First things first, let's talk about Friday and Saturday in Talkeetna. The weather was very nice, with cold mornings and frost to remind us that winter is just around the corner, but lovely days and clear enough nights so that we could see some amazing displays of the northern lights. Elaine and I stayed at a wonderful place, the Talkeetna Chalet B&B, which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Talkeetna. On Friday night, I attended the beer dinner at the Denali Brewpub/Twister Creek Restaurant. It was some amazing food, paired with some outstanding beers and meads. Here are some photos of the various courses:
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| First course |
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| Second Course |
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| Third Course |
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| Happy folks at the beer dinner |
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| Denali Brewpub Tap List |
Check out the menu in last week's blog to read a description and to see what was paired with with. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the dessert course, but I was pretty well gone by that point! Sassan Mossanen and the rest of the team at Denali Brewing Company really outdid themselves with this one.
The next afternoon, the brewfest itself took place between 2 and 6 PM in the Sheldon Arts Hangar. I'd never been inside it before, but it's a very cool space to have any sort of event. Because the weather was nice, they were able to open the big hangar door, so while all the breweries were set up inside, the fest goers were able to spread outside while they enjoyed their samples. Besides unlimited pours of the various beers, wines, and meads on offer, there was also excellent cheese and charcuterie on offer as well, along with bread, fruit, and vegetable trays.
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| Cheeses from Fromagio's Artisan Cheese in Anchorage |
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| Charcuterie from Mat-Valley Meats |
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| Getting the fest started in the Sheldon Arts Hangar |
As for the beers on offer, I had a couple of very interesting sours. Broken Tooth Brewing Company was pouring its Silvertip Sour (ABV 8.4%, 25 IBUs), which was a saison made from a sour mash, and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company was pouring its Bramble On Tart Raspberry Ale (4.5% ABV), also kettle soured. I enjoyed them both, along with many other great beers from the rest of the breweries in attendance. The only disappointment was the absence of both HooDoo Brewing and the Seward Brewing Company, both of which had to cancel. In summary, it was an excellent fest, very well-run and highly enjoyable to attend. I'm glad I finally made it and look forward to attending again in the coming years.
While I was in Talkeetna, I stopped by Denali Brewing Company's production brewery at Mile 2 on the Talkeetna Spur Road. Every time I visit this brewery, it seems to be undergoing another expansion. When I stopped in May, the brewery was about to receive three new 240-barrel fermenters, a silo to hold its 2-row pale malt, and a silo to hold its spent grain for pick-up by local farmers. When I stopped by this weekend, all those new addition were in place and the form was laid out to pour the slab for a huge new packaging hall. Here are some photos:
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| Spent grain silo |
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| The forms for the packing hall slab with three 240-barrel fermenters in background |
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| The new 2-row pale malt silo |
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| The taproom entrance, unfortunately closed on Saturday morning... |
Congratulations to Denali Brewing Company on its rapid and sustained growth.
Speaking of growth, three more new breweries have either opened or are about two. Icy Strait Brewing in Hoonah apparently opened back in August. It has sifted to its fall hours and is open from 4 to 8 PM every day. Here's a picture of the taproom from the brewery's Facebook page:
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| Photo courtesy of Icy Strait Brewing |
Finally, Odd Man Rush Brewing is holding its Grand Opening on this Friday, September 25th, from 5 to 8 PM. It has been holding some soft openings and initial reports are very positive, so check it out if you are in Eagle River this Friday.
However, as new breweries open, others are shutting down for the winter. Saturday, 9/19, was the last day for the Seward Brewing Company this year. Owner Erik Slayter tells me they will be doing some projects in the brewhouse over the winter, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed next spring.
Also getting ready to pack it in for the winter is 49 State Brewing Company. Prospectors Pizzeria is closing after tonight and 49th State's last day will be Saturday, October 3rd. They will be holding an early Halloween Party on that date, including big prizes for the best costumes.
This Saturday, September 26th, Fairbanks area beer lovers will be able to ride the Hoo Doo Choo Choo, a trip from Fairbanks to Nenana and back, while enjoy light fare from Lavelle's Bistro and good beers from HooDoo Brewing.
Of course, the original Alaska Railroad Beer Train will be running on October 10th. The annual Great Alaska Beer Train will be running from Anchorage to Portage and back. This train ride costs $169 for appetizers, music, and six half-pints of Glacier BrewHouse beers.
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| Click to enlarge |
Also on October 10th, the 5th Annual Bodega-Fest will be taking place from 3 to 8 PM at the Aviation Heritage Museum. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online in advance. There will be live music from Moonicorn, The Dirty Hands, Superfrequency, The High Pets, and Big Fat Buddha. There will be food available from local vendors. On Wednesday, October 7, the 2nd Annual Bodega-Fest Beer Dinner will be held at Kinley's, starting at 6 PM. There will be five course, each paired with two beers, plus a greet beer, all for $75. Call 644-8953 to make reservations.
