Glacier Brewhouse

Glacier BrewhouseGlacier Brewhouse
Glacier BrewhouseGlacier Brewhouse
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

737 W 5th Ave
Ste 110
Anchorage, Alaska, 99501-2129
United States

(907) 274-2739 | map
glacierbrewhouse.com

Brewpub that opened May of 1996.
BEER STATS
Average:
3.86
Beers:
70
Ratings:
422
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.14
Reviews:
41
Ratings:
82
pDev:
10.14%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by SirSaranac:
Photo of SirSaranac
Reviewed by SirSaranac from New York

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Alright... Glacier Brewhouse is another must stop if you're ever in Anchorage... but in my opinion less for the food and more for the beer. If you want BETTER food, then stop into ORSO which is connected the the Brewhouse and sells some of the same Brewhouse beers. Orso has better food, but is a bit more expensive and more ritzy in atmosphere.

Out of all the reviews I read noone mention their Hefeweizen! Glacier Brewhouse has a superb Hefe... and although there's no more than 10 beers or so, they're all excellent. Pick up a growler of whatever you like... they're cheap, and they're in incredible looking glass growler jugs with GLACIER BREWHOUSE frosted onto the side... a great gift!
Jan 16, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.91/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
ive eaten at their adjacent sister restaurant or whatever in the past before, but it was great to actually hit up the main spot this trop to anchorage, right down town, easy street parking, a big space that has a sort of dated feel, like an old diner or hotel restaurant, inside a larger sort of mall-like complex, weird layout but a really quality operation. its mostly a big dining room with a partially open kitchen, live fire burning, amazing looking food menu and everything coming out looked dope, but we did not partake. the beer list was impressive too, lots of neat options, i sucked down a clever blackberry ipa and was also impressed with a laphroaig barrel aged black rye bock, insanely creative for a place that presents food before beer, at least in my opinion, loved the beers i had! service was okay, kind of by committee, they were busy when i was in and it didnt make or break the experience, just sort of forgettable. the place was bustling, loud and happening, but it was not unrelaxing in the bar area. great food and drink menus, slightly upscale vibe to it all, and despite the odd setting the beer is thoroughly crafty and inspired. lots of great places to drink beer around the city, but dont sleep on this place, the beer quality and ambition was much higher than i would have guessed. well worth visiting when you are in town, i will certainly plan to head back for a meal next time!
May 20, 2023
 
Rated: 2.83 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Sep 22, 2022
Photo of dbl_delta
Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.75
Visited with the wife on a Thursday night. The place was packed, but we got seated at a bar table almost immediately. Service was great and the food was exceptional. Beer selection was extensive - blonde ales, hefeweisens, IPAs, Stouts....I had their Russian Imperial Stout and their India Pale Ale (they could use some help in the beer-naming department), both of which were excellent. Would highl recommend a visit!
Jun 20, 2021
Photo of IPA17
Reviewed by IPA17 from New Jersey

3.71/5  rDev -10.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
Nice place with a good selection of beers. I had a sampler and enjoyed 4 of the 5 beers though none were outstanding. The fifth beer was not awful just not to my liking. The vibe was fair--it was late when I got there so it wasn't packed. Service was good and I would go back if I were in Anchorage again.
Jun 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.01 by DerwinWentworth from Utah

Aug 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.05 by gefinley from California

Jul 27, 2019
Photo of CaptainHate
Reviewed by CaptainHate from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Had a great time. Easy to find. Food was great and beer was tasty. Maybe could have had a more extensive selection of non IPAs but that's a minor quibble because I had no problem selecting between some preferable styles. The beer I had, Imperial Coconut Ale, was a perfect moderately strong ale for the season.
Jul 17, 2019
Photo of ColinatorAK
Reviewed by ColinatorAK from Alaska

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
A classy location that is a great place to take your family and dine. With a friendly staff and atmosphere. Personally the best time to visit this place is from December 10-21. As that's the 12 days of Barleywine where the brewery will release 2-5 new barleywines, eisbocks or even stouts that have been aged from 10 months to 6 years, in multiple different types of barrels.
May 10, 2019
 
Rated: 4.55 by Curt3 from Ohio

Jul 17, 2018
 
Rated: 3.61 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Jul 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by emptyglassagain from Massachusetts

Jun 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

May 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4.05 by schteve from New Jersey

Feb 01, 2018
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I visited Glacier Brewhouse a couple of days ago while visiting Anchorage. It looks like more of a big, frontier-themed chain restaurant than a brewery, but they have a legit brewery on-site making some pretty decent beers. When I visited, they had 9 taps plus a cask offering, mostly pretty standard styles. The beers were actually pretty decent; nothing blew me away, but there weren't any missteps either. The food is pretty good; I had a cheesesteak and my wife had a breakfast scramble and we had no complaints there.
Sep 12, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.14/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
One of my Anchorage trips, met one of my beer buddies and his brother here. Really nice place, very clean, was pretty impressed with my tasters, though they were served in wine glasses (ugh - only downfall!). Service was very quick and it seemed they kept up with the crowd at peak times because I was there during a peak time. I'd definitely go back if I lived closer.
Aug 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.14 by StoutAtTheDevil from Alabama

Jun 07, 2017
Photo of mrcraft
Reviewed by mrcraft from California

4.19/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
Glacier Brewhouse is located in Downtown Anchorage. I visited here for drinks and dinner to take back to my hotel.

