Beer Events Galore

May is here in all its splendor, and things are beginning to green up here in Alaska.  Soon we will be inundated with the seasonal flood of tourists, but before that happens we are seeing quite a slew of beer events taking place.

Homer Brewing Company will be having a beer dinner at The Homestead Restaurant this Saturday, May 3, at 6:30 pm.  Here's the menu:

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I've eaten at The Homestead and their food is nothing short of phenomenal, so this is would be a great one to choose if you will be on the Southern Peninsula this weekend.

Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Company has announced that they will be opening their Beer Garden next Saturday, May 10th.  They will also be releasing their Paystreak Hefeweizen and having a fire circus as well.  Here's the poster:

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Meanwhile, HooDoo Brewing has announced that their beers are now on tap right across the street from Silver Gulch at The Howling Dog Saloon in Fox.  They will also be releasing a Maibock for American Craft Beer Week, May 12 to 18 and having numerous other events during the course of the week.  Check their Facebook page for a complete listing.

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Denali Brewing Company is also having a beer dinner:

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Boe Barnett from Denali has also been down in this neck of the woods, working on a collaboration brew with Zach Henry of St. Elias.  Zach was up in Talkeetna early last month, and now Boe came south.

In the St. Elias brewhouse. Photo courtesy of Denali Brewing.

Anchorage Brewing Company reports there are only 25 tickets left out of 300 for The Culmination on May 17th.  If you plan to attend, you'd better grab one while you can.  ABC also reports that they have finished brewing 85 barrels of A Deal With the Devil Barley Wine, which is now aging in cognac barrels.

Photo courtesy of Anchorage Brewing Company

At Glacier BrewHouse, they are celebrating the coming of spring with the release of the traditional spring beer: a bock. Here's their description:

A medium bodied, malty lager, balanced nicely with German hops. Classic German Pilsner malt and Munich malt were combined with a touch of specialty malt to render the great malty character. The color is a brilliant dark ruby. 6.67% ABV.

And a photo:

Photo courtesy of Glacier BrewHouse

At Midnight Sun, they continue counting down to their anniversary, and tonight is First Firkin Friday.  Here's the poster:

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At Broken Tooth Brewing, the released their Godly Imperial Stout, aged in Alaska Distillery whiskey barrels, last Friday.  I don't know if there's any left, as I'm sure it went fast, but you might be able to grab some before it's all gone.

Photo courtesy of Broken Tooth Brewing

At King Street Brewing, they have begun releasing their brews in 16 oz. wide mouth cans, for those of you who don't like to use a glass.  Check them out below:

Photo courtesy of King Street Brewing

Kenai River Brewing Company reports that their new Cask SAM Canner has really sped things up.  They were able to can 412 cases in one (long) shift.

Photo courtesy of Kenai River Brewing

That's an awful lot of cans!

Tomorrow at 2 PM, Kassik's Brewery will be releasing Black Jack Stout, the 2013 Kenai Chamber of Commerce winner.  It's brewed with licorice root and black strap molasses. Stop and enjoy a glass while visiting with Scott Hamann as he shows off his Black Jack Bike, one of the most premier bikes in the US.

Moving on to beer reviews, I haven't had the chance to try too many new brews this week, but I did have a couple:

Midnight Sun Brewing Company's Pleasure Town IPA: This is the fourth beer in MSBC's canned line-up and presents quite a contrast to their  Sockeye Red IPA, also available in cans. Pleasure Town pours a slightly orange gold, with a big white head that left good lacing.  Where the aroma from Sockeye Red is very dank and piney/resiny with Pacific Northwest hops, Pleasure Town is much lighter, with fruity notes.  Bitterness is moderate, with plenty of good, clean hop flavor.  As I said, this is a lighter, brighter take on making an IPA, but still excellent.  Highly drinkable at 6.3% ABV, 61 IBUs.

New Belgium's RyePA: As the name implies, this is an IPA with rye in the grain bill.  It poured a deep copper color with a big off-white head that left good lacing.  The aroma was of American hops, and the carbonation was good.  The upfront bitterness was nice and clean, followed by some peppery rye notes and nice hop flavors.  The beer was well-balanced and it dropped away to a nice finish.  Very enjoyable twist on your standard IPA. 7.5% ABV.

Well, that's it for this week.  Get out and enjoy this great spring weather while it lasts and try some new brews if you can.

Until Next Time, Cheers!