In honor of my map of Australia’s best bakeries – the creation of which took many thousands of calories – we’ve decided to create a sister map of Alaska’s best brewpubs, given we keep stumbling across them in almost every town through which we pass.
Note that in Alaska, brewpubs and brewery taprooms are only permitted to serve each patron 36 ounces of beer per day. A lot of them therefore serve their beers in 12 ounce glasses: three beers. We experienced varying degree of enforcement across the state: from no enforcement at all at one end of the spectrum, to the gals at HooDoo having an uncanny ability to mentally track every customer’s intake.
Harbor Mountain Brewing Company
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Notes: A gem of an establishment in an industrial park south of downtown Sitka. Excellent mainstream craft brews with some off-the-wall creations (chardonnay barrels, spruce tip ale…) that were super interesting. The pizza joint in the back of the taproom is excellent as well.
Factoid: The brewmaster was a pro basketball player in Australia during his mid-20s and also founded Devil’s Club Brewing in Juneau.
Posts: Sitka
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Notes: Definitely worth a stop if strolling around downtown Juneau. Beers were very similar to those at Harbor Mountain in Sitka (which isn’t surprising given the two spots were founded by the same brewmaster…). Cuban sando they serve for lunch was exceptional.
Posts: Juneau
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Notes: A great spot to sit and take in the views of Auke Bay and the islands to the west, but the beers just lacked a little oomph. The catering company that handled the food also needed a little work (although their fries were zi bomb).
Factoid: Founded in October 2019, COVID almost closed the place down but the investors who bankrolled the construction of the brewery have some deep pockets and seem to been able to wait out the storm!
Posts: Juneau
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Notes: The main taproom north of Juneau in an industrial park is the spot to sample Alaskan Brewing Company’s limited edition brews. It’s a pretty simple taproom – just beer, no food – but the beers were absolutely exceptional. Most of the seasonal brews are not sold outside of Juneau, they reserve the best gear for the hometown crowd. Some of the punchy IPA creations were extremely solid, as was their seasonal hazy IPA. Lisa was also a fan of their barrel aged ale (which was pretty high octane at more than 9% ABV).
Posts: Juneau
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Notes: Well worth the stop if you ever find yourself in Haines. Favorites when we visited were the high octane stout and their dark lager (but everything was good). Seats outside provide a breathtaking view of the mountains. Alpenglow just up the street is a must for pizza post-beers.
Posts: Haines
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Notes: Great spot on the south side of Fairbanks tucked away in an industrial area. All the beers were delicious, but I could drink the Aroma Dome IPA all day.
Posts: Fairbanks
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Notes: A great setup for a few beers in central Fairbanks, their IPA and XPA were exceptional. The outdoor beer garden is very well done and the rotating food trucks are a great addition to an already solid brewery. Only drawback here is the uncanny ability of the bartenders to mentally track every customer’s beer intake until they hit their Alaska-mandated limit of 36 ounces per day!
Posts: Fairbanks
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Notes: Pretty much everything was delectable except for the Grove IPA. My personal favorite was the Great Gorge Hazy IPA – which was a limited release – with the Single Engine Red a close second. Lisa enjoyed the Mother Ale so much she bought a Mother Ale t-shirt. The tasting room can be a real zoo and the ordering system is a real PITA, but the brewpub in town is worth a stop, especially if you happen to be hungry.
Posts: Talkeetna and Surrounds
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Notes: It’s pretty rare that both Lisa and I fail to find a single beer we like at a brewery, but that’s what happened at Midnight Sun. All the beers almost completely lacked any carbonation, were served in warm glasses, their mainstream brews were just plain disappointing and their sours were just awful. Obviously they have a following that enjoys their brews, but this one was not for us. Their pretzel bites with beer cheese were solid, though.
Posts: Independence Day in Anchorage
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Notes: I wanted to give this spot a silver mug instead of a bronze, but I took a winemaker with me to the brewery and she said one of their beers had high VA and the other was tasted “dirty” so I have to deal Kenai River Brewing a bronze. The Grateful Red red ale was at the top of both our lists. Definitely get an order of the poutine: french fry and gravy goodness!
Posts: The Kenai Peninsula
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Notes: It’s worth dropping in on Gakona Brewing Company just because it’s most likely going to be one of the most remote breweries you’ll ever visit. Beers aren’t going to be winning any awards, but the place is run by a lovely couple and the stout is quite delicious. Note that the location on Google maps is incorrect: it’s located down the second-to-last road (if traveling east) in Gakona on the south side of the Tok Cutoff.
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