Stop On By the Alaskan Brewing Co.

Imagine this: Walking into a large room decorated with international vintage beer bottles that outline its circumference, you notice a small bar tucked away in the corner. Behind it, a super friendly guy with a massive smile invites you to try one - or all - of the brews he currently has available on tap. As you eagerly drink up and await to be handed the check, he states that it's "on the house", and offers you another glass. Does this sound too good to be true? Probably! But because you're visiting the Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau and are sampling its various products, it isn't.Alaska has been a beer haven since the 1700’s, but this particular brewery was established in 1986 by two 28-year olds, Marcy and Geoff Larson. Their decision to become entrepreneurs was made rather spontaneously; as they were visiting the beautiful state and trying to figure out a way to permanently relocated there - which means finding reliable work -  a friend of theirs had an ingenious idea, "Why not start a brewery?" And so they did. The Alaskan Brewing Co. officially opened in December with only 10 volunteers on board to help the Larson’s run the business.Their first beer, known as Alaskan Amber, is not without it's own unique history. As the Larson's were researching local brewing traditions, Marcy came upon a recipe belonging to the long gone Douglas City Brewing Co., which operated between 1899 and 1907. Intrigued, Geoff decided to try it out and was subsequently pleased by his results. Long story short, the antique brew currently enjoys widespread popularity in the region and is a staple of the company.It has since evolved to become the most award-winning craft brewery in The Great American Beer Festival’s history with it's products currently distributed in at least 12 western states. But when you visit, don't worry about abusing your sampling privileges, once you start trying the beer, you can't help but purchase a whole lot of it to take home with you.Not too bad for two 28-year olds who dreamt big in Alaska. Image Source: facebook.com/AlaskanBrewingCo/photos_stream