Bill Howell's Blog, page 6
April 3, 2016
It's Spring in Alaska and the New Breweries Are Blooming...
It looks like spring might be here on the Kenai Peninsula for real this time. Granted, it can still get below freezing at night, but we are seeing some warm sunny days that have pretty much taken care of all the snow an dice on the ground. Plants are starting to bud, and soon it will be time to start planting things in the garden. Of course, this also means we're getting into fire season again. After two pretty bad years, I hope this one is a quiet one here on the Peninsula.
Photo courtesy of Bleeding Heart Brewery
It's also springtime in the beer world, with new breweries starting to open like flowers. Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer has received its final license from the sate, and plans to open this month. Here's the word, straight from Bleeding Heart:
Bleeding Heart is a true nanobrewery, as it will only be brewing one barrel batches, and has a tasting room with a capacity of only 20 persons. You can only find its beers at the brewery and at three or four local places in Palmer. Initial beer offering will include Bleeding Heart IPA, Kold Shoulder Kristalweizen, Valley Trash Dirty Blonde, and Grounds for Divorce Coffee Porter. The brewery is located at 16013 E. Outer Springer Loop Road in Palmer, just south of the golf course.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewing
Only a couple of weeks behind Bleeding Heart, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer also received its final state license, meaning it will also be opening soon. Grace Ridge is planning to open on May 12th, I believe. It will be a bit bigger than Bleeding Heart, more on the scale of Resolution Brewing in Anchorage. Check out my 11/9/2015 blog for more details on Grace Ridge.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewing
The opening of two more breweries (the 26th and 27th in the state, I believe), just mirrors the national trend. The Brewers Association has published the numbers for breweries opening in 2015, and here's the graphic showing them:
Click to enlargeGrowth in both the number of breweries and the volume of both beer and dollars value continues at a rapid pace. If you have any doubt why AB-InBev & MillerCoors are snapping up craft breweries, this graphic should make it clear.
Saturday, March 26th was Orval Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. It began at 2 PM, and by the time I arrived at 2:45, all of the aged Orval was already gone. I could only stay for about 45 minutes, which only gave me time to enjoy one glass of fresh Orval and some delicious Orval cheese, but the place was packed with people enjoying themselves. I haven't heard if all the Orval Gabe Fletcher had acquired was consumed, but I wouldn't be surprised. Here are some photos I snapped of the event:
Busy serving counter
Orval beer and Orval cheese
Live music
Delicious Dave was in the house!
View from behind the counter
I have gotten more details on the Alaska Crafted Festival , which will be held on 21 May in Anchorage. As I mentioned in my last blog, this new festival is sponsored jointly by the Brewers Guild of Alaska and the Distillers Guild of Alaska , and will showcase local food and beverages. This event will be huge, encompassing the entire city block containing Williwaw, Humpy's, Flattop, and Sub-Zero , including F Street between 6th and 7th and the parking lot behind Sub-Zero . I'm told that the food and beverages will be grouped by regions of the state. Tickets are on sale now, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they sell out, so if you want to attend, I'd grab one now.
Speaking of food, Midnight Sun Brewing Company has posted the menu for its Beer Brunch , happening next Saturday, April 9th. No reservations, just first come, first served.
Click to enlargeAlso, there will be a
MSBC Bacon & Beer Tap Takeover
at
Lavelle's
in Fairbanks on April 23rd. Finally, Midnight Sun's Sloth Belgian-style Imperial Stout was selected as on of the 101 Best Beers In America by Men's Journal Magazine. The other winner from Alaska was Anchorage Brewing's A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine. MSBC also won Best Brewery in a recent KTUU Channel 2 Viewers' Choice poll.
Arkose Brewery is continuing its Small-Batch Nitro series, with Hazelnut Chocolate Porter.
Baranof Island Brewing Company is holding its annual keg hunt. Two kegs have already been found, but I believe a third is still in play...
Keg #1 found. Photo courtesy of Baranof Island BC
Keg #2 found. Photo courtesy of Baranof Island BC
Gakona Brewing Company
just took delivery of two new 1-barrel fermenters, which should increase its capacity significantly. Ed Miner is getting back in the brewing groove after a nice winter's rest.
Here on the Peninsula, I bumped into Frank & Debbie Kassik yesterday, and they told me they had just returned from driving to British Columbia to purchase a new brite tank for Kassik's Brewery. At Kenai River Brewing Company, they are getting closer and closer to being able to start moving into the new brewery later this month. There is also a new brew on tap, Dr. RIRPA, which stand for Dr. Rudi Imperial Rye Pale Ale. At St. Elias Brewing, Green Giant DIPA has been replaced in the tap list with Goat Dope Bock. Zach Henry is also working on installing a new 10-tap tower on his bar in the next couple of weeks. Here's the current St. Elias tap list:
That's it for news. Moving on to reviews, I only have two new beer reviews this time, but I do have a product review, so let's start with that.
The Koolernaut : this is a more sophisticated version of the traditional beer koozie. Besides insulating your beer to help it hold its temperature, the Koolernaut has a built-in temperature indicator, so you know exactly how cold (or warm) your beer is. It also comes with small "ice pucks" that you can freeze and then insert into the Koolernaut under your beer bottle or can to help it stay cold. Here in Alaska, it would need to be a pretty hot summer day for you to really need the pucks, but I can see how they might be needed in, say, New Orleans where I grew up. The Koolernaut even has a nice beer style vs. serving temperature guide printed on the back. You could also use it by first inserting a warm beer into it and then sticking it into the fridge or freezer. The temperature indication would then tell you when your beer had reached a proper serving temperature. So if you typically use a beer koozie, I'd recommend you consider upgrading to The Koolernaut. It will run you $15 plus shipping.
The Koolernaut and two ice pucks
50F? Looks like my Twister Creek IPA is ready to drink!
Kenai River Brewing's I'll Have Another Hoppy Lager: This was originally released back in January, as part of Alaska Beer Week , but I didn't get to try it until now. It poured a clear, light honey color, with a nice white head and good lacing on the glass. The aroma had lots of what I think were Citra hop notes. The carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. There was a nicely bitter initial attack, followed by lots of hop flavor, against a clean tasting malt background. Very nice.
Ballast Point Brewing's Grunion Pale Ale: Another beer which has only recently become available in Alaska. It poured a clear copper color, with an off-white head. The nose was a mixture of citrus and melon notes from the hops used. Carbonation and mouthfeel were both good. On the palate there was moderate initial bitterness, followed by lots more fruit & melon-like hop flavors. If you like fruity hop notes, this is the pale ale for you. 5.5% ABV, 50 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this week. Get out and enjoy our new spring weather and make plans to visit some of the new breweries which are opening across the state. Will we make it to 30 by the end of the year? Maybe...
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Photo courtesy of Bleeding Heart BreweryIt's also springtime in the beer world, with new breweries starting to open like flowers. Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer has received its final license from the sate, and plans to open this month. Here's the word, straight from Bleeding Heart:
"We will be having our Soft Opening the 16th of April, 12 - 8. We will then be involved in the "Who Let the Girls out" event in Palmer the following weekend and starting April 28th we will begin holding Brewery Hours. Currently our projected days/hours will be Thurs/Fri 4-8, Sat 12-8."
Bleeding Heart is a true nanobrewery, as it will only be brewing one barrel batches, and has a tasting room with a capacity of only 20 persons. You can only find its beers at the brewery and at three or four local places in Palmer. Initial beer offering will include Bleeding Heart IPA, Kold Shoulder Kristalweizen, Valley Trash Dirty Blonde, and Grounds for Divorce Coffee Porter. The brewery is located at 16013 E. Outer Springer Loop Road in Palmer, just south of the golf course.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge BrewingOnly a couple of weeks behind Bleeding Heart, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer also received its final state license, meaning it will also be opening soon. Grace Ridge is planning to open on May 12th, I believe. It will be a bit bigger than Bleeding Heart, more on the scale of Resolution Brewing in Anchorage. Check out my 11/9/2015 blog for more details on Grace Ridge.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge BrewingThe opening of two more breweries (the 26th and 27th in the state, I believe), just mirrors the national trend. The Brewers Association has published the numbers for breweries opening in 2015, and here's the graphic showing them:
Click to enlargeGrowth in both the number of breweries and the volume of both beer and dollars value continues at a rapid pace. If you have any doubt why AB-InBev & MillerCoors are snapping up craft breweries, this graphic should make it clear.
Saturday, March 26th was Orval Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. It began at 2 PM, and by the time I arrived at 2:45, all of the aged Orval was already gone. I could only stay for about 45 minutes, which only gave me time to enjoy one glass of fresh Orval and some delicious Orval cheese, but the place was packed with people enjoying themselves. I haven't heard if all the Orval Gabe Fletcher had acquired was consumed, but I wouldn't be surprised. Here are some photos I snapped of the event:
Busy serving counter
Orval beer and Orval cheese
Live music
Delicious Dave was in the house!
View from behind the counterI have gotten more details on the Alaska Crafted Festival , which will be held on 21 May in Anchorage. As I mentioned in my last blog, this new festival is sponsored jointly by the Brewers Guild of Alaska and the Distillers Guild of Alaska , and will showcase local food and beverages. This event will be huge, encompassing the entire city block containing Williwaw, Humpy's, Flattop, and Sub-Zero , including F Street between 6th and 7th and the parking lot behind Sub-Zero . I'm told that the food and beverages will be grouped by regions of the state. Tickets are on sale now, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they sell out, so if you want to attend, I'd grab one now.
Speaking of food, Midnight Sun Brewing Company has posted the menu for its Beer Brunch , happening next Saturday, April 9th. No reservations, just first come, first served.
Click to enlargeAlso, there will be a
MSBC Bacon & Beer Tap Takeover
at
Lavelle's
in Fairbanks on April 23rd. Finally, Midnight Sun's Sloth Belgian-style Imperial Stout was selected as on of the 101 Best Beers In America by Men's Journal Magazine. The other winner from Alaska was Anchorage Brewing's A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine. MSBC also won Best Brewery in a recent KTUU Channel 2 Viewers' Choice poll.Arkose Brewery is continuing its Small-Batch Nitro series, with Hazelnut Chocolate Porter.
Baranof Island Brewing Company is holding its annual keg hunt. Two kegs have already been found, but I believe a third is still in play...
Keg #1 found. Photo courtesy of Baranof Island BC
Keg #2 found. Photo courtesy of Baranof Island BC
Gakona Brewing Company
just took delivery of two new 1-barrel fermenters, which should increase its capacity significantly. Ed Miner is getting back in the brewing groove after a nice winter's rest.
Here on the Peninsula, I bumped into Frank & Debbie Kassik yesterday, and they told me they had just returned from driving to British Columbia to purchase a new brite tank for Kassik's Brewery. At Kenai River Brewing Company, they are getting closer and closer to being able to start moving into the new brewery later this month. There is also a new brew on tap, Dr. RIRPA, which stand for Dr. Rudi Imperial Rye Pale Ale. At St. Elias Brewing, Green Giant DIPA has been replaced in the tap list with Goat Dope Bock. Zach Henry is also working on installing a new 10-tap tower on his bar in the next couple of weeks. Here's the current St. Elias tap list:
That's it for news. Moving on to reviews, I only have two new beer reviews this time, but I do have a product review, so let's start with that.
The Koolernaut : this is a more sophisticated version of the traditional beer koozie. Besides insulating your beer to help it hold its temperature, the Koolernaut has a built-in temperature indicator, so you know exactly how cold (or warm) your beer is. It also comes with small "ice pucks" that you can freeze and then insert into the Koolernaut under your beer bottle or can to help it stay cold. Here in Alaska, it would need to be a pretty hot summer day for you to really need the pucks, but I can see how they might be needed in, say, New Orleans where I grew up. The Koolernaut even has a nice beer style vs. serving temperature guide printed on the back. You could also use it by first inserting a warm beer into it and then sticking it into the fridge or freezer. The temperature indication would then tell you when your beer had reached a proper serving temperature. So if you typically use a beer koozie, I'd recommend you consider upgrading to The Koolernaut. It will run you $15 plus shipping.
The Koolernaut and two ice pucks
50F? Looks like my Twister Creek IPA is ready to drink!Kenai River Brewing's I'll Have Another Hoppy Lager: This was originally released back in January, as part of Alaska Beer Week , but I didn't get to try it until now. It poured a clear, light honey color, with a nice white head and good lacing on the glass. The aroma had lots of what I think were Citra hop notes. The carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. There was a nicely bitter initial attack, followed by lots of hop flavor, against a clean tasting malt background. Very nice.
Ballast Point Brewing's Grunion Pale Ale: Another beer which has only recently become available in Alaska. It poured a clear copper color, with an off-white head. The nose was a mixture of citrus and melon notes from the hops used. Carbonation and mouthfeel were both good. On the palate there was moderate initial bitterness, followed by lots more fruit & melon-like hop flavors. If you like fruity hop notes, this is the pale ale for you. 5.5% ABV, 50 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this week. Get out and enjoy our new spring weather and make plans to visit some of the new breweries which are opening across the state. Will we make it to 30 by the end of the year? Maybe...
Until Next Time, Cheers!
March 21, 2016
The 1st Day of (Astronomical) Spring?
The vernal equinox took place at 8:30 PM Alaska Time Saturday, which is theoretically the end of winter and the start of spring. In more practical terms, Southcentral Alaska got several inches of snow dumped on it from Saturday on into Sunday morning. It didn't start falling here in Sterling until about 8 PM Saturday, but we still got something like 6 inches; they got much more in Anchorage and further north, so perhaps it's not time to start planting flowers just yet. Still, even if I had to fire up my snowblower one more time, it should all melt pretty soon. Hopefully the real beginning of spring isn't too far away.
In the legislature, there is still the possibility that our esteemed lawmakers might follow the governor's suggestion and double our alcohol taxes, including the tax on beer. As an illustration of just how flat-out stupid that would be, here's a nice graphic that I was sent by the Tax Foundation:
Click to enlarge. Courtesy of the Tax Foundation.
As you can see, at #2, Alaska already seems to be part of the Bible-Belt South, where consuming alcohol is still considered a sin, along with dancing and not being a Southern Baptist. And now Walker wants to double our taxes? Another thing I noticed: states that are famous for their craft breweries tend to have low beer taxes, like Oregon (#45), Colorado (#45), and even normally-tax-happy California (#28). At a time when the state's economy is already shrinking, it seem incredibly stupid to think about trying to choke off one of its few bright spots with ridiculously high taxes. For more on this subject, you can check out the blog I wrote on 2/12/2016.
More statewide news: Alaska Business Monthly Magazine is doing a survey on best AK businesses, and it includes brewery and distillery categories. Follow this link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/akbizmag2016 and vote for your favorite!
Speaking of breweries and distilleries, the Brewers Guild of Alaska and the Distillers Guild of Alaska have announced that they will be holding their first joint event, the Alaska Crafted Festival . This premier, outdoor beer and spirits tasting event will take place in downtown Anchorage on Saturday, May 21, from 5-10 p.m., and will specifically feature craft beverages – brews, spirits, mead, wine, and cider –made in the Last Frontier. Scheduled during American Craft Beer Week , the festival will celebrate Alaska brands, bands and artisans with live music, educational seminars and product demonstrations highlighting the emerging craft beverage industry in the state. More than 25 brewers and distillers will showcase as many as 40 Alaska varieties, hailing from Haines in Southeast Alaska to Fox from Alaska’s Interior. In addition to meeting the makers behind the brands, festival-goers can expect a variety of cuisines, live entertainment and even an area featuring lawn games. “We’re looking forward to kicking off the summer season by celebrating the products that are made right here, in the Last Frontier, with the extended community of distillers, brewers and consumers,” said Heather Shade, president of the Distillers Guild of Alaska . “We want to support this emerging Alaska market while emphasizing the importance of buying local.” This outdoor special event is for ages 21 and up and will be held at the Williwaw complex in downtown Anchorage on F St. between 6th and 7th Ave. Tickets are $75 each, or $120 for two tickets, and can be purchased at www.alaskacrafted.com.
