Celebrating 40 Years Of Alaskan Brewing

Alaskan Brewing at 40: A Conversation with Geoff and Marcy Larson

Most breweries never reach ten years, Alaskan Brewing Company has made it to forty. In this episode, I sit down with founders Geoff and Marcy Larson to discuss how a homebrewing idea became one of America’s pioneering craft breweries. They share the story of launching in Juneau in 1986 with 88 local investors, creating Alaskan Amber from a Gold Rush-era recipe, and building an independent brewery far from the traditional centers of American brewing. We also explore the history of the legendary Alaskan Smoked Porter, the brewery’s use of local ingredients such as spruce tips and alder-smoked malt, and the innovations that allow Alaskan Brewing to recover fermentation CO₂ and use spent grain to help power its brewing operations. Geoff and Marcy also reflect on working together as a couple, surviving the difficult early years, preserving the brewery’s culture, and what they’ve learned from four decades in craft beer. Later, I taste Ascender Pale Ale from Alaskan Brewing’s commemorative 40-pack and explain why you should “put it in the cart.” On Last Call, I look at two American single malt whiskies from Virginia Distillery Company’s Brewers Coalition. One is finished in casks from The Bruery’s Black Tuesday, while the other uses casks from Revolution Brewing’s Straight Jacket Barleywine. In this episode:How Alaskan Brewing began with 88 small investorsThe Gold Rush history behind Alaskan AmberCreating and aging Alaskan Smoked PorterBrewing with spruce tips and alder-smoked maltThe challenges of brewing and distributing beer from JuneauRecovering CO₂ and powering the brewery with spent grainThe story behind the special 40th-anniversary 40-packGeoff and Marcy’s four-decade partnershipWhy Alaskan Amber remains a gateway into craft beerA review of Ascender Pale AleBeer-barrel-finished whiskey from Virginia Distillery CompanyCongratulations to Geoff, Marcy, and the entire Alaskan Brewing team on forty remarkable years! Follow Beer In Front on Instagram and YouTube for additional beer reviews and upcoming tastings of the Virginia Distillery Company releases.

Beer and Whisky samples mentioned in this episode were provided for review. Opinions are always my own.

Sometimes the beer in front of you is the best one yet!

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