Local fermenters bring Kenai, Soldotna into civilized world
Down the Hatch
Published: August 24, 2006
Last Modified: October 19, 2006 at 05:52 AM
A good brewery is a sign of civilization, a beacon of technological and agricultural prowess and a darn good thing to find when your water bottle runs dry.
"Fermentation and civilization are inseparable," said 20th-century American poet John Ciardi.
"Boy, I'm thirsty," said I.
So welcome to the civilized world, Soldotna and Kenai. At long last, you have breweries of your own. Kenai River Brewing Co. operates in a white cinder-block building with a flat roof on Soldotna's North Aspen Drive, just a few miles from the Sterling Highway. Even RVs can navigate its gravel road and ample parking lot.
The place looks fairly ordinary inside and out, but the beers taste anything but mundane. I tried Pillars Pale Ale, Skilak Scottish and Sunken Island IPA when I stopped by for a taste last month. I even snagged a pour of what they call the "mystery beer" after hearing a customer ask for it.
"Mystery beer?" I queried.
"It has no name because we don't know if we want to keep it as a regular beer," said Wendi Dutcher, one of the owners, as she filled the guy's growler.
"Oh, you should definitely keep it," the guy said as he paid for his beer. "It's a good beer."
(Note: It would have been far more lyrical if he had said, "It's a keeper," but he did not.)
The mystery ale had a sharp, pleasing spiciness to it, but I preferred the softness of the much drier IPA. All the beers were nicely balanced and utterly fresh, however, and reflected the dependability of good recipes. Head brewer Doug Hogue simply stepped up his favorite home-brews after leveraging his 14 years of home-brewing experience into a commercial brewing job.
Now with a bigger system at his fingertips, Hogue can make up to 1,600 barrels a year, though he expects to produce about half that this year. He hopes to soon be making small batches of specialty beers such as barley wine as well as his more mainstream concoctions, but the brewery has kept him hopping since it opened several months ago. The location certainly helps, as does all the word-of-mouth marketing going on in the area.
"Tourists have found us this year even with our minimal advertising," Hogue wrote in an e-mail. "We plan on advertising in The Milepost. We have, of course, joined the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce and have some relationships with some local fishing guide services. Fishing and beer go really well together."
True enough, especially when fishing for Kassik's Kenai Brew Stop about 20 miles away. In a one-of-a-kind approach to the industry, Frank and Debara Kassik built their brewery in their front yard and installed brewing equipment once used at Alice's Champagne Palace in Homer.
Their home looks heartily worn, but the brewery is sparkling clean inside and out. It may seem off the beaten path to some city gal in a minivan, but Frank thinks of it as darn handy. After all, "how many people can say that they can step out of their house and be to work in 10 seconds flat," he asked.
The brewery is a dream come true for Frank, a heavy-equipment operator who now brews for a living too, said Debara. Once the kinks get worked out and the beer fine-tuned, she intends to take her turn at the brew kettle too, but now she simply marvels at her partner's newfound passion for getting up in the morning and staying awake at night.
As Frank put it, "Deb and I have set this venture up so we can enjoy what we are doing and provide a quality product. The rest is just extra topping!"
Molly, a black Lab, greeted me in the driveway when I stopped at the brewery, but the door closed on her nose as I went inside. There, I tried the blonde, IPA and porter and would take a bucket of the dark stuff any day. It has toasty flavor and creamy texture, excellent in both body and balance.
Clearly, the brewers at Alaska's two newest breweries have done their homework when it comes to making good beer. Strangely, neither seems to worry about the other as an obstacle to success.
"We see Kenai River Brewing as another business promoting the brewing industry," said Frank Kassik. "Yes, we are competing for taps, but competition is a good thing. It keeps you on your toes."
Debara Kassik even imagines a map of breweries and wineries on the Kenai Peninsula, while Hogue mentioned the idea of doing a Peninsula brew festival when the dust settles.
"Having another brewery is a bonus as it really does generate more interest in microbrewed beers," he said. "The more, the better."
Ideally, I could say, "The more beer, the more civilized," but I can't. Fermentation and civilization may go hand in hand, but they don't always lead to poetic results. Just check www.beerandpoetry.com to see what I mean.
• Daily News reporter Dawnell Smith can be reached at dsmith@adn.com.
Two new brewers
Get to Kenai River Brewing Co. (241 N. Aspen Drive, Soldotna; (1-907-262-2337) by taking the Kenai Spur Highway and taking a left at Marydale and another left at North Aspen Street. Growlers are $5 to buy, $8.50 to fill; party pigs cost $45 to buy, $36 to fill. Ask for Kenai beers at local pubs and restaurants too. Learn more at www.kenairiverbrewing.com.
Get to Kassik's Kenai Brew Stop (47160 Spruce Haven St., Kenai, (1-907-776-4055) by continuing on the Kenai Spur Highway until South Miller Loop Road, where you take a right and stay on the main road until you get to a little gas station and store. Then take a right at Holt Lamplight Road and look for the signs by the brewery's street, Spruce Haven. Growlers are $3.50 to buy, $9.75 to $11 to fill depending on beer; there's a $35 deposit on the party pig, $40 to fill. If you want a sip of Kassik's beer without driving far, try Cafe Amsterdam (530 E. Benson Blvd, in the Metro Mall), always a good place to find great beer.
