A beer flight at King Street Brewing Co. PHOTO BY MARA SEVERIN
BREWERIES IN ALASKA ARE BOOMING. HERE’S WHERE TO GET A TASTE. By M A R A S E V E R I N
In
exchange for living in what is perhaps the country’s most beautiful state, Alaskans sometimes have to do without: professional sports teams, In-N-Out Burger and, well, sunlight for half the year. But we make up for it with the Iditarod, reindeer sausages and aurora borealis chasing. In other words, we often have to make our own fun. And, sometimes, by “fun” I mean “beer.” Those words are interchangeable, right? Beer is a big part of life for Alaskans. We hike with it, camp with it, boat with it, cook with it and pair it with foods like the stuffiest of sommeliers. We throw it monthly birthday parties like the First Tap events at Broken Tooth Brewing Co. (otherwise known as Bear Tooth Theatrepub and Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria), complete with national musical acts like Norah Jones and Imagine Dragons. We 48
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VISITORS’ GUIDE • 2021
even do yoga with it (at downtown’s sprawling Williwaw venue). In other words, we take it everywhere and we take it seriously. Beers from the state’s biggest brewery, Alaskan Brewing Co. based in Juneau, might already be in your refrigerator if you live in one of the 25 Western and Midwestern states where it’s available. Or you might have refreshed yourself with an Alaskan Amber on your Alaska Airlines flight on the way into Anchorage. By sales volume, it is the 19th largest craft brewery in the United States. With a steady line of signature brews — and some seasonal specialties that incorporate cranberries, raspberries, locally roasted coffee and even Alaska spruce tips — it’s the most well-established of all the state’s breweries. Ubiquitous around Alaska, this long-running brewery is our Papa Beer, if you will (I’ll show myself out). But Alaskan Brewing is just one of over 40 breweries in the state. And while almost half of them are in Anchorage or within a short drive of our state’s largest city (including the relatively populous communities of Girdwood, Eagle River, Palmer and Wasilla),
some of our most remote ports of call and tiniest towns (I’m looking at you, Gakona Brewery in Gakona, population 218) are emphatically in on the brewing action. The ever-expanding Denali Brewing Co. in Talkeetna (population 876) may be a small-town hero, but it’s anything but small. In fact, it’s currently the second-largest beer producer in Alaska. Their four signature beers — Mother Ale, Chuli Stout, Single Engine Red and the ever-popular Twister Creek IPA — are year-round mainstays of summer barbecues and winter bonfires around the state. Their brewery is also home to the recently established Alaska Cider Works, Alaska Meadery (featuring “Razzery,” a mead made with raspberries, sour cherries and apples) and Denali Spirits (featuring vodka, gin, whiskey and “smoke” whiskey) because when you’ve fermented one, why not ferment them all? But some breweries are even more remote. Ports of call and island hopping here can be one way to get your fill of hops. Breweries can be found in Ketchikan (Bawden Street Brewing Co. and Baleen Brewing Co.), Kodiak
