This weekend while an adventure lead me to North St. Paul, I stopped in at a liquor store I was unfamiliar with an found a beer that I knew I had to buy it simply due to it’s contradictory name. The beer was Alaskan Black IPA (Pictured and the title!) put out by the Alaskan Brewing Company out of Juneau, Alaska.

What caught me off guard about the name is that IPA (India Pale Ale) would imply that it was pale or lighter in color than having ‘Black’ in the name imply it’s dark like a porter or stout. Even though their naming convention is slightly misleading if over analyzed it actually ended up fitting the name perfectly. Why? After pouring it into a glass it was evident that it was ringing true to being black like a Guinness with the little bubbles traditionally accompanying darker beers. After tasting it, the surprise was how much it tasted like it was a 50/50 mix of a very good IPA hops taste at the beginning finishing with a earthy stout taste. Other than being a little bit pricey for a 6 pack, it was very good and would recommend it if like me you are often torn between getting a hopsy beer or getting something dark and awesome.

Do you try out seasonal beers when you find them, or are you more of a fan of the “old trusty types” so you don’t end up with 6 or 12 bottles of something you don’t like?