Pilot Series: Perseverance Ale
Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau, Alaska, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Series Out of Production|
Score
7.27
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This complex and malt forward Imperial Stout is brewed with an array of local ingredients and flavors to add dimension and celebrate Alaskan’s history and home. Alaska birch syrup from Wasilla lends a deep, almost tart character to the dark malt profile, while fireweed honey from Delta Junction adds a delicate sweetness and floral notes to the aroma and finish. The slight addition of our in-house alder-smoked malt alludes to the distinctive roasted flavor of turn-of-the-century malting practices, without overpowering the more subtle flavors of this dynamic anniversary brew.
To celebrate their quarter-century milestone, the Alaskan Brew Crew wanted to create a beer that was big, bold and brewed with ingredients from Alaska that could be enjoyed fresh or cellared to be brought out to remember the anniversary for years to come. The Russian heritage still present throughout our state make this Russian Imperial Stout a tribute to all that makes our beers truly Alaskan.
This limited edition Imperial Stout is brewed with glacier-fed water, birch syrup from the Alaska Birch Syrup Co., fireweed honey from Alaskan Bee Apiaries, brown sugar and an array of different malts including malted oats and a dash of our world famous alder-smoked malt.
The sturdy flavors in Alaskan Perseverance Ale pair well with rich and savory proteins ranging from fresh oysters to wild game meats. Custards, dark chocolate truffles, New York cheesecake and other creamy desserts bring out the the sweeter notes of fireweed honey, oats and brown sugar
Original Gravity: 1.093, ABV: 9.0%, Bitterness: 50 IBU, Color: 140 SRM
30th anniversary:
Perseverance is a tribute to our 30th anniversary and with this great accomplishment we want to celebrate with you. Kick back and enjoy this big, bold Russian Imperial Stout and don’t forget your commemorative anniversary glass. Cheers to 30 years!
(from https://alaskanbeer.com/2016/09/01/september-events)
35th anniversary:
Russian imperial stout brewed with birch syrup and wildflower honey
2021
(from label)
Alaska birch syrup from Kahiltna Birchworks
wildflower honey
This recipe, originally released as the Perseverance Ale, now resurfaces every time the brewery celebrates a 5-year milestone.
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Taster at Black Friday. Normal pour for the style, head a bit weak. Strong roasty bitter notes in aroma and taste. Hi ts if dark chocolate and coffee, but lots of butter roast malts.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Thanks Bill.
This was poured into a snifter.
The appearance was a jet black color with a finger’s worth of tan head. Mild clingy lace.
The aroma leads with a rugged sweet to roasty coffee bean and grinds with a bit of pizazz from some grassy hops. Dark bitter cocoa beans enter in with a touch of sweet fireweed honey. Light birch syrup. Then some smoke.
The flavor leans towards the sweet side with a huge robust smokiness rolling all up in there. Semi-sticky sort of bitter to roastiness grinding into the aftertaste and strolling on into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a fair sipping grip sticking along my tongue. Carbonation still felt good. ABV felt as projected by the brewer.
Overall, this was my second bottle and though I didn’t report anything then, seems like nothing has really changed from November 2016 until now.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle at Toronado San Diego. Black with a small tan head. Aroma of licorice, dried fruit, some chocolate and hints of smoke. Similar taste. The mouthfeel was thinner than expected.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5
Bomber, shared by Michael at the ski trip. Pours black, with a big, bubbly, tan head. The nose is coffee, baking chocolate, light honey and molasses, pine sap, and cloves. Sweet and a little roasty, with a mellow bitterness. Heavy body, syrupy, thick, and chewy. This is a solid, complex, and interesting stout.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Dark, almost black. Aroma has some roast, a bit of alcohol and honey sweetness. tastes actually thinner than I expected, ashy and leathery from one side and sweetish honey from the other. Overall, nice decent imperial stout, not completely wow’ing me but enjoyed that.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Shared bomber in snifters. Typical appearance for an RIS, as well as a typical RIS taste . . . at least initially. The birch/honey/smoked malt contributed to a nontypical taste from mid-plate through to the finish. Earthy wood smoke, slightly sweet, mild graham cracker,
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
On tap at The Hay Merchant. Pours a very dark brown with small tan head that lasts. The aroma is strong roast, chocolate, wood. Medium body, smoke, wood, light booze finish, very good.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Very dark, thin head. Sweet, caramel, then gets dry and roasty in the finish. Lots of burnt fruit. Odd character. Some porterish elements.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky tan head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, caramel, floral honey, wood, smoke, char, herbal, pepper, and pine; with lighter notes of licorice, dark fruit, nuttiness, and roast/char earthiness. Damn nice aromas wish great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, honey/birch syrup, moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, caramel, floral honey, wood, smoke, char, herbal, pepper, and pine; with lighter notes of licorice, dark fruit, nuttiness, and roast/char earthiness. Moderate herbal/piney hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toasted dark bread, caramel, wood, smoke, char, herbal, pepper, pine, and roast/char earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, honey/birch syrup, moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero astringent hop/char flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from roast/char/hop bitterness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy, and moderately sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an outstanding Russian imperial stout! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, honey/birch syrup, moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. Very classic RIS style flavors, with unique complementing complexity coming from the honey/birch syrup. A highly enjoyable offering.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5
651 ml bottle.
Pours black with a small head of foam that is on the stubborn side as in it refuses to leave the scene.
Big roasted malt, caramel and honey notes with a bit of vanilla in the smell.
Tastes like it smells. Absolutely delicious with a rather mild alcohol presence.
Bordering on full bodied, fairly light carbonation, I reckon that the Birch syrup is what makes it a different kettle of fish. More please.