On A Cruise To Alaska? Here Are The Breweries To Visit

Forbes

a day ago

If you are a beer geek and on an Alaskan cruise, you are in luck! Many of the cruise ports have breweries for you to visit. These breweries are delicious, high quality and serve not just cruise passengers but thirsty locals as well.
Here are some popular cruise ports and the brewery or breweries you should visit in each one.
Bawden Street's tap list had some great classic beer styles. Em Sauter
The town of Ketchikan is full of the classic traps of a cruise port (jewelers, overpriced dock restaurants, etc.) but walk an extra few blocks away from the noise and you'll find Bawden Street Brewing Company, a brewery that has the classic Alaskan spruce tip ale (theirs was sweeter which made it more drinkable than other versions I have had) but they also had two saisons on draft as well as a Baltic porter, a high ABV beer style popular in Poland. The brewery did flights and had a cozy tasty room that was a good place to hide from the rain. Donna behind the bar was chatty and knowledgeable.
Alaskan smoked porter is one of the beers that every beer geek should try as least once. Em Sauter
The 'bustling' capitol city of Juneau is home to one of Alaska's most famous breweries: Alaskan Brewing Company. They have their production facility away from the cruise port but there's a taproom right on the pier that serves pints, food, and has a merchandise shop as well. The beer is a bit pricey but the $11 bottle of Alaskan's famous smoked porter was worth every penny. Their smoked porter is an American classic; don't miss your opportunity to have one.
Devil's Club Brewing Company is also a short walk through town and many people praise their modern styles of beer from Japanese rice lager to hazy IPAs. They also make their own cider and are a restaurant as well. The beer list is large so everyone in your party will find something to enjoy.
Haines black fang imperial stout was one of the highlights of the trip. Em Sauter
When we pulled into the tiny town of Haines, I didn't think I would find something to do but it was one of my favorite places on the whole trip, mostly because it was a real town where locals lived and that didn't cater to the cruise going crowd with silly gimmicks.
Not beer related, but visit the Haines Hammer Museum for a charming, small town museum that will be enlightening as well as educational (who knew you could learn so much about a hammer!). The cost is $7 a person and was a pleasant way to spend an hour perusing the many hammers of history.
Up the street is Haines Brewing, an unassuming brown building that felt like stepping back in time to the craft beer days of the 1990's (which makes sense; they have been open since 1999). I had been told by a dock worker to try their black fang imperial stout, a 9% ABV dark beer. I ordered a $6 12 oz. pour of it and it was delicious, bursting with licorice and dark chocolate notes. It was my favorite beer of the trip.
Valdez's California common was a nice complement to the rainy, cool day. Em Sauter Valdez- 'The Brewing District' - Growler Bay Brewing Company And Valdez Brewing Company
Valdez, AK (population 3715) has a 'brewery district' aka two breweries across the street from each other. The older of the two is Valdez Brewing, who brews classic styles as well as modern beers like hazy IPAs and they even have a non-alcoholic hop water. Their tasting room is large and roomy with distinct Alaskan flair. I was pleasantly surprised to see a California common aka steam beer on draft as it's a style barely brewed anymore.
Across the street is Growler Bay Brewing, the only brewery owned and operated by a woman (the lovely Rhonda Langley) in the state of Alaska. Growler Bay opened in 2020 and serves the cruise crowd as well as locals.
Growler Bay had five beers on draft from a great Cold IPA to a classic American stout. The tasting room is tiny but accommodating and the staff was super friendly.
Cheers to Alaska; it's wonderful beer scene that any beer lover will be sure to love. Don't forget to drink responsibly and to share beers with people you truly care about.