Alaska Crafted Festival

Alaska is both huge and unique; anyone who has ever spent any length of time here realizes this. We have unique scenery, unique wildlife, and unique inhabitants, so it makes sense that we’d have some pretty special food and drink as well. But there’s a downside to living on The Last Frontier; where folks in the Lower 48 measure travel between places in miles, we measure it in hours. The sheer size of Alaska makes it impossible for anyone to easily experience all the unique and wonderful locally-crafted foods and beverages, scattered as they are across our majestic state. 

Brewers Guild of Alaska and Distillers Guild of Alaska, along with the Alaska Department of Commerce Community, and Economic Development and Brilliant Media Strategies, are holding the Alaska Crafted Festival,  which will take place from 5 pm to 10 pm on Saturday, May 21st, in Anchorage. In this first of its kind event, twenty-six different makers of craft alcoholic beverages from across the state will be gathered in one spot. The festival’s venue will encompass Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse, Flattop Pizza & Pool, Sub Zero Lounge, and the Williwaw, as well as a 7th Street between F & G Streets in downtown Anchorage. In addition to beverages to sample, there will be food, live music, a presentation on the history of pre-Prohibition brewing in Alaska, and three mixology demonstrations, showcasing cocktails made with local ingredients. 

Heather Shade, president of the Distillers Guild of Alaska, explains, how for people who do not have time to travel all around the state, “this [festival] is an opportunity for Alaskans and visitors to sample our state's unique craft spirits all in one place.”  Shade continues, “the distillery industry in the state is growing quickly and we are seeing more unique, locally-made products every year that are great representations of all the regions of Alaska.  One of the exciting things about our distilleries in Alaska is that most are using Alaskan-grown grain, herbs, honey, and wild-harvested ingredients in the spirits.”  

Tickets are currently on sale at the Alaska Crafted website for $75 per person or $120 for a couple. They will also be available at the door, unless the festival sells out in advance. So if you’d like to experience the wide range of tastes that Alaska has to offer,  while staying in one place, the First Annual Alaska Crafted Festival is your chance.

Must-Taste at the Festival:

• 49th State Brewing’s Smoked Marzen, winner of a Gold Medal at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival
• Port Chilkoot Distillery’s 50 Fathoms Gin, winner of the prestigious Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• Kassik’s Brewery’s Buffalo Head Barley Wine, 1st Place in the Barley Wine Competition at this year’s Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival
• Anything from Gakona Brewing Company, Alaska’s smallest and most isolated brewery