(Courtesy Alaskan Brewing)

When Geoff and Marcy Larson founded Alaskan Brewing in Juneau in 1986, they were taking on a challenge that had little to do with simply making good beer. They were trying to build a brewery in one of the most remote corners of the United States, a place where getting ingredients, equipment and finished beer in and out could be an adventure of its own.

Four decades later, that gamble has turned Alaskan Brewing into one of the most recognizable craft breweries in the country and a defining part of Alaska’s beer culture.

The brewery’s story began in Juneau, a city accessible primarily by air or water and surrounded by mountains, glaciers and wilderness. The Larsons wanted to create beers that reflected that environment, while building a company that would remain connected to the people and place that made it possible. That vision became Alaskan Amber, the brewery’s flagship beer and one of the best-known examples of the alt-style ale in American craft brewing today.

For Alaskan Brewing, its surroundings have always been more than just spectacular scenery. The brewery has committed to incorporating local ingredients and Alaska-inspired ideas into its beers, investing in ground-breaking brewing technology and exploring ways to make its operation work in a truly challenging environment. And in doing so has grown a loyal following well beyond Juneau.

And now the brewery is celebrating 40 years of all that with something that is both appropriately excessive and surprisingly simple: a 40-pack of beer.

The Alaskan 40 pack contains four cans each of 10 different Alaskan beers, making it one of the largest variety packs ever assembled by a craft brewery. It is essentially four decades of Alaskan Brewing history packed into one case, with some newer favorites joining beers that have helped define the brewery over the years.

Inside are Alaskan Amber, Husky IPA, Kölsch, Icy Bay IPA, White Ale, Class 5 Pale Ale, Juneau Juice IPA, Excursion West Coast IPA, Ascender Pale Ale and Wildness.

That gives drinkers a pretty broad tour of what Alaskan Brewing has become, from its historic Amber to contemporary IPAs and lighter beers designed for easy drinking after a day outside.

For Larson, however, the point of the 40-pack isn’t simply to showcase the brewery’s lineup. It is about bringing back something that can get lost in an increasingly complicated beer world: sitting down with friends and having a beer.

“What I love about our 40 pack and what I’d love to see come back is that notion of ‘let’s go have a beer,’” Larson says. “Let’s sit down and talk and have a beer. Invite friends over, open up the 40-pack, celebrate, and enjoy.”

That idea feels particularly appropriate for a brewery whose history has always been tied to community. Alaskan Brewing remains employee-owned, and the company has continued to emphasize its Alaska roots even as its beers have found their way far beyond Juneau.

The 40-pack also offers a snapshot of how much the American craft beer landscape has changed since 1986. When Alaskan Brewing opened, the modern craft beer movement was still in its early stages. There were only a few hundred breweries operating in the United States, compared with thousands today. Alaskan was part of that first generation of breweries that helped convince American drinkers that beer could be regional, distinctive and worth exploring.

Forty years later, the brewery is still at it, and that alone is worth celebrating.

The Alaskan 40 pack is now available at select retailers across Alaska as well as throughout the brewery’s 24-state footprint. And putting 40 beers from its past and present into one package does seem a fitting way to mark 40 years of serious brewing.

But the best part of Alaskan’s anniversary isn’t the size of this release. It’s a wonderfully conceived drinkable history from a true craft beer pioneer that you can actually raise a glass to.

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