Lat65 – Our first day in Fairbanks we decided to walk to Lat65 to get some fresh air and the lay of the land. Lat65 had lots of seating, a good selection of beer, and BBQ. It looked like the area was either expanding or being remodeled. I ordered the Pilsner sunrise and Justin had the Lager ptarmigan. We both enjoyed the beers, and the smell of the BBQ was so tempting, that we ended up having lunch here. I got just regular mac & cheese and Justin got the mac & cheese with brisket. The mac, the beer, it was both very good. Unfortunately as we were getting ready to leave, it started to downpour and we were not prepared. So we called a Lyft to bring us back to the hotel. But this place was good and we went back here on our last night in Fairbanks. That evening it was so much busier, we were lucky to get seats, and we ordered the same beer and same mac & cheeses.
Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling – We were looking forward to going the the US northernmost brewery. About 20 minutes north of Fairbanks, Silver Gulch left much to be desired. It was a large building with lots of seats. They sit you since it is mostly a restaurant feel. We were sat and ignored for 15 minutes or more. We ordered beer, me the Northern Light and Justin the Pale Ale. When it was brought over she laid ours in front of us saying what they were, and we double checked this one is the light and this the pale ale? Why would we doubt her right? We’ve drank a lot of beer in our years. Taking her word for it, we each drank our beers. It was hard, I couldn’t do it. I drank maybe 1/4 of the pint. Justin rallied and had a full one and ordered a second. She brought over the Pale Ale, and shocking– it was the one she gave me. We weren’t wrong. Justin couldn’t finish that one either. To top it off, we decided to eat here which was a mistake.
HooDoo Brewing – Tucked away a little bit in an industrial section was HooDoo Brewing. They had some seating inside and out. The bartender was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the rice lager and Justin got the Kolsch. They have rotating food trucks and we happened to be there when they had the corndog guy. For $15 (about a $1 savings) we got a pint and a corndog with chips. Justin loves corndogs. I had my first corndog a few years before and didn’t enjoy it, maybe it was the vegan sausage that just doesn’t have the fat and juicy flavor to balance a thick corn exterior. So I was delighted that this food truck had another option that was just cheese filled, so I tried that. Justin stuck to the tradition corn dog, and my oh my were they good! He said it was one of the best corn dogs he has ever had, and that says a lot! My cheese one was nicely melted and was satisfying. The chips seemed homemade. And the owner of the truck couldn’t have been nicer. So between the good experience of the brewery staff and taste of beer coupled with the good corn dogs, this was a good stop.