Prost from the Great White North!

Hello beer enthusiasts. My wife and I decided to go on an Alaskan Cruise. While we grew up in the Northwest we never made it North of Victoria, BC. Actually, cruising there as I write then taking the Amtrak to Portland to visit family. Anyway, I wanted to share my brew findings with the gang so here goes! Very impressed to find a great selection of Alaskan Brewing Company beers on board as well as Denali Brewing out of Juneau and Pike Brewing from Seattle. Icy Bay IPA from Alaskan did not disappoint and the Killer Whale Pale Ale from Pike (love the name, it just rolls off the tongue...until you have a few) Was very solid! I had a chance to visit the Alaskan Brewing Co Juneau location for lunch and had the Amber on tap! I can only get that in bottles where I live in Phoenix and none of their other beers so it was a treat and the King Crab was amazing!! One disappointment on the ship was the only Dutch Beer tap was broken (we sailed with Holland America). It was Afligem. Never had it but wanted to try it :( Found a great bar in Ketchican called TheAssylum. Look it up, super quirky place with a really outgoing owner and a bunch of taps. Had the pleasure of trying Balleen Brewing's Ginger Keller Weisen, here's the description:

Alaskan Icy Bay IPA was very nice with a rich malt flavor and a great hop profile. Here's the description:

Alaskan Icy Bay IPA  a blend of Summit, Bravo, Calypso, Apollo and Cascade hops and premium two-row pale and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Ice Field and from more than 90 inches of rainfall each year.

Killer Whale Pale Ale

The new, seasonal Killer Whale Pale Ale will be available exclusively onboard Holland America Alaska cruises. The beer features notes of honey, citrus and tropical fruits with an ABV of 5.5 percent. Native Alaska artist Rico Worl, a Tlingit and Athabascan community member, designed the label artwork. Three iterations were initially crafted, and the public selected their favorite.

Really cool art work on the can! I found it to be very true to the pale ale style and a nice hop kick at the end, really enjoyed it but you have to sail with Holland to get it, sorry :(

Ginger Keller Weißen       

Bavarian style Hefeweizen

Light bodied and brewed to refresh. This Bavarian style weißbier has been brewed in the Bavarian way to deliver a taste of Munich to the wheat beer lovers of Alaska. We've added a subtle dose of fresh ginger to the boil, rounding out the traditional fruity cascade of flavor. This beer is paired with Alaskan halibut and other delicious Alaskan seafood.

Very true to authentic German Style Weissbier (accept for the ginger but not overdone)!

Here's the brewer's background:

I'm Al, owner and your humble brewer at Baleen Brewing Co. I built this brewery from the ground up based on over 25 years of brewing experience and education at  Doemens Academy in Gräfelfing, just outside of Munich, Germany.  It's been my life's goal and a dream come true to bring you the best beer possible brewed right here in Ketchikan, Alaska.

It's a land with perfect brewing water, clean air and a lifestyle degrees apart from the Lower 48, as we call it here.  I hope you enjoy my beers and look forward to hearing back from you. 

Prost! 

I also had Denali Brewing's Maya Spruce Tip IPA, what a treat! Very light in color and mild malt notes but the Spruce tips slap you across the face like a branch from the tree, in a good way!

Maya’s Spruce Tip IPA ABV: 6.5% IBU: 60

Experience the bounty of the Susitna Valley with our unique IPA, crafted using a pilsner malt base and locally sourced spruce tips for a refreshing twist. With a golden hue and a crisp finish, this IPA is brewed to celebrate the hard working families of the Upper Susitna Valley.