Making the trip to Anchorage in August, and a first time trip to the area. What brewery or beer bars are worth checking out, and any suggestions for restaurants\things to do in the area are also appreciated.
From last year's "Visiting Alaska" thread (I should update this...) with a few minor additions... The spots are all pretty spread out, so a car is nice, but uber/lyft/taxi are readily available. Anchorage is obviously the must-hit, 49th State, Onsite, and probably Midnight Sun are the other's I'd say top the list if you have limited time. Beer bars also in the list below. Restaurants (for me, in order...) Whisky & Ramen, Snow City(breakfast), Spenard Roadhouse, South, Hearth pizza) ANCHORAGE (AKA Los Anchorage, the big city) Anchorage is the other main entry point for most folks visiting the state. I've broken up the ANC spots roughly based on geography: South: Midnight Sun Loft - good food, the biggest selection of MS beers you'll see Anchorage Brewing - Definitely a must-hit. There will likely be beers here that you won't find anywhere else, both on tap and in bottles. plus, it's an amazingly beautiful space. King Street – You’ve got to pass King Street to get to Anchorage, so you might as well stop. Solid classic styles. Turnagain Brewing – In the old King Street space, with a focus on Belgian styles, but a wide variety. Worth a stop when you’re in the area Magnetic North – Small taproom, solid beers. If you're hitting the other spots on the south side, it's worth a visit. Ravens Ring – Another new brewery in South ANC. No intel yet. Downtown: Glacier Brewhouse – One of the older spots in town. be sure to look at the seasonals and special releases at the bottom of the beer list. Amazing barrel program, but usually only on tap in Jan/Feb. Good food, too. Humpy's – Formerly the best beer bar in the city, stuff you likely won't find other places. Flattop Pizza is run by the same folks, and may have beers on that Humpy's doesn't. 49th State's anchorage location is downtown, with great food, an awesome rooftop deck in the summer. Always busy, so plan ahead. Tent City Taphouse – The new king of beer bars in ANC. Stuff on from all over the state, hard to get beers you won’t find anywhere else in town. If you're looking for bottles: Crush – probably the best downtown selection. Brown Jug Downtown – limited selection, but had gotten way better the last time I was in. Midtown: Mooses Tooth/Beartooth- Old guard, decent pizza, solid beers. Mooses Tooth is usually packed, Beartooth has different food and usually easier to get into. Onsite Brewing – small taproom in a strip mall. Worth the stop! Great Beers. Cynosure Brewing – Kind of in no-mans land compared to the other breweries, but worth a visit if you’re out in midtown. Their saison is damned near perfect. Brewerks – Near Cynosure. This one is new to me. Matanuska – One of their three locations. Wide range of beers. Widely distributed in state. If you're looking for bottles: La Bodega - great bottleshop, awesome staff, and go next door to Cafe Amsterdam and have a pint. Brown Jug Warehouse - probably the best bottle selection in town. Might as well swing by Moose's Tooth if you go here.