I liked the vibe, a cross between modern and rustic, I guess you can call it. They had an open kitchen with a bar area and standing tables in the back. It was also a large brew pub but busy and crowded which is good for them.

I had their Raspberry Wheat which I enjoyed. Most, if not all, beers on tap were their house beers. The server was very friendly and attentive. The food was good too. I ordered a few appetizers to go. The calamari was excellent!

Very cool place. Enjoyed my visit.
Apr 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.68 by Ironnomad from Montana

Mar 05, 2017
Photo of thebeers
Reviewed by thebeers from Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Pretty high class vibe for a brew pub. Long wait even at off hours. Good service and excellent food -- seafood and wood oven pizzas. The beer was fine, but nothing that blew me away. Was hoping to try one of their BA barleywines, but apparently they don't serve their wood series beers in the summer.
Aug 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by rspauldi from Texas

Jun 03, 2016
 
Rated: 4.26 by Mikexw from New York

Apr 22, 2016
Photo of unclekeith
Reviewed by unclekeith from Alaska

4.51/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Huge quality tap list serving only their own brews. Excellent food. Service is generally above average. Can get crowded and loud especially during the summer. Recommend!
Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.98 by jcMPLS from Minnesota

Dec 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.56 by DSWeller from Iowa

Nov 09, 2015
Photo of ZinFanDave
Rated by ZinFanDave from Georgia

3.81/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Very busy so we sat at a long table at the bar. Serves Glacier BrewHouse beer. Had the Irish Red and Porter. Preferred the Porter.
Oct 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by jayhunter357 from Massachusetts

Oct 05, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by greenspointexas from Texas

Aug 17, 2015
Photo of RonInAK
Reviewed by RonInAK from Alaska

4.85/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
My wife and I default to the GB anytime we're looking for somewhere special to go and celebrate an event or a special date. We've always had the best service and experience at the GB and will continue our patronage here for years to come.

The atmosphere is very rustic with a central hearth around which the tables for the dining area are arranged. The kitchen has a visible grill area where one can enjoy the preparation of food. The interior is styled like an Alaskan log cabin and the lighting is not too bright, but not too moody.

The food has always been perfectly within expectation, with me ordering medium-rare for my ribeyes. Veggies are perfectly al dente, and the garlic mashed potatoes have a nice texture. The beers are fantastic and you'll sometimes be lucky enough to get the last portion of a Jim Beam keg fermented special brew that has a sweet kick and compliments a steak very well.

I can't say enough good things about the GB, and I've been a fan for the last 15 years. While other area restaurants seem to be slipping, the GB keeps its high standards going.

Note, that if you're not into waiting 45 minutes for a table here that you can call ahead and make a reservation. We're Alaskans, but we're not savages.
Aug 11, 2015
Photo of Soneast
Reviewed by Soneast from Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Our first stop while in Anchorage for a week. We stopped in between lunch and dinner and it was incredibly busy, a 30-45 minute wait. The layout is kinda weird with the bar in back past the open kitchen and dining area. The hard part is navigating through this area where the wait staff retrive the food from the kitchen to get back to the bar. Gets crowded and tricky with people carrying trays of food. Plus they don’t have their own bathrooms, you have to walk out into the storefront area and use the bathrooms there.

The beer was actually pretty good. Tried an eisbock, IPA, oatmeal stout, bourbon barrel aged eisbock, and bohemian pilsner, and didn’t have a bad thing to say about any of them.

The food was overpriced and while good, not worth the cost. The best thing I had was their seafood chowder, though the seared ahi tuna was very tasty and cooked perfectly. The salmon special was way overpriced and overcooked. The smoked salmon club was ok, but very basic and the veggies weren’t all that fresh, definitely not worth the price.

Basically come here for the beer, a few select menu items and you should be good to go.
Jul 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.26 by johnyb from Florida

Jun 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.29 by SCW from New York

Jun 02, 2015
Photo of Penguins66
Reviewed by Penguins66 from Illinois

3.66/5  rDev -11.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Nice ambiance, decent service, good but overpriced food, mediocre beer.

There were 3 of us in our party and we tried 6 different beers between us. While the Hefeweizen was our favorite, none of them especially stood out.

Best food item was the pretzel appetizer. King salmon entree was cooked inconsistently and seemed expensive for the amount you get.
May 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by SimcoeKid from California

May 25, 2015
Photo of JJJump
Reviewed by JJJump from Pennsylvania

4.59/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5
Visited in the Summer last year. Timing is key to getting in to this popular downtown spot. Lunch time was easy; need to get there early or wait a long time for dinner.
May 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by april333 from Illinois

Mar 04, 2015
Photo of beefington
Reviewed by beefington from Alaska

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
I've eaten here a handful of times, and drank their beer lots of times. The atmosphere is a bit ...generic. Don't misunderstand me, it's a very nice place. It just doesn't seem to stand out with its own character. Anyway, on to the important bits. The food and beer are both excellent. I have had good service each time I've been, and they don't seem to be chronically undermanned like some places. The selection could leave some beer snobs wanting, but it's plenty for me with 6-10 brews available at any given time. I like the Raspberry Wheat (shut up) and the Amber. The Oatmeal Stout is especially good.
Every Tuesday, they have $5 growlers, so they also supply probably 90% of my in-home beer. They sell growlers for an additional $5 if you need one.
Dec 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by BeerGuy09 from Massachusetts

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ksolekjr from Minnesota

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.71 by fureousangel from California

Nov 24, 2014
Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, AK
Brewery rating: 3.86 out of 5 with 422 ratings