Alaskan Brewing Now Available In Cans

Alaskan Brewing Company has announced its Alaskan Amber and Freeride APA will be available in cans this month wherever Alaskan products are distributed. Icy Bay IPA cans will be exclusive to Alaska, with planned expansion depending on the canned IPA's popularity. Since Alaska is so isolated from the contiguous United States, shipping costs are always a major issue for the Juneau brewery. This problem can be mitigated through the use of lower-cost and lower-weight cans.

Here is the release from Alaskan:

JUNEAU, Alaska – Alaskan Brewing Company began shipping cans to all 17 states of distribution this month, and added another product to their existing can selection in Alaska. The introduction of cans to the rest of the Alaskan product lineup could prove an important step in the growth of Alaskan's footprint.

"We brew and package our beer in Juneau.  Because we have no roads that connect us to the rest of the world, and because of the remote location of Alaska the shipping costs are always one of our primary concerns," said Curtis Holmes, Plant Manager at Alaskan Brewing Co. "With cans being so much lighter in weight, we can see the potential of that allowing us to broaden our territories in the future."

Holmes said cans are also a key part of allowing fans of the brewery to "Live Life Alaskan" by enjoying the great outdoors without lugging around the extra weight or having the risk of breakage that bottles bring. "Cans are just so convenient when you want to throw some beer in a cooler to relax with at the end of an adventure  – it has been great to enjoy our beer in cans here in Alaska and now we are excited to have the rest of our customers enjoy the same benefits."

Alaskan Brewing installed a new state-of-the-art canning line in April 2014 that emphasized the importance of the quality of the beer.  They first began packaging Alaskan Amber and Freeride APA for sale in Alaska only. After a very successful in-state run, Alaskan is now offering those two varieties to the rest of their markets. In addition, Alaskan began canning Icy Bay IPA this month, with immediate sale of that variety available in Alaska only.

"We have a very dedicated fan base here in Alaska, so it is an ideal training ground for new varieties and packages of beer," said Holmes. "We think Icy Bay IPA in a can is going to be a big hit – and if that proves true in Alaska, then the rest of our territories can expect to see it soon."

Alaskan can fanatics participated in a photo contest last year that was so popular the brewery is running it again this year. Below are some images of last year's winners and information on this year's contest - now open to all states where Alaskan is available.. 

In addition to Alaska, Alaskan Amber and Freeride APA in 12 ounce cans will be on the shelves soon in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.