Brewers know best for Father's Day (6-17-2005)
Published: June 17, 2005
Last Modified: December 20, 2005 at 04:28 AM
Father's Day requires no planning, right? You simply buy beer, hand it to Dad and hang out until he gives you one. But don't shortchange the old man. Dad wants more than a few bottles of beer. He wants a two-month supply of bulk beer and fewer trips to the liquor store.
As noted in the previous column, the Moose's Tooth Brewing Co. sells 5-gallon loads of beer between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. at the pizzeria, but Dad most certainly wants a more permanent set-up, perhaps a tap line through the refrigerator and the freedom to buy from several breweries or even make his own.
With only days to go, you don't have a lot of time to pull together fancy brew work for Father's Day, but you can stop by Arctic Brewing Supply in the mini-mall on Lake Otis and Dowling near the post office. The store sells everything from reconditioned kegs to couplers, tubes, carbon dioxide cylinders and more.
Last time I checked, a used 5-gallon Cornelius keg with a regulator, tap line and cylinder went for $220, and the same set-up with a new keg sold for about $300. That's a lot of money, but why not ask siblings to bundle resources and maybe get a few pints out of the deal.
Over the years, I've even seen classified ads hawking bottles, kegs, glass carboys and old bottles of Prince -- all worthy gifts -- but since today is Friday and Father's Day is Sunday, you need to buy, not shop. So consider going to Arctic Brewing, where you can get a reconditioned keg and a hand-pump or disposable carbon dioxide dispensers for well under $100. Or just get a keg and fill it with beer. Dad might feel frustrated about having to wait for his first pour, but didn't he make you wait for dessert all those years?
There are other options, of course. To help you figure them out, here's the skinny on bulk beer at local breweries. Both the Moose's Tooth and Midnight Sun Brewing Co. sell beer for $12 a gallon or $60 for five gallons. The Tooth only sells it at the pizzeria, so you'll also need to leave a deposit for the equipment.
Midnight Sun also sells half-gallon glass jugs of beer called growlers: $11 for a new one filled with beer, and $6 for refills. The brewery also sells gift certificates in any amount. Stop by the brewery on Arctic Boulevard from 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, noon to 7 p.m. Fridays and 2 to 6 p.m. Saturdays.
Both Glacier Brewhouse and the Snow Goose sell beer for $10 a gallon. (Don't even ask for bulk quantities of oak-aged or cask beers; they probably don't have enough and definitely won't fill them for a scant $10 a gallon.) To get your keg filled at Glacier, drop it off at the bar any time of day. The brewers will clean and fill the keg within 24 hours, Monday through Friday.
"We try to turn them around in a day," said head brewer Kevin Burton, "but we also do beer emergencies." Here are some examples of beer emergencies: You go home and find no beer; it's Saturday, and you still haven't bought Dad a Father's Day gift; you pick up your German grandmother at the airport and realize that all you've got at home is a case of cheap canned beer that someone gave you as a gag gift at Christmas. (If you thought canned beer couldn't get worse, try it out after it ages.)
If you have a beer emergency, forgo Glacier's bar and track down a brewer. If he has an extra keg around, he will let you borrow it, along with a hand-pump. If you can't find anyone from the brewery, go to the bar and buy growlers instead. Dad can always use refillable growlers.
The Sleeping Lady Brewing Co./Snow Goose Restaurant also sells growlers, $12.95 filled and $5.95 for refills. For bigger quantities, show up with a keg, and someone will probably fill it on the spot. I've seen managers filling kegs even during the busiest hours.
But no matter what beer you choose or where you get it, resist dipping into Dad's stash. Remember the time you nicked a silver dollar from his coin collection just to buy Mars bars and Butterfingers? If he left an impression on you then, imagine what he'll do when he notices 16 ounces of good ale missing.
Reporter Dawnell Smith can be reached at dsmith@adn.com.
