Alaskan Brewing Adding Ohio Distribution In 7/18

JUNEAU, AK (May 12, 2016) – Beer drinkers in the Buckeye state can soon start clearing room in their coolers for the new brew in town: Alaskan Beer. Alaskan Brewing Company is partnering with distributors around the state to bring award-winning beer from the Last Frontier to Ohio.

Alaskan Brewing anticipates that Columbus Distributing, Heidelberg Distributing, House of La Rose, Matesich Distributing and R.L. Lipton Distributing will soon provide Alaskan Beer to Ohio’s favorite watering holes and retailers from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati & communities in between.

Consumers can expect to see flagship Alaskan Amber, invigorating Icy Bay IPA, specialty Hopothermia Double IPA and more on shelves and on tap by mid-summer.

Alaskan Brewing spent the better part of the past year investing heavily in infrastructure, and is now prepared to increase production to meet the needs of thirsty Ohioans, who have been requesting Alaskan for years. This is the first new market entrance for Alaskan Brewing since entering Michigan and South Dakota in 2014. Alaskan’s 18th state will also be its furthest east, about 3,000 miles from the wild landscape where it is brewed and packaged.

Alaskan Brewing Co. was founded in Juneau, Alaska, in 1986 by Marcy and Geoff Larson. Then 28, they solicited help from about 80 investors to form the country’s 67^thindependent brewery at the time, the first since prohibition in Juneau. Though founded in 1986, its history reaches back to the Gold Rush Era, from which many recipes draw inspiration.

For more information and updates, check out Alaskan Brewing Co. online at www.alaskanbeer.com.

UPDATE 7 July 2016:

We made the announcement we’d be heading to Ohio and we’re excited to let you know that we’ll be on draft and on shelves starting July 18. Ohio will be our 18th state, and the furthest from our Juneau, Alaska-based brewery.

UPDATE 11 July 2016:

JUNEAU, Alaska, July 11, 2016 Alaskan Brewing Co., one of the pioneers of the craft beer movement and the nation’s 22^nd-largest craft brewery*, officially arrives in the Buckeye State this month with a launch of a range of products sure to excite Ohio beer drinkers. The tasty voyage begins with a ceremonial first pour at 5:30 p.m. on July 15 at Jungle Jim’s International Market located at 5440 Dixie Hwy in Fairfield. The celebration expands into a full launch statewide the week of July 18th.

Ohio represents the eastern-most migration for the Juneau-based brewer, and its most recent geographical expansion sinceMichigan was added in 2014. With the addition of Ohio, Alaskan Brewing beer can now be found in 18 states across the Midwest, Northwest and Western regions.

"This is a big milestone for us because Ohio is home to some great craft beers & because of that there are a lot of really well educated beer drinkers," said Andy Kline, communications manager for Alaskan Brewing. "We love the opportunity to introduce our beer to enthusiasts who value quality. We started in 1986, and we still brew and bottle everything in Juneau, Alaska – so we’ve gained a unique perspective that we believe beer lovers appreciate." 

Alaskan Brewing has routinely earned top scores from leading trade publications, including a "world class" ranking from leading publication Beer Advocate for the company’s Hopothermia (American Double/Imperial IPA) recipe as well as an "outstanding" rank for its Icy Bay IPA (India Pale Ale). Both will be introduced in Ohio this month.

The full list of new beers available in Ohio includes, Amber (Alt Style Ale), Kicker (Session IPA), Icy Bay IPA (India Pale Ale),Hopothermia (American Double/Imperial IPA) and a rotating number of seasonal ales. In addition, Ohio consumers will be able to buy two different variety packs to sample a wide array of brews. 

Alaskan Brewing is also recognized as a leader in innovation, as the only brewery in the world to use its spent grain as the sole fuel source in a boiler that creates the steam that powers the brewhouse. By reusing what would otherwise be a waste product left over from the brewing process, Alaskan creates beer powered by beer.

"That innovative approach comes from our founders & can be directly traced to the people who have always lived and thrived in Alaska – you either invent new approaches, or you don’t make it," said Kline. "Those challenges continue to inspire us, and we try to put a little bit of that inspiration and a little bit of Alaska in every bottle of beer we brew."

Alaskan Brewing will partner with a number of distributors to introduce its beer to watering holes and retailers across the state, including Columbus Distributing, Heidelberg Distributing, House of La Rose, Matesich Distributing and R.L. Lipton Distributing.