Tickets for the 26th Annual Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival went on sale Feb. 1 and are going quickly.
As of last week, the Gourmet Brewer’s Dinner on Friday, May 25 was sold out. Fair staff Amanda Randles said the tickets sold out in a record five days, as compared to 13 or 14 days in years past.
The event is a five-course gourmet dinner with craft beer pairings for 200 ticket holders. Lionel Uddipa, award-winning chef and owner of SALT in Juneau, will return for his second year as guest chef, preparing a meal to be paired with the brews on offer.
The annual Slammin’ Salmon 5K Walk or Run and 10K Run will kick off the busiest Beer Fest day Saturday, May 26. Pre-registration is available on the fair’s website and is strongly encouraged. Tshirts will be available for the first 200 registrants.
The noon Connoisseur’s Tasting is limited to 400 ticket holders and gives connoisseur’s special access to the craft brewers before the crowds arrive. Tickets sold out in only nine days.
At 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, more than 1,700 attendees will fill the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds for the general tasting. About 20 brewers from across Alaska and Canada will serve samples of their best beers. The festival will also include live music, food vendors, and games. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 470 tickets of 1,300 available still remained.
“We already have a new brewer coming this year, Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer,” Randles said. Other brewers include Haines Brewing Company, Alaskan Brewing Company, Double Shovel Cider Company, Skagway Brewing Company and more.
Homebrewers can also participate in a home brew contest. Last year, brews were entered by homebrewers throughout the country, and Randles said previous Home Brew champions are now among some of the professional brewers who attend.
Randles said tickets to Alaska’s longest-running beer fest normally sell out far in advance of the festival, so craft beer lovers are encouraged to get their tickets quickly. Contact Randles at [email protected] to be on a waitlist for dinner tickets. General tasting tickets can be purchased online at seakfair.org.