Alaskan Brewing Company

A spot to taste local beer, took friends who were here from out of town. the person serving beer was rude and seemed inconvenienced by our friends.
I won’t be taking any out of towners here again. Would rather take them to a local bar next time.

This place is awesome. First, they’ll give you three FREE samples of the beer that they have on tap. Second, their beer is really really good. To prove it. They’ve got their beer awards hanging on the wall.
I’d highly recommend the Amber, Pumpkin Wheat, and coffee brown. The winter and pumpkin ale are pretty good as well and would be my second choices for sure.

The short tour is worth it for 5 bucks. It’s not really a tour so much as story time, but super interesting anyways. My favorite was the amber, and pumpkin. Highly recommend as a way to spend the afternoon.

This place is a small piece of heaven. The quality of their beers are exceptional; don’t take my word — see their awards. From the Amber, to the White, to their aged Smoke Porter they have something for every beer connoisseur or novice. The tour of the facility is not much of a walking tour as I hoped, but the guides are knowledgeable about the company and beer itself. Get your (3) free samples or if your really thirsty you can buy more. They have a great gift shop, suitable parking, and accommodating facilities. A must see in your trip to Juneau ALASKA.

great spot well worth the trip. you get 6 samples and you will get buzzed since they are large. great history and a good time after a nice hike. wish we could get these beers in florida

Wow, what great beers! I wish I lived in Alaska just to go to their brewery. I was introduced to their Alaskan White at a Beer fest now I am a Alaskan Brewing fan. We have a lot of great breweries here in California but I have to say I am still overly impressed. It’s so good I buy their variety 12 pack just to get my two favorites (White & APA). If we do our cruise to Alaska next year, I will be going out of our way just to visit them. Keeps it guys. :)

Very cool brewery. Really great beer and educational/​fun tour. Was not a fan of one of the bar managers, Carty. She was extremely rude and actually made one of our friends leave early. Other than that, I would give 5 stars.

Today’s «guide» for our brewery «tour» and tasting was pretty flat. He had the manners of a surgeon. «You’re welcome» or any number of other pleasant responses to «thank you» were absent from his vocabulary. The experience was among the worst tour-​and-​tasting experiences we’ve had. The only reasons this place got two stars are: (1) our driver was good; (2) the beer was good; and (3) we met nice folks from a Detroit suburb.

$ 5 tour + 6 free tastings = Amazing time! We may be going back to sample again, lol.

The tour is fairly short, with a focus on the brewery’s history and brand. Be prepared to stand as there are only a couple bar stool seats in the tour room. You get to sample 4 beers during the tour, and then afterwards you get tokens for more beer samples in the tasting room! You’ll leave certainly feeling like you got your money’s worth. There is a wide variety of beers to sample in the tasting room and many of them you probably won’t easily find elsewhere (assuming you’re visiting Alaska). As far as the widely distributed brews my favorites were the Amber and Icy Bay IPA.
Pro tip: take the shuttle to the brewery ($ 15 RT, tour included), located in downtown Juneau at the Alaskan Brewing Company Depot.

This is one of the best brewery’s I have ever been to! Although I wasn’t able to take a tour of the brewery itself because I arrived after it was closed, I was able to check out the gift shop and tasting room.
It’s a good thing I was only visiting Alaska… If I lived in Juneau, I would frequent the Alaskan Brewing Company at least once a day. Why is that you ask? Well… They offer three free tastings just for visiting the gift shop and tasting room. How AWESOME is that?!
I completely fell in love with the Alaskan Summer Ale and subsequently purchased it at several restaurants after leaving the brewery. I also had the Freeride APA and Alaskan White, both of which were great! I can’t lie, I’m not a connoisseur of craft beer, although maybe someday I will be! The beer crew aka employees of Alaskan Brewing Company were all knowledable and friendly, willing to offer advice whenever asked.
In addition to thoroughly enjoying the beer tastings, I noticed the collection of beer bottles and cans, pretty cool!!! I am sure if I experienced the brewery tour I would add a fifth star but I’ll have to withhold it until I head back to Alaska and the Alaskan Brewing Company. Until then, bravo!

ABSOLUTELY WORTH YOUR TIME.
Great place to sample some beer and get a very good tour of the brewery. I think the tour, & samples run about $ 5 and you even get to keep the glass. We took the bus because we had another stop but there is also a shuttle from town. Their website also shows you where you can purchase beer in your local area. The only suggestion I have is that the owner set up a computer that allows people to check their local area distribution while they are in the brewery. This company makes some outstanding beers and we have become a new customers. Bottoms up !!!

