Hibernating breweries

It happened so fast it caught me off guard. After close to three years of trying to build a brewery in four different locations, QUAKE! Brewing Company started pouring beer in in Wasilla on August 15 of this year.

I first got wind of QUAKE! after brewer/owner Danyelle Kimp was tinkering with his second location on West Tudor Road. From there I followed him to Eagle River, then out to the Valley where he landed for good at 1540 N. Shoreline Drive in an old 5000 square foot aircraft hangar complete with an antique piano and sweeping views of the lake nearby.

Kimp's fight wasn't unusual, but he was particularly beset with problems that don't trip up most upstart breweries. From the outside, I could chalk it up to poor planning and execution. I'm not in his head and I don't life his life, although I've been scoring along from the sidelines all along. Regardless, Kimp's a fighter. I'll credit him for never, ever, giving up. I felt his pain through all of his troubles and I still cheer for him.

So I was surprised to learn that the last day for QUAKE! Brewing Company this year was Saturday, November 4. Kimp's shutting down for the season.

Hibernating breweries aren't unusual in Alaska. There are a number of reasons breweries shut down, but the primary driver is the lack of sustaining business in smaller communities in the off-tourist season to sustain operations.

49th State Brewing Company in Healy hosted it's Hibernation Celebration on September 23. The Anchorage location is going full blast and will feature some of the beers that are overwintering up north after winter’s icy grip lets go in the spring.

Seward Brewing Company closed for the season on September 17. Seward's too small and there aren't enough locals to slurp up all of the beer the brewery produce. Keeping the place fully heated is cost-prohibitive. When's the last time you drove to Seward in November, and for what?

Icy Strait Brewing Company in Hoonah, Alaska is down for the winter as well. This makes sense. With a population of 745 as of the 2016 census, and even scant visitation from outsiders in the summer months, sustainability through the winter isn't an option. Have you ever been to Hoonah?

Skagway Brewing Company shut down too, although the pub remains open. "Yeah, the brewery will hibernating until February. The pub will be open all winter with the exception of a few weeks around Christmas," says owner Mike Healey. The brewery will continue to serve Skagway Brewing beers with eight on tap all season. Still, there’s not enough local traffic to keep the brewery in full production through the winter.

All of this makes sense for some of our smaller outlying breweries, but with QUAKE!, Wasilla isn't necessarily off the beaten path. There must be more to the story.

When I talked to Kimp and his two new investors, Kelsey Johnson, Marketing and Media Manager and Kelly Johnson, Operations and Strategy Manager I found out it’s not the population, but rather the location.

According to Kelly, "when it comes to brewing and food, it's location, location, location." He's right. "Yeah, maybe it's in Wasilla, but it's definitely off the beaten path. Wasilla might be mainstream, but this place ain’t,” he says. “We were out there and maybe six or 12 cars came by in a 24 hour day.”

The location at 1540 N. Shoreline Drive certainly isn’t downtown. “Being out there doesn’t make sense,” says Kelly. “There are no street signs or paved roads. We had to use Google maps to find it. The roads aren’t maintained by the city. It’s in a small community and people in the neighborhood probably plow the roads.”

Still, with initial success with Kimp’s eclectic beers, the Johnson’s were interested. “Kelsey, Danyelle and I have the opportunity to put the location in Anchorage and that’s what we’re doing,” reveals Kelly.

Kelly and Kelsey immediately recognized the need to put food in the mixture in the right location to feature the beers, and this works fine with Kimp. “We’re getting back to the brewpub idea I originally dreamed of,” says Kimp.

“In order to compete, we have to implement food with the beer; it’s a key element,” says Kelly.

QUAKE! Brewhouse will open in Anchorage on 5th Avenue sometime in late 2018. The exact location is undisclosed, but wherever it is will probably land Kimp and his team in the right location with the right venue, and maybe QUAKE! will finally settle down for good.

“We’re creating an experience, not just a restaurant,” says Kelsey. We’ll feature an eclectic mixture of ingredients that feature the flavors in both the beer and the food that will complement each other in a uniquely Alaskan themed establishment that embraces where Alaska came from and where it grew from including the gold rush and the ’64 earthquake.”

Expect “dark wood, brass rails, earthquake paraphernalia, historic pictures and full-blown history-themed wallpaper featuring mining, the quake and other elements that embrace where Alaska comes from,” says Kelsey. “The place celebrates the resiliency of Alaskans in a family atmosphere with food and unique beer as a feature.” The all-new 5-10 barrel brewhouse will be prominently featured in the front of the establishment.

When I first talked to Kimp about his vision back in 2015, he had my mouth watering with his idea of gourmet burgers. This is part of the new vision and marketing strategy. “I can give you three burgers that are going to blow your mind right off the top,” says Kelly. With 14 years in the restaurant industry including soul food, burgers, pizza and specialty themed restaurants, Kelly’s probably a good pick for the team.

We’ll feature never frozen, 100 percent all beef patties on potato buns. Our Black and Blue burger will feature a Gouda and blue cheese with the cheese melted throughout and more on the dome. Bacon crumbles will be an option. Our Greek Burger will feature feta cheese topped with pepperchinis, Greek dressing and a PB&J Burger that’s made with peanut Thai sauce and accented with pepper jelly on both sides of the bun and American cheese. Bacon’s an option on this one too, says Kelley.

Lo-cal, low-carb options for each include a bun-less version that substitutes a Romaine lettuce wrap for the bread. All-fresh potato fries will be a feature. Wraps, pitas and rustic salads will round out the offerings.

Root beer and homemade fountain drinks will complement the food, but it’s Kimp’s beers that distinguish the brand from other brewhouses. “Danyelle’s Peach Cobbler American Cream Ale made with brown sugar and vanilla beans, or Magnitude Stout with the roasted pecans and vanilla beans paired with a Black and Blue Burger, for example, is how we’re going to create a brand,” says Kelsey.

According to Kimp, “the goal is to create happy, satisfied customers that we keep guessing about what is next as I plan to release a new beer every other week or so. We want to keep variety flowing across the palate.”

Kelly and Kelsey respect Kimp’s tenacity, and so do I. “No matter what obstacles he goes through, it doesn’t determine his outcome in life. This is Danyelle’s fourth attempt at this. That’s our new theme; despite the setbacks, Alaskans never give up and neither will we,” says Kelly.

With this attempt in late 2018, maybe the aftershocks will subside and QUAKE! will finally rest on solid ground.

James ‘Dr. Fermento’ Roberts is the Anchorage Press beer columnist