Speaking of upcoming events, this Saturday, March 26th, will be Orval Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. Here's what owner Gabe Fletcher had to say about it:
Image courtesy of Merchant du Vin
Image courtesy of Anchorage Brewing
Orval Day starts at 2 PM on Saturday, March 26th. Also, Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that it is looking to hire a full-time person for its tap room. If you're interested, please send your resume and a cover letter expressing why you would be a great beertender for Anchorage Brewing Company to jacendapurelife@gmail.com. Hours will be around 1 pm-9 pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Another sure sign of the coming of spring is that our seasonal breweries/brewpubs are getting closer to their opening days. Seward Brewing Company will open on May 5th. Its new menu has been posted on line and you can check it out here. 49th State Brewing in Healy will be opening on April 25th. Gakona Brewing plans to fire off its kettle again on April 20th and has a new website. Icy Strait Brewing has announced that it will be restarting soon, though no specific date was mentioned.
On Sunday, March 13th, Elaine and I made the long run from Sterling to Wasilla to check put Bearpaw River Brewing . I'd been trying to get up there since it opened back in December, but something had always come up to scuttle my plans. We got into town a few minutes before the brewery opened at noon and were looking for lunch, so we went into a Thai restaurant, just a couple of doors down from the brewery, called Thai Asian Cuisine . The food there was outstanding, so if you're looking for lunch in Wasilla, I'd recommend getting it to go here and then carrying it to Bearpaw River to enjoy, along with some fresh craft beer. After enjoying our lunch, we walked over to the brewery. Brewer Jake Wade was working that day, but he graciously took a few minutes out to talk with me. The brewery has a 10-barrel system from Global Stainless, four 10-barrel conical fermenters, and 2 brite tanks. There are 10 regular taps and one nitro tap. When we were there, there were eight brews on tap. Jake said that he had only recently sent a couple of kegs to a few select locations, like the Pub House and Fat Ptarmigan in Anchorage and the Eagle River Alehouse , but he was still keeping almost all of his production for sale at the brewery. I sampled the brand-new Dortmunder Export Lager (which really helped douse the fire from my lunch of spicy Thai food) and the 1778 English Ale, an ESB, both of which were excellent. I picked up a growler of the Mat Maid Milk Stout to take home; see my review of it below. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long, as we were looking at a four hour drive home. If you are in or around Wasilla, I strongly recommend you make the time to stop by Bearpaw River and check out the excellent beers that are being brewed there!
Here are some photos of the visit, courtesy of my wife Elaine Howell.
Nondescript exterior
The tap room
Looking from tap room through to the brewery
Tap handles and copper bar back
Jake Wade, the head brewer at Bearpaw River
Alaskan Brewing Company has announced a 12-bottle variety pack, the Boundary Range Hop Pack. Named after the mountain range that separates Alaska from British Columbia, it contains Hopothermia Double IPA, Big Mountain Pale Ale, Icy Bay IPA, and Freeride American Pale Ale. So if you are a big hop lover, this one's for you.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
Winterlong Brewing
in Whitehorse has announced another expansion. Starting in June, it will take over the lease for the entire building in which it is currently located and in July it will take deliver of another five new tanks, which will triple its current production capacity.
Photo courtesy of Winterlong BrewingMidnight Sun Brewing Company will be hosting a
Beer Brunch
on Sunday, April 9th from 11 to 3 PM. Four courses, each with a beer, will cost you $45. Here's the poster for it:
Click to enlargeOdd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River has announced new hours:
I was contacted last week by Brian Olson of Alaska Berries , the estate winery in Soldotna; he wanted to let me know that they now have two new wines available, a Red Currant wine and a Black Currant wine. I plan to stop by there sometime this week to try them and hopefully to buy some more of the fantastic haskap jam that they make. Alaska Berries is open from 2 to 7 PM, Wednesday thru Sundays.
Kenai River Brewing has taken deliver of its new huge 180-barrel conical fermenters. Here are some photos of the delivery process in the new brewery, courtesy of Kenai River. I understand they cleared the ceiling with 3" to spare!
That's it for news, so let's turn to reviews.
Stone Brewing's Old Guardian Barley Wine, Dry Hopped with Pekko: I picked this one up at Country Liquors in Kenai. It poured a dark but clear honey color, with a nice cream-colored head. The aroma was a good balance of malt and nice floral notes from the Pekko. Mouthfeel was medium and the carbonation was good, especially for a barley wine. Taste profile is definitely American barley wine, with an assertive 75 IBU hop presence against the big malt elements, but well-balanced. The 11% alcohol adds some warmth on the finish. Another nice beer, and it does a good job showcasing the versatility of this new hop strain.
Kenai River Brewing's Dr. Rudi Single Hop IPA: The latest in KRB's Single Hop series, this beer is made using only Dr. Rudi hops, a new super alpha variety from New Zealand. It poured a light honey color, slightly cloudy but with a nice, off-white colored head that left good lacing. The nose had plenty of bright floral hop notes, plus hints of lemon or perhaps lemon grass. The mouthfeel was good, as was the carbonation. On the plate, there was good initial bitterness from the 70 IBUs, but the substantial malt backbone brings balance, with plenty of hop flavor, before falling away to a nice finish. One of the better Single Hop IPAs of the series, I think Dr. Rudi hops have quite a future ahead of them. 7% ABV.
Elysian Brewing Loser Pale Ale: After its purchase by AB-InBev, I decided that I would no longer purchase Elysian's beers, but I won this bottle in a raffle at the Kenai Peninsula Brewing & Tasting Society Meeting this month. It poured a slightly cloudy copper color with a off-white head that dissipated to a collar. There were aromas of toffee and light tropical fruit notes in the nose. Mouthfeel was light and carbonation was okay. There were more toffee notes on the palate, along with a balanced malt-hop profile. A perfectly fine pale ale at 7% ABV. Nothing wrong with the beer, but I choose not to give my hard-earned beer dollars to the Evil Empire...
Corporate beer still sucks indeed!
Ballast Point Brewing's Victory At Sea Imperial Porter: This is another brewery that was just bought out (for $1 billion!), though in its case it was Constellation Brands Inc, the same folks who bring you such quality beers as Corona... However, the brewery just began distributing in Alaska, and I saw its beers at La Bodega , so I thought I'd check a couple of them out. I have had its flagship Sculpin IPA while travelling in the past, so I thought I'd try something else. This beer poured very dark with some ruby highlights, and a mocha-colored head. The color is appropriate, as the nose has plenty of coffee notes, along with some vanilla. The mouthfeel is good, as is the carbonation. The beer is rich and slightly thick on the tongue, with lots of coffee bitterness and more vanilla. The coffee continues to be there through the finish. A nice take on the coffee porter theme, though it might be overdoing it slightly for my taste. 10% ABV, 60 IBUs.
Bearpaw River Brewing's Mat Maid Milk Stout: This poured opaque with a small mocha head that dissipated to a collar.The aroma was roasty but with some hints of sweetness. Mouthfeel was good, but carbonation was a little low, possibly due to it being from a growler. The overall flavor profile was good, with the roasty stout notes harmonizing well with the slight sweetness from the lactose, which becomes more noticeable on the finish. A nice, highly drinkable milk stout. 5.7% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time. Hopefully spring will make its permanent appearance soon. If possible, I plan to make it to Orval Day on Saturday, so if you're there early, look for me and say hello. Otherwise, keep an eye out for my next blog post.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
In the legislature, there is still the possibility that our esteemed lawmakers might follow the governor's suggestion and double our alcohol taxes, including the tax on beer. As an illustration of just how flat-out stupid that would be, here's a nice graphic that I was sent by the Tax Foundation:
Click to enlarge. Courtesy of the Tax Foundation.As you can see, at #2, Alaska already seems to be part of the Bible-Belt South, where consuming alcohol is still considered a sin, along with dancing and not being a Southern Baptist. And now Walker wants to double our taxes? Another thing I noticed: states that are famous for their craft breweries tend to have low beer taxes, like Oregon (#45), Colorado (#45), and even normally-tax-happy California (#28). At a time when the state's economy is already shrinking, it seem incredibly stupid to think about trying to choke off one of its few bright spots with ridiculously high taxes. For more on this subject, you can check out the blog I wrote on 2/12/2016.
More statewide news: Alaska Business Monthly Magazine is doing a survey on best AK businesses, and it includes brewery and distillery categories. Follow this link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/akbizmag2016 and vote for your favorite!
Speaking of breweries and distilleries, the Brewers Guild of Alaska and the Distillers Guild of Alaska have announced that they will be holding their first joint event, the Alaska Crafted Festival . This premier, outdoor beer and spirits tasting event will take place in downtown Anchorage on Saturday, May 21, from 5-10 p.m., and will specifically feature craft beverages – brews, spirits, mead, wine, and cider –made in the Last Frontier. Scheduled during American Craft Beer Week , the festival will celebrate Alaska brands, bands and artisans with live music, educational seminars and product demonstrations highlighting the emerging craft beverage industry in the state. More than 25 brewers and distillers will showcase as many as 40 Alaska varieties, hailing from Haines in Southeast Alaska to Fox from Alaska’s Interior. In addition to meeting the makers behind the brands, festival-goers can expect a variety of cuisines, live entertainment and even an area featuring lawn games. “We’re looking forward to kicking off the summer season by celebrating the products that are made right here, in the Last Frontier, with the extended community of distillers, brewers and consumers,” said Heather Shade, president of the Distillers Guild of Alaska . “We want to support this emerging Alaska market while emphasizing the importance of buying local.” This outdoor special event is for ages 21 and up and will be held at the Williwaw complex in downtown Anchorage on F St. between 6th and 7th Ave. Tickets are $75 each, or $120 for two tickets, and can be purchased at www.alaskacrafted.com.
Speaking of upcoming events, this Saturday, March 26th, will be Orval Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. Here's what owner Gabe Fletcher had to say about it:
Image courtesy of Merchant du Vin
"There will be 3 different vintages of Orval poured so you can taste the difference the Brettanomyces affects the beer over time. We will have free Orval glasses for the first 160 people to pour your beer into, along with a bunch of other Orval gifts. We will be making a special commemorative t shirt too. That's not all! My friend Menno from DeMolen Brewery in Holland scored some Orval cheese for our meat and cheese board for the event too!!! Is there more?? YES! As always with our events we will have great food from Delicious Dave and live jazz from the ABC Brett Quartet! We have a goal to reach here... The place in the USA that pours the most Orval gets a special 4'x4' porcelain Orval Day plaque. We have 500 bottles to pour, can I get some help drinking all this beer please??? Who's in???"
Image courtesy of Anchorage Brewing
Orval Day starts at 2 PM on Saturday, March 26th. Also, Anchorage Brewing Company has announced that it is looking to hire a full-time person for its tap room. If you're interested, please send your resume and a cover letter expressing why you would be a great beertender for Anchorage Brewing Company to jacendapurelife@gmail.com. Hours will be around 1 pm-9 pm Wednesday through Sunday.
Another sure sign of the coming of spring is that our seasonal breweries/brewpubs are getting closer to their opening days. Seward Brewing Company will open on May 5th. Its new menu has been posted on line and you can check it out here. 49th State Brewing in Healy will be opening on April 25th. Gakona Brewing plans to fire off its kettle again on April 20th and has a new website. Icy Strait Brewing has announced that it will be restarting soon, though no specific date was mentioned.
On Sunday, March 13th, Elaine and I made the long run from Sterling to Wasilla to check put Bearpaw River Brewing . I'd been trying to get up there since it opened back in December, but something had always come up to scuttle my plans. We got into town a few minutes before the brewery opened at noon and were looking for lunch, so we went into a Thai restaurant, just a couple of doors down from the brewery, called Thai Asian Cuisine . The food there was outstanding, so if you're looking for lunch in Wasilla, I'd recommend getting it to go here and then carrying it to Bearpaw River to enjoy, along with some fresh craft beer. After enjoying our lunch, we walked over to the brewery. Brewer Jake Wade was working that day, but he graciously took a few minutes out to talk with me. The brewery has a 10-barrel system from Global Stainless, four 10-barrel conical fermenters, and 2 brite tanks. There are 10 regular taps and one nitro tap. When we were there, there were eight brews on tap. Jake said that he had only recently sent a couple of kegs to a few select locations, like the Pub House and Fat Ptarmigan in Anchorage and the Eagle River Alehouse , but he was still keeping almost all of his production for sale at the brewery. I sampled the brand-new Dortmunder Export Lager (which really helped douse the fire from my lunch of spicy Thai food) and the 1778 English Ale, an ESB, both of which were excellent. I picked up a growler of the Mat Maid Milk Stout to take home; see my review of it below. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long, as we were looking at a four hour drive home. If you are in or around Wasilla, I strongly recommend you make the time to stop by Bearpaw River and check out the excellent beers that are being brewed there!
Here are some photos of the visit, courtesy of my wife Elaine Howell.
Nondescript exterior
The tap room
Looking from tap room through to the brewery
Tap handles and copper bar back
Jake Wade, the head brewer at Bearpaw RiverAlaskan Brewing Company has announced a 12-bottle variety pack, the Boundary Range Hop Pack. Named after the mountain range that separates Alaska from British Columbia, it contains Hopothermia Double IPA, Big Mountain Pale Ale, Icy Bay IPA, and Freeride American Pale Ale. So if you are a big hop lover, this one's for you.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
Winterlong Brewing
in Whitehorse has announced another expansion. Starting in June, it will take over the lease for the entire building in which it is currently located and in July it will take deliver of another five new tanks, which will triple its current production capacity.
Photo courtesy of Winterlong BrewingMidnight Sun Brewing Company will be hosting a
Beer Brunch
on Sunday, April 9th from 11 to 3 PM. Four courses, each with a beer, will cost you $45. Here's the poster for it:
Click to enlargeOdd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River has announced new hours:
I was contacted last week by Brian Olson of Alaska Berries , the estate winery in Soldotna; he wanted to let me know that they now have two new wines available, a Red Currant wine and a Black Currant wine. I plan to stop by there sometime this week to try them and hopefully to buy some more of the fantastic haskap jam that they make. Alaska Berries is open from 2 to 7 PM, Wednesday thru Sundays.
Kenai River Brewing has taken deliver of its new huge 180-barrel conical fermenters. Here are some photos of the delivery process in the new brewery, courtesy of Kenai River. I understand they cleared the ceiling with 3" to spare!
That's it for news, so let's turn to reviews.
Stone Brewing's Old Guardian Barley Wine, Dry Hopped with Pekko: I picked this one up at Country Liquors in Kenai. It poured a dark but clear honey color, with a nice cream-colored head. The aroma was a good balance of malt and nice floral notes from the Pekko. Mouthfeel was medium and the carbonation was good, especially for a barley wine. Taste profile is definitely American barley wine, with an assertive 75 IBU hop presence against the big malt elements, but well-balanced. The 11% alcohol adds some warmth on the finish. Another nice beer, and it does a good job showcasing the versatility of this new hop strain.
Kenai River Brewing's Dr. Rudi Single Hop IPA: The latest in KRB's Single Hop series, this beer is made using only Dr. Rudi hops, a new super alpha variety from New Zealand. It poured a light honey color, slightly cloudy but with a nice, off-white colored head that left good lacing. The nose had plenty of bright floral hop notes, plus hints of lemon or perhaps lemon grass. The mouthfeel was good, as was the carbonation. On the plate, there was good initial bitterness from the 70 IBUs, but the substantial malt backbone brings balance, with plenty of hop flavor, before falling away to a nice finish. One of the better Single Hop IPAs of the series, I think Dr. Rudi hops have quite a future ahead of them. 7% ABV.
Elysian Brewing Loser Pale Ale: After its purchase by AB-InBev, I decided that I would no longer purchase Elysian's beers, but I won this bottle in a raffle at the Kenai Peninsula Brewing & Tasting Society Meeting this month. It poured a slightly cloudy copper color with a off-white head that dissipated to a collar. There were aromas of toffee and light tropical fruit notes in the nose. Mouthfeel was light and carbonation was okay. There were more toffee notes on the palate, along with a balanced malt-hop profile. A perfectly fine pale ale at 7% ABV. Nothing wrong with the beer, but I choose not to give my hard-earned beer dollars to the Evil Empire...
Corporate beer still sucks indeed!Ballast Point Brewing's Victory At Sea Imperial Porter: This is another brewery that was just bought out (for $1 billion!), though in its case it was Constellation Brands Inc, the same folks who bring you such quality beers as Corona... However, the brewery just began distributing in Alaska, and I saw its beers at La Bodega , so I thought I'd check a couple of them out. I have had its flagship Sculpin IPA while travelling in the past, so I thought I'd try something else. This beer poured very dark with some ruby highlights, and a mocha-colored head. The color is appropriate, as the nose has plenty of coffee notes, along with some vanilla. The mouthfeel is good, as is the carbonation. The beer is rich and slightly thick on the tongue, with lots of coffee bitterness and more vanilla. The coffee continues to be there through the finish. A nice take on the coffee porter theme, though it might be overdoing it slightly for my taste. 10% ABV, 60 IBUs.
