Sign-up to receive our Newsletter! Click Here to view our current Newsletters »		Main :: Our Story :: Gold Rush Era Breweries in Alaska Gold Rush Era Breweries in Alaska In 1897, the laws governing the territory of Alaska stated that no liquors, malt or vinous, could be imported, manufactured or sold, save by special permit and then only for use for medicinal, mechanical or scientific purposes. A review of advertising from the turn-of-the-century reveals that there were a number of breweries operating for "medicinal, mechanical or scientific purposes" as each touted the "healthful" benefits of their respective products. Indeed, one ad was even titled "Drink of the Temperate" and proclaimed, "Every normal human being desires stimulation and is better for the right kind of stimulation. We live life but once, and the only way we can enjoy it is by making it pleasant for others and ourselves as we go along day by day. The drinking of a glass or two of Barthel's Beer with your friends or family is a keen, healthful and in every way beneficial pleasure." Trevor M. Davis noted the lengths to which people went to circumvent the various laws in his book, Looking Back on Juneau-The first hundred years. "Alaska was not allowed to import any liquor in the 1880s and early 1890s, but it came in anyway. A unique system was devised by the saloons in Juneau. After a steamship was tied up to the wharf, a side door on the boat would open and barrels of beer and whiskey would be pushed overboard. Several rowboats, with men waiting, were under the dock and would happen to "find" them and tow them ashore. The barrels found their way to the rightful owners. This scheme of things continued until Alaska was permitted to import liquor." Alaska has been the home to at least fifty different breweries at one time or another in its history, most of which were in operation during Alaska's gold rush era. During this time Alaska boasted 50 breweries, 142 saloons and other establishments where a thirsty man - or woman - might get a drink. Breweries in Alaska generally followed the industry of gold mining. As gold panners seeking their fortune migrated north, breweries flourished in those towns. And conversely, as the gold seekers left for the next strike the town's breweries dried up. In the heyday of Juneau's mining period, for instance, the Juneau-Douglas area was well supplied with freshly brewed beers. From the 1880's to the early 1900's thirsty miners had their choice of products from five different local breweries. It was during this time that the Douglas City Brewing Company operated across the channel from Juneau. From 1899 to 1907, this local brewery quenched the thirst of the Douglas mining community with a beer that would later be revived as the basis for the current day Alaskan Brewing Company's flagship product, Alaskan Amber. The brewing scene remained lively throughout the gold rush until Prohibition. One of Alaska's newspaper reported, "A certain Fairbanks resident - a teenager at the time - remembers well the day the marshals [sic] closed Barthels Brewery. All the kegs and huge vats of Northern Light Lager were dumped into a long sluice box that emptied into the Chena River. Men and boys stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the sluice box with mugs in both hands, drinking from that flowing river of beer as fast as they could chug-a-lug." While there were a number of post-prohibition breweries, it wasn't until the early 1970's when beer was commercially produced on a large scale. Prinzbrau, based in Anchorage, entered the brewing scene and struggled with quality issues before failing miserably. It would be over a decade later when the Alaskan Brewing Company would open as Chinook Alaskan Brewing Company in Juneau, Alaska in 1986. The first brewery in Juneau, since prohibition, the flagship gold rush era recipe for Alaskan Amber started a gold rush of its own as demand outstripped supply for almost a decade. It wasn't until the little award-winning brewery installed a new brewhouse in 1995 that it could comfortably serve the state of Alaska and eventually the rest of the Pacific Northwest where distribution remains today. I guess you could say that Alaska and Alaskan Brewing have always had a history of great beer. << Back to Our Story

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