Alaskan Brewing has really taken off in 2008 with the launch of several exciting new initiatives since the New Year. From a brand new look and a first-edition bottle release, to new innovation and a new market, it may only be March, but 2008 is already shaping up to be quite an exciting year for the Alaskan Brew Crew.

Sales Successes
We kicked off the year with the first-ever release of our award-winning Alaskan Barley Wine in 22-ounce bottles in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. The phenomenal success of the limited-edition release surpassed all of our expectations as the bottle quickly disappeared from store shelves in all three markets.

Our Alaskan Barley Wine provides just one example of our solid, across-the-board sales growth reported in 2007. We know that 2007 was a successful year for Alaskan Brewing, and now we can show our achievements in numbers. Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) listed the newest addition to the Alaskan Brewing family of beers, the Alaskan IPA, as the number one new craft brand in 2007 and in the Top 15 new brands across all beer categories!

IRI also listed Alaskan Amber in the Top 15 national craft beer brands based on dollar sales in 2007, which is no small accomplishment, considering Alaskan Brewing products are distributed in only Alaska and nine western states.

It looks like 2008 is off to a good start as well, with initial IRI data showing double-digit increases making this the most successful January for the craft beer industry on record!

New Looks
The imagery on the special-edition bottled Alaskan Barley Wine features a dog sled musher and his team under the Alaskan Northern Lights. This image captures the adventurous spirit and dedication of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race®, a uniquely Alaskan event we were proud to support as an official sponsor for the fourth year in 2008.

You may have already noticed another exciting new look from Alaskan Brewing Co. landing on your floor and retail shelves this March, in Alaskan Amber. The updated design features a vibrant and eye-catching red label and new dramatic artwork from renowned Alaska artist John Fehringer. The illustration on the new packaging features the iconic Southeast Alaska fishing vessel featured on Alaskan Amber since its release in 1986, but with a renewed sense of place and the exhilaration of running the waters of the Inside Passage.

Colorado: Alaskan Beer is Here!
Alaskan Brewing Co. is thrilled to announce that after 20 years of attending and bringing home awards from the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, we have finally grown large enough to begin supplying thirsty consumers in Colorado year round! This is our first new market entrance in over three years.

Inundated over the years with requests from Colorado consumers, we are thrilled to launch our Alaskan Amber along Colorado’s Front Range in early spring, with the Alaskan Summer Ale, Alaskan Pale Ale and Alaskan Smoked Porter to follow. Fresh kegs will arrive in mid-March for delivery to those pubs and restaurants eager to satisfy their taste for adventure with Alaskan Amber.

Alaskan Amber’s newly released packaging, with the vivid red and iconic Alaskan commercial fishing boat will also soon appear in retail accounts around Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.

The best way to enjoy a pint of Alaskan Amber is with fresh Alaska seafood, and we are pleased to note that the timing of our release into Colorado corresponds perfectly with the upcoming Alaska fishing season. We look forward to building our new partnerships and sharing Alaska’s Tastiest Catch, Alaskan Beer, with Colorado fans starting this year!

Growth and Innovation in the Brewhouse
Since 1986, Alaskan Brewing has learned the many distinctive challenges to brewing and bottling all of our products in a remote Alaskan community. We have also learned that innovation and forward thinking can meet and overcome any challenge as we continuously strive to implement the most efficient and sustainable modes of production. We were the first craft brewery to install a carbon dioxide recovery system, which captures and reuses the greenhouse gas naturally produced in the fermentation process and one of the first to use our spent grain as a renewable source of energy.

Following this tradition of innovation and sustainability, and in the wake of the rising cost of raw materials, we will soon be the first craft brewery in the country to use a mash press technology in the brewing process. The mash press, which has been used worldwide for more than a century, will replace our more traditional and less efficient brewing method of lautering which removes the sugars from the malt. The mash press system will be sized and designed so that it complements our quality-oriented craft brewery.

Our conversion to brewing with the mash press will maximize the use of our malt and hops giving us increased efficiencies and consistency, while being more environmentally friendly by decreasing the energy and water needed to brew each batch of handcrafted beer. We have tested the mash press on a smaller scale to ensure the quality of our beer will continue to be maintained to the highest standards, and we are very excited to be adding this technology to our brewing operations – The mash press installation begins later this month.

Thank you for all your hard work in 2007 and your support as we move into 2008, we could not have achieved these new heights without you.