We’re celebrating 245 years of American independence and 24 years of Dr. Fermento in the press | Eat Drink

Oh, and for the record, Budweiser isn’t the original “American lager,” although Bud’s brand man wants you to think so. Original American lagers date back to before the marketing giant’s emergence in 1876, but before that there were many more real lagers that weren’t one of them. Who cares and why should that matter to me at all?

I wrote my first column for the Anchorage Press on July 3, 1997. My first column 24 years ago this week was a blatant bashing of the world’s most famous brewery, emphasizing the fact that the American brewery got its name from the original Budweiser Budvar brewery of Ceske, Budejovice in the Czech Republic, stole a brewery that produces an outstanding Bohemian lager of significantly higher quality than the American would-be.

Of course I drink a Budweiser American Style Lager on the 4th; I always do. It’s not that I really like this beer – call me weird – but holding a large 16 or 22 ounce bold red, white, and blue can and throwing back the tasteless soapy water just seems over-patriotic to me for some strange reason. By the way, when I was younger in the military, I drank a shit load of this stuff before craft beer.

Forget all of that; There are more exciting local craft brews to celebrate, and they’re as readily available here as Budweiser around the world and about 100 times as tasty.

Let’s start with this year’s independence for the 49th State Brewing Company: Red, White and Blueberry, a “wild, handpicked Alaskan blueberry gose made with Alaskan sea salt from the Prince William Sound Salt Company of Whittier. We brewed this gose and then matured it in red wine barrels for nine months, ”said Andrew Cockburn of 49th State, Director of Sales and Marketing.

Before 49th State Anchorage delves into this fascinating beer, it turns five on July 4th. Happy Anniversary! I stood in line proudly on opening day, planning to have a pint and congratulate the owners and staff on creating one of the most exciting beer experiences in Anchorage since craft beer came to life up here.

Like any other company currently recovering from the pandemic, the 49th state is facing staffing problems so an anniversary event this year is out of the question, but the new beer easily makes up for it.

“The red comes from the wine barrels, of course, the white from the sea salt and the blue from the blueberries,” says Cockburn. “We are obsessed with using locally sourced ingredients. Red, White and Blueberry is our piece de resistance for the season, so to speak, and reminds us of last year’s incredible blueberry harvest and the incredible sea salt that Whittier made. “

Don’t think of this as just another regular fruit beer joining dozens of others on the market right now. This one stands out. This practically handmade beer reflects the commitment of the 49th state, not only to local ingredients, but also to the constant production of new beers of very high quality in the “Liquid Lab”, the experimental branch of the 49th state’s brewing conglomerate, to the one Production brewery below the Anchorage pub and a brewery in the original brewery of the 49th state to the north in Healy.

“We do innovation brewing and use the Liquid Lab to test the market with unique new styles and experimental beers. We see Devin Wagner, our brewer, as a crazy beer scientist, ”says Cockburn.

“The reason we can bring so many unique offerings to market is because of the increased capacity of our manufacturing facility at the bottom of the hill. That way, we can focus on these fun things in the Anchorage pub, ”he says.

At 49th State, it’s a core idea that there is a beer for every beer drinker, hence the incredible variety of beer that comes out of the breweries. “But quality is extremely important to us, and we only publish what we think.” Great beers, and only when they’re done, “says Cockburn.

Still, Red, White and Blueberry go beyond that definition of experimental and fun brewing. It’s a beer that is brewed with sheer passion and determination, and it took a hell of a lot to make.

“Devin had to move 600 pounds of wild Alaskan blueberries into the three-inch opening of the top of the tank. It turned out to be a full day filling blueberries in a tank. Yes there was a funnel, but most of it literally had to be stuffed by hand. In the end, the whole brewery was blue and in the end Devin was blue from head to toe, ”says Cockburn. “It looked like he’d been playing in grandma’s blueberry jam jar all day.”

The beer is purposely packaged in a clear bottle that highlights the rich, sexy, velvety red color of the easy-to-drink 5.4 percent alcohol by volume beer that is designed for immediate consumption.

“Physically, Alaskan blueberries don’t taste like the ones in the Lower 48, which tend to be super sweet. This is the tough Alaskan version of blueberries; they are tart, richer in tannins and have a fascinating earthy complexity. We’re not worried about the clear bottles, beer lovers sometimes struggle with them, but hops are sparse in this beer and we only used 3 international bitter units which are worth making up for a bit for the salt content of the beer. And it’s not made for aging; drink it right now, ”says Cockburn.

Red White and Blueberry is on sale now and only in the Anchorage Pub. Don’t go to the bar and ask for a glass; This beer is so special, its bottle and just sell out and it will go quickly. It will go on sale in the same format at Healy Brewery in a couple of weeks. Dont miss it.

Another beer I’ll grab is “Merica!” From Midnight Sun Brewing Company, an American lager that is dry-hopped with Citra and Simco hops and, according to marketing information, “has a light, golden color, subtle citrus character and clean Taste profile “is version 4 of the perfect drink to spice up your plans.”

This is a great light beer, perfect for our sunnier warmer days (and the humid, gloomy ones too). I’ve had all of the versions and each subsequent one gets better. This iteration is a little drier and crunchier and actually comes across as a little “cleaner” on my palate, so I fill up with this local patriot for my upcoming activities. I get my 12-ounce six-pack cans (or single cans) at Midtown Metro Mall La Bodega, but the beer is available all over town.

There are probably more local Independence Day beers, but another beer I drink these days is the Matanuska Brewing Company’s Arctic Warrior American Ale. I’m a 20-year-old Air Force retiree, had a family in the military and lost my first son-in-law in Iraq, so I’m extremely patriotic and appreciate Matanuska’s allusion to our active and former military personnel. According to the brewery, “This beer celebrates the Arctic Warrior Men and Women of Alaska’s Armed Forces! Thank you for your service! “In addition, I drink the beer all year round, not just on patriotic occasions. I like this beer very much.

Also for this time of year, this is a perfect, clean, light beer that is a nice change of pace from the runaway IPAs that saturate the market and seem to have become America’s style. Warrier just comes across as clean and refreshing, with a hop balance, not saturation and on the sweeter than spicier side of the light beer spectrum, which I like. I think Warrior is incredibly well balanced and so super easy to drink. It’s certainly sweeter than ‘Merica, but both share the same benefits for different reasons. While ‘Merica is drier, Warrior is more malty and fruity; a distinction between an ale and a lager.

You’ll enjoy both beers, but why not go for all three? Get Red, White and Blueberry for big fireworks beers and get Merica and Arctic Warrior for Independence Day sparklers. Keep an eye out for other local patriotic additions to the Alaskan brewery’s rich fabric. Oh, and even if you’re a die-hard craft beer drinker like me, I doubt anyone would say anything to being seen with a big bud-boy in hand.