Brewing beer Alaska-style.

• Author: Musgrove, Michael

Two Alaska breweries continue the state's proud beer-making traditions.

Many breweries have come and gone in Alaska since the turn of the century; breweries with such typically Alaskan names as Gold Belt Brewing, Eagle Brewing Co. and Pioneer Brewing Co. Small and simple, they produced only enough for local consumption. In the early 1900s, before Prohibition, there were approximately 42 microbreweries established in Alaska, each producing its own special recipe.

Alaskan brewers encouraged locals to buy their potions. The Pioneer Brewing Co., operating out of Fairbanks, wanted local support and embodied this concept in the slogan, "A cheering thought as you blow the foam: your money remains right here at home." They also proclaimed the beer was made "In Alaska, by Alaskans, for Alaskans."

Unfortunately, with Prohibition in the 1920s, early Alaskan microbreweries were forced to shut down or produce other products or services. Some brewers switched to soda pop instead of beer, making it possible to stay in production without changing their machinery.

The ratification of the 21st Amendment in 1933 brought an end to Prohibition, and Alaskan brewers again were able to produce. Since relegalization, seven breweries have been established in the state. Two of the seven are still producing today: the Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, and the Bird Creek Brewery in Anchorage. These breweries serve mainly Alaskan markets, but both are testing Outside potential, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

Alaskan Brewing Co.: Battling the Imports.

According to Geoff and Marcy Larson, owners and operators of Alaskan Brewing Co., the Alaskan breweries are "a family of microbrewers competing against import premiums." The Larsons say today's beer consumers are shifting their tastes to include the high quality, more expensive brews that, until recently, could only be found in imported beers. Alaska beers provide an alternative to imports by offering the same superior quality.

The Alaskan Brewing Co., established in Juneau in March 1986, was originally named Chinook Alaskan Brewing and Bottling. It changed its name to Alaskan Brewing Co. when it was discovered that a winery in Washington already used the Chinook label. Geoff Larson, a former chemical engineer, made his own home-brews in the past and nursed a strong desire to manufacture beer on a commercial scale. He says that in the middle 1980s, when microbreweries were in the "infancy of the trend," the possibility...