I like this beer because it is not hot. The fruitiness of the jalapeno is very prevalent in the aroma against a really well-made, clean and crisp Imperial IPA. The juicy flavor of the jalapeno lingers and joins a peppery, but not spicy hot, hop. The crispness in the finish is a well-balanced combination of fruity pepper, spicy hop, clean light malt body and fairly high alcohol content, all mingling to leave a clean palate.

The beer was fantastically paired with beans, rice and sour cream scooped with a chip. The flavors of the jalapeno pepper in the beer and the pasilla pepper in the relleno were distinct and marvelous with the queso fresco and egg in the relleno. I would highly recommend this beer with Mexican food; try it with a plate of nachos.

The Jalapeno Imperial IPA is available as part of the Alaskan's Rough Draft series, and can be found on draft around town, at the brewery gift shop where samples are free, and at special events such as the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival.

That's right; the time for the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival is rapidly approaching. It will be held Friday-Saturday, Jan. 18-19, at the Egan convention center in Anchorage. Aurora Productions sponsors the ever-growing event and is looking for volunteers to man the booths. If you have a Techniques of Alcohol Management card and are willing to pour beer for a minimum amount of time, your entry is free.

This year, the festival is offering a third "connoisseurs" session early on Saturday, in addition to the standard Friday and Saturday evening sessions. I hope the connoisseurs' session will have a limited number of tickets available; the crowds during the evening sessions can be overwhelming.

Also new this year is buying tickets in advance, which will hopefully limit the block-long lines in the past. Buying tickets in advance or volunteering can be done at www.auroraproductions.net and clicking on the beer and barley wine festival icon.

What I really love about this event is that all the Alaska breweries and meaderies are represented in their finest forms. This is an event with hundreds of beers, and one of the largest showings of barley wine in the country. The local breweries pull out all the stops and the distributors join in the fun, bringing in lots of specialties - much of which we are now seeing show up in town.

The Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival is a great place to sample to your hearts desire, and it's only a plane hop away.