Bearpaw River Brewing's Mat Maid Milk Stout: This poured opaque with a small mocha head that dissipated to a collar.The aroma was roasty but with some hints of sweetness. Mouthfeel was good, but carbonation was a little low, possibly due to it being from a growler. The overall flavor profile was good, with the roasty stout notes harmonizing well with the slight sweetness from the lactose, which becomes more noticeable on the finish. A nice, highly drinkable milk stout. 5.7% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time. Hopefully spring will make its permanent appearance soon. If possible, I plan to make it to Orval Day on Saturday, so if you're there early, look for me and say hello. Otherwise, keep an eye out for my next blog post.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
March 7, 2016
Winter Makes a Brief(?) Comeback
It's March here on the Kenai, and for a bit it seemed like spring was already here. Then last Friday we got another couple of inches of snow, which snarled traffic all over Anchorage and the Valley, so we'll have to put the spring planting on hold for a while yet. On the plus side, it gives us a few more days to enjoy winter activities like skiing and snowshoeing; haven't been that many days this winter when you could do much of that.
First up this time, I'd like to start with a book review. The book is Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros
by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley. As you'd assume from the title, it's focused on pairing beer with food. Ten years ago, when I started developing my college class on beer, there were very few books on this subject; in fact, the only one I could find readily available was Garrett Oliver's classic The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food
. However, in the last few years, more and more books on this subject have been published, with
Beer Pairing
being one of the most recent, just released in December. It's also one of the very best to date. The authors are certainly well-qualified to opine on the subject. Gwen Conley has had numerous jobs in the beer industry and is currently Director of Brewery Production, Quality and Interesting Brewery Things at Port Brewing /The Lost Abbey, while Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Boulder, Colorado based Brewers Association (BA) and Publisher of
CraftBeer.com
. The book itself is lovely, a nice hardback printing, with lots of excellent color photos, interviews from other prominent individuals in the beer world, and plenty of sidebars to keep things interesting. The ideas presented are sophisticated and well thought out, and I found myself fascinated while reading it. If you are interested at all in pairing beer with food, I strongly suggest you check out this awesome book. You can find it in my Amazon Store or via clicking on the title above.
Moving on to news, Alaskan Brewing Company has made a couple of recent announcements. First up, its Jalapeno IPA is back as a Pilot Series release. You can read my review of a previous release in my 3/21/2014 blog.
Second, Alaskan Brewing has announced that its non-profit partner for 2016 will be the National Alliance for Mental Health 's local affiliate in Juneau, NAMI-Juneau. This means that all all tips collected at the brewery gift shop and tasting room, and money raised at brewery-hosted events like First Friday gallery walks and the annual Spring Fling, will go to NAMI Juneau. Additionally, Alaskan Brewing commits to donating beer and auction items for other events benefiting NAMI Juneau.
Finally, Alaskan has announced a new year-round beer: Kicker Session IPA. Weighing in at only 4.5% ABV, this is a beer designed to deliver lots of hop aroma and flavor, while keeping the alcohol level low enough so that you can enjoy more than one. Dry hopping with five varieties brings a high level of complexity to Kicker – both in aroma and flavor. Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hop flavors and bitterness come through boldly, with fruity flavors of strawberry and tangerine notes coming from the Citra and Amarillo, and a grapefruit and pine taste from the Simcoe and Mosaic. This is the first new six-pack beer that Alaskan has introduced since 2013, and it will be available in all 17 states where Alaskan's beers are sold.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
Back on Monday, 2/29, Midnight Sun Brewing released an new Milk Stout with Vanilla Bean Beer. Here's the flier for it:
The Loft at MSBC is also accepting donations of non-perishable food items to help re-stock Bean's Cafe through this Thursday, March 10th.
Arkose Brewery released a new beer in its Small-Batch Nitro Series, Vanilla Orange Cream Ale. No growler fills, 12 oz. pours at the brewery only.
Anchorage Brewing Company released a video of the brewing of the next batch of its award-winning A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine. You can see it here. ABC has also announced that this batch will be aged in cognac, whiskey, rum, and apple brandy barrels, with each expression being bottled separately. Don't forget the upcoming Orval Day on Saturday, March 26th; it kicks off at Anchorage BC at 2 PM.
On March 1, HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks released a Rauchbier. Here's how they describe it:
Photo courtesy of HooDoo Brewing
Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River is hosting a St. Patrick's Day Pub Run . Here's the flier for it:
Click to enlargeMoving on to the Kenai, it looks like things are moving along for the soon-to-be newest brewery on the Peninsula, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer. They have a permanent sign up now, and expect to have the taps flowing in May.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewing
Kassik's Brewery was selected as "The Most Underrated Brewery in Alaska" by Thrillist. You can read the entire list here.
It's a sure sign of spring when the Blue Moon Burger food truck returns to the parking lot next to Kenai River Brewing Company. They are currently open Wednesday thru Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM. Kenai River has also posted pictures of its new 20-barrel brew kettle being fabricated at Specific Mechanical Systems on the West Coast. The new brewery that will house it is also moving right along; they have begun painting the interior walls, and it looks like it's going to be a colorful place! The blue box overlooking everything will be owner Doug Hogue's office.
Photo courtesy of Kenai River BrewingAt St. Elias Brewing Company, there's a new beer on tap: H & H All-American Stout. As with all H & H brews, I had a hand in helping to create this one. It's an adaptation on one of my homebrew recipes, which I originally created as a tribute to the late Bert Grant. Bert Grant opened the first brewpub in the US since Prohibition in 1982 in Yakima, WA. In 1984 he released an Imperial Stout, unlike any that had been brewed before. Grant's version was the first to be heavily hopped with that most American of hops, Cascades. It helped usher in the dominant influence of American hops in the American craft beer movement. Bert Grant passed away in 2001, but this beer is a small effort in remembrance of his massive contributions to American craft brewing. See below for a review. Here's the current tap list at St. Elias.
Okay, let's do some beer reviews.
St. Elias Brewing Company's H & H All-American Stout: This beer poured opaque with a nice tan head. The aroma is rich, with plenty of roasted notes as well as notes of Cascade hops. The beer has a medium mouthfeel and good carbonation. On the palate, there are roasted coffee flavors, which help to balance the malt backbone, plus lots of hop bitterness and flavor for the Cascades. Full disclosure, I helped to brew this beer, but I still think it's excellent. It straddles the border of the American Stout and Imperial Stout style categories at 8.7% ABV and 72 IBUs.
Anchor Brewing's Anchor Barrel Ale: Part of Anchor's Argonaut series, this beer was brewed as a tribute to pioneer craft brewer Fritz Maytag. It is in the style of an English Strong Ale and was aged in Old Potrero Rye Whiskey barrels and on staves from those barrels. It poured a very dark ruby color with a small, mocha-colored head. The aroma was primarily malt and caramel, with some hints from the barrel aging. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. The flavor profile was strong and malty, with hints of rye whiskey on the long finish. The barrel aging is subtle, unlike some beer were it is over-powering. Very nice.
Anchorage Brewing's 2016 Rondy Brew: I purchased my bottle at Country Liquors in Kenai. This is a saison, brewed with Motueka hops from New Zealand and hibiscus flowers, and bottled with brett. It poured a lovely clear light ruby color (from the hibiscus), with a nice, slightly pink head. The beer was fermented in a wooden foudre, then dry-hopped with the Motueka hops and the hibiscus. It's dosed with brett, then bottled and allowed to condition for another two or three weeks. That's sufficient time for plenty of brett to express itself in the nose, along with lime notes from the hops and floral notes from the hibiscus. The mouthfeel was light and the carbonation excellent, giving the beer a spritzy, effervescent quality. The flavor profile was a balance of sweet and tart, with the tartness coming from both the brett and the hibiscus. The beer fell away to a very refreshing finish. Another amazing beer from the ever-amazing Gabe Fletcher; I'd say this is the best Rondy Brew to date! 6% ABV, 30 IBUs.
That's it for this week. Enjoy this last gasp of winter; pretty soon it will be the muddy mess that's Break Up.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
First up this time, I'd like to start with a book review. The book is Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros
by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley. As you'd assume from the title, it's focused on pairing beer with food. Ten years ago, when I started developing my college class on beer, there were very few books on this subject; in fact, the only one I could find readily available was Garrett Oliver's classic The Brewmaster's Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. However, in the last few years, more and more books on this subject have been published, with
Beer Pairing
being one of the most recent, just released in December. It's also one of the very best to date. The authors are certainly well-qualified to opine on the subject. Gwen Conley has had numerous jobs in the beer industry and is currently Director of Brewery Production, Quality and Interesting Brewery Things at Port Brewing /The Lost Abbey, while Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Boulder, Colorado based Brewers Association (BA) and Publisher of
CraftBeer.com
. The book itself is lovely, a nice hardback printing, with lots of excellent color photos, interviews from other prominent individuals in the beer world, and plenty of sidebars to keep things interesting. The ideas presented are sophisticated and well thought out, and I found myself fascinated while reading it. If you are interested at all in pairing beer with food, I strongly suggest you check out this awesome book. You can find it in my Amazon Store or via clicking on the title above. 
Moving on to news, Alaskan Brewing Company has made a couple of recent announcements. First up, its Jalapeno IPA is back as a Pilot Series release. You can read my review of a previous release in my 3/21/2014 blog.
Second, Alaskan Brewing has announced that its non-profit partner for 2016 will be the National Alliance for Mental Health 's local affiliate in Juneau, NAMI-Juneau. This means that all all tips collected at the brewery gift shop and tasting room, and money raised at brewery-hosted events like First Friday gallery walks and the annual Spring Fling, will go to NAMI Juneau. Additionally, Alaskan Brewing commits to donating beer and auction items for other events benefiting NAMI Juneau.
Finally, Alaskan has announced a new year-round beer: Kicker Session IPA. Weighing in at only 4.5% ABV, this is a beer designed to deliver lots of hop aroma and flavor, while keeping the alcohol level low enough so that you can enjoy more than one. Dry hopping with five varieties brings a high level of complexity to Kicker – both in aroma and flavor. Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hop flavors and bitterness come through boldly, with fruity flavors of strawberry and tangerine notes coming from the Citra and Amarillo, and a grapefruit and pine taste from the Simcoe and Mosaic. This is the first new six-pack beer that Alaskan has introduced since 2013, and it will be available in all 17 states where Alaskan's beers are sold.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
Back on Monday, 2/29, Midnight Sun Brewing released an new Milk Stout with Vanilla Bean Beer. Here's the flier for it:
The Loft at MSBC is also accepting donations of non-perishable food items to help re-stock Bean's Cafe through this Thursday, March 10th.
Arkose Brewery released a new beer in its Small-Batch Nitro Series, Vanilla Orange Cream Ale. No growler fills, 12 oz. pours at the brewery only.
Anchorage Brewing Company released a video of the brewing of the next batch of its award-winning A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine. You can see it here. ABC has also announced that this batch will be aged in cognac, whiskey, rum, and apple brandy barrels, with each expression being bottled separately. Don't forget the upcoming Orval Day on Saturday, March 26th; it kicks off at Anchorage BC at 2 PM.
On March 1, HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks released a Rauchbier. Here's how they describe it:
"As with all of our German-style beers, the entire grain bill is brought to Fairbanks from Weyermann Malt, Bamburg, Germany. Half of the malted barley, called “rauchmalt” is kilned over an open beechwood smoke fire, lending a smooth, sweet, smokey character to this clean drinkable lager. PROST! 5% ABV 28 IBUs"
Photo courtesy of HooDoo BrewingOdd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River is hosting a St. Patrick's Day Pub Run . Here's the flier for it:
Click to enlargeMoving on to the Kenai, it looks like things are moving along for the soon-to-be newest brewery on the Peninsula, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer. They have a permanent sign up now, and expect to have the taps flowing in May.
Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge BrewingKassik's Brewery was selected as "The Most Underrated Brewery in Alaska" by Thrillist. You can read the entire list here.
It's a sure sign of spring when the Blue Moon Burger food truck returns to the parking lot next to Kenai River Brewing Company. They are currently open Wednesday thru Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM. Kenai River has also posted pictures of its new 20-barrel brew kettle being fabricated at Specific Mechanical Systems on the West Coast. The new brewery that will house it is also moving right along; they have begun painting the interior walls, and it looks like it's going to be a colorful place! The blue box overlooking everything will be owner Doug Hogue's office.
Photo courtesy of Kenai River BrewingAt St. Elias Brewing Company, there's a new beer on tap: H & H All-American Stout. As with all H & H brews, I had a hand in helping to create this one. It's an adaptation on one of my homebrew recipes, which I originally created as a tribute to the late Bert Grant. Bert Grant opened the first brewpub in the US since Prohibition in 1982 in Yakima, WA. In 1984 he released an Imperial Stout, unlike any that had been brewed before. Grant's version was the first to be heavily hopped with that most American of hops, Cascades. It helped usher in the dominant influence of American hops in the American craft beer movement. Bert Grant passed away in 2001, but this beer is a small effort in remembrance of his massive contributions to American craft brewing. See below for a review. Here's the current tap list at St. Elias.
Okay, let's do some beer reviews.
St. Elias Brewing Company's H & H All-American Stout: This beer poured opaque with a nice tan head. The aroma is rich, with plenty of roasted notes as well as notes of Cascade hops. The beer has a medium mouthfeel and good carbonation. On the palate, there are roasted coffee flavors, which help to balance the malt backbone, plus lots of hop bitterness and flavor for the Cascades. Full disclosure, I helped to brew this beer, but I still think it's excellent. It straddles the border of the American Stout and Imperial Stout style categories at 8.7% ABV and 72 IBUs.
Anchor Brewing's Anchor Barrel Ale: Part of Anchor's Argonaut series, this beer was brewed as a tribute to pioneer craft brewer Fritz Maytag. It is in the style of an English Strong Ale and was aged in Old Potrero Rye Whiskey barrels and on staves from those barrels. It poured a very dark ruby color with a small, mocha-colored head. The aroma was primarily malt and caramel, with some hints from the barrel aging. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. The flavor profile was strong and malty, with hints of rye whiskey on the long finish. The barrel aging is subtle, unlike some beer were it is over-powering. Very nice.
Anchorage Brewing's 2016 Rondy Brew: I purchased my bottle at Country Liquors in Kenai. This is a saison, brewed with Motueka hops from New Zealand and hibiscus flowers, and bottled with brett. It poured a lovely clear light ruby color (from the hibiscus), with a nice, slightly pink head. The beer was fermented in a wooden foudre, then dry-hopped with the Motueka hops and the hibiscus. It's dosed with brett, then bottled and allowed to condition for another two or three weeks. That's sufficient time for plenty of brett to express itself in the nose, along with lime notes from the hops and floral notes from the hibiscus. The mouthfeel was light and the carbonation excellent, giving the beer a spritzy, effervescent quality. The flavor profile was a balance of sweet and tart, with the tartness coming from both the brett and the hibiscus. The beer fell away to a very refreshing finish. Another amazing beer from the ever-amazing Gabe Fletcher; I'd say this is the best Rondy Brew to date! 6% ABV, 30 IBUs.
That's it for this week. Enjoy this last gasp of winter; pretty soon it will be the muddy mess that's Break Up.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
February 26, 2016
Another Great Frozen River Fest!
It's been two weeks since my last blog, but that's because I was busy last weekend with the
2nd Annual Frozen River Fest
here in Soldotna. I'm happy to report that the Fest was another big success, with even more folks attending than last year. Let's talk specifics.
First, on the Friday night before the Fest, we had a wonderful Meet the Brewers Dinner at The Flats Bistro in Kenai. Tickets were $50 each and all 80 tickets sold out. The dinner started off with cans of Kenai River Brewing's Peninsula Brewers Reserve as the welcome beer, then moved into a delicious five course meal. Here are some photos that I took:
Folks enjoying themselves at The Flats
Crispy Pork Belly paired with Arkose's High Ridge Double Red Ale
Chiffonade Crab Salad with Avocado paired with Bear Creek's Spring Harvest Wine
Braised Short Ribs on Sweet Potato Mash w/ Creamy Garlic Sauce paired w/ Denali's Schwartzbier and Broken Tooth's YellowEye PA
Triple Layer Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake paired with Midnight Sun's Sloth Imperial Stout
I neglected to get a picture of the second course, which was a Sweet Curry Corn Chowder with Crab Stock, paired with St. Elias Brewing's H & H All-American Stout. Every course was excellent, and the pairings were spot on in almost every case. Everyone I spoke to at and after the dinner thought it was a great time, so I'm hoping it will be the first of many such evening here on the Central Peninsula.