I am guessing that the people who gave the Alaskan Brewing Company tour a 1 or 2 star rating are either writing their reviews during their AA meetings, or are the same people who stand outside of a bar at closing time to yell at patrons.
Not sure how you can go wrong with a free tour that is provided by friendly staff, which includes 6 (yes, count ‘em, 6) free samples (that generously add up to a solid pint, if not more) of many of their best beers. Even beers that are not in season elsewhere, or were specialty beers you can’t get anywhere else (e.g., we had the Survival brew that was made by the Brew Dogs TV show)!
Note: It is less of a tour (you only walk about 10 meters from the gift shop), and more of a tasting/​information tour. Also, remember that they don’t open until 11am, so if you’re like my family, you sat outside a brewery for 20 minutes itching for them to open like desperate drunkards.

Beer so good, we are smuggling some Imperial Red Pilot series in luggage back to Ohio!

Prior to my visit I read up on the Brewery as well getting there. Thanks to many who wrote about the shuttle!!! Well spent $ 15 each for my girlfriend and I. Picked up at the Alaskan Brewing Companies store in the center of town. The sign– in is on the 2^nd level, if no one is there a list is on the desk, and announcement is made 10 minutes prior to leaving. The bonus of the shuttle was a brief tour-​drive out of town, and the drivers narration along the way. Upon arival he announces his return time, and says see everyone in just over an hour and enjoy.
Arriving at the Brewery may put some off, as it’s located in an industrial area. But for those who have visited other Breweries, its setting and such was not a surprise at all.
Inside is inviting. Greeted walking in the door with the bar and scattering of items to purchase from select chilled bottles, clothing or other accessories. No worries if you don’t buy that shirt or hat here, you can get it on the return back into town. Yet here is where you’ll find some limited bottles of recent brews. One couple we met decided to buy a few bottles and knew they would turn them over upon boarding the cruise, and get them up de-​embarking. Great idea, and I would have done the same if not for the numerous flights being taken afterwards.
The tour, was a rich history of the how the brewery was founded, those who supported it, and also the lengthy process to acquire hops and other ingredients and later export the bottles out. As the narration is provided, numerous small tasters are given. To explore the 4 main beers and how they evolved to become what they are.
While not a huge fan of Smoked Porters I was amazed how smooth and flavourful the beer was. My girlfriend commented how after drinking it, she was leaning towards porters and even stouts, encouraged by the tasting.
The Icy Bay IPA, boasted robust hops and easy to drink. While drinking our tasters we learned more how 1% is donated back to a non-​profit Clean Oceans Depend On Everyone.
Also learning further about their «beer making beer» philosophy and «green friendly» process. All of which one would never expect to discover while visiting a brewery. Kudos.
Soon after tasters of the Amber and White Pale Ale, were had, new fans of the brewery were we. Upon finishing of the narration our small group was led back to the bar, to sample another selection or two. On tap today was the strawberry wheat, which was light and could be enjoyed on a hot summers day.
Upon returning to my home town, I am able to get 3 or 4 of their beers, no Smoked Stout… no yet at least. And for those on the east coast they don’t ship that far yet.
This is a great way to lull an hour or so away, between an excursion or just to get out of the main down town hustle and bustle of cruise line tourists.

Such an awesome place. Came to Juneau due to a four hour layover and decided to come to the brewery and I am so glad I had the layover. I’ve always loved beer from Alaskan Brewing Company and it was so cool to be able to come see where it’s brewed. You get 6 free, rather large samples which is great cause there are more beers from the brewery than I was aware of. They have very cool souvenirs as well. If you are in Juneau, you have to come to here.

Love them. Great beer and they give back to the local community.
The smoked ported is the best IF you like dark beers. If you don’t, you probably won’t like it because it’s not at all like PBR. Its robust and full of awesome flavor and history. I want it sold in the lower 48!!!
Go sample the awesomeness if you’re in Juneau

Without much else to do in Alaska’s Juneau, we decided to take the Alaskan Brewery Tour during our cruise’s stop. Although it’s absolutely free, they do offer a $ 15 round trip shuttle service to the brewing site. They welcome minors, but it would be boring for them since they obviously cannot partake in the tastings and probably don’t find interest in the brewing history and process.
It’s a bit of a drive from town, but our driver made it worthwhile by pointing out some landmarks and entertained us with some Juneau trivia. The tour itself isn’t a walk through tour, but there is a room with all glass windows to see the machinery and equipment they use. The guides are well educated and made the experience fun and informative at the same time. We received 4 tastings while we listened to the guides and after we were invited to try the other brews at the bar in their front shop. It was essentially aycd! $ 15 for unlimited samples and a driver to take you back to town? Two thumbs up in my book!
FYI, heed the guide’s advice and taste the smoked porter LAST. I tried their smoked porter and my mouth tasted like bacon for the rest of the day, just like the driver warned it would… interesting, but not my cup of beer.

