Alaska Breweries History: Alaska Brewing Company Soon after gold was discovered in 1881, breweries in the new town of Juneau began opening. By 1903 at least four breweries including the Douglas City Brewing Company had begun operation in the twin cities of Juneau and Douglas. In 1986, the Alaskan Brewing Company became the 67th operating brewery in the United States and the only one in Alaska. Alaska Brewing started brewing a beer (Alaskan Amber Beer)which had been very popular in the early 1900's when it was brewed by the Douglas City Brewing Company. Alaska used the same historic recipe that Douglas City Brewing had used. The addition of a new, 100 barrel brewhouse in 1995, and a Sankey-type keg system installed the following year, finally made it possible for Alaska brewing to serve the entire Pacific Northwest. Brewing beer in the coastal community of Juneau Alaska isn't easy because of the lack of road connections to the lower 48 states. Everything arrives and leaves by water or air, and bad weather is always posible.