On Saturday, the Frozen River Fest itself took place, from 3 to 6 PM. We had over a thousand attendees, and over 650 of them paid $25 for a commemorative mug and some beer tokens to sample the 13 different breweries, wineries, and meaderies present. That's up from 870 total last year, with only 601 drinkers. The weather wasn't bad for February, and the big snow didn't start until later that night, after the Fest was all over. I was pretty busy working as a volunteer, but I did manage to snap a few photos and sample a beer or two.
Opening the ticket booths
The view from the stage between bands
Music on the center stage, beer samples in the pavilions to the left and right of it.
Back a bit farther. You can see one of the four food vendors on the right.
Overall, it was another great Festival, followed by a fine after party for the participating breweries, held at the Kenai River Brewing's unfinished but still spectacular new brewery.
Christening the new tap room at KRB's new brewery
However, besides the Frozen River Fest, there's been some other news in beer around the state in the last couple of weeks.
HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks received not one but two awards from the Chamber of Commerce. In early December, the three-year old company was recognized as the 2015 Bill Stroecker Business of the Year by the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. Presented annually, The Bill Stroecker Business of the Year award honors the accomplishments in the business community of a member of the Chamber who has shown drive in leading local development with sights on the future of Fairbanks. The business is recognized for consistent community involvement, an excellent business reputation with the public, and as a leader in their own profession and/or field of business. Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named HooDoo Brewing Company a 2016 DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner. The annual program recognizes companies for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise and contributions to restoring jobs and supporting economic growth. The 2016 DREAM BIG award winners were selected from a record number of applicants across the nation for demonstrating exceptional business practices in areas including strategic planning, employee development, community involvement and customer services. This also gives HooDoo a shot at an even bigger honor: All of this year’s winners will be honored at the 12th annual America’s Small Business Summit, which will take place June 13-15 in Washington, D.C. During the summit, one regional finalist will receive the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club®, and a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the U.S. Chamber. If you'd like to help them win this national honor, follow this link: https://goo.gl/Qh5Bzy and vote for them. Congratulations to Bobby Wilken and the rest of the team at HooDoo Brewing and best of luck in the final voting.
On the subject of awards, Prospectors Historic Pizzeria and Alehouse just outside Denali National Park, has been selected by Craftbeer.com as the Best Beer Bar in Alaska. Owned by the same group that owns 49th State Brewing, Prospectors has over 49 different craft beers on tap, from across Alaska and around the world. CraftBeer.comreaders were asked to nominate their favorite craft beer bar in their state and fill out a short survey about what makes it so great including atmosphere, staff, beer selection and special events. Obviously Prospectors made a deep and favorable impression on the numerous tourists who visit Denali National Park each year; I know it did so on me. See my blog from 5/15 of last year to read about my most recent visit to Prospectors . Congratulations on the win!
Speaking of winners, Glacier BrewHouse will be holding another Dinner with the King event at 6:30 PM next Wednesday, March 2, at Orso's in Anchorage. Dine with Iditarod Champion Jeff King at this fundraiser for the Make a Wish Foundation. Tickets are $99; call 274-2739 for reservations and help support this worthy cause.
Click to enlargeThis isn't exactly Alaska news, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Everyone seems to think that China represents one of the great untouched areas for craft beer expansion. I wouldn't know about that; I'm not an expert on China's craft beer scene. However, someone who is an expert is Rick Green.
Rick Green
Rick lives in China and writes a newsletter about Chinese craft beer called The Great Hop Forward Leader . You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Rick was kind enough to send me a review copy of his book How to Drink Beer in Mandarin . It's an English to Mandarin glossary of craft beer styles and terms. I don't read Mandarin, so I have to take Rick at his word as to its accuracy, but I can see how it would be extremely useful to the craft beer lover who found himself working or vacationing in China. So if that's you, click on the book name above to order yourself a copy and consider subscribing to Rick's newsletter.
Arkose Brewery is looking for a few good lady brewers to join them on March 5th to brew a beer to benefit the Pink Boots Society' s scholarship program. They can only accommodate a limited number of brewers, so sign-up now by calling 746-BEER or emailing info@arkosebrewery.com.
It's
Fur Rondy
weekend, and Anchorage Brewing Company has released its version of this year's Rondy Brew. This year's batch is a Spelt Saison brewed with Motueka hops and Hibiscus! And Brett of course. Here on the Peninsula, you can find it at
Country Liquors
in Kenai.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company
Here on the Peninsula, besides the Frozen River Fest , the big news is that St. Elias Brewing Company has finally replaced its old and non-functional hand pump with a sleek new model.
St. Elias celebrated by putting a cask of its Williwaw IPA on last Thursday, 2/18. With the new hand pump, we should be able to look forward to regular offering of cask-conditioned beers in Soldotna.
Moving on to beer reviews, I only have three this time around.
Midnight Sun Brewing's 2016 Arctic Devil Barley Wine: This beer is a perennial favorite of mine, so I'm always stoked when it's released each year. Besides snagging as many bottles as I can afford to cellar, I usually have one "fresh", like this bottle. It poured a clear dark honey color, with a small-cream-colored head that dissipated to a collar. The nose was rich and deep, full of toffee and malty goodness, promising delights on the palate. The mouthfeel was medium and coating, with low but acceptable carbonation. The flavor profile was classic English barley wine: smooth and malty, with undertones of oak and alcohol warmth on the finish. Excellent now, but it will be sublime in 2 to 3 years. 13.4% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Arkose Brewery's High Ridge Double Red Ale: The bottle of this beer that I purchased at Country Liquors in Kenai had absolutely zero carbonation; a bad cap seal, I'm guessing. Fortunately, I got to taste it properly carbonated at the Meet the Brewers Dinner , so this review is based on that session. A clear ruby red in the glass with a nice cream-colored head that lingered. The aroma was definitely on the malty side, with no real hop notes. Mouthfeel was medium and carbonation was good. Smooth and rich, with lots of caramel notes; hops present for balance, not bitterness. A nice, easy drinker that paired well with the crispy pork belly it was served with. 6.8% ABV.
Broken Tooth Brewing's Darth Barrelium '14 Belgian Imperial Stout: The beer poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated to a collar. The aroma had malty and roasty notes, plus hints of oak from the barrel aging and some alcohol. The mouthfeel was a touch thinner than I expected for such a big brew, and the carbonation was low but acceptable. On the palate, I picked up coffee, cocoa, and oak, along with some alcohol warmth, especially on the finish. A big, barrel-aged imperial stout, with all the elements you'd expect from such a beer. Very nice. 11.8% ABV, 40 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time around. In case you haven't heard, The Redoubt Reporter will be ceasing publication, so my monthly column will no longer be appearing there. Meanwhile, enjoy this early Break Up we seem to be having here in Alaska.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
First, on the Friday night before the Fest, we had a wonderful Meet the Brewers Dinner at The Flats Bistro in Kenai. Tickets were $50 each and all 80 tickets sold out. The dinner started off with cans of Kenai River Brewing's Peninsula Brewers Reserve as the welcome beer, then moved into a delicious five course meal. Here are some photos that I took:
Folks enjoying themselves at The Flats
Crispy Pork Belly paired with Arkose's High Ridge Double Red Ale
Chiffonade Crab Salad with Avocado paired with Bear Creek's Spring Harvest Wine
Braised Short Ribs on Sweet Potato Mash w/ Creamy Garlic Sauce paired w/ Denali's Schwartzbier and Broken Tooth's YellowEye PA
Triple Layer Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Cake paired with Midnight Sun's Sloth Imperial StoutI neglected to get a picture of the second course, which was a Sweet Curry Corn Chowder with Crab Stock, paired with St. Elias Brewing's H & H All-American Stout. Every course was excellent, and the pairings were spot on in almost every case. Everyone I spoke to at and after the dinner thought it was a great time, so I'm hoping it will be the first of many such evening here on the Central Peninsula.
On Saturday, the Frozen River Fest itself took place, from 3 to 6 PM. We had over a thousand attendees, and over 650 of them paid $25 for a commemorative mug and some beer tokens to sample the 13 different breweries, wineries, and meaderies present. That's up from 870 total last year, with only 601 drinkers. The weather wasn't bad for February, and the big snow didn't start until later that night, after the Fest was all over. I was pretty busy working as a volunteer, but I did manage to snap a few photos and sample a beer or two.
Opening the ticket booths
The view from the stage between bands
Music on the center stage, beer samples in the pavilions to the left and right of it.
Back a bit farther. You can see one of the four food vendors on the right.Overall, it was another great Festival, followed by a fine after party for the participating breweries, held at the Kenai River Brewing's unfinished but still spectacular new brewery.
Christening the new tap room at KRB's new breweryHowever, besides the Frozen River Fest, there's been some other news in beer around the state in the last couple of weeks.
HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks received not one but two awards from the Chamber of Commerce. In early December, the three-year old company was recognized as the 2015 Bill Stroecker Business of the Year by the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. Presented annually, The Bill Stroecker Business of the Year award honors the accomplishments in the business community of a member of the Chamber who has shown drive in leading local development with sights on the future of Fairbanks. The business is recognized for consistent community involvement, an excellent business reputation with the public, and as a leader in their own profession and/or field of business. Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named HooDoo Brewing Company a 2016 DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner. The annual program recognizes companies for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise and contributions to restoring jobs and supporting economic growth. The 2016 DREAM BIG award winners were selected from a record number of applicants across the nation for demonstrating exceptional business practices in areas including strategic planning, employee development, community involvement and customer services. This also gives HooDoo a shot at an even bigger honor: All of this year’s winners will be honored at the 12th annual America’s Small Business Summit, which will take place June 13-15 in Washington, D.C. During the summit, one regional finalist will receive the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club®, and a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the U.S. Chamber. If you'd like to help them win this national honor, follow this link: https://goo.gl/Qh5Bzy and vote for them. Congratulations to Bobby Wilken and the rest of the team at HooDoo Brewing and best of luck in the final voting.
On the subject of awards, Prospectors Historic Pizzeria and Alehouse just outside Denali National Park, has been selected by Craftbeer.com as the Best Beer Bar in Alaska. Owned by the same group that owns 49th State Brewing, Prospectors has over 49 different craft beers on tap, from across Alaska and around the world. CraftBeer.comreaders were asked to nominate their favorite craft beer bar in their state and fill out a short survey about what makes it so great including atmosphere, staff, beer selection and special events. Obviously Prospectors made a deep and favorable impression on the numerous tourists who visit Denali National Park each year; I know it did so on me. See my blog from 5/15 of last year to read about my most recent visit to Prospectors . Congratulations on the win!
Speaking of winners, Glacier BrewHouse will be holding another Dinner with the King event at 6:30 PM next Wednesday, March 2, at Orso's in Anchorage. Dine with Iditarod Champion Jeff King at this fundraiser for the Make a Wish Foundation. Tickets are $99; call 274-2739 for reservations and help support this worthy cause.
Click to enlargeThis isn't exactly Alaska news, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Everyone seems to think that China represents one of the great untouched areas for craft beer expansion. I wouldn't know about that; I'm not an expert on China's craft beer scene. However, someone who is an expert is Rick Green.
Rick GreenRick lives in China and writes a newsletter about Chinese craft beer called The Great Hop Forward Leader . You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Rick was kind enough to send me a review copy of his book How to Drink Beer in Mandarin . It's an English to Mandarin glossary of craft beer styles and terms. I don't read Mandarin, so I have to take Rick at his word as to its accuracy, but I can see how it would be extremely useful to the craft beer lover who found himself working or vacationing in China. So if that's you, click on the book name above to order yourself a copy and consider subscribing to Rick's newsletter.
Arkose Brewery is looking for a few good lady brewers to join them on March 5th to brew a beer to benefit the Pink Boots Society' s scholarship program. They can only accommodate a limited number of brewers, so sign-up now by calling 746-BEER or emailing info@arkosebrewery.com.
It's
Fur Rondy
weekend, and Anchorage Brewing Company has released its version of this year's Rondy Brew. This year's batch is a Spelt Saison brewed with Motueka hops and Hibiscus! And Brett of course. Here on the Peninsula, you can find it at
Country Liquors
in Kenai.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing CompanyHere on the Peninsula, besides the Frozen River Fest , the big news is that St. Elias Brewing Company has finally replaced its old and non-functional hand pump with a sleek new model.
St. Elias celebrated by putting a cask of its Williwaw IPA on last Thursday, 2/18. With the new hand pump, we should be able to look forward to regular offering of cask-conditioned beers in Soldotna.
Moving on to beer reviews, I only have three this time around.
Midnight Sun Brewing's 2016 Arctic Devil Barley Wine: This beer is a perennial favorite of mine, so I'm always stoked when it's released each year. Besides snagging as many bottles as I can afford to cellar, I usually have one "fresh", like this bottle. It poured a clear dark honey color, with a small-cream-colored head that dissipated to a collar. The nose was rich and deep, full of toffee and malty goodness, promising delights on the palate. The mouthfeel was medium and coating, with low but acceptable carbonation. The flavor profile was classic English barley wine: smooth and malty, with undertones of oak and alcohol warmth on the finish. Excellent now, but it will be sublime in 2 to 3 years. 13.4% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Arkose Brewery's High Ridge Double Red Ale: The bottle of this beer that I purchased at Country Liquors in Kenai had absolutely zero carbonation; a bad cap seal, I'm guessing. Fortunately, I got to taste it properly carbonated at the Meet the Brewers Dinner , so this review is based on that session. A clear ruby red in the glass with a nice cream-colored head that lingered. The aroma was definitely on the malty side, with no real hop notes. Mouthfeel was medium and carbonation was good. Smooth and rich, with lots of caramel notes; hops present for balance, not bitterness. A nice, easy drinker that paired well with the crispy pork belly it was served with. 6.8% ABV.
Broken Tooth Brewing's Darth Barrelium '14 Belgian Imperial Stout: The beer poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated to a collar. The aroma had malty and roasty notes, plus hints of oak from the barrel aging and some alcohol. The mouthfeel was a touch thinner than I expected for such a big brew, and the carbonation was low but acceptable. On the palate, I picked up coffee, cocoa, and oak, along with some alcohol warmth, especially on the finish. A big, barrel-aged imperial stout, with all the elements you'd expect from such a beer. Very nice. 11.8% ABV, 40 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time around. In case you haven't heard, The Redoubt Reporter will be ceasing publication, so my monthly column will no longer be appearing there. Meanwhile, enjoy this early Break Up we seem to be having here in Alaska.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
February 12, 2016
HB 248: The AK Legislature Takes Aim at You and Me
Mark Twain famously said: "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." That statement is doubly true these days in Alaska, as the legislature tries to deal with the fact that state government can no longer live off the largess of the oil companies. Now that the party looks to be over, at least until oil prices rebound, our legislators are looking for some other prey to feed on. And guess what? They think anyone who drinks alcohol in Alaska fits the bill.
Alaska after HB 248
HB 248, The Alcohol Tax Bill, proposed by Governor Walker and currently under consideration by the House Labor and Commerce Committee, would double the current excise tax rates on alcoholic beverages in Alaska. Yes, you read that right, double them . Oh, and by the way, Alaska already has some of the highest alcohol taxes of any state, even before this proposed increase. For hard spirits, the current state excise tax is $12.80 per gallon (second highest in the US); the national average is $4.45 per gallon. For wine, the current excise tax is $2.50 per gallon (the highest in the US); the national average is $0.83 per gallon. The current excise tax on beer is $1.07 per gallon (the second highest in the US); the national average is $0.28 per gallon. Under the current tax scheme, the state is already raking in almost $40 million a year in excise taxes, and now the governor wants to double that?
And let's be perfectly clear who's paying that $40 million a year: you are. If you read this blog, I assume it's because you enjoy drinking beers brewed here in Alaska. The producers, distributors, and retailers of beer, wine, and spirits have no choice but to pass this tax, just like any other tax, right along to the end consumers: you and me. So that's who the governor is directly targeting with this tax: you, me, and every other Alaskan who might like a glass of wine with their meal or a nice beer after a hard days work. And I think that is bullshit. We are already paying more than our fair share, with taxes 3 or 4 times the national average, to the tune of $40 million. Federal and state taxes are already the single biggest component in the cost of brewing beer now, to the tune of almost 40% of the price the brewer charges, but Walker thinks it should take even more? I say no! And by the way, I guess I missed his proposal to double the current taxes on oil, fishing, and tourism. After all, if it's okay to just double the excise tax on alcohol, why not just double all taxes?
