Profit by the Pint: Toasting Alaska’s Favorite Breweries

The restriction of dart boards, pool tables, and other games at breweries, wineries, and distilleries is still in effect. Zeman found those are not forms of protected speech and therefore can be limited as a condition of a license.

McCarthy says that he believes the new legal regime brings false hope to owners hoping to increase revenue and improve their relationships with guests in the community.

“In the short term, they’ll get to remain open for an hour or two more and have live music, but that’s still a limiting factor for the brewing business,” he says. “I’m cognizant of drinking-related issues in Alaska per capita, but at the end of day, responsible people can consume alcohol, and it makes sense for them to have a place that they feel comfortable in.”

Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River is navigating the rules as best it can. “I don’t want to get into the politics of it, but the laws here are the biggest obstacle to success when you have a brewery,” says co-owner Brian Swanson. “Tourists come in and we can only serve them three beers, and we can’t have a TV, and we have to close at 8 p.m. It’s a really competitive market, and we have to get creative to keep pace with bars, other breweries, and restaurants.”

In Juneau, Alaskan Brewing Co.’s tasting room has seen some positive impact, according to co-founder Marcy Larson. However, she agrees that there are still a lot of things breweries ought to be able to do but currently can’t.

“Live music adds to the ambiance and fun of our tasting room, so we’re glad to have it whenever we want, instead of having to apply to the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Board to have performances four times a year,” she says, noting that the company carries a manufacturing retail license and not a full liquor license. “While it isn’t something we pushed for, now anyone can come in and pick up a guitar and play. And it’s great having music back.”

Amber Ambition

Alaskan Brewing Co. is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and shows no signs of slowing down, despite being a pioneer of the craft beer scene in Alaska. When husband and wife team Geoff and Marcy Larson started their brewery in 1986, they were just trying to figure out how to make a living, and a friend said that they should start a brewery—as a joke.

“That was three years before we got started,” says Larson, who was working as an accountant while her husband, a homebrewer and chemist, was working in a gold mine. “We did some research and saw how many other breweries had gone out of business, and knew that there were a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t do it. But we were enamored of the idea. We liked the concept of working together and fueling a passion and having fun—and we also thought that we’d get to see a lot of the state while delivering beer.”

While Larson credits the brewery’s success to being at the right time in the right place, it took a lot of hard work and initiative to kick off the whole craft-beer craze. “But some things just happened, like finding the Alaskan Amber recipe,” she says.

While researching brewing in Alaska, Larson unearthed shipping records from Douglas City Brewing Company, which operated from 1899 to 1907, that listed ingredients for its popular beers. A newspaper article even described the way it was brewed, so they gave it a try.

“That beer just took off,” says Larson. “It went places we didn’t expect it to, and we won medals for it. And it’s still 50 percent of our sales.”

While the Larsons are faithful to their base and continue to offer a stable of award-winning core beers, they are also always refreshing their line-up, such as by introducing seltzers made with spruce tips right before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, realizing that retailers could not sell keg beer because of the shutdown, Alaskan Brewing Co. bought back all its kegs, got a liquor license, and began using that beer to create whiskey. Now, the company sells whiskey, gin, vodka, and a number of ready-to-drink cocktails as part of its Camp Fuel line.

Sniping a Gino

Unlike a lot of businesses, Odd Man Rush thrived after the pandemic and began expanding its footprint. What started out as a 2,100-square-foot operation now has outdoor and rooftop space as well as a concert venue. The brewing system was increased, too, with more fermenters. Obtaining a full liquor license enabled the brewery to also offer cocktails and wine. Food trucks are outside the brewery every day as an added attraction.

“We’ve hosted a ton of events here, including weddings, funerals, graduations, and more,” says Swanson. “We also host comedy shows and live music; brewery laws in Alaska are stringent to say the least, so we got a liquor license so that we could hold events.”

While providing space for the community was important for Odd Man Rush, Swanson says the priority remains making good beer, including its bestseller, Enforcer IPA.

“Putting out a good product is what it’s all about,” he says. “We’re constantly changing what’s on tap, but we also always have our mainstay beers that are really popular. By concentrating on this and also focusing on our community, we’ve been able to do what we want to do.”

As the name of the ale and the brewery itself communicate, the Odd Man Rush team are hockey guys. Together with business partner Ross Johnson, Swanson started the brewery ten years ago with his brother-in-law Reid McDonald, son of the late Harry McDonald, a revered hockey coach at Chugiak High School. Having been home brewers since the early 2000s, they thought they could make a go of a place where the community could gather, drink a beer, and relax.

