If craft beer brewing takes equal parts art and science, Stephen and June Gerteisen are a duo well-suited to the task. “Brewing is a creative process. June is an artist. Our experiences melded into doing something that is creative, something we make, something that people can taste,” said Stephen, co-founder and head brewer.
Stephen grew up in Alaska and Germany and is a graduate of the U.C. Davis Master Brewers program. He served in the Air Force, earned a biology degree, and is a proud member of the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. “He was so fascinated with the science aspect of it. That really was what got him so interested in brewing,” said June. “And then we came to the realization that it could be a business.”
For years, June had worked in marketing and communications as a designer; she also completed the nationally accredited Beer Judging Certification Program. “With my background in web design, graphic design, marketing and all that I’d been doing for different companies—nonprofits, for profits, the computer industry—it was eye opening to say ‘Hey, I could be doing this for our own company,’” she said. “And we've done that, and we continue to grow and thrive.”
They opened Arkose Brewery a decade ago with one beer, served on tap in the actual brewery, quickly followed by three others. “It was just really, really local,” said Stephen. “It was just the people within a couple of miles. Word got out, and they just walked over or drove over or rode their bikes to see what this was all about. It was just the people around us—and they are still with us. They still support us, particularly this summer when there was really a lack of tourism. The community still rallied behind us and that is deeply rewarding.”
June remembers that beginning well. “It was just a whole different environment then than it is now. We didn't even advertise or anything until the actual day we opened. That's the day I created the Facebook page and said, ‘Okay, we're open, come on.’ You probably can't get away with that now.”
“It's not so much a novelty anymore as it once was,” said Stephen. “It’s become an expectation that your community will have a brewery.” Though several have sprung up in the area, Arkose was the first one to open in Palmer. “Back then, believe it or not, we had to explain on a daily basis what a growler was.”
The Gerteisens expanded their operation just minutes off the Glenn Highway in the valley below the Chugach Mountains, within sight of their namesake Arkose Peak and Arkose Ridge. Their new tap room has 16 taps. They also bottle and distribute seven different beers far and wide. This summer, they added a seventh flavor of 22-ounce bottles to their other six flagship beers. The new one, called Snarly West Coast IPA, features mosaic hops and weighs in at 6.8% ABV. “Thank goodness we have bigger tanks now and I can keep more of it on hand; it's very popular,” said Stephen.
They recently introduced the Beer Expressions series that emphasizes brewing as a creative form of expression. As collaborators, Stephen and June bring an artful eye to all they do—from recipe formulation and the actual brewing work all the way to the award-winning labels, which feature drawings or paintings by June or, in some cases, by them both together. In addition to the label artwork, original artwork created by each of them was accepted into the 2020 Alaska Biennial exhibition at the Anchorage Museum opening Friday, November 6, 2020.
The Gerteisens said the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was key in getting off the ground. In the very beginning, Stephen wrote a business plan along with the SBDC. “They really helped him understand what it means to start a business. It was crucial. Along the way, we’ve taken several classes,” said June. The endeavor has been “an incredible learning experience,” one they have taken day by day as they’ve grown organically. “We stuck to our image, so to speak,” said June. “We've always stuck to our main purpose and who we are what we want to be and what we're doing here. We've never deviated from that. I think that is key.”
With the holidays coming on, they’ve already come out with new dark beers such as Bear Hug Barleywine and Sweet Fox Stout with plans to release Lava Mountain Russian Imperial Stout as well as a variety of other dark beers and barleywines.
Watch for Arkose Brewery on tap and in bottle shops around Alaska and go taste the latest at the taproom in Palmer next time you’re passing through the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Learn more at www.arkosebrewery.com or visit them on Facebook and Instagram.
This profile is part of our web series sponsored by the Alaska Small Business Development Center. Read the rest of the series.
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