I'm not saying that the legislature doesn't need to find new sources of revenue; clearly it does, even if the state budget still need about another billion cut out of it (including cuts to sacred cows like education and health care). But the source of this new revenue should be broad-based, like a state-wide sales tax, not targeted at one industry and its consumers, an industry that is already shouldering just about the largest state tax burden out there when compared to the rest of the country.
So if you're like me and think this proposed bill is a complete screw job to folks like us, I urge you to do something about it. HB 248 The Alcohol Tax Bill will have a hearing tomorrow, Saturday, February 13, at 10 AM in front of the House Labor & Commerce Committee. I plan to be at my local Legislative Information Office to give testimony against it, so that's an option. However, even if you can't make it, please contact your representatives in the legislature and let them know you are opposed to this horror show, especially if they happen to be members of that committee. The committee members are:
Kurt Olson (District 30)Shelley Hughes (District 11)Jim Colver (District 9)Gabrielle LeDoux (District 15)Cathy Tilton (District 12)Andy Josephson (District 17)Sam Kito (District 33)You can find the contact information for them or any other legislator at http://akleg.gov/house.php. Once again, I urge you to say something to them. The growth of craft brewing in Alaska has been one of the few bright spots in what's been a pretty bleak economic picture lately. The last thing a growing industry needs is to have its taxes doubled.
Let's move on to something more pleasant.
Bearpaw River Brewing in Wasilla will be releasing a new beer at 5 PM today. Since this is the brewery's first collaboration beer, brewed with Occidental Brewing of Portland, Oregon, they will be having a party to celebrate. Check out the Facebook event here. There will be fresh pretzels, baked at the nearby North Star Bakery . Bring your steins and lederhosen to celebrate this new German beer. Here are stats on the new brew:
Style: Munich Dunkel
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 19
Malt: Munich, Pale, Chocolate
Hops: Tettnanger, Hallertau
Yeast: German Kolsch
Sounds like another winner!
Anchorage Brewing Company has a new batch of its Triple IPA back on tap today. ABC will also be hosting an event on Saturday, March 26th, for the First Annual Orval Day . More information on that later.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage BrewingHooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks is running a Valentines Day special this week. $25 get you a glass growler, filled with the beer of your choice, and two nice tulip glasses.
Here on the Peninsula, we are counting down to Frozen River Fest next Saturday, February 20, from 3 to 6 PM. If you are planning to go to the Meet the Brewers Dinner at The Flats Bistro on Friday, you had better purchase you tickets ASAP, as I understand there are less than a dozen still available. Tickets are $50 and get you a five-course meal and seven different beers/wines to accompany them. For the Fest itself, there are no advance ticket sales. It will be $25 at the gate, which gets you a commemorative stainless steel mug and 4 drink tokens, each good for a 4 oz. pour. Additional tokens are only $2 each. Here are some photos of the mug:
Front of mug. Photo courtesy of Elaine Howell
Back of mug. Photo courtesy of Elaine Howell
All proceeds from the Frozen River Fest go to benefit the Kenai Watershed Forum and the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. The Peninsula Clarion newspaper also had an article this week about the Fest; you can read it here.
Also here on the Peninsula, the construction on the new home for the Kenai River Brewing Company is proceeding at a rapid pace. I had pictures in last week's blog of the interior. This week, the siding is going on, so check out these exterior shots, courtesy of Kenai River Brewing:
Here's the tap list from KRB as of 2/9:
Note the return of the Frozen River Doppelbock; see my review below.
Over at St. Elias Brewing, there's nothing new on tap yet, but I believe that a new beer will be on tap there soon: H & H All-American Stout. As the name implies, this is another collaboration brew between yours truly and Zach Henry. I'll post more details once it's actually on tap, though some of you may have gotten to taste it at the GABBF . Here's St. Elias' tap list as of yesterday, 2/11.
That's it for news, both good and bad, so let's move on to reviews.
Sierra Nevada's 2015 Bigfoot Barley Wine: This isn't a true review, as I have written about this classic beer many times in the pass. Rather, I just want to make sure everyone knows that the 2016 release of Bigfoot is now on beer store shelves. That also means that - if you are like me and think that this classic American Barley Wine is best after a year in the cellar - it's time time to start enjoying the bottles of the 2015 release that you laid away last year. Whether you like it fresh or aged, Bigfoot remains a true American classic, so be sure to pick some up.
Kenai River Brewing's 2015 Frozen River Fest Doppelbock: This beer was also initially released a year ago, as part of the celebrations for the 1st Frozen River Fest. You can read my review of it in my 3/27/2015 blog. However, Doug Hogue decided to squirrel some of it away and let it cellar in the cooler for a year. That long cold conditioning has made what was a very good beer even better. If you enjoy big lagers, you really should taste this beer before it's gone. By the way, this year's special Fest beer will be a Wee Heavy Scotch Ale...
Midnight Sun Brewing Company's Sloth Belgian-style Imperial Stout: This beer is a real blast from the past, with its original release from MSBC dating all the way back to 2007, as part of the famous Seven Deadly Sins Series. While I drank it back then, that was a year before I started writing this blog, so I haven't reviewed it here before. It poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated to a collar. The bourbon barrel aging was very noticeable in the aroma. Mouthfeel was heavy, the way I like it in a big stout, carbonation was low but acceptable. The flavor profile was full of the big, rich notes that you expect in a big imperial stout, along with plenty of bourbon and oak. It's similar to Berserker, but slightly more refined, I think. An excellent, beer, one I'm glad MSBC chose to bring back. 10.2% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this week. I will be busy with the Frozen River Fest next week, so you probably won't see this blog again for two weeks. I hope to see some of you at that Fest , and please remember to contact your representatives to voice your opposition to HB 248 The Alcohol Tax Bill.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Alaska after HB 248HB 248, The Alcohol Tax Bill, proposed by Governor Walker and currently under consideration by the House Labor and Commerce Committee, would double the current excise tax rates on alcoholic beverages in Alaska. Yes, you read that right, double them . Oh, and by the way, Alaska already has some of the highest alcohol taxes of any state, even before this proposed increase. For hard spirits, the current state excise tax is $12.80 per gallon (second highest in the US); the national average is $4.45 per gallon. For wine, the current excise tax is $2.50 per gallon (the highest in the US); the national average is $0.83 per gallon. The current excise tax on beer is $1.07 per gallon (the second highest in the US); the national average is $0.28 per gallon. Under the current tax scheme, the state is already raking in almost $40 million a year in excise taxes, and now the governor wants to double that?
And let's be perfectly clear who's paying that $40 million a year: you are. If you read this blog, I assume it's because you enjoy drinking beers brewed here in Alaska. The producers, distributors, and retailers of beer, wine, and spirits have no choice but to pass this tax, just like any other tax, right along to the end consumers: you and me. So that's who the governor is directly targeting with this tax: you, me, and every other Alaskan who might like a glass of wine with their meal or a nice beer after a hard days work. And I think that is bullshit. We are already paying more than our fair share, with taxes 3 or 4 times the national average, to the tune of $40 million. Federal and state taxes are already the single biggest component in the cost of brewing beer now, to the tune of almost 40% of the price the brewer charges, but Walker thinks it should take even more? I say no! And by the way, I guess I missed his proposal to double the current taxes on oil, fishing, and tourism. After all, if it's okay to just double the excise tax on alcohol, why not just double all taxes?
I'm not saying that the legislature doesn't need to find new sources of revenue; clearly it does, even if the state budget still need about another billion cut out of it (including cuts to sacred cows like education and health care). But the source of this new revenue should be broad-based, like a state-wide sales tax, not targeted at one industry and its consumers, an industry that is already shouldering just about the largest state tax burden out there when compared to the rest of the country.
So if you're like me and think this proposed bill is a complete screw job to folks like us, I urge you to do something about it. HB 248 The Alcohol Tax Bill will have a hearing tomorrow, Saturday, February 13, at 10 AM in front of the House Labor & Commerce Committee. I plan to be at my local Legislative Information Office to give testimony against it, so that's an option. However, even if you can't make it, please contact your representatives in the legislature and let them know you are opposed to this horror show, especially if they happen to be members of that committee. The committee members are:
Kurt Olson (District 30)Shelley Hughes (District 11)Jim Colver (District 9)Gabrielle LeDoux (District 15)Cathy Tilton (District 12)Andy Josephson (District 17)Sam Kito (District 33)You can find the contact information for them or any other legislator at http://akleg.gov/house.php. Once again, I urge you to say something to them. The growth of craft brewing in Alaska has been one of the few bright spots in what's been a pretty bleak economic picture lately. The last thing a growing industry needs is to have its taxes doubled.
Let's move on to something more pleasant.
Bearpaw River Brewing in Wasilla will be releasing a new beer at 5 PM today. Since this is the brewery's first collaboration beer, brewed with Occidental Brewing of Portland, Oregon, they will be having a party to celebrate. Check out the Facebook event here. There will be fresh pretzels, baked at the nearby North Star Bakery . Bring your steins and lederhosen to celebrate this new German beer. Here are stats on the new brew:
Style: Munich Dunkel
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 19
Malt: Munich, Pale, Chocolate
Hops: Tettnanger, Hallertau
Yeast: German Kolsch
Sounds like another winner!
Anchorage Brewing Company has a new batch of its Triple IPA back on tap today. ABC will also be hosting an event on Saturday, March 26th, for the First Annual Orval Day . More information on that later.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage BrewingHooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks is running a Valentines Day special this week. $25 get you a glass growler, filled with the beer of your choice, and two nice tulip glasses.
Here on the Peninsula, we are counting down to Frozen River Fest next Saturday, February 20, from 3 to 6 PM. If you are planning to go to the Meet the Brewers Dinner at The Flats Bistro on Friday, you had better purchase you tickets ASAP, as I understand there are less than a dozen still available. Tickets are $50 and get you a five-course meal and seven different beers/wines to accompany them. For the Fest itself, there are no advance ticket sales. It will be $25 at the gate, which gets you a commemorative stainless steel mug and 4 drink tokens, each good for a 4 oz. pour. Additional tokens are only $2 each. Here are some photos of the mug:
Front of mug. Photo courtesy of Elaine Howell
Back of mug. Photo courtesy of Elaine HowellAll proceeds from the Frozen River Fest go to benefit the Kenai Watershed Forum and the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. The Peninsula Clarion newspaper also had an article this week about the Fest; you can read it here.
Also here on the Peninsula, the construction on the new home for the Kenai River Brewing Company is proceeding at a rapid pace. I had pictures in last week's blog of the interior. This week, the siding is going on, so check out these exterior shots, courtesy of Kenai River Brewing:
Here's the tap list from KRB as of 2/9:
Note the return of the Frozen River Doppelbock; see my review below.
Over at St. Elias Brewing, there's nothing new on tap yet, but I believe that a new beer will be on tap there soon: H & H All-American Stout. As the name implies, this is another collaboration brew between yours truly and Zach Henry. I'll post more details once it's actually on tap, though some of you may have gotten to taste it at the GABBF . Here's St. Elias' tap list as of yesterday, 2/11.
That's it for news, both good and bad, so let's move on to reviews.
Sierra Nevada's 2015 Bigfoot Barley Wine: This isn't a true review, as I have written about this classic beer many times in the pass. Rather, I just want to make sure everyone knows that the 2016 release of Bigfoot is now on beer store shelves. That also means that - if you are like me and think that this classic American Barley Wine is best after a year in the cellar - it's time time to start enjoying the bottles of the 2015 release that you laid away last year. Whether you like it fresh or aged, Bigfoot remains a true American classic, so be sure to pick some up.
Kenai River Brewing's 2015 Frozen River Fest Doppelbock: This beer was also initially released a year ago, as part of the celebrations for the 1st Frozen River Fest. You can read my review of it in my 3/27/2015 blog. However, Doug Hogue decided to squirrel some of it away and let it cellar in the cooler for a year. That long cold conditioning has made what was a very good beer even better. If you enjoy big lagers, you really should taste this beer before it's gone. By the way, this year's special Fest beer will be a Wee Heavy Scotch Ale...
Midnight Sun Brewing Company's Sloth Belgian-style Imperial Stout: This beer is a real blast from the past, with its original release from MSBC dating all the way back to 2007, as part of the famous Seven Deadly Sins Series. While I drank it back then, that was a year before I started writing this blog, so I haven't reviewed it here before. It poured opaque with a small tan head that dissipated to a collar. The bourbon barrel aging was very noticeable in the aroma. Mouthfeel was heavy, the way I like it in a big stout, carbonation was low but acceptable. The flavor profile was full of the big, rich notes that you expect in a big imperial stout, along with plenty of bourbon and oak. It's similar to Berserker, but slightly more refined, I think. An excellent, beer, one I'm glad MSBC chose to bring back. 10.2% ABV, 20 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this week. I will be busy with the Frozen River Fest next week, so you probably won't see this blog again for two weeks. I hope to see some of you at that Fest , and please remember to contact your representatives to voice your opposition to HB 248 The Alcohol Tax Bill.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
February 5, 2016
A Long Time Coming
So, yeah, it's been almost a month since my last blog. The main thing keeping me away from the keyboard was that I took on a temp job, back at my old haunt, Kenai Peninsula College. Between doing data monkey work there and teaching two classes (including my Art & History of Brewing course), I really haven't been able to squeeze out enough time (or energy) to write a post. The good news is that my temp job is finished, so now I've got the time again to try to get this blog out on at least a semi-weekly basis again.
Temp Work: I remember now why I retired...
Of course while I was not writing, lots of cool stuff was happening on the Alaska beer scene. Alaska Beer Week came and went, with even more outstanding events than last year's. Kudos to the Brewers Guild of Alaska in general and Barb Miller of Midnight Sun in particular for making AK Beer Week truly spectacular, with over 60 different events. The Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival happened again, but for the first time in several years, it did not completely sell out. Perhaps some folks are beginning to lose interest in attending a fest full of drunken 20-somethings, and this will be Aurora Productions wake-up call to make some long-overdue improvements. Or maybe not...
One big piece of news from the GABBF was the results of the annual Barley Wine and Winter Seasonal competitions. Broken Tooth Brwwing took home the Winter Seasonal trophy with its always-excellent Darth Delerium 2016 Belgian-style Stout. In the Barley Wine Competition, the results were unusual in that there was a tie for second place, so no third place winner was chosen. The two second places finishers were Old Gnarleywine from Lagunitas Brewing and Old Birdbrain 2012 from Black Raven Brewing. First place went to Buffalo Head Barley Wine from Kassik's Brewery in Nikiski. That's two years in a row that the winner has come from a brewery right here on the Kenai Peninsula. Congratulations to Frank & Debbie Kassik on their win. A final thought: with the announcement that Toronado is no longer holding its Barley Wine Competition as part of SF Beer Week, shouldn't the GABBF Competition now be considered the premiere competition for barley wines in the country? I'm just wondering...
Photo courtesy of Kassik's BreweryAs long as we are talking about awards, I should mention the Kassik's Brewery also took a Gold Medal at the
World Beer Championships
with its Statny Statny Barrel Aged Stout.
More award news: Rate Beer has announced its Best Beer, Best Brewery, and best New Brewery by state. For Alaska, A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine, and Anchorage Brewing Company took the first two categories, while Resolution Brewing Company took Best New Brewery. You can see all the winners by state here. Rate Beer also published its list of The 100 Best Brewers for 2015, and Anchorage Brewing and Midnight Sun Brewing both made the list! You can see the complete list here.
Brandon Hall of Resolution also tells me that the brewery is now be open seven days a week and has a couple of big events planned. Here's what he said is coming up:
Sounds like a great time, so mark your calendars!
In other good news, the construction of the new brewery for Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna looks to be right on track. Owner Doug Hogue was kind enough to show me around the new facility yesterday, as things are far enough along to get an idea of what it will look like when finished. Here are some photos, all courtesy of my wife Elaine Howell:
Standing in what will be the canning line, with Doug's Office above.
Looking at the upper level grain storage.
View from grain storage. Brew kettle & mash tun will be right in front of the windows.
