Alaskan Brewing will introduce a third seasonal into their existing lineup in the early part of January 2012.
Black IPA, a 6.4 percent offering that differs slightly from their Double Black IPA recipe will make its way into both 12 and 22oz bottles as well as draught format. The 12oz bottles will be available in 6, 12 and 24 packs.
According to brewery spokesperson Ashley Johnston, the beer will be sold throughout the 12 states Alaskan products are currently distributed.
Available until their Summer Ale releases in April or May, Black IPA adds yet another element to the Alaskan portfolio.
“We wanted to do something really different from our other seasonals and loved the Double Black IPA we released through our Pilot Series at the end of 2010,” Johnston said. “The big Northwest hop flavor blends surprisingly well with the rich dark malt profile, resulting in a pretty fantastic beer that we wanted to share in a more drinkable 12 ounce seasonal format.”
While the ABV is a noticeable 2.1 percent lower than the above-mentioned Pilot Series offering, it also differs slightly in recipe.
“The spring seasonal Black IPA is brewed with Calypso hops in addition to the Cascade and Centennial hops we used in the Double Black IPA,” Johnston said. “The malt profile is very similar, but the lower alcohol lends a slightly more quaffable mouthfeel.”
And that’s not the only change brewing in Alaska.
“We had a great year of expansion into Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2011, our first new markets since 2008,” she said. “Our first goal is always to continue to grow in our existing markets, but we do have some exciting plans for market expansion for 2012.”
Johnston confirmed that the brewery plans to expand into both Texas and New Mexico by the summer of 2012. Alaskan Brewing is also in the testing and development stages of installing a steam boiler fueled entirely by their spent grain.
Alaskan beer is currently distributed in AK, AZ, CA, NV, CO, WY, MN, WI, ID, MT WA and OR