BREWERIES, DISTILLERIES, CIDERIES, OH, MY: WHEN IN ALASKA, DRINK AS ALASKANS DO 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, Trader Joe’s 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 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 Michael Franti and Norah Jones. We 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 states where it’s available, or you might have had an Alaskan Amber on your flight into Anchorage. With a steady line of signature brews — and some seasonal specialties that incorporate cranberries, raspberries, locally roasted coffee, locally grown white wheat from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley 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 50 breweries, distilleries, meaderies, and cideries in the state (for an excellent list visit brewersguildofalaska.org). 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 now anything but small. 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,
BREAD
THE WAY IT OUGHT TO BE GREAT HARVEST BREAD CO ANCHORAGE 570 E. BENSON BLVD. ANCHORAGE, AK 99503 9072743331
BAKERY HOURS MONDAY SATURDAY 7:00 AM 6:00 PM SANDWICH HOURS 7:00 AM 4:00 PM
“More Whiskey!...And Fresh Horses For My Men!”
Live music Karaoke
DJ Dance Party
Open Jam with Ben Sayers
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224-3063 42
ALASKA —
Seward, Corner of 4th & Washington Street
VISITORS’ GUIDE • 2022
www.greatharvestanchorage.com
BAKING A DIFFERENCE SINCE 1994