Looking towards the taproom from the grain storage area.
In the taproom, with bar on the left. Doug is pointing toward patio door.
After walking the facility, all I can say is "Wow." It's going to be a wonderful place to make and drink beer; I just hope we locals can still squeeze in during the summer!
Over at Anchorage Brewing, the next Rondy Brew is almost finished. This year's version will be a Spelt Saison Brewed with Motueka hops and Brett. It is also dry hopped with Hibiscus and Motueka hops. The official release will be at the brewery on Friday, Feb 19th.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company
49th State Brewing has announced that its Healy location will open this year on April 25th. Renovations continue at its new Anchorage home; no official opening date had been announced there yet, though it appears some special events will continue to take place, like Nerd Night.
Finally, The
2nd Annual Frozen River Fest
is just over two weeks away. This is an outdoor(!) festival, held in Soldotna Creek Park, from 3 to 6 PM on Saturday, February 20. There will be live music, food vendors, free coffee and hot chocolate, games for the kids, and twelve breweries/wineries from around the state, offering their products. Admission for non-drinkers is free, though you must be 21+ or be with a parent or guardian. If you want to drink, $25 gets you a wristband, 4 drink tokens, each good for a 4 oz. pour, and a 16 oz. commemorative stainless steel mug. Here's a picture of the mug:
Additional drink tokens are $2 each. All proceeds from the Fest go to the Kenai Watershed Forum and the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. Here's the poster that lists all the breweries that will be there:
Click to enlargeIn addition to the Fest itself on Saturday, there will be a Meet the Brewers Beer Dinner on Friday, at
The Flats Bistro
in Kenai. The menu is still being finalized, but there will be five courses, each paired with one or more beers from the breweries attending the fest. Tickets are $50 and you can reserve a spot by calling 335-1010. It's a great chance to talk to the brewers one-on-one in a relaxed setting.
That should be most of the big news, so let's move on to some beer reviews.
Kenai River Brewing's Spruce Tip Ale: This beer is a Winter Warmer, hopped with Fuggles and dosed with Peninsula spruce tips. It poured a dark red in color, with a small, cream-colored head. The aroma is mainly malt, but the spruce tips are also noticeable. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was nice. On the palate it was rich and malty, plus hints of pine or resin from the tips. An excellent example of a truly unique beer style, very Alaskan. 9.4% ABV, 34 IBUs.
Spoetzel Brewery's Shiner Birthday Beer 107: I saw a six pack of cans of this beer at my local Fred Meyer and decided to give it a try. This is the famous Shiner Beer Brand of Texas, and celebrates the 107th anniversary of the brewery. It poured a clear, light gold color, with a large white head. The nose had some noble hop notes, but not an overabundance, plus some biscuity malt notes. Carbonation was excellent, and the mouthfeel was light. the flavor profile a fairly crisp and snappy. Overall, a nice, middle-of-the-road German pils. 5% ABV.
Alaskan Brewing's Hop Turn IPA: This new seasonal from Alaskan is supposed to be a German IPA, which obviously has no traditional model. The idea was to use German malts and hops to produce a beer in the style on an IPA. It poured a clear gold with a big white head. The aroma was full clean, floral hop notes, without the citrus you would get from American hops. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. The flavor profile had the balance Alaskan is known for in its IPAs; plenty of nice, clean hop bitterness and flavor, but enough malt to balance things out. My overall impression was a beer that's hoppy, but not bitter. An excellent beer, and one I hope we see a lot more of from Alaskan. 7.5% ABV.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
King Street Brewing's Imperial Stout: The last beer in King Street's new Imperial series, I actually got to taste this brew after Christmas Dinner with friends, but that was hardly the time or the place to write a review, so when I saw it on the shelf at my the Soldotna Fred Meyer, I picked up a bottle. It poured opaque with a large tan head, like a good imperial stout should. The nose was excellent, full of delicious roasty notes. Carbonation was good, and it had a nice, chewy mouthfeel. The flavor profile was classic imperial stout, roasted noted battling it out with malt and alcohol warmth on the finish. And excellent beer, and my favorite of King Street's four imperial beers, I think. 10% ABV, 72 IBUs.
Midnight Sun Brewing's Toklat Blonde: This beer has been out for quite some time, but this was my first chance to snag a bottle. It's a blonde ale aged in chardonnay barrels. It poured a cloudy gold with a small off-white head that dissipated to a collar but left good lacing on the glass. The nose seemed to be primarily oaky notes. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. The flavor profile had lots of oak, with little detectable hop bitterness. I kept wanting to find brett funkiness as well, but there no mention of that in the beers description, so perhaps the wine-like oakiness was cross-wiring my brain. Regardless, it's a very wine-like beer. It's supposed to be a one-shot affair, so if you'd like to try it, you'd better hurry before it's all gone. 8.2% ABV, 40 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time. I promise to do my best to get this blog out on a more regular basis. Meanwhile, keep drinking that good, local craft beer.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Temp Work: I remember now why I retired...Of course while I was not writing, lots of cool stuff was happening on the Alaska beer scene. Alaska Beer Week came and went, with even more outstanding events than last year's. Kudos to the Brewers Guild of Alaska in general and Barb Miller of Midnight Sun in particular for making AK Beer Week truly spectacular, with over 60 different events. The Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival happened again, but for the first time in several years, it did not completely sell out. Perhaps some folks are beginning to lose interest in attending a fest full of drunken 20-somethings, and this will be Aurora Productions wake-up call to make some long-overdue improvements. Or maybe not...
One big piece of news from the GABBF was the results of the annual Barley Wine and Winter Seasonal competitions. Broken Tooth Brwwing took home the Winter Seasonal trophy with its always-excellent Darth Delerium 2016 Belgian-style Stout. In the Barley Wine Competition, the results were unusual in that there was a tie for second place, so no third place winner was chosen. The two second places finishers were Old Gnarleywine from Lagunitas Brewing and Old Birdbrain 2012 from Black Raven Brewing. First place went to Buffalo Head Barley Wine from Kassik's Brewery in Nikiski. That's two years in a row that the winner has come from a brewery right here on the Kenai Peninsula. Congratulations to Frank & Debbie Kassik on their win. A final thought: with the announcement that Toronado is no longer holding its Barley Wine Competition as part of SF Beer Week, shouldn't the GABBF Competition now be considered the premiere competition for barley wines in the country? I'm just wondering...
Photo courtesy of Kassik's BreweryAs long as we are talking about awards, I should mention the Kassik's Brewery also took a Gold Medal at the
World Beer Championships
with its Statny Statny Barrel Aged Stout.
More award news: Rate Beer has announced its Best Beer, Best Brewery, and best New Brewery by state. For Alaska, A Deal with the Devil Barley Wine, and Anchorage Brewing Company took the first two categories, while Resolution Brewing Company took Best New Brewery. You can see all the winners by state here. Rate Beer also published its list of The 100 Best Brewers for 2015, and Anchorage Brewing and Midnight Sun Brewing both made the list! You can see the complete list here.
Brandon Hall of Resolution also tells me that the brewery is now be open seven days a week and has a couple of big events planned. Here's what he said is coming up:
Feb 26 (Saturday): Belgian beers from other Alaskan and international breweries will be available at a Belgian Beer Showcase we're having in our taproom. Live tunes, catered food for sale, and some incredible beer!
Mar 25 (Friday): our one-year anniversary Birthday Bash! We'll be celebrating in style with H3 Hawaii Reggae Band, catered food, and of course some of the freshest and consistently top-rated beer in Alaska by Resolution Brewing Co.
Sounds like a great time, so mark your calendars!
In other good news, the construction of the new brewery for Kenai River Brewing Company in Soldotna looks to be right on track. Owner Doug Hogue was kind enough to show me around the new facility yesterday, as things are far enough along to get an idea of what it will look like when finished. Here are some photos, all courtesy of my wife Elaine Howell:
Standing in what will be the canning line, with Doug's Office above.
Looking at the upper level grain storage.
View from grain storage. Brew kettle & mash tun will be right in front of the windows.
Looking towards the taproom from the grain storage area.
In the taproom, with bar on the left. Doug is pointing toward patio door.After walking the facility, all I can say is "Wow." It's going to be a wonderful place to make and drink beer; I just hope we locals can still squeeze in during the summer!
Over at Anchorage Brewing, the next Rondy Brew is almost finished. This year's version will be a Spelt Saison Brewed with Motueka hops and Brett. It is also dry hopped with Hibiscus and Motueka hops. The official release will be at the brewery on Friday, Feb 19th.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company49th State Brewing has announced that its Healy location will open this year on April 25th. Renovations continue at its new Anchorage home; no official opening date had been announced there yet, though it appears some special events will continue to take place, like Nerd Night.
Finally, The
2nd Annual Frozen River Fest
is just over two weeks away. This is an outdoor(!) festival, held in Soldotna Creek Park, from 3 to 6 PM on Saturday, February 20. There will be live music, food vendors, free coffee and hot chocolate, games for the kids, and twelve breweries/wineries from around the state, offering their products. Admission for non-drinkers is free, though you must be 21+ or be with a parent or guardian. If you want to drink, $25 gets you a wristband, 4 drink tokens, each good for a 4 oz. pour, and a 16 oz. commemorative stainless steel mug. Here's a picture of the mug:
Additional drink tokens are $2 each. All proceeds from the Fest go to the Kenai Watershed Forum and the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. Here's the poster that lists all the breweries that will be there:
Click to enlargeIn addition to the Fest itself on Saturday, there will be a Meet the Brewers Beer Dinner on Friday, at
The Flats Bistro
in Kenai. The menu is still being finalized, but there will be five courses, each paired with one or more beers from the breweries attending the fest. Tickets are $50 and you can reserve a spot by calling 335-1010. It's a great chance to talk to the brewers one-on-one in a relaxed setting.That should be most of the big news, so let's move on to some beer reviews.
Kenai River Brewing's Spruce Tip Ale: This beer is a Winter Warmer, hopped with Fuggles and dosed with Peninsula spruce tips. It poured a dark red in color, with a small, cream-colored head. The aroma is mainly malt, but the spruce tips are also noticeable. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was nice. On the palate it was rich and malty, plus hints of pine or resin from the tips. An excellent example of a truly unique beer style, very Alaskan. 9.4% ABV, 34 IBUs.
Spoetzel Brewery's Shiner Birthday Beer 107: I saw a six pack of cans of this beer at my local Fred Meyer and decided to give it a try. This is the famous Shiner Beer Brand of Texas, and celebrates the 107th anniversary of the brewery. It poured a clear, light gold color, with a large white head. The nose had some noble hop notes, but not an overabundance, plus some biscuity malt notes. Carbonation was excellent, and the mouthfeel was light. the flavor profile a fairly crisp and snappy. Overall, a nice, middle-of-the-road German pils. 5% ABV.
Alaskan Brewing's Hop Turn IPA: This new seasonal from Alaskan is supposed to be a German IPA, which obviously has no traditional model. The idea was to use German malts and hops to produce a beer in the style on an IPA. It poured a clear gold with a big white head. The aroma was full clean, floral hop notes, without the citrus you would get from American hops. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. The flavor profile had the balance Alaskan is known for in its IPAs; plenty of nice, clean hop bitterness and flavor, but enough malt to balance things out. My overall impression was a beer that's hoppy, but not bitter. An excellent beer, and one I hope we see a lot more of from Alaskan. 7.5% ABV.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan Brewing
King Street Brewing's Imperial Stout: The last beer in King Street's new Imperial series, I actually got to taste this brew after Christmas Dinner with friends, but that was hardly the time or the place to write a review, so when I saw it on the shelf at my the Soldotna Fred Meyer, I picked up a bottle. It poured opaque with a large tan head, like a good imperial stout should. The nose was excellent, full of delicious roasty notes. Carbonation was good, and it had a nice, chewy mouthfeel. The flavor profile was classic imperial stout, roasted noted battling it out with malt and alcohol warmth on the finish. And excellent beer, and my favorite of King Street's four imperial beers, I think. 10% ABV, 72 IBUs.
Midnight Sun Brewing's Toklat Blonde: This beer has been out for quite some time, but this was my first chance to snag a bottle. It's a blonde ale aged in chardonnay barrels. It poured a cloudy gold with a small off-white head that dissipated to a collar but left good lacing on the glass. The nose seemed to be primarily oaky notes. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. The flavor profile had lots of oak, with little detectable hop bitterness. I kept wanting to find brett funkiness as well, but there no mention of that in the beers description, so perhaps the wine-like oakiness was cross-wiring my brain. Regardless, it's a very wine-like beer. It's supposed to be a one-shot affair, so if you'd like to try it, you'd better hurry before it's all gone. 8.2% ABV, 40 IBUs.
Well, that's it for this time. I promise to do my best to get this blog out on a more regular basis. Meanwhile, keep drinking that good, local craft beer.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
January 9, 2016
Alaska Beer Week Comes...
We are well into January, so that means it's time to start talking about
Alaska Beer Week
. Taking place during the week before the
Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival
, this celebration has grown rapidly over the last few years, to the point now that I could easily spend this entire blog just recapitulating all the different events taking place.
Rather than do that ('cause it's kind of boring just to copy thing over), I'm going to refer you to the Alaska Beer Week webpage, where there is an excellent event calendar. By my latest count, there are over 50 different event entries on it, so its the best option out there to plan your week. However, I do want to highlight a few of the events.
AK Beer Week Kick-Off Party
Location: Williwaw Social, 609 F Street
Date & Time: 7 PM, Thursday, 14 Jan.
Description: For the first 200 guests, $25 ticket gets you an AKBW goblet, two 8-oz beer tickets...plus other goodies. (After 200, it is everything but the AKBW glass...so come early!)
Beer Dinner at Pete's Sushi Spot
Location: Pete's Sushi Spot, 3020 Minnesota Dr.
Date & Time: 6 PM, Sunday, 17 Jan
Description:Enjoy 5 courses of incredible Asian Fusion cuisine paired with Midnight Sun beers at Peter's Sushi Spot. This will be a fresh new option for AK Beer Week Geeks -- sushi and craft beer pairings! 5 courses. $65 per person.
Samuel Smith Tribute
Location: Williwaw Social, 609 F Street
Date & Time: 6 to 9 PM, Tuesday, 19 Jan.
Click to enlargeBeer Dinner at Humpy's/Sub Zero
Location: Sub Zero Lounge, 612 F Street
Date & Time, 6 PM, Wednesday, 20 Jan
Description: The mother of all AK beer dinners: Humpy's presents its annual beer dinner during AK Beer Week 2016. Details on this beer are coming but KNOW that you will be amazed by the quality and quantity of the courses and pairings presented. Humpy's owner, Billy Opinski, is a very generous host and brings out treats from his infamous cellar along the way. $100 per person. I've attended this one myself several times, and it is always superb.
I'll Have Another Release Party
Location: Cafe Amsterdam, 530 E. Benson
Date & Time: 3 PM, Thursday, 21 Jan
As I said, the events listed above are just a sampling of the fifty plus events taking place during AK Beer Week . Check your schedule and your wallet, and choose wisely!
Before AK Beer Week kicks off, there are some other beer things happening. Tomorrow, Sunday, January 10th, is A Deal With the Devil Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. Besides selling bottles of the limited release of A Deal With the Devil Barley Wine ($50 per bottle, 1/customer, 200 bottles total) there will be live music and food at the brewery, as well as some very cool beers on tap.
Here's the list:
2013 A Deal with the Devil2014 A Deal with the DevilMosaic Saison Bitter Monk Belgian DIPAMaderarina IPA Debbies Delight Sour Wheat Darkest Hour Imperial Stout Anadromous Black Sour Grassroots Arctic Soirée Czech Pilsner
The brewery opens at noon, so get there early if you hope to score a bottle.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company
King Street Brewing re-released its Coconut Chocolate Porter last Wednesday. This beer was originally released in February of 2013, under the name La Dolce Vita. It's a robust porter, infused with both organic coconut and organic cacao nibs.
Brown Jug is running a contest to give away two tickets to the Saturday afternoon session of this year's G reat Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival . You can enter here.
Click to enlargeBleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer has received its federal license to brew. Owners Zack Lanphier and Stefan Marty are now working to jump through all the state and local hoops required to get a license to operate. Hopefully, they will be able to open the doors before summer.
Alaskan Brewing Company has released a new seasonal IPA, which they are calling Hop Turn. It's an attempt to brew an IPA using German malts and hops. It's brewed with Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts and Magnum and Sterling hops.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan BrewingAt Kenai River Brewing Company, the Spruce Tip Ale is back on tap.
