Alaskan Amber Clone

I created this for my father who loves Alaskan Amber. It is a fairly easy homebrew recipe, but does require some knowledge of using steeping grains, and you need to do this in the Winter or have temperature control.

Alaskan Amber can either be described as an American amber ale, or a German altbier, it really depends on the hops. If you use American hops that impart a citrus or pine aroma and flavor it would be more like an American amber ale. If you decide to use German noble hops, even if they are from the United States, it would probably be correctly a German Altbier (similar to the Dusseldorf alt).

You should know that this recipe is modeled after the Alaskan Amber recipe which is truly an alt (old style i.e. ale). Most altbier in Germany that is not from Dusseldorf is really just a brown lager that is moderately bitter (G. Strong (Ed.), 2008).

This recipe is slightly out of the BJCP guidelines since the ABV is higher than expected and the hop bitterness is lower than expected. This is on purpose since the Alaskan Brewing Company website shows the specifications for this beer and that was my target. The fermentation needs to be much cooler than normal, and will take longer as well. Sanitation and temperature control is vital here.

Food Pairing

This homebrew goes great with pasta, fish (especially salmon), and of course, German style food like bratwurst, cheeses, pork roasts. It's noble hop character also makes a great marinade for short ribs, but it is up to you whether you want to use your homebrew for cooking or eating!

References

7. amber hybrid beer. In (2008). G. Strong (Ed.), 2008 BJCP guidelines (p. 8). St. Louis Park, MN: