apple and a bit of a caramel taste. These sweeter tastes are light, and get even lighter as the taste advances with the loss of sweet replaced by some herb and grass. While the fruitiness fades in the middle, it seems to surge toward the later stages only to once again fade at the very end. With the surge of sweet comes some other fruits of a citrus nature, all while in the end more hop of herb and grass take the loss of the fruitiness’s place, leaving one with a rather pleasant and smooth flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side with a carbonation level that is rather average. It was rather appropriate for the style overall, but nothing too exceptional.

Overall – A rather tasty pale ale overall. A bit more heavy on the sweet and less so on the hop and grain, but overall quite a nice drinker.

 1,388 characters

3.44/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Crackery, Apple, Fruity, Pine

Chilled down and decanted carefully (lots of sediment). Bright amber/honey in color with a white lace that hangs around until the last sip. Soft, clean nose with some fruitiness and suggestions of hops to come. Light bodied, crisp carbonation. Dry apple upfront with some crackery malts. Herbal hops come forward with a soft bitterness, some pine, and a lot of grassiness that lingers with a dry, bready finish.

An okay, fairly balanced and straight-forward Pale Ale that provides just enough flavor to make it interesting.

 555 characters

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This really has a nice aroma. Sweet and fruity and very pleasing.
Darkish amber (orange to browns) and rather clear. Off-white foamy head. Nice line drawn lacing.
Tamer hop flavors with less intense fruitiness and holding some grassiness. Bittereness is also tame and lays softly on a reasonably long finish. Malt flavor is non-distinct and seems to hold little sweetness.
Lighter body increased by fluffy carbonation.
The aroma stands out and the look is classic, the rest under performs, but in total ithis s a very solid everyday drinker.

 550 characters

3.82/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a kinda hazy orange with a frothy head. The smell is very welcoming, full of fruit and some pine. The smell is kinda misleading though. The hops aren't very pronounced, and is very sweet. In addition to this it feels fairly watery and thin.

 246 characters

3.76/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a finger and half of head on a clear dark straw body.
The aroma is dry hay and grain, grass and a little citrus.
The taste tends more malty, mild lemon bitterness.
The texture is softer.
A great pale that lets the malt shine.

 232 characters

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Chill hazed amber colored ale with a small white colored head.

Smells hoppy with lots of tropical fruit scent. Pineapple and mango scents. lesser scent of cedar wood.

Starts out mildly sweet and woody with slight savory taste. Tastes of mango and pine. Little bit of woody flavor.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a tasty ale.

 328 characters

4.21/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Best before May 10th.

A clear gold pour with a 2 finger head of foam.

Big grapefruit and pine, really hoppy nose, but in a way that tells you it's an APA vs an IPA.

Taste authenticates what I said above. A very hoppy Pale, multi talented with the mix of hops flavours going on; I get grapefruit, I get some pine, even a bit of grass if I close my eyes. It's not without its sweetish malty side either. Nice balance, err, relative balance.

Very good mouthfeel.

Great tasting APA and "only" 5.7 % abv. prefer this to the Alaskan IPAs.

 538 characters