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Alaska Beer

Alaskan Brewing Introduces Pilot Series in 4-Packs

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JUNEAU, Alaska— This month, Alaskan Brewing Company, the independently owned brewery in Juneau, began packaging its Pilot Series beers in 4-pack, 12-ounce bottles. After 26 years, the smaller bottles will replace the brewery’s large 22-ounce bottles for its Pilot Series offerings.

The Alaskan Brewing Pilot Series has been a staple in the craft beer industry; featuring seasonal limited-release beers consisting of big, bold, and distinctive brews that change every year. In addition to the Pilot Series, the award-winning limited vintage Smoked Porter, released every fall, will also be available in the new 4-pack format.

The pivot in packaging comes after years of dwindling shelf space for the 22-ounce bottles. “The larger bottle format was initially a great way to bring new beer styles to market, and the craft consumer could try them in a small volume, without committing to a full 6-pack,” Alaskan Brewing Director of Sales Merv Boyce said. “We see a real opportunity to increase the visibility and availability at retail, to showcase our outstanding Pilot Series offerings.”

The new 12-ounce 4-pack is a nod to the brewery’s commitment to sustainability. “By focusing our production line on 12-ounce bottles, Alaskan Brewing Company will use fewer resources to reconfigure its production line when filling and packaging the larger 22-ounce bottles,” Boyce added.

This year, the Pilot Series kicks off with Imperial Hazy IPA. The Imperial Hazy IPA pours a golden haze with tropical fruit notes of guava, passionfruit, and strawberry, complementing its hop flavor. Crafted with pale, flaked oats, wheat, and Brumalt, this specialty brew offers a 40 IBU and eight percent ABV.

Imperial Hazy IPA and other upcoming Pilot Series products are available in all current Alaskan Brewing Company markets. To find Pilot Series 4-packs near you visit the Beer Finder at www.alaskanbeer.com/find-our- beer/.

In addition to producing world-class beverages, Alaskan Brewing Company strives for innovation through progressive programs like employee ownership and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

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Alaskan Brewing Announces Alaskan Distilling Company Expansion with RTD Canned Cocktails

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JUNEAU, Alaska— Alaskan Distilling Company is the latest innovation from Alaskan Brewing Company. For nearly forty years Alaskan Brewing Company has been devoted to the art of creating the finest craft beer and is now introducing a selection of craft cocktails to their lineup starting this April.

The Juneau-based brewery started its distilling journey in 2019 with a small batch process focusing on long-standing distilling traditions. “We have always tried to put a little bit of Alaska in the bottle and a little bit of Alaska on the bottle. One thing that we all revel in is the quality of life that this place presents and represents. So for us, we want to make beverages that reflect that sort of feeling and character,” said Alaskan Brewing Company Co-founder Geoff Larson. Alaskan Distilling Company is introducing the Alaska market to their Solstice Vodka Lemonade, Musk Ox Vodka Mule, and Rainforest Gin & Tonic.

Alaskan Distilling Company is running a combination still that can operate both as a pot still and 12 plate column still. This distilling setup will allow the distillery to produce a full range of spirits like whiskey, vodka, and gin in the future.

Seven times distilled, and carbon-filtered Alaskan Distilling Ultra-Pure Pristine Vodka is used in the Solstice Vodka Lemonade, which produces an exceptional neutral flavor. The Solstice Vodka Lemonade is Alaskan Distilling’s most complex mix of ingredients, highlighting wildflower honey and fruit-enhanced lemonade resulting in a flavorful and balanced cocktail.

To achieve an approachable yet distinct lingering ginger heat in the Musk Ox Vodka Mule, Alaskan Distilling produced and blended two different vodkas: Ultra-Pure Pristine Vodka and an Intense Fresh Ginger Vodka.

Finally, the Rainforest Gin & Tonic showcases a gin specifically designed for Alaskan Distilling’s canned cocktail, as well as a house-made spruce tip tonic water. The spruce tip tonic water helps create an exceptionally dry and crisp cocktail since it is made with half the amount of sugar of most commercial tonic waters.

The trio of Alaskan Distilling Company products has on average one-third to half of the amount of sugar typical canned cocktails have without sacrificing depth of flavor. For example, in the Solstice Lemonade, “Sweetness comes from the fact that you might catch a little bit of honey character. Well, the honey does have a sweetness, but it also has an aromatic quality which elicits an expectation of sweetness,” said Larson.

To achieve high flavor with lower sugars, Alaskan Distilling Company relied on complex ingredients like Gustavus spruce tips, rose hips, cardamom, orange peel, and fruit juices like cranberry, raspberry, grapefruit, black and tart cherry, and more.

“The overall impact on the flavor is multi-dimensional. When you sit down and enjoy one of our canned cocktails, your attitude and where you are affects what you perceive in the beverage. This is because of the many different layers of flavor that we’ve incorporated,” said Larson.

Solstice Vodka Lemonade, Musk Ox Vodka Mule, and Rainforest Gin & Tonic are gluten-free and have an eight percent ABV. The canned cocktails will only be available in Alaska starting this April. To find Alaskan Distilling Company canned cocktails near you visit our Beer Finder.

In addition to producing world-class beverages, Alaskan Brewing Company strives for innovation through progressive programs like employee ownership and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

For Brewing fun facts, trivia, movies and more, Click Here.

Juneau Juice Hazy IPA Released As the Latest Year-Round Beer for Alaskan Brewing Company

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JUNEAU, Alaska— Alaskan Brewing Company is releasing the popular Juneau Juice Hazy IPA as its latest year-round beer. This juicy Hazy IPA first proved itself as a breakroom favorite of the Brew Crew before graduating to a Rough Draft release and a rotating 16 oz release. Now this hometown hazy is back to stay year-round in Alaskan’s core lineup.