Odd Man Rush Brewing opened in 2015 and has grown to become part of the Eagle River community.

“After playing hockey in Germany, I came home and we all started making beer together and got better and better at it—or at least we thought,” Swanson recalls with a laugh. “Around 2010, 2011, we thought it would be really cool to make a place that wasn’t your typical bar—where the vibe was cool and families could gather, because there really wasn’t a place like that. It took us a couple years to raise the capital and find the space, but it all came together. Now we combine our passion for beer with our passion for the community.”

Inclusive Philosophy

The roots of 49th State Brewing also reach into Germany circa 2010. That’s the year McCarthy founded his brewery brand. He was already an award-winning restaurateur in Healy, and he had completed a brewing technology credential at Doemens Academy in Munich, a dual-campus program with Siebel Institute of Technology, a brewing trade school at his alma mater Kendall College in Chicago.

McCarthy says he saw the chance to build something iconic; not only a brand that celebrated the state but one that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other products on the worldwide stage. He watched Chicago-based Goose Island Beer become a global phenomenon, so he envisioned doing the same with an Alaska brand.

“Alaska is our home, so we started a craft brewery here because we believe Alaskans deserve a brewery that earns global respect in the beer industry,” he says. McCarthy attributes the success of 49th State Brewing to the team’s love of craft beer and passion for brewing.

The company now has four locations: three in Anchorage and one near Denali Park. It has earned more than 135 awards, including 25 international awards. Product lines include beer, cider, Frontier Alaska soda, and sparkling water.

“Years ago, it wasn’t unusual for a brewery brand to make root beer,” McCarthy says. “But it is unusual to make seven different types of soda.”

He says the strategy reflects 49th State Brewing’s attitude toward hospitality. “Most breweries start and try to create a very exclusive experience,” he says. “My beverage manufacturing philosophy is to create inclusivity. You’re not being inclusive if you only make alcohol; making alcohol-free and sugar-free products are part of what makes us unique.”

McCarthy notes that, while there are a lot of great craft breweries, what sets 49th State Brewing apart is its uncompromising commitment to quality that enables it to compete worldwide.

“We produce world-class products that can compete anywhere on this planet,” he says. “The fact that we’ve earned tons of awards, both nationally and internationally, is not by accident. It takes constant innovation and an obsession to get better every single day.”

McCarthy credits his team with dedicating their careers to the craft. He says, “We’ve never viewed it as building a beer brand or a brewpub. We are building a legacy brand to represent Alaska globally.”

Long-Term Vision

The relatively high number of craft breweries in Alaska outpaces residents’ taste for suds. The 22 gallons of beer consumed per Alaskan is less than the national average of more than 28, or about half the per-capita consumption of top-ranked New Hampshire. However, with 11.5 craft breweries for every 100,000 drinking-aged adults, Alaska outranks the Granite State’s 9.3, per the Brewers Association.

Larson credits the Alaska community for embracing breweries and supporting Alaskan Brewing Co. for so many years. “Our community includes vendors, customers, shippers, and more who have all helped us in so many ways,” she says. “We also had eighty-eight investors who helped us start, and most are still with us today.”

The company is partially employee-owned, yet some original investors still share in the profits. “They weren’t out for a quick buck; they wanted to support economic growth and a way to make a living for young folks in Alaska,” she explains, noting that the company offered its brew crew health insurance from day one. “They were incredibly patient and understanding because it was their money we were spending. They had a long-term vision of keeping people happily employed.”

The company also committed to sustainability, which Larson says is a big part of its success. “People here really think outside the box, and our crew has worked together to create different ways of efficiently utilizing everything we do so as not to harm the environment,” she says.

This includes capturing the carbon dioxide made from beer, purifying it, storing it, and using it to drive pneumatic functions on the brewery’s packaging line. Spent grain is also used as fuel for the company’s steam boiler. “While most breweries buy these big cylinders of CO2 and ship them up, we haven’t had to purchase it in twenty years,” says Larson. “By turning a waste product into fuel, we’ve also replaced 50 percent of our diesel bill.”

Larson notes that Alaskan Brewing Co. is very fortunate to have “forward-thinking, wonderful, energetic people” on its team.

“Our goal is to have a high-quality beer that stands out—a beer that we can share with others who also think it’s great,” says Larson. “It’s an Alaskan institution.”