Alaska's First Craft Brewery
When Alaskan Brewing Company opened in 1986, it was the first craft brewery to operate in Alaska since Prohibition. Forty years on, it is one of the largest independent breweries in the Pacific Northwest, the brewery whose Smoked Porter sits on serious beer lists from Seattle to New York, and Juneau's most beloved local institution.
The taproom on Shaune Drive — out by Lemon Creek, a few miles from downtown — is the heart of the operation. Brewery tours run through the day; the taproom serves the full lineup including the rotating seasonal and limited-release beers; the kitchen produces straightforward pub food designed to drink with what's pouring.
What to Drink
Smoked Porter, the brewery's signature, is the right place to start — alder-smoked malt, deep chocolate notes, the kind of beer that explains why Alaskan has its reputation. Alaskan Amber for the diner who wants the brewery's most-shipped flagship. The seasonal lineup rotates through stouts in winter, IPAs in summer, and a small parade of limited-release barrel-aged bottles that taproom-only fans wait for.
The Brewery Tour
The brewery tour is short, friendly, and concrete — you will see the actual fermentation tanks, smell the actual mash, and end with a guided tasting. Even casual beer drinkers find it worth the time. For more committed visitors, the brewery offers the kind of small-batch and barrel programme tours that beer-tourism trips are built around.
Best Occasion: Team Dinner
Bringing a team to Alaskan Brewing on a Juneau visit is the rare team-dinner choice that doubles as the city's signature visitor experience. Long tables in the taproom absorb a group easily; the beer list provides natural conversation through the evening; the brewery tour gives the team something to talk about beyond the office. For teams in town for a conference or retreat, it is the obvious dinner.