Alaskan Brewing Company Brewer and Juneau Juice Hazy IPA creator Scotty McHenry has been delighted with the beverage’s success. “I think Juneau Juice has been a hit with the locals and tourists alike, people like to drink local. Checking out the local brews is a big part of traveling for me. Anyone outside of Juneau can get a taste of this great capital city, brewed with our pure Alaska water,” McHenry said.

Named after the brewery’s hometown of Juneau, which is surrounded by miles of impassable icefields, fjords, and the lush Tongass rainforest. Lush, wet, and hiding a one-of-a-kind beauty, Juneau Juice Hazy IPA is a juicy reflection of its hometown.

Bright and refreshing Juneau Juice features a combination of Mosaic, Sultana, Strata, and Citra hops with a respectable 6.8% ABV. Heavy dry-hopping and the use of some unmalted grains create a haziness that contributes to the smoothness of this style, and by leaving the beer unfiltered, residual yeast also adds to the full mouthfeel. The concentration of late-addition hops lessens hop bitterness, which accentuates the fruity, tropical flavor of many hop varieties.

“Juneau Juice is a little different from other hazy IPAs because it has the juicy factor of a hazy but also the toasty, nutty, malt character of a West Coast IPA,” McHenry said.

Juneau Juice was originally part of Alaskan Brewing’s Crew Brew series, which allows all employees, from accountants to engineers to human resources, to team up with brewers and brew on our 1-barrel pilot system. Our Crew Brew series encourages creativity and innovation, allowing any of our employees to experiment with wild ideas and local ingredients, making beers that are uniquely Alaskan and super limited. Crew Brews that we think are exceptional can be picked to be made on a larger scale, and Juneau Juice is one of those beers.

“My idea behind Juneau Juice is that I wanted to make a crushable, juicy, biscuity IPA that I could share with my coworkers for our shift beer in the break room. It took a lot of inspiration from one of our past pale ales, both using Victory malt and Simcoe hops,” McHenry said. “I wanted Juneau Juice to have a higher ABV than Big Mountain, up the hop profile, and also use a ton of flaked oats.”

Juneau Juice Hazy IPA will be available in all current Alaskan Brewing Company markets as six-packs, 12-packs, and new 19.2 oz cans.

About The Alaskan Brewing Company

The Alaskan Brewing Company is Alaska’s oldest continuously operating brewery founded in 1986.

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Alaskan Brewing Release Showcases Fresh Flavors and Balance

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JUNEAU, ALASKA – As the seasons begin to heat up, so is the Alaskan Brewing Company as it announces the return of its award-winning Pilot Series, the Jalapeño IPA.

Brewed with fresh Jalapeños, hand selected by brewers from Alaskan’s Brew Crew and combined with a blend of Centennial, Sterling, Magnum, and Apollo hops in balance with Munich and Crystal malts. The Jalapeño IPA pours a brilliantly clear reddish amber in color with earthy, light caramel, and herbal hop notes blending with the spice from the peppers on the nose; followed by a nice spice heat, citrus, pine, and an alcohol warming sensation upon taste.

Despite its namesake, the Jalapeño IPA isn’t overly spicy or hot. It’s an artful and delicate example of freshness and balance in beer. The unique hop blend and complementary malt bill are engineered to highlight the best aspects of the jalapeño flavor. The result is a beer which presents with the freshness of a vegetable garden and a deliciously smooth balance.

Coming in hot with 8.5% ABV and 70 IBUs, Alaskan Brewing’s Jalapeño IPA will be hitting the shelves in early January and can be found anywhere you find Alaskan Brewing Company’s Pilot Series. Make sure to grab it while its hot!

For More Information:
https://www.alaskanbeer.com/2023/01/20/fresh-n-refreshing-newest-alaskan-release-showcases-fresh-flavors-and-balance/

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Alaskan Brewing’s Ice-Shattering New Release

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JUNEAU, Alaska – As we ring in the new year, the Alaskan Brewing Company breaks the ice with their announcement of the new Chillin’ Cold IPA.

With all these new styles of IPA, you may scratch your head at the mention of a so-called “Cold IPA”. A Cold IPA is a brew fermented at temperatures lower than what is normally used to ferment ale-style beers. This cold fermentation perfectly complements the in-house yeast strain of Alaskan Brewing, which ferments naturally at a colder temperature while still providing all the benefits of a higher temperature fermentation. Colder fermentation temperatures are nothing new to Alaskan Brewing, in fact breweries in Alaska have been using colder fermentation since the gold rush days when for a constant temperature, some relied on mine shafts for cooler and more stable temperature control. This makes Alaskan Brewing’s yeast particularly suited for the Cold IPA style. Alaskan Brewing has been cold fermenting since its inception in 1986, making it a world-class producer of this style. But, we’ll let the drinkers decide that.

This pale gold brew is a hop forward ale that presents crisp, clean, and easy drinking. With notes of grapefruit, as is traditional with West Coast IPAs, and undertone layers of strawberries on the nose. The Chillin Cold IPA is a bright and refreshing beer that goes back to basics with the strong use of Cascade and Centennial Hops in balance with Pilsen and Wheat malts.

Coming in at a cool 6% ABV with 55 IBUs, the Chillin Cold IPA will be hitting shelves in early January and can be found anywhere you can find Alaskan Brewing’s Limited Release Series.

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