Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival
The 2025 Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival, now in its 29th year and presented by the Brewers Guild of Alaska alongside Peak 2 Peak Events, lit up Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center on January 31 and February 1 with three epic four-hour sessions packed with over 250 samples from 65+ breweries, ciders, meads, seltzers, wines, and even non-alcoholic gems—proving the Last Frontier’s craft scene is as vast and bold as its wilderness. This isn’t just a beer fest; it’s the ultimate winter warmer for hopheads, featuring live local music, crave-worthy food pairings, and family-friendly vibes with activity booths, face painters, and a petting zoo outside for the kiddos. The star of the show? The Commercial Competition, where Reuben’s Brews from Washington snagged gold for their Three Ryes Men Barleywine, Midnight Sun’s Arctic Devil took silver in Alaska’s own backyard, and Glacier Brewhouse dominated Winter Warmers with their Jim Beam double-barrel-aged Eisboch—rare, boozy beasts that had tasters toasting the midnight sun. Tickets via MyAlaskaTix sold like hotcakes (watch for fakes!), and with Alaska’s 50+ breweries flexing everything from hazy IPAs to barrel-aged stouts, it’s the perfect excuse for a northern lights beer road trip. Sláinte to the north’s biggest pour—grab your parka and pint next January!
Here are the 2025 Alaska Craft Brew and Barley Wine Festival – Medal Winners
Barley Wine Winners
Gold – Three Ryes Men Barleywine – Reuben’s Brews – Washington
Silver – Arctic Devil – Midnight Sun Brewing – Alaska
Bronze – Apocalyptic Sky Trumpet – 49th State Brewing – Alaska
Honorable Mention – 2025 Barley Wine – Hoodoo Brewing – Alaska
Winter Warmer Winners
Gold – 2024 Jim Beam Double Barrel Aged Eisboch – Glacier Brewhouse – Alaska
Silver – Barrel Aged Black Pearl Imperial Coconut – Maui Brewing – Hawaii
Bronze – Reuben’s Brew Barrel Aged Stout – Reuben’s Brews – Washington
The Ultimate Alaska-Made Beverage Experience Returns
The largest gathering of Alaska-made beverages under one roof took place over the Dena’ina Center on January 31 and February 1 for the annual Alaska Craft Brew and Barley Wine Festival.
Over the course of two days and three four-hour sessions, more than 65 breweries were served craft beer lovers four-ounce sample pours of over 250 unique beverages.
Beyond Beer: A Festival for Every Palate
Despite its name, this festival isn’t just about beer. When it began in 1996 as a celebration of all things hoppy, Alaska had only eight breweries. Today, the state boasts more than 50 breweries—alongside a growing community of producers crafting wine, mead, cider, seltzers, and non-alcoholic beverages.
Now in its 29th year, the Alaska Craft Beer and Barley Wine Festival, presented in partnership with the Brewers Guild of Alaska and Peak 2 Peak Events, continues to evolve to reflect the ever-expanding world of craft beverages in Alaska and beyond.
“Our goal remains the same: to provide folks with delicious beverages,” said Lee Ellis, Brewmaster at Midnight Sun Brewing Co. and a member of the Brewers Guild of Alaska.
Expanding the Menu
One of this year’s standout non-brewery participants is Hive Mind Meadery, an Anchorage-based producer of honey wine. Owner Tristan Bellotti sees the event as a chance to introduce festival-goers to something beyond beer.
“We like to offer an alternative to IPAs—something that acts as a palate cleanser between beers,” Bellotti said. “This is one of the biggest alcohol-related events of the year, so it’s an incredible opportunity for exposure.”
Along with Hive Mind Meadery, other non-beer brands—Double Shovel Cider Company, Zip Kombucha, Alaska Ciderworks, and more—are adding variety to the festival’s lineup, making it more inclusive for those seeking gluten-free or alternative options.
For Bellotti, participation in this festival is particularly meaningful.
“I had to go gluten-free six or seven years ago, which meant I stopped attending for a while due to the lack of options,” he shared. “Now, we have people telling us they didn’t think they’d be able to drink at all—but they find our booth, and they end up staying there all night because they finally have something to enjoy.”
The Competition: Big, Bold Beers
While the festival showcased a diverse range of beverages, the official competition remains exclusively for barley wines and “winter warmer” beers—a category that includes porters, stouts, and Belgian-style quadruples.
“The Alaska Craft Beer and Barley Wine Festival continues its tradition of celebrating bold, world-class beers—the largest selection outside of the Great American Beer Festival,” said Ellis.
Each year, brewers can submit up to two barley wines and one winter warmer. On Friday night, beer critics with Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) credentials conduct the first round of judging. The final round, held on Saturday morning, is judged by Grand Master, Master, and National-ranked BJCP judges, who select the Best-of-Show winner.
Winners received the coveted gold pan trophy—along with serious bragging rights, as barley wine competitions are rare in the U.S. In 2024, Black Spruce Brewing Company took home both first and third place for different versions of its Reginald Van Horn Barley Wine, aged in Willet Bourbon and Heaven Hill Whiskey barrels, respectively.
A Two-Day Celebration
While the competition focuses on big, boozy, complex beers, breweries bring a wide variety of beverages for festival-goers to enjoy. Many, like Hive Mind Meadery, create exclusive, one-of-a-kind offerings just for this event. “We always try to bring something we haven’t done before,” Bellotti said. Beyond the drinks, the festival offers live music, food vendors, and shopping opportunities—along with a lively crowd sporting everything from quirky costumes to brewery swag. And speaking of costumes, Hive Mind Meadery has something special in store. “We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but let’s just say one of our brewers may or may not be dressed as a house elf,” Bellotti teased. “This event is always a blast, and we love to have fun with it.”
Brewers Guild of Alaska
The Brewers Guild of Alaska (BGA), founded in 2000 as a scrappy non-profit by a band of visionary craft brewers, is the beating heart of the Last Frontier’s booming beer scene—championing over 50 independent breweries, cideries, and meaderies through fierce legislative advocacy, hands-on education, and epic community events that keep Alaska’s taps flowing with bold, boundary-pushing pours like hazy IPAs brewed with midnight sun barley and barrel-aged stouts infused with wild Alaskan berries. From hosting the legendary 29th Annual Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival in January 2025 at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center—where 65+ breweries slinged 250+ samples amid live music and food trucks—to powering the Boots & Brews Beer Fest in Fairbanks and the massive Alaska Crafted Festival in Eagle River, the BGA turns winter nights into hoppy havens and equips brewers with everything from financial workshops to biotransformation seminars at their November 2025 Alaska Crafted Conference. Whether you’re a local chasing that perfect Arctic Devil barleywine or a visitor plotting a northern beer road trip, the BGA’s all about raising a glass to sustainable sips, small-batch innovation, and the rugged spirit that makes Alaskan craft beer as untamed as its wilderness—sláinte to the guild keeping the north’s brew game strong!
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