Alaskan Smoked Porter sets the standard for this acquired taste

The annual release of Alaskan Brewing Company’s Smoked Porter is a heavily anticipated event for higher end craft beer aficionados not only here in Alaska, but globally as the beer is heralded as one of the world’s best. Although sources say the beer is out in some locations here in Anchorage, the official release is November 1, so now’s the time for you to get you palate tuned up for this heady beer and maybe some other smoked beers on the market from here and abroad.

For most, smoked beer is an acquired taste. There are certain things the average drinker associates with beer, but smoke isn’t one of them. Historically, if you look back far enough, all beer was made with brewing grain dried over wood-fired open flames, so some smoke character was a natural byproduct.

Smoke beers range in intensity from almost undetectably mild to brutal, so if you’re a neophyte to the style and have some interest do your homework. Authenticity is another issue for me; the best beers are made using grains actually smoked over a wood fire; the cheaper wannabe-knock-offs are made using a liquid smoke extract that – to me – imparts a cheap medicinal plastic essence the ruins a first time imbiber’s experience for life.

Fortunately, our local examples are the real deal. Alaskan Smoked Porter is the outstanding benchmark in style, process and quality.

Brewers can use commercially smoked malt that comes in sacks, or they can smoke their own. That’s what Alaskan’s painstakingly done for years. This result has earned the praise of the most discerning palates on the globe, and has postured the beer as the one of the most award-winning beers in the history of the Great American Beer Festival, regardless of style.

Let’s back up a minute. What’s the point of a smoked beer, anyway? If you’ve tried one, you’re either a fan or you’re not. Done right, a smoked beer can match your food and match your mood perfectly. For me, the entirety of the Alaskan Smoked Porter drinking experience conjures up all sorts of impressions, most of which remind me of our rugged outdoor uniquely Alaskan lifestyle. Maybe it’s the hours I’ve stood by a fire when a little smoke gets in my eyes, nose and mouth - but not in that unpleasant way - that connects me to the style; I don’ know. But, for example, last night, in the 6:30 pm, 27-degree darkness, I walked outside to get the mail and smelled smoke in the air and mused “huh, someone’s got a fire going,” and got that same wispy sense of nostalgia and comfort. That’s what Alaskan Smoked Porter does for me.

Alaskan Smoked Porter is produced by hand and the fable-ish beginning – or my recount of what I’ve learned, anyway - goes back to 1988 when the Taku Smokeries was located across the parking lot from Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau. With both being commercial, industrial-ish companies the guys from the brewery and the guys from the smokery would connect and hang in the parking lot after a hard day’s work. You can imagine a lot of smoked fish and locally produced beer were shared socially back then.

Alaskan Founder Geoff Larson studied the style with keen interest - unrelated to the boys in the parking lot - but when he’d learned enough, it was natural to just wander over and ask the guys across the street if he could smoke some grain over alderwood on the same racks they used to smoke their fish.

Suffice to say, a classic was born.

I’d classify Alaskan’s Smoked Porter in the “intense” category, but well shy of that brutal sensory assault level I’ve experienced in some harsher, lesser-balanced examples. Clearly, intense doesn’t mean bad if you know what you’re looking for in this famous beer, whether you’ve tried it before or not.

Without starting with the foo-foo descriptors associated with a beer like this, I’ll be blunt: Alaskan Smoked Porter is dark, it’s thick and it’s oily. Those are simply color and mouthfeel descriptors; it’s the aroma and flavor that makes this beer a standout every year.

When you get your version – there’s lots of last year’s on the shelves if you can’t find the 2020 Smoked Porter – for God’s sake don’t drink it straight up out of the 22 oz. bomber bottle and don’t drink it ice cold, either. The aroma and flavor really wake up when the beer’s at cellar temperature or just shy of room temperature depending on your taste.

Yeah, the beer’s inky dark; that’s appropriate in the porter style. The base beer is dark and it’s rich. The significant malt backbone in this brew supports the overt alderwood flavor that’s both deliberate and beautiful in this beer.

Smell it first. The most common comment I hear when I share this beer with neophytes is “it smells like a campfire.” I won’t try to describe the beer’s rich aroma other than the dark malt is easily evident under the distinctly smoky smell, but the rich, provocative kind, not a dusty, burnt or ashy essence. Look for some caramel, chocolate and peat notes, too. Everyone interprets the aromatic contribution of smoke in this beer differently, but you should at least be able to discern the alder, and certainly the enticing aroma should bait this beer to your lips.

As for the sip, take it slow and give it time on the palate before tossing it back. Roll it around in your mouth and explore the flavor that follows the aroma pretty closely, although with a bit more intensity given the mouthfeel addition to the overall sensory impression.

The smoke’s obviously there, but the dark malt’s somewhat roasty complexion should greet the palate first followed by more of a wispy smoke element than one that’s entirely enveloping. Dig out that chocolate and caramel essence hinted at in the nose, and see if you don’t also get a little dark fruit out of the deal too, before focusing on the smoke’s contribution.

The beer’s oily, but an almost silky essence helps blend the individual flavor components perfectly. Yeah, there are some hops in the beer, but they’re just there to balance the beer’s somewhat sweet-centered profile. At a middle-of-the- road 6.5 percent alcohol by volume, the beer’s not at all hot, but does command a little respect, especially in the 22 ounce bomber bottle presentation that’s better suited for sharing than slamming.

Alaskan Smoked Porter is a great seasonal and holiday kick off beer, so make a celebration out of it. This stuff pairs fabulously with fish – that’s a no-brainer – but serve it up as an appetizer with rich cheeses and sliced apples, which is my favorite presentation. The beer compliments any rich, substantial food, but I’m enamored enough with the brew that I drink it as a contemplative stand-alone too, mood depending.

If you want the perfect conversation starter at a COVID-safe virtual gathering, send out an invite with this beer as the centerpiece in the ingredients list and walk your guests through how to enjoy and appreciate this beer with a food menu of your choosing.

No, I don’t know what this year’s version tastes like; every year there are subtle variances making each release unique and exciting, and which has led to my collecting an inordinate amount of this beer in my vintage beer collection over the years because the stuff’s got good staying power too. I’ll be in line to get my share of this year’s example on November 1st.