Photo courtesy of Kenai River
That's it for news, so let's move to beer reviews. I've only got three for this blog.
King Street Brewing's Imperial Pilsner: It poured a clear, slightly reddish-gold color with a nice cream-colored head. The aroma had some biscuity malt notes, as well as noble hops. Carbonation was good and the beer was nice on the palate. The flavor profile let you know it was a big beer, with plenty of biscuity malt notes. Very much in the style of a German pils, just amped up to 8% ABV. 36 IBUs.
Kenai River Brewing's American Sunken Island IPA: File this one under happy accidents: While brewing a batch of its British-inspired Sunken Island IPA, the brewers at KRBC inadvertently pitched an American yeast. The resulting beer was released as a one-off, but has proved so popular, I wouldn't be surprised to see it make the occasional return engagement. The beer poured a deep, clear ruby color, with a nice, persistent off-white head that left good lacing on the glass. The nose had plenty of good floral notes from the hops. The mouthfeel was light, as the American yeast produced a significantly drier beer, and carbonation was good. The flavor profile is similar to the standard Sunken Island, but much drier, which makes the hop flavors even more pronounced. A great change of pace. 7.9% ABV, 68 IBUs.
St. Elias Brewing's Small Town Brown Ale: While I continue to fail at trying to convince Zach Henry to brew another batch of his Marathon Mild Ale, this session beer isn't that far from one. It poured a semi-translucent reddish-brown with a nice tan head. The aroma promised some hops, but also some balance from malt. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. On the palate, there was a nice balance between the malt and the hops, which greatly enhances the beer's drinkability. At only 4.3 % ABV, this beer is an excellent choice if you are looking to drink more than one.
That's it for this week. Be sure to make your reservations/buy your tickets for the AK Beer Week events ASAP; the best ones will definitely sell out rapidly.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Rather than do that ('cause it's kind of boring just to copy thing over), I'm going to refer you to the Alaska Beer Week webpage, where there is an excellent event calendar. By my latest count, there are over 50 different event entries on it, so its the best option out there to plan your week. However, I do want to highlight a few of the events.
AK Beer Week Kick-Off Party
Location: Williwaw Social, 609 F Street
Date & Time: 7 PM, Thursday, 14 Jan.
Description: For the first 200 guests, $25 ticket gets you an AKBW goblet, two 8-oz beer tickets...plus other goodies. (After 200, it is everything but the AKBW glass...so come early!)
Beer Dinner at Pete's Sushi Spot
Location: Pete's Sushi Spot, 3020 Minnesota Dr.
Date & Time: 6 PM, Sunday, 17 Jan
Description:Enjoy 5 courses of incredible Asian Fusion cuisine paired with Midnight Sun beers at Peter's Sushi Spot. This will be a fresh new option for AK Beer Week Geeks -- sushi and craft beer pairings! 5 courses. $65 per person.
Samuel Smith Tribute
Location: Williwaw Social, 609 F Street
Date & Time: 6 to 9 PM, Tuesday, 19 Jan.
Click to enlargeBeer Dinner at Humpy's/Sub ZeroLocation: Sub Zero Lounge, 612 F Street
Date & Time, 6 PM, Wednesday, 20 Jan
Description: The mother of all AK beer dinners: Humpy's presents its annual beer dinner during AK Beer Week 2016. Details on this beer are coming but KNOW that you will be amazed by the quality and quantity of the courses and pairings presented. Humpy's owner, Billy Opinski, is a very generous host and brings out treats from his infamous cellar along the way. $100 per person. I've attended this one myself several times, and it is always superb.
I'll Have Another Release Party
Location: Cafe Amsterdam, 530 E. Benson
Date & Time: 3 PM, Thursday, 21 Jan
As I said, the events listed above are just a sampling of the fifty plus events taking place during AK Beer Week . Check your schedule and your wallet, and choose wisely!
Before AK Beer Week kicks off, there are some other beer things happening. Tomorrow, Sunday, January 10th, is A Deal With the Devil Day at Anchorage Brewing Company. Besides selling bottles of the limited release of A Deal With the Devil Barley Wine ($50 per bottle, 1/customer, 200 bottles total) there will be live music and food at the brewery, as well as some very cool beers on tap.
Here's the list:
2013 A Deal with the Devil2014 A Deal with the DevilMosaic Saison Bitter Monk Belgian DIPAMaderarina IPA Debbies Delight Sour Wheat Darkest Hour Imperial Stout Anadromous Black Sour Grassroots Arctic Soirée Czech Pilsner
The brewery opens at noon, so get there early if you hope to score a bottle.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing CompanyKing Street Brewing re-released its Coconut Chocolate Porter last Wednesday. This beer was originally released in February of 2013, under the name La Dolce Vita. It's a robust porter, infused with both organic coconut and organic cacao nibs.
Brown Jug is running a contest to give away two tickets to the Saturday afternoon session of this year's G reat Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival . You can enter here.
Click to enlargeBleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer has received its federal license to brew. Owners Zack Lanphier and Stefan Marty are now working to jump through all the state and local hoops required to get a license to operate. Hopefully, they will be able to open the doors before summer.
Alaskan Brewing Company has released a new seasonal IPA, which they are calling Hop Turn. It's an attempt to brew an IPA using German malts and hops. It's brewed with Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts and Magnum and Sterling hops.
Photo courtesy of Alaskan BrewingAt Kenai River Brewing Company, the Spruce Tip Ale is back on tap.
Photo courtesy of Kenai RiverThat's it for news, so let's move to beer reviews. I've only got three for this blog.
King Street Brewing's Imperial Pilsner: It poured a clear, slightly reddish-gold color with a nice cream-colored head. The aroma had some biscuity malt notes, as well as noble hops. Carbonation was good and the beer was nice on the palate. The flavor profile let you know it was a big beer, with plenty of biscuity malt notes. Very much in the style of a German pils, just amped up to 8% ABV. 36 IBUs.
Kenai River Brewing's American Sunken Island IPA: File this one under happy accidents: While brewing a batch of its British-inspired Sunken Island IPA, the brewers at KRBC inadvertently pitched an American yeast. The resulting beer was released as a one-off, but has proved so popular, I wouldn't be surprised to see it make the occasional return engagement. The beer poured a deep, clear ruby color, with a nice, persistent off-white head that left good lacing on the glass. The nose had plenty of good floral notes from the hops. The mouthfeel was light, as the American yeast produced a significantly drier beer, and carbonation was good. The flavor profile is similar to the standard Sunken Island, but much drier, which makes the hop flavors even more pronounced. A great change of pace. 7.9% ABV, 68 IBUs.
St. Elias Brewing's Small Town Brown Ale: While I continue to fail at trying to convince Zach Henry to brew another batch of his Marathon Mild Ale, this session beer isn't that far from one. It poured a semi-translucent reddish-brown with a nice tan head. The aroma promised some hops, but also some balance from malt. Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was light. On the palate, there was a nice balance between the malt and the hops, which greatly enhances the beer's drinkability. At only 4.3 % ABV, this beer is an excellent choice if you are looking to drink more than one.
That's it for this week. Be sure to make your reservations/buy your tickets for the AK Beer Week events ASAP; the best ones will definitely sell out rapidly.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
January 2, 2016
So Long 2015, Hello 2016: A Retrospective and a Look Ahead
Hello, and Happy New Year to you all. I thought I'd take the opportunity, here at the end of one year and the start of another, to depart a bit from my standard format of news and beer reviews for a few meditations on the current state of play in Alaska's craft beer scene, as well as some thoughts on the coming year.
Looking back at 2015, you'd have to say that by any objective measure, it was a great year for craft brewing in Alaska. We had a total of five new breweries open: Resolution Brewing, Odd Man Rush Brewing, Icy Strait Brewing, Gakona Brewing, and Bearpaw River Brewing. That's a huge number, something like a 20% increase in the number of breweries in the state. We also saw some well-established breweries move into new, custom-built locations. Gabe Fletcher moved out of Gary Klopfer's basement into Anchorage Brewing's gorgeous new brewery. Paul Wheeler of Haines Brewing departed his tiny Dalton City location for an improved and expanded new home on Haines' Main Street, one with an actual tap room. Doug Hogue of Kenai River Brewing started construction on a new brewery in Soldotna, which will be much larger than the place he's currently leasing, have an outdoor patio, and is easily visible from the Sterling Highway. Other breweries, like Alaskan and Denali, completed expansions at their current sites. Total beer production is up statewide.
Taken at Denali BC back in September. This new packaging hall is complete now.
2015 wasn't just a good year for production, however. Numerous beers produced on the Last Frontier won national and international awards, including a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver (49 State Brewing's Smoked Marzen). A new annual beer festival, the Frozen River Fest , held outdoors in February at Soldotna Creek Park, began. Beer tourism in Alaska continued to grow, both via locally-based Big Swig Tours and out-of-state companies. The Brewers Guild of Alaska took a huge leap forward by hiring its first paid employee, Executive Director Ryan Makinster. Some politicians like US Senator Lisa Murkowski have even taken notice of the industry's growth and started making some efforts to support it. Even I got into the act, with the first professionally published history of brewing in Alaska, Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun . Anyway you slice it, 2015 was a great year for craft beer in Alaska, and 2016 shows tremendous promise as well.
Shameless plug of my book
Still, everything isn't necessary beer and skittles for the beer business in Alaska. At the very end of 2015, the news that Denali Visions 3000, the corporate owner of 49th State Brewing, was purchasing the Snow Goose/Sleeping Lady in Anchorage surprised many. In many ways, it can be viewed as a positive development. Sleeping Lady clearly has plenty of excess brewing capacity and floor space (as demonstrated by its ability to serve for several years as the home for Anchorage Brewing Company). 49th State Brewing clearly needed more production and packaging capacity, and locating it in Anchorage, rather than in remote Healy was clearly a smart move, so this deal is the sort of "win-win" that they always teach you to look for in business school. However, it does raise implications for some other long-established breweries in Alaska.
Gone but not forgotten...
Gary Klopfer has stated that he was ready to take a step back from operating his brewery, and had hoped to pass it along to his daughter, but she was not interested, so he had to look elsewhere. This issue of succession planning continues to loom large for long-established craft breweries across the country. In Alaska, the obvious brewery to wonder about is the granddaddy of them all, Alaskan Brewing Company. Alaskan will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2016. How much longer will Geoff and Marcy Larson want to handle the daily grind and how will they extricate themselves? I'm sure this is something they are already working on; the rest of us will just have to wait to see what they come up with. We can only hope that whatever they decide, it will preserve the distinctive character of the brewery (and hopefully not involve a certain Brazilian-Belgian corporation which shall not be named). While further down the road, the same question will come up for all the long-established breweries in our state.
Geoff and Marcy Larson
Besides succession questions, the other big issue on the horizon for 2016 is the Legislature's proposed rewrite of Title IV, the section of our state laws which governs alcohol sales, distribution, and production. The current SB 99 that is before the legislature would represent a truly significant change in the licensing structure for the state. A good bill could unleash even more entrepreneurial activity, while a bad one could stifle any further growth in the craft beer business in Alaska. Indeed, many of the recent spate of opening could be interpreted as folks wanting to get their breweries and brewpubs open before any changes are enacted, in order to ensure that they will be grandfathered in, and so avoid being permanently excluded. How will this all play out? I have no idea, but when you're dealing with the Alaska Legislature, it pays to remember the words of the immortal Mark Twain: "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session."
What are they going to do this session? Who knows...
Still, all is not gloom and doom for the coming year. At a minimum, three more new breweries should open before the start of the summer tourist season: Quake Brewing in Eagle River, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer, and Cynosure Brewing in Anchorage. Kenai River Brewing's new location should also be open by May. There is serious talk of a brewery in Girdwood, and likely other locations I haven't heard about. Frankly, I've been scratching my head for years, wondering why no one has opened a brewpub in Fairbanks or Juneau; if Seward can support one (albeit seasonally), I can't understand why these much larger towns couldn't. Perhaps 2016 will be the year someone takes the plunge. Best of all, regardless of what new breweries come along, I see no reason we shouldn't be able to look forward to enjoying a plethora of great beers from our existing breweries, even if we have to pay more for them, thanks to Governor Walker's new taxes.
Photo courtesy of Cynosure Brewing
So may we all have a prosperous and happy new year, one filled with lots of friendship and excellent, locally-brewed beer. I hope you have enjoyed this departure from my usual blogging style; it's something I may do again from time to time. However, next week I'll be back with news and reviews, as beer-lovers across the state begin ramping up for Alaska Beer Week and the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival .
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Looking back at 2015, you'd have to say that by any objective measure, it was a great year for craft brewing in Alaska. We had a total of five new breweries open: Resolution Brewing, Odd Man Rush Brewing, Icy Strait Brewing, Gakona Brewing, and Bearpaw River Brewing. That's a huge number, something like a 20% increase in the number of breweries in the state. We also saw some well-established breweries move into new, custom-built locations. Gabe Fletcher moved out of Gary Klopfer's basement into Anchorage Brewing's gorgeous new brewery. Paul Wheeler of Haines Brewing departed his tiny Dalton City location for an improved and expanded new home on Haines' Main Street, one with an actual tap room. Doug Hogue of Kenai River Brewing started construction on a new brewery in Soldotna, which will be much larger than the place he's currently leasing, have an outdoor patio, and is easily visible from the Sterling Highway. Other breweries, like Alaskan and Denali, completed expansions at their current sites. Total beer production is up statewide.
Taken at Denali BC back in September. This new packaging hall is complete now.2015 wasn't just a good year for production, however. Numerous beers produced on the Last Frontier won national and international awards, including a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver (49 State Brewing's Smoked Marzen). A new annual beer festival, the Frozen River Fest , held outdoors in February at Soldotna Creek Park, began. Beer tourism in Alaska continued to grow, both via locally-based Big Swig Tours and out-of-state companies. The Brewers Guild of Alaska took a huge leap forward by hiring its first paid employee, Executive Director Ryan Makinster. Some politicians like US Senator Lisa Murkowski have even taken notice of the industry's growth and started making some efforts to support it. Even I got into the act, with the first professionally published history of brewing in Alaska, Alaska Beer: Liquid Gold in the Land of the Midnight Sun . Anyway you slice it, 2015 was a great year for craft beer in Alaska, and 2016 shows tremendous promise as well.
Shameless plug of my bookStill, everything isn't necessary beer and skittles for the beer business in Alaska. At the very end of 2015, the news that Denali Visions 3000, the corporate owner of 49th State Brewing, was purchasing the Snow Goose/Sleeping Lady in Anchorage surprised many. In many ways, it can be viewed as a positive development. Sleeping Lady clearly has plenty of excess brewing capacity and floor space (as demonstrated by its ability to serve for several years as the home for Anchorage Brewing Company). 49th State Brewing clearly needed more production and packaging capacity, and locating it in Anchorage, rather than in remote Healy was clearly a smart move, so this deal is the sort of "win-win" that they always teach you to look for in business school. However, it does raise implications for some other long-established breweries in Alaska.
Gone but not forgotten...Gary Klopfer has stated that he was ready to take a step back from operating his brewery, and had hoped to pass it along to his daughter, but she was not interested, so he had to look elsewhere. This issue of succession planning continues to loom large for long-established craft breweries across the country. In Alaska, the obvious brewery to wonder about is the granddaddy of them all, Alaskan Brewing Company. Alaskan will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2016. How much longer will Geoff and Marcy Larson want to handle the daily grind and how will they extricate themselves? I'm sure this is something they are already working on; the rest of us will just have to wait to see what they come up with. We can only hope that whatever they decide, it will preserve the distinctive character of the brewery (and hopefully not involve a certain Brazilian-Belgian corporation which shall not be named). While further down the road, the same question will come up for all the long-established breweries in our state.
Geoff and Marcy LarsonBesides succession questions, the other big issue on the horizon for 2016 is the Legislature's proposed rewrite of Title IV, the section of our state laws which governs alcohol sales, distribution, and production. The current SB 99 that is before the legislature would represent a truly significant change in the licensing structure for the state. A good bill could unleash even more entrepreneurial activity, while a bad one could stifle any further growth in the craft beer business in Alaska. Indeed, many of the recent spate of opening could be interpreted as folks wanting to get their breweries and brewpubs open before any changes are enacted, in order to ensure that they will be grandfathered in, and so avoid being permanently excluded. How will this all play out? I have no idea, but when you're dealing with the Alaska Legislature, it pays to remember the words of the immortal Mark Twain: "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session."
