Welcome readers to the Sun Star's buzz worthy Beer Corner. This segment is dedicated to the ever growing and evolving taste buds of the American beer drinker.

This week I'd like to tell you about the Laughing Dog Brewery located in the panhandle of Idaho, Northeast of Spokane, WA. Their products found in Fairbanks are the Cream Ale, Sweet Stout, Pale Ale, and the most noteworthy of the collection: the Indian Pale Ale.

Only one word can describe the Cream Ale: ambiguous (most likely due to its multi-national list of ingredients).

You'll only enjoy the Sweet Stout if you like coffee, and the Pale Ale is a good choice for those who find its Indian counterpart too bitter. Before I talk about the star of the show, the Indian Pale Ale, let me regale you with the history of this brew.

The Indian Pale Ale, or IPA, originated not from India, but from England. In the late 1700s, Hogdson, then the most popular ale brewer in London, decided to start selling beer to English soldiers stationed in India. This market was largely untapped (no pun intended) due to the problem of beer spoiling on the long trip across the seas. To preserve the beer, brewers modified the standard Pale Ale recipe by increasing the hops and alcohol content. This, combined with the long maturation during transit, created something very different from the run-of-the-mill Pale Ale. So different that it gained a new name. IPA was born.

Like all of Laughing Dog's beers, the IPA has a large head with equally large retention. It has so much of both that I advise you to take care when pouring. This beer is bitter in the ways that IPA's should be, and its light color masks its notable bite. If you're curious about Indian Pale Ales, then Laughing Dog's is a good standard to compare other IPA's to.