During my week in Alaska, I fell in love with this brewery. I can’t explain it; I just love everything about them. I love the font in their logo, I love the artwork on their labels, I love their merchandise, their attitude, their story, and of course best of all I love their beer. In my book, these guys are on par with other dominant regional breweries such as Brooklyn in the Northeast, Bell’s in the upper Midwest, and North Coast in northern California. They put out a suite of consistently good beers which deserve to be enjoyed by a wide audience.
The Amber is an excellent flagship beer. It tastes great out of the bottle or on draft and fits that difficult to achieve «all seasons, all occasions» role. I drank this stuff on a 60-​foot boat while whale watching; it doesn’t get any better than that! The Summer and the White are also very good brews.
I am sorry that I was not able to try more of their beers while in Alaska, but everywhere we went had only these three on draft. Alaskan distributes to 14 states, but sadly Illinois is not one of them… yet. [Wishes upon a shooting star.] However, Wisconsin is their easternmost reach, and according to the comprehensive Brew Finder on their website (seriously, check it out – it’s brilliant), I can get Alaskan beers just across the IL/​WI border in Kenosha. I will be conducting thorough research prior to making an expedition up there ASAP.
Did you know that their Smoked Porter is the winningest beer in the history of the Great American Beer Festival? And that their beers overall have won over 100 major international awards and medals, over half of them gold?
Did you know that their beer is so good that some fans are compelled to burglarize the place by any means necessary?
The staff at their store on Franklin Street in downtown Juneau are friendly and very knowledgeable. I was surprised to find that a young female employee working the register could tell me everything that I wanted to know about the brewery’s interstate distribution. That is some awesome training and/​or employee self-​motivation.
The brewery gives free tours and tastings 11am-​6pm every day in the summer, and you can catch a $ 6 shuttle from the downtown store. I am sorry that I did not tour the brewery during my visit to Juneau, but you can be sure that I will do so next time – especially if the tap room features beers that I can’t get elsewhere.
Support your local brewery… or any really awesome brewery even if it is 2302 miles away from you.

Oh Alaskan brew, how I love thee!
I have not yet had the pleasure of touring this brewery. (Although I imagine the sampling portion would be something like Heaven on Earth.) Despite this, and perhaps bordering on taboo in Unilocalland, I feel a review of their product is this chick’s must-​do!
Anyone that has read my profile, and my reviews, has most likely noticed I mention Alaskan Amber Ale… a lot. To say I love this beer would obviously be a ginormous understatement.
It’s ridic…
I have also tried Alaskan Summer Ale and Alaskan Winter Ale, which were both great too. But the Amber… mmm…that’s my gig.
From the moment my plane lands in the Northwest, I absolutely cannot wait to grab a six-​pack of the stuff, or grab a seat at one of the many local bars that offers this liquid gold on tap. I feel it’s really at its best via draft, but splendid in the bottle as well.
At round two, the bartenders in Seattle almost always say, «Since you like Alaskan Amber, have you tried **enter Washington local beer name here**?»
It is as if the world has stopped as my mind urges me to say, «Did you SERIOUSLY just suggest ANOTHER BEER to me OTHER THAN ALASKAN?!? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FRIGGIN’ MIND?!?». Yet, I calmly, and respectfully, decline, ask for another of the same, then sit there sipping my beer happiness, still reeling at such a horrid suggestion. *sigh*
The rather unfortunate news about this fantastic beer… it is only offered for direct brewery distribution in the following states: Alaska (duh), Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
(However, on recent jaunts to Denver and Portland, I asked if they served it, and got the «WTF is THAT!?!» look one more than one inquiry. *wail*)
The GREAT news? There are several distributors that work with the brewery, and for the Nashville audience, at least one of them is licensed to ship to Tennessee. Woohoo! This list is available on their website (a rather nice website at that):
In conclusion, it goes without saying that I would love to see this beer stocked and served east of the Mississippi.
See you in Juneau!