Drink in the wild and mild of Rondy

Down the Hatch

[ With Dawnell Smith ]

Published: February 20th, 2008 10:13 PM
Last Modified: February 20th, 2008 04:47 AM

enlarge

More Beer stories »

Trip to a quiet Abyss helps ease the brunt of bad times

Nikiski home-brewers have hands full with all kinds of successes

Drinking nonalcoholic beer proves thespians suffer for their craft

Down the Hatch: Shake off winter with new blood at Snow Goose brew pub

Down the Hatch: Fletcher's got the rhythm for his beer and his band

Story tools

Comments | E-mail a friend | Print

Folks like to don wolf-head hats and go ice bowling this time of year. They watch crab races and car races and dog races and snowshoe softball. They bid on hides, horns and furs, and browse stamps, memorabilia, hats, arts and crafts, and bulk up on pancakes before playing bridge, poker, Scrabble and pinochle.

They chow down on reindeer sausage one day, only to run with the reindeer the next.

You don't get any freakier than this, folks. Though organizers of Fur Rendezvous call it a wholesome winter carnival, I think of it as Mardi Gras without the beads (or skin), Burning Man without the fire (or skin) or PrideFest without the boots (or skin).

As much as I hate to admit it, Alaskans will never bring sexy back -- no way, not even with a governor in Vogue.

But that doesn't mean you can't share your freak with the rest of us. Go ahead, wear a dead animal on your head, coax your hound into pulling a sled, build a snow sculpture of a convicted legislator, shake your booty round and round at the Jim Beam Jam, head-butt at the barbecue competition and listen to old-timers rant.

Whatever you do, drink a fine little winter warmer called RondyBrew that tastes "not overwhelming, not overly roasty, just plain good," according to Barb Miller of Midnight Sun Brewing Co. I agree.

Midnight Sun made the fabulous "sin" beers last year and will debut its planetary lineup with Mars in March, so why would a brewery built on big, fat, bodacious flavors tone things down for the sake of a quirky little winter carnival?

Because it's fun. Because people need to get out and mingle a bit. Because old-time fiddles can sound just as hot as Snoop Dogg. Because outdoor hockey tests your mettle more than a Wii ever will. Because a carnival of animals looks almost as hilarious as a carnival of us.

You can find RondyBrew at La Bodega, Gold Rush Liquor, Value Liquor and Brown Jug stores, as well as at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse, Simon & Seafort's, McGinley's Pub, Platinum Jaxx, the Mixx Grill, The Anchor Pub & Club, Benihana, La Mex and a few other places around town. You can even win prizes by getting a RondyBrew passport or punch card, so check the Rondy guide for details.

Best of all, you can try the beer on cask at RondyBrew Firkin Night starting at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cafe Amsterdam (530 E. Benson Blvd., 274-0074, www.cafe-amsterdam.com).

(I've even heard rakish louts speak of drinking that night and then running with reindeer the next day with RondyBrew in hand.)

Ah, but don't forget the other downtown brew pubs and their excellent beers. Last time I stopped at the Snow Goose Restaurant, they served Belgian dark ale called Tennessee Two Strong and a classic English extra special bitter called Break Up ESB. The place serves at least one beer selection for $3 a pint all winter. Look for its latest beer menu at www.alaskabeers.com.

Glacier Brewhouse pours celebratory beers of its own, recently winning gold medals for its Beam Bock and Oak Aged Imperial Stout at barrel-aged beer festivals in Chicago and Hayward, Calif., respectively. Find out their current picks at www.glacierbrew house.com.

Really, what better way to cap a day of carnival rides than sitting in a warm place with a cold beer.

Looking for RondyBrew? It costs $5 for a 22-ounce bottle at the brewery (7329 Arctic Blvd., www.midnightsun brewing.com) and close to the same price at liquor stores. The price per pint will vary. Ten percent of the proceeds of RondyBrew will go back to Fur Rondy (www.furrondy.net).

Long live the mead!

Two Alaska mead makers came back from the 2008 International Mead Festival in Boulder, Colo., with five medals.

Celestial Meads of Anchorage (www.celestialmeads. com) struck gold for Razzery Cyser and silver for Odin's Gift. Ring of Fire Meadery of Homer (www.ringoffire meadery.com) won silvers for its Red Currant Reserve (ah, yes) and Tart Cherry Reserve, plus a bronze for its Local Apple Cyser.

You can find meads from one or both of these producers at La Bodega, Brown Jug stores, Gold Rush Liquors, the Tap Root Cafe, Humpy's, Ginger, Cafe Amsterdam and a host of other places.

Heads up

Keep your eye open for the Flemish beer tasting on March 3, when Clay Brackley from the Sleeping Lady Brewery will talk about the love and lore of sour beers. It starts at 7 p.m. at the Tap Root Cafe (1330 E. Huffman Road, 345-0282).

And here's a tip from an alert reader who has gone to more Hawaiian breweries than I have: Don't miss the Mehana Brewing Co. in Hilo (www.mehana.com).

• Find Daily News reporter Dawnell Smith at adn.com/contactdsmith or call 257-4587.

ADVERTISEMENT