Beer Review: Alaskan Smoked Porter

Reviewing the Alaskan Smoked Porter from Alaskan Brewing Company. This is my first beer from Alaskan Brewing Company, and Wisconsin, who they recently started distributing to, is the only state east of the Mississippi that gets their beer.
Score: 90

2011 vintage bottle served in a Surly Darkness snifter and enjoyed on 01/27/12.

Appearance: Jet black color with thin caramel highlights at the top of the glass and faint ruby highlights at the bottom. Pours two fingers of soapy tan head that settles into a ring around the glass. Above average lacing with an above average cling factor. Lacing becomes more "oily" as it warms. 4/5

Smell: Prominently roasted chocolate, cocoa and smoke. Also detecting (stale?) roasted coffee, an aroma best described as a "used coffee filter smell," and roasted nondescript malts. Light notes of dried dark cherry and dried raisins are in the mix too. Milk chocolate comes out as it warms if you swirl before sniffing. 4/5

Taste: Smoked chocolate and light notes of dried dark fruit throughout. Hints of oak. Not tasting much coffee aside from a little lingering acidic coffee bitterness in the finish, though the amount of coffee in the finish slightly increases as the beer layers. Some roasted nondescript malts toward the finish as well, supplanting the chocolatiness. Finishes with a lightly smoked bitterness. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium-minus carbonation. Finishes smoky, bitter and a little acidic. 4/5

Overall: Not overly smoked and mixed with the perfect amount of roasted chocolate, making for easy drinking. Smells slightly better than it tastes, but the flavors are pretty spot on for a porter. I am usually a fan of thicker bodied dark beers, but the mouthfeel is pretty interesting due to the smokey malt character of the beer.

Recommendation: Seek this one out. This beer is not nearly as smokey as most smoke-infused beers (particularly the "smoked beer" style), though more "sensitive palates" might still find the smokiness a wee bit overwhelming. This could make an interesting beer for casual beer drinkers, as the smokey mouthfeel would be an entirely interesting departure from the grainy water flavors of Miller Lite.

Pairings: BBQ Brisket sandwich and mashed potatoes.

Cost: $8.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.