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| Click to enlarge |
It's also Oktoberfest season, and breweries around the state are celebrating in their own ways. King Street Brewing Company will be celebrating Oktoberfest this Saturday, September 26th from 1 to 8 PM. For $25 you get 36 oz of authentic German-style beer, served in a commemorative 0.5 liter glass stein, and two German bratwurst sausages, along with traditional side dishes. Here are the beers that will be on offer, along with their descriptions:
German Bock – This dark lager with notes of grape and plum was released in February. It has been aging nicely in our cellar. The fuller flavor of the Bock is just perfect for these recent days that seem to have just a hint of chill in the air.
German Helles – Released as our Golden lager early spring and quickly sold out. Good thing we saved one keg for the party! It is the perfect beer to quaff down with a spicy sausage. This is our last keg and once it’s gone…you’ll have to wait until next summer to enjoy it again.
Bavarian Hefeweizen - Premium German wheat and Pilsner malts burst with flavor and perfectly compliment the rich clove and banana aromas in this authentic German Wheat Beer. Unfiltered and perfect for this occasion…pass the rye bread and mustard please!
German WeizenBock – A dark and malty version of a strong German wheat beer, this beer comes in at 7.4% ABV. We brewed this beer in 2014 and dug a keg of this exceptional brew out of our cellar just for this celebration!
Imperial Hefeweizen – The first beer from of a new Imperial Series of brews from King Street, this strengthen version of our Bavarian Hefeweizen has been given a healthy dose of New World hops for an unparalleled strength of flavor. 8.0% ABV.
HooDoo Brewing in Fairbanks celebrated the traditional start of Oktoberfest last Saturday in the traditional way, by having the mayor of Fairbanks tap a cask of Oktoberfest lager.
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| Courtesy of HooDoo Brewing Company. |
"Where the F@#$ did summer go?!?! I can not believe we are already back in to fall, and with that note we have this year's release of Termination Dust coming out at 5:00pm today. I fully admit we had seen Termination Dust sticking around on Monday, however we weren't quite ready in the packaging area to put the Termination Dust out there, this is almost 6 weeks earlier than last year's release, but hopefully this is a sign that we are going to get some good snow and we can get Head Brewer Lee back up on the slopes! The rest of us will be comforted by this 13% Belgian Style Barley Wine aged in Oak Barrels. It was an award winner last year, and we look forward to another great winter of TD keeping us happy and cozy by the fireside.
We finally got to release the Big Fish Home Brew Competition Winner last night at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse. We had some waiting to do as we needed Spruce Tips to be collected at just the right time. Just the Tip Spruce Tip Ale was brewed with Josh and Sean in a summer heat and came out as the perfect fall beer. Crisp and warm with a hint of fruit from the tips. We will have this available around town as well as on nitro fairly soon.
On October 1st we will be proudly attending the March of Dimes Signature Chef event at Den'aina as we release a beer created just for the Alaska March of Dimes. Toklat Hoppy Golden Ale Aged in Chardonnay Barrels was brewed to go in a very special bottle with the label art created by local artist Katie Sevigny. There will be a VIP tasting of the beer prior to the main event, a tasting during the event and an opportunity for the attendees to win the original artwork. Bottles will be available for sale on October 2nd at The Loft and a portion of all sales will go to the March of Dimes. http://www.marchofdimes.org/alaska/events/events.html.
As the guys were pouring Toklat in to the Chardonnay barrels they realized they had a few to spare, so they filled the rest with a round of Midnight Sun Golden Ale (formerly Kolsch) and a small batch will be released next week at the brewery. The flavor is amazing on this guy, with a light time in the barrels, the oak comes through without overwhelming!"
Darcy also mentioned a special upcoming event:
"Finally in October, on Saturday the 24th, we will pair up with Anchorage Waterways Council to do another round of Brews and Bites. This is the only private tasting session we do in the brewery and we go deep in the cellar to find some fun stuff. Tickets are not yet available, but as soon as they are we will share the link. They sold out pretty quick last year."
Sounds like a great time, so mark your calendars and get your tickets early.
Finally, way out in Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, it appears that newcomer Winterlong Brewing Company is having trouble keeping up with the demand for its beer, something many craft breweries around Alaska can relate to. In the latest post on the brewery website, the husband & wife owners explain that while they are currently completely out of beer, they have just taken delivery of enough new fermenters to double Winterlong's capacity.
Until Next Time, Cheers!
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