The 21st Great Alaskan Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival is continuing to grow, with Saturday’s beer tasting selling out at a record 1,400 tickets.
The event, organized by the Southeast Alaska State Fair, increased from 1,000 to 1,250 to 1,400 tickets in the past several years, said fair assistant director Jessica Edwards.
The beer tasting, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Dalton City, will feature10 breweries, including new arrival HooDoo Brewing Co. out of Fairbanks. Sitka-based Baranof Island Brewing Company alsowill send representatives for the
first time, Edwards said.
Several distributors, who sell beer to commercial businesses on behalf of breweries but don’t actually brew the beer themselves, also will attend, bringing brews from Anchorage Brewing Company, Homer Brewing Company and Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop, among others.
“You can taste beer from all over these places, but you have to talk to the people who sell the beers to the grocery stores, as opposed to the people who are brewing the beer. But it’s still great; they know a lot about the beer,” Edwards said.
The Haines Borough for the first time this year included the beer festival in the contract it signed with a shuttle company, so a shuttle will be providing service to and from the ferry terminal at certain times Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, Edwards said.
Nationally-ranked beer judge Rob Miller, who is organizing the event’s home brew competition, said he expects about 80 entries from across the state. Entrants are required to enter their beer under a style and sub-style, and the 20
judges must evaluate the entries according to the specific qualities associated with that beer type.
Judging will occur Friday night and awards will be presented the following day. Miller said he usually awards about a dozen medals.
For beer drinkers hoping to preemptively work off some of the afternoon’s calories, the Slammin’ Salmon 5K walk or run and 10K run will start at 9 a.m. Saturday. The 5K route winds around the fairgrounds and through downtown and Fort Seward. The 10K route loops to the southern intersection of Mud Bay and Small Tracts roads.
Edwards said despite the hype surrounding Beer Fest weekend and the increase in attendance, the event has managed to remain low-key.
“We have had a very mellow and welcoming vibe for the last couple years. We’ve really worked hard to have that attitude… In fact, we’ve had comments from the emergency workers in town that Fourth of July is much more
interesting for them than the beer festival,” Edwards said.
Mosey’s, the Fireweed, the Klondike and other businesses will sell food at Saturday’s event, while Whitehorse-based singer Nicole Edwards and Haines-based band the Fishpickers will entertain the crowds.