THE BREWERY
There’s a reason your beer tastes so good. Those unforgettable full-bodied flavors were crafted in our cutting-edge brewery using only the finest ingredients, starting with the water, which is considered one of the purest and best tasting in the country. These, along with our sustainable philosophy, are reasons why our micro-brewed beers leave a lasting impression. We recommend starting with our legendary thirst-quenching Spruce Tip Blonde Ale.
Our Staple Ales
click on each beer for more information
spruce tip blonde
Abby-style Belgian Dark
Blue Top Porter
Boom Town Brown
Prospector PAIl
Chilkoot Trail IPA
SMaSH IPA
Farmhouse Saison
Lager
TAKE US HOME WITH YOU!
We offer a variety of options: Crowlers, Bombers and Growlers!
*If you’re visiting us while on a cruise, please check onboard regarding the alcohol policy.
barley wine
Drinking beer:
A proud Alaskan tradition
Imagine a world where you’re required to drink beer every day to ensure good health. Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it? It wasn’t so long ago that a certain beer made from spruce needles became synonymous with the north. The history of spruce tip ale is rich and diverse but nowhere is it more renowned than in the Last Frontier.
Spruce beer is a well known part of Alaska’s maritime history. When Captain James Cook made his first voyage into the Pacific during 1784, two sailors were employed as full-time spruce beer brewers. Cook and his men drank the beer to prevent scurvy, which is a disease caused by Vitamin C deficiency. You see, spruce needles are capable of producing a tea with 50mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams.
At some point, someone must have asked, “If we can brew spruce tea, why not brew spruce beer?”
That person is a hero.
Accolades for our signature brew
Featured in two separate Draft Magazine articles: “50 Beers, 50 States”
January 2010 and “Pubs we love: Cold weather brewpubs” – February 2011)
Highlighted in Ben McFarland’s World’s Best Beers: 1000 Unmissable Brews from Portland to Prague
Spruce Tip Blonde Ale:
Our Local Tradition
Enjoy a fresh glass of our signature brew, Skagway Brewing Company’s Spruce Tip Blonde Ale. The sweet citrus flavor and smooth finish are created using hydroelectric power to combine the flavors of Skagway’s crystal-clear untreated water with hand-picked locally sourced spruce tips.
Of the 35 species of spruce around the world, the Sitka spruce is considered the tastiest. This is the most common spruce variety found in Alaska, and it’s the one we use to brew our Blonde Ale. Young spruce tips are hand-picked in the spring and give the ale its citrus flavor.
No two spruce beers taste the same, and no brewer is eager to give away their secrets. Many spruce tip ales have a more “piney” flavor, and some have a near-analgesic taste, but ours picks up on the sweeter notes. You can enjoy our Spruce Tip Blonde Ale throughout the year because we vacuum-seal and flash-freeze a large batch of springtime spruce tips.
Skagway is also known for its incredibly fresh, untreated water. Be sure to drink a glass right out of the tap while you’re in town and you will quickly understand why it’s perfect for creating incredible beer.
We could talk about beer for hours, but the bar just opened for business. See you there.
Cheers!