What are they going to do this session? Who knows...Still, all is not gloom and doom for the coming year. At a minimum, three more new breweries should open before the start of the summer tourist season: Quake Brewing in Eagle River, Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer, and Cynosure Brewing in Anchorage. Kenai River Brewing's new location should also be open by May. There is serious talk of a brewery in Girdwood, and likely other locations I haven't heard about. Frankly, I've been scratching my head for years, wondering why no one has opened a brewpub in Fairbanks or Juneau; if Seward can support one (albeit seasonally), I can't understand why these much larger towns couldn't. Perhaps 2016 will be the year someone takes the plunge. Best of all, regardless of what new breweries come along, I see no reason we shouldn't be able to look forward to enjoying a plethora of great beers from our existing breweries, even if we have to pay more for them, thanks to Governor Walker's new taxes.
Photo courtesy of Cynosure BrewingSo may we all have a prosperous and happy new year, one filled with lots of friendship and excellent, locally-brewed beer. I hope you have enjoyed this departure from my usual blogging style; it's something I may do again from time to time. However, next week I'll be back with news and reviews, as beer-lovers across the state begin ramping up for Alaska Beer Week and the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival .
Until Next Time, Cheers!
December 19, 2015
Breaking News: 49th State Brewing to Buy Snow Goose/Sleeping Lady!
Hello! I wasn't planning to blog again so soon, but I just learned a very hot piece of news. The owners of 49th State Brewing in Healy, Denali Visions 3000 Corporation, are in the process of purchasing the Snow Goose Pub/Sleeping Lady Brewery in downtown Anchorage. I understand that Sleeping Lady Brewery will no longer be a brand name, with all beers being produced under the 49th State brand.
So long, old friend...There should be a press release out in a day or two with more information, but I have confirmed that this deal is indeed underway. Completion is contingent on the approval of the ABC Board for the transfer of licenses. This deal represents a huge leap forward for 49th State, as it will allow them to produce and sell beer year-round, as well as giving them easy access to the prime Anchorage market.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available!
December 18, 2015
Bearpaw River Opens Tomorrow!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around the Peninsula. The big day is only a week away. However, for beer lovers in Wasilla, Christmas is coming a bit early, as tomorrow, Saturday, December 19, will be the long-anticipated opening of
Bearpaw River Brewing Company
. As I have blogged about in the past, this new brewery (28th in the state by my count) is located at 4605 E. Palmer-Wasilla Highway and is the handiwork of the four Wade boys: Jack, Jed, James, and Jake. They have been working on this project for three years, so it's great to see it finally coming together. KTVA 11 did a report on the opening, which you can view here.
Photo courtesy of Bearpaw River Brewing
The grand opening will be from noon to 8 PM tomorrow. It looks like there will be at least four beers on offer: Bearpaw River Lager (4.5% ABV, 29 IBUs), Cabin Fever Porter (6% ABV, 38 IBUs), Frontiersman IPA (7% ABV, 70 IBUs), and Sluice Box Belgian (6% ABV, 21 IBUs). There will even be a food truck parked outside - Oh My Goodness Sammies & Pies - so you can make it a lunch destination as well. Personally, I won't be able to make it all the way from the Kenai to Wasilla for the opening, but I wish the Wades all the best and look forward to getting up there to try their brews very soon.
Photo courtesy of Bearpaw River Brewing
In other immediate news, Anchorage Brewing Company will be tapping its first cask-conditioned beer today: a firkin of its Triple IPA dry hopped with Mosiac. It will be tapped at 2 PM, and will be available until its gone or 8 PM, whichever comes first.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company
At Glacier Brewhouse, they are well into their annual 12 Days of Barleywine . Here's what still to come:
THE 9th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 18, 2015 2016
Big Woody Barleywine aged 7 months in American oak wine barrels from Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa Valley. (10.06% abv)
Belgian Dark aged 9 months in Buffalo Trace barrels. (8.10% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 10th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 19, 2015
Belgian Quad aged 9 months Jim Beam barrels. (10.21% abv)
2014 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in Buffalo Trace barrels (9.25% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 11th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 20, 2015 2016
Eisbock steel Aged (9.00% abv)
2014 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in raspberry infused Jim Beam barrels. (9.25% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 12th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 21, 2015
2016 Dark Big Woody Barleywine aged 9 months in Jim Beam barrels. (10.90% abv)
2015 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in Buffalo Trace barrels. (10.31% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
The cask conditioned selection varies each day, but is one of the following:
2016 Single Malt Big Woody Barleywine steel aged. (10.34% abv)
Belgian Dark aged 9 months in Buffalo Trace barrels. (8.10% abv)
Double India Pale Ale (8.00% abv)
This is a wonderful event, so if you love big beers you should definitely check it out before it's over. Glacier Brewhouse will also be doing a Blood Drive on Saturday, 12/19, from 11 AM to 6 PM. You can make an appointment on the brewery's website or just walk-in. Donors will receive a complimentary appetizer, a glass of root beer or cream soda, and a logo'd pint glass of their choice. So if you'll be in Anchorage tomorrow, help save a life by donating some blood.
HooDoo Brewing is also having a public service event from 11 Am to 7 PM tomorrow:
Reindeer & Beer
, which is gathering contributions for the Fairbanks Food Bank.
Also, HooDoo Brewing was selected last week by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce as this year's winner of the Bill Stroecker Business of the Year . Congratulations to Booby and the rest of the HooDoo team on this well-deserved honor.
Photo courtesy of HooDoo Brewing.
King Street Brewing has released the last of its new Imperial series, the Imperial Stout.
Photo courtesy of King Street Brewing
I also got to taste some of King Street's Oaked Old Ale at the Kenai Peninsula Brewing and Tasting Society's Christmas Party last weekend, and it was excellent!
Today at 5 PM at the brewery, Alaskan Brewing Company will be holding a Vertical Tasting of 15 years of its Alaskan Smoked Porter. Just $5 will get you samples of vintages back to 2001, and brewery staff will be on hand to discuss them.
Here on the Peninsula, St. Elias Brewing Company hasn't changed its tap line-up recently, but last Friday I helped Zach Henry brew a new beer which we will be calling H & H All-American Stout. Look for it to go on tap early next year. Also, Zach has decided to add his excellent Czech Pilsner to his list of flagship brews; it will replace the Even Keel Kolsch, which will become a seasonal. This is great news for me and every other craft beer lover in the area. The kolsch was fine, but the pilsner is outstanding!
Current seasonals at St. Elias
Speaking of the Peninsula, last week I stopped by Alaska Berries in Soldotna at 48660 West Poppy Lane, and spoke to owner Brian Olson. Along with his wife Laurie, he runs the only estate winery in Alaska. An estate winery is one where all the ingredients are produced on site; he doesn't use any grape concentrate or other ingredients except his own berries. I'm the first person to admit that I have zero palate for wine, but I enjoyed the samples I had and fell in love with the Haskap Jam. If you are a wine-drinker or just care about supporting a local business/family farm, you should stop by and check them out.
Fermentation room at Alaska Berries
Over at Kenai River Brewing, they have some new swag in which would make great Christmas presents. Stop by and check it out for anyone left on your gift-buying list. The brewery new construction was also featured in last week's Anchorage Press column by Dr. Fermento. Read it here.
Photo courtesy of Kenai River Brewing
Kassik's Brewery is having a Christmas Sale, with 10% off all shirts, hoodies, and glassware.
Moving on to beer reviews, I've been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas, so only three new ones this time.
St. Elias Brewing's Kriek Lambic: This is another brew in Zach Henry's series of barrel-aged fruit beers. It poured a semi-translucent reddish color, with a small head that dissipated quickly to a collar. The nose was of tart cherries, but without any brett funkiness. Carbonation was good, and the mouthfeel was fairly light. On the palate there was some tartness, along with good cherry flavor. Well-balanced and highly drinkable, it will be another popular addition to St. Elias's series of lambics.
St. Elias Brewing's Green Giant Imperial IPA: I reviewed an earlier version of this beer on 11/19/2014, but this release is sufficiently different that I thought it rated its own review. It poured a cloudy yellow-orange color with a small off-white head that dissipated to a collar. The aroma was chock full of tropical fruit and citrus; the Galaxy hops are strong in this one! Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. The flavor profile is super tropical fruit juicy, almost like a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. The bitterness becomes more noticeable on the finish. Comparing it to my notes from last year, it seems to me that Zach has amped up the tropical fruit notes considerably in the version. And in the picture below, pay no attention to the logo on the growler; I got my glassware mixed up again...
Yes, it's a St. Elias Green Giant Imperial IPA...Adnams Southwold's Tally-Ho Reserve (2012): I picked up this bottle at
La Bodga
earlier in the month. I was familiar with Adnams Southwold 's Broadside Bitter from my time living in Britain, so I decided to give this English-style barley wine a try. It poured a deep, semi-translucent ruby, with a small, cream-colored head that dissipated to a collar. The nose was full of the deep, rich malt flavor that comes from Maris Otter malt. The carbonation was okay, and the mouthfeel was quite good. The flavor profile was primarily malt, but very rich and complex, begging to be slowly sipped and savored. An excellent example of how time can improve a barley wine, this three-year-old beer is at its peak right now. An outstanding brew. 9 % ABV.
Well, that's about it for this time. I might get a blog out between Christmas and New Years, but it's probably just as likely that I won't. So let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016. I'm sure the new year will bring us all many more wonderful new craft beers to enjoy.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
Photo courtesy of Bearpaw River BrewingThe grand opening will be from noon to 8 PM tomorrow. It looks like there will be at least four beers on offer: Bearpaw River Lager (4.5% ABV, 29 IBUs), Cabin Fever Porter (6% ABV, 38 IBUs), Frontiersman IPA (7% ABV, 70 IBUs), and Sluice Box Belgian (6% ABV, 21 IBUs). There will even be a food truck parked outside - Oh My Goodness Sammies & Pies - so you can make it a lunch destination as well. Personally, I won't be able to make it all the way from the Kenai to Wasilla for the opening, but I wish the Wades all the best and look forward to getting up there to try their brews very soon.
Photo courtesy of Bearpaw River BrewingIn other immediate news, Anchorage Brewing Company will be tapping its first cask-conditioned beer today: a firkin of its Triple IPA dry hopped with Mosiac. It will be tapped at 2 PM, and will be available until its gone or 8 PM, whichever comes first.
Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing CompanyAt Glacier Brewhouse, they are well into their annual 12 Days of Barleywine . Here's what still to come:
THE 9th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 18, 2015 2016
Big Woody Barleywine aged 7 months in American oak wine barrels from Beaulieu Vineyards in Napa Valley. (10.06% abv)
Belgian Dark aged 9 months in Buffalo Trace barrels. (8.10% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 10th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 19, 2015
Belgian Quad aged 9 months Jim Beam barrels. (10.21% abv)
2014 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in Buffalo Trace barrels (9.25% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 11th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 20, 2015 2016
Eisbock steel Aged (9.00% abv)
2014 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in raspberry infused Jim Beam barrels. (9.25% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
THE 12th DAY OF BARLEYWINE – DEC. 21, 2015
2016 Dark Big Woody Barleywine aged 9 months in Jim Beam barrels. (10.90% abv)
2015 Imperial Stout aged 1 year in Buffalo Trace barrels. (10.31% abv)
Cask conditioned selection.
The cask conditioned selection varies each day, but is one of the following:
2016 Single Malt Big Woody Barleywine steel aged. (10.34% abv)
Belgian Dark aged 9 months in Buffalo Trace barrels. (8.10% abv)
Double India Pale Ale (8.00% abv)
This is a wonderful event, so if you love big beers you should definitely check it out before it's over. Glacier Brewhouse will also be doing a Blood Drive on Saturday, 12/19, from 11 AM to 6 PM. You can make an appointment on the brewery's website or just walk-in. Donors will receive a complimentary appetizer, a glass of root beer or cream soda, and a logo'd pint glass of their choice. So if you'll be in Anchorage tomorrow, help save a life by donating some blood.
HooDoo Brewing is also having a public service event from 11 Am to 7 PM tomorrow:
Reindeer & Beer
, which is gathering contributions for the Fairbanks Food Bank.
Also, HooDoo Brewing was selected last week by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce as this year's winner of the Bill Stroecker Business of the Year . Congratulations to Booby and the rest of the HooDoo team on this well-deserved honor.
Photo courtesy of HooDoo Brewing.King Street Brewing has released the last of its new Imperial series, the Imperial Stout.
Photo courtesy of King Street BrewingI also got to taste some of King Street's Oaked Old Ale at the Kenai Peninsula Brewing and Tasting Society's Christmas Party last weekend, and it was excellent!
Today at 5 PM at the brewery, Alaskan Brewing Company will be holding a Vertical Tasting of 15 years of its Alaskan Smoked Porter. Just $5 will get you samples of vintages back to 2001, and brewery staff will be on hand to discuss them.
Here on the Peninsula, St. Elias Brewing Company hasn't changed its tap line-up recently, but last Friday I helped Zach Henry brew a new beer which we will be calling H & H All-American Stout. Look for it to go on tap early next year. Also, Zach has decided to add his excellent Czech Pilsner to his list of flagship brews; it will replace the Even Keel Kolsch, which will become a seasonal. This is great news for me and every other craft beer lover in the area. The kolsch was fine, but the pilsner is outstanding!
Current seasonals at St. EliasSpeaking of the Peninsula, last week I stopped by Alaska Berries in Soldotna at 48660 West Poppy Lane, and spoke to owner Brian Olson. Along with his wife Laurie, he runs the only estate winery in Alaska. An estate winery is one where all the ingredients are produced on site; he doesn't use any grape concentrate or other ingredients except his own berries. I'm the first person to admit that I have zero palate for wine, but I enjoyed the samples I had and fell in love with the Haskap Jam. If you are a wine-drinker or just care about supporting a local business/family farm, you should stop by and check them out.
Fermentation room at Alaska BerriesOver at Kenai River Brewing, they have some new swag in which would make great Christmas presents. Stop by and check it out for anyone left on your gift-buying list. The brewery new construction was also featured in last week's Anchorage Press column by Dr. Fermento. Read it here.
Photo courtesy of Kenai River BrewingKassik's Brewery is having a Christmas Sale, with 10% off all shirts, hoodies, and glassware.
Moving on to beer reviews, I've been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas, so only three new ones this time.
St. Elias Brewing's Kriek Lambic: This is another brew in Zach Henry's series of barrel-aged fruit beers. It poured a semi-translucent reddish color, with a small head that dissipated quickly to a collar. The nose was of tart cherries, but without any brett funkiness. Carbonation was good, and the mouthfeel was fairly light. On the palate there was some tartness, along with good cherry flavor. Well-balanced and highly drinkable, it will be another popular addition to St. Elias's series of lambics.
St. Elias Brewing's Green Giant Imperial IPA: I reviewed an earlier version of this beer on 11/19/2014, but this release is sufficiently different that I thought it rated its own review. It poured a cloudy yellow-orange color with a small off-white head that dissipated to a collar. The aroma was chock full of tropical fruit and citrus; the Galaxy hops are strong in this one! Carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was medium. The flavor profile is super tropical fruit juicy, almost like a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. The bitterness becomes more noticeable on the finish. Comparing it to my notes from last year, it seems to me that Zach has amped up the tropical fruit notes considerably in the version. And in the picture below, pay no attention to the logo on the growler; I got my glassware mixed up again...
Yes, it's a St. Elias Green Giant Imperial IPA...Adnams Southwold's Tally-Ho Reserve (2012): I picked up this bottle at
La Bodga
earlier in the month. I was familiar with Adnams Southwold 's Broadside Bitter from my time living in Britain, so I decided to give this English-style barley wine a try. It poured a deep, semi-translucent ruby, with a small, cream-colored head that dissipated to a collar. The nose was full of the deep, rich malt flavor that comes from Maris Otter malt. The carbonation was okay, and the mouthfeel was quite good. The flavor profile was primarily malt, but very rich and complex, begging to be slowly sipped and savored. An excellent example of how time can improve a barley wine, this three-year-old beer is at its peak right now. An outstanding brew. 9 % ABV.
Well, that's about it for this time. I might get a blog out between Christmas and New Years, but it's probably just as likely that I won't. So let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016. I'm sure the new year will bring us all many more wonderful new craft beers to enjoy.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
