A Busy 2026 Season and Plenty of Firsts at Skagway Brewing
It’s been a while since our last blog update! Summer kept us busy at brewCo, and now that the season is winding down, we have plenty to catch you up on.
Our brewing team spent 2026 exploring new styles, working with new ingredients, and adding a few firsts to the lineup. Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the brewery.
Bringing Home the People’s Choice Award
One of this season’s highlights was winning the People’s Choice Best Overall award at Haines Beerfest! It means a lot to our brewing team to be recognized by the people enjoying our beer.
Thank you to everyone who tasted our beers and voted for Skagway Brewing Company. And yes, we’re pretty proud of that championship belt!
Root Beer Joins the Lineup
We finally brewed our own Root Beer! Our recipe brings together root beer syrup, molasses, honey, licorice root, wintergreen extract, and vanilla extract. All organic and delicius!
Our First Hard Seltzer and Fruit Beer
This year, we ventured into Hard Seltzer for the first time, using a special yeast that can handle higher fermentation temperatures. It also marked our first fruit-based brewing project, with two flavor combinations: blackberry and blueberry, and lime and raspberry. Both were made with 100% fruit purées.
Fruit also found its way into our beer lineup with Blueberry Cream Ale, our first beer brewed with fruit. This was Jake’s brew, made with 100% blueberry purée and just a touch of blueberry extract. He did an excellent job finding the balance between blueberry flavor and the beer itself.
A Little Oktoberfest Inspiration
Oktoberfest gave Tyler the perfect excuse to let the German-style flag fly with a Hefeweizen.
We also brewed a Dunkel, a German-inspired dark lager, for Oktoberfest.
Off Broadway IPA Takes a New Direction
Our rotating Off Broadway IPA moved from last year’s hazy IPA to a West Coast style IPA this season. The change gives us room to showcase new hops and experiment with unique combinations.
Jake has spearheaded the program, keeping a consistent base beer while changing the hop varieties used for dry hopping. He’s done a wonderful job giving each version its own character while keeping a familiar foundation.
From an Oregon Hop Farm to Skagway in About 15 Hours
This was our first time brewing a Fresh Hop Ale, and it came with a little extra coordination. We sourced Citra hops from a farm in Oregon and got them into the brewing process here in Skagway about 15 hours after they were picked.
Getting freshly picked hops to a brewery in Southeast Alaska takes some planning, so a big thanks to Dave “Chowdah” for bringing them up! Apparently, a brewer’s idea of essential carry-on luggage looks a little different from everyone else’s. Thanks to Dave, we got those hops into the brew as fresh as we could!
Coffee Makes Its Brewery Debut
Our Golden Stout was the first beer we brewed using coffee. We paired it with cacao nibs to create a light-colored beer that tasted like a lighter version of a coffee stout.
New Additions to the Strong Beer Rotation
Our new American Strong Ale will replace the Belgian Dark as one of our three strong beer offerings.
We also brewed a Wee Heavy, or Scotch Ale, with Scott and Jess from Woodcutter’s Blanket in Whitehorse. Last year, they hosted us for our Cascadian Dark collaboration. This year, it was our turn to welcome them to Skagway.
The collaboration also brought another first for our brewery: using smoked malt in the brewing process.
The Wee Heavy will replace the Barleywine in our strong ale rotation. Next year, Scott and Jess will host again in Whitehorse for our third annual collaboration brew. We’re glad to see this becoming a tradition.
A Busy Season by the Numbers
In 2025, we brewed 738.38 barrels of beer. So far in 2026, we’ve brewed 801.99 barrels of beer, an increase of about 8.6% over last year’s total.
Add in our new hard seltzer and root beer, and total brewery production so far this year comes to 923.59 barrels.
That’s a lot of brewing, and we’re proud of the team behind it.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, tried something new, and shared feedback with our brewers this season. Next time you’re at BrewCo, ask what’s on tap. We’d love to help you find a new favorite!
