he category of Best Brewery is always a favorite in the Best of Alaska Business survey because there are so many heavy-hitting contenders to choose from. Since its debut in 2016, eight dominant brewers have jockeyed for elite status, consistently striving to stay ahead of each other and the up-and-comers in scrappy niche markets where the top dogs got their start.

This year, breweries competed against distilleries for the first time in the survey. Distilleries debuted separately in 2016, and the following year saw the same winners repeat: Alaska Distillery, Anchorage Distillery, and Port Chilkoot Distillery. The category was suspended until last year, when Anchorage Distillery returned to the ranks along with some newcomers. Under the logic that ethanol is ethanol, the 2026 survey lumped them together.

Voters nominated meaderies and kombucha brewers, too, but beer makers far outpaced their spiritous competition, thanks to prominent branding efforts. As this month’s article “Profit by the Pint” by Vanessa Orr notes, Alaskans consume about 22 gallons of beer per capita, which is below the national average. However, by measuring undiluted alcohol alone, Alaska was among the top ten states at 2.85 gallons of ethanol consumed per person in 2023, according to World Population Review, or more than double the national average. New Hampshire is an outlier, far outranking all other states, if only because its tax-free alcohol attracts New England buyers on cross-border booze runs.

For this edition of Alaska Trends, fill a frosty flagon with a bracing belt of frothy, fermented facts.