Crack one open

“Go wild and drink fresh” is the Bearpaw River Brewing Company motto, and the Wasilla brewery’s steadfast position in Alaska’s craft beer community lives up to the slogan. With immediate popularity and a widespread following since beer started flowing on December 19, 2015, growth was inevitable and the brewery is expanding by adding new beers, more equipment and starting a canning operation.

“To make all of this happen, we have recently taken receipt of a Cask canning line and we have some 30 barrel tanks on the way,” says James Wade, one of the four brothers that run the family brewery. “Everyone at the brewery is super stoked about getting these beers into cans. Most of all, we’re looking forward to crushing some Bearpaw River Brewing cans in the kinds of wild places you’re likely to take six packs of craft beer in Alaska,” he says.

Cans are definitely the beer wrapper of the future in the craft beer industry, and have particular appeal here in Alaska where our outdoor — and often remote lifestyles — makes portability, pack-ability and crush-ability a key feature. “We’re starting with six packs of our Frontiersman IPA and Mat Maid Milk Stout which have been leading the pack for us in draft and 22 ounce bottles so far,” says James. “At the end of this month, or early next month, we are planning a party in the taproom to officially release the first cans of Frontiersman IPA with all due pomp and sudsy circumstance.”

You know where Fermento will be on that day.

"This is definitely our big project," says Jed Wade. "Cans have always been a part of the plan. I don't think we anticipated getting into cans until after our two-year mark, but we were sitting around six months ago talking about it and decided why wait?"

Jed echoes my sentiments about cans. "Especially in Alaska, there's not much that makes more sense than beer in cans. We like to go fishing and do all the fun Alaska stuff and we want to take our beer with us when we go. Oh, there's definitely a selfish element to this; I can't wait to drink cans of our beer in the wilderness," he says.

The brewery's explosive popularity has accelerated the schedule. "We've developed a core loyal band of tap room locals. It didn't happen overnight. It took a few months for people to find us. Other than posting on social media, we've done zero marketing," says Jed.

The brewery's location on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway is key and was by design. Aside from the four brothers growing up there and calling the Valley home, part of locating there was a keen awareness that the Valley didn't have enough breweries, and even with more, there's plenty of room for craft beer up north.

"The Highway is the main tributary for the Mat-Su," says Jed. "It's the road people use all of the time to get both through and around the area. Look on a map and you'll see that geographically, we're kind of right in the middle. We're a Wasilla brewery, but we think of ourselves as a Mat-Su craft brewery. The Mat-Su is finally booming with craft beer," he says.

Bearpaw River is one of six Wasilla-Palmer-area breweries, to include Last Frontier and the newly opened QUAKE Brewing Company in Wasilla. Palmer's got Arkose Brewery, Bleeding Heart Brewing Company and pretty quick here, the new Matanuska Brewing Company. The Wades see the business setting more as a collaboration, not a competition.

"This part of Alaska is now a craft beer destination," says Jed.

He's right. Even with five breweries open now, it would take a full day to immerse in all of them. I figure that with a designated driver, and 45 minutes each way, dedicating at least an hour to each sudsy local makes for a six or seven-hour beer drinking day. Where's my fun bus? I'll work something out to fit a visit to each of the five when I head out to celebrate the release of Bearpaw River's new Hatcher's Pass Pale Ale.

“This month, we’re releasing a new beer for draft distribution. Our Hatcher’s Pass Pale Ale weighs in at 5 percent alcohol by volume and 35 IBU. This is a beer we also plan to release in 12-ounce six packs, most likely next spring,” says James.

"Hatcher's Pass will become a year round core beer," says Jed. "We were trying to think of a light offering; what kind of style we might go for. We wanted something very drinkable and approachable. We wanted something true to style and tasty. We looked around and didn't see a lot of Alaska brewed year-round pale ales," he says.

Pale ale is one of my favorite styles. At 5 percent ABV, this beer's sessionable. Centennial and Cascade hops accent the beer, but it's not an IPA by any means. "This is, for sure, a nice, easy drinking pale ale. It's not an IPA pretending to be a pale ale; the Frontiersman is our IPA," says Jed.

As an aside, I chatted with Jed about the new wave of New England style IPA's that are sweeping the craft beer community right now. He agreed that this soft, milky, soft-palate style that features hop aroma and flavor without big bitterness has local merit.

"We're developing a recipe for a New Englander and tinkering in the brewery with it. It's a fun style; it's milky, cloudy, pillow-y, pulpy and just plain delicious. No plans for an immediate release, but look for it in tap when we release it."

There's more. Aside from the promise of a new beer, a canning line, labels to posture the brand beyond the brewery's logo and two new 30 barrel bright tanks and a fermenter, Bearpaw River has time for community.

"Wasilla turns 100 this year. We're proud to be a part of our city's future," says Jed. "We're brewing a single hop, 100 IBU Centennial IPA. That will be our contribution to the big celebration. Look for a release sometime in October."

Solid identity, strategic growth and a firm entrenchment in community define Bearpaw River Brewing Company. I get the sense this family brewery knows its roots and won't stray far from home, but I'm excited to get canned beer portability so I can share craft beer from the Valley with my wilderness friends.

James ‘‘Dr. Fermento” Roberts is an Anchorage Press beer columnist.