Changes a-Brewing

Skagway Brewing Company's Brewery Continues to Grow and Evolve

We’re proud to welcome our new head brewer Tyler Mills to the team. Tyler joined us last autumn, working alongside then-head brewer Dan “Doc” Nelson to learn our operations (and the peculiarities of brewing beer in remote Alaska). 

Tyler grew up in Austin, Texas, and has a rich history of both wine- and beermaking. After moving to Portland, Oregon, he began homebrewing with a friend, and soon kicked off his career at a series of breweries. From working the bottling line to assisting on the brew deck, he eventually mentored with brewmaster Alan Taylor, who had studied and worked in Germany, gaining deep knowledge not only of the brewing process, but of the business of brewing.

Head Brewer Tyler Mills

Tyler’s stint at a winery in the Willamette Valley gave him new perspectives on fermentation management and the very different process of winemaking. “Harvest season means long hours. I love how brewing gives us the ability to make beer whenever we want, without having to wait forever to taste the results.

“I’m happy to feel at home in a brewery again, where you can see the manual effort and love that goes into every aspect of brewing. I love the captive audience and all the feedback we get from visitors.”

Tyler quickly found himself at home in Skagway. “I’ve been getting plugged into the music scene here, and feel very blessed connecting with the kindness of this community.”

The arrival of a new head brewer isn’t affecting our main beer lineup, but Tyler has kicked off a series of seasonal releases. In April we began pouring a rich Rye IPA, which will be replaced by a Kölsch in July, and then by a Festbier this September in time for our first Oktoberfest celebration.

Celebrating Doc's Legacy

Speaking of our beer lineup, we owe a debt of gratitude to our longtime employee and sometime brewer,, Dan “Doc” Nelson, who moved away this past fall with fond and wistful farewells. An integral part of Skagway Brewing Company’s modern history and culture, Doc joined us in 2008 and influenced every aspect of our operation. 

Former Head Brewer Dan "Doc" Nelson with a glass of Belgian Dark.

When Doc became our Chef, he transformed our menu and processes, perfecting our Spruce Tip Ale fish batter for our famous Halibut Fish & Chips, and the majority of our beloved burgers, wing flavors, and dressings. Challenged in those early days with a limited kitchen budget, he leaned into it by developing more efficient methods and making recipes from scratch. He had a knack for discovering a dish that he liked and saying, “I can make that better.”

Doc always made sure the entire team understood that everyone’s role was vital to the success of our kitchen. “The dishwashers were no less valuable than the grill cook, and we all knew it. I tried to lead by example, and would never expect anyone to do something that I wouldn’t do myself.” That guiding spirit thrives still in both our kitchen and our dining room, contributing to one of the tightest teams in the restaurant world, who together operate an extremely busy house with efficiency, grace, and camaraderie.

Doc even helped inspire the creation of our aeroponic farm. “I once told [founder] Mike Healy that it’d be great to grow our own veggies and greens. He said, ‘Doc, if we ever build a new restaurant, we’re going to have a rooftop garden.’ Ten years later, we have our aeroponic farm.”

Eventually, the keys to the kitchen went to a hand-picked successor so Doc could take the reins in the brewhouse. Our original head brewer Trevor, who had created our flagship and standard beer lineup, worked before his retirement for two years alongside Doc and brewer Jasen Brand to hand off the legacy. 

The increased capacity of the new location’s brewery offered the opportunity to expand our beer offerings, and Doc and Jasen began to experiment. “I didn’t even really like beer all that much until I started working here and hanging out with Trevor. Our original beers were good, but I felt we had so much more potential to make different styles and bring variety to our lineup.” Many of these became fast fan favorites, including the Saison, Lager, Irish Stout, Russian Imperial Stout, and the one Doc is most proud of, the Hazy IPA.

All of us at Skagway Brewing Company owe Doc a debt of gratitude, and wish him all the best in his new home and new endeavors.

Doc's list of simple tips for success.