This well-known beer festival first appeared in 1992, making it Alaska’s oldest craft beer festival! The ‘Great Alaska Craftbeer and Home Brew Festival’ takes place at the Southeast Alaska State Fair each Memorial Day weekend and is a rite of spring in Haines. It is also a non-profit event that gives back to the Alaskan community. The mesmerizing mountains of the Chilkat Range hover over the event, making it great for an outdoor experience.

The annual “Haines Beerfest,” as locals know it, showcases beers from all over Alaska and Yukon, and it welcomes people from all over the world, especially North America. This event ticket sale is limited to -approximately- 200, so make sure you get your tickets a week before the event. Here you’ll find the best brews from over 25 regional breweries, distributors, and cideries.

This event kicks off with a gourmet dinner and -of course- beer tastings. The next day, the crowd moves to the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds, where craft beer and homebrew samples take place. Before the brew testing, the judges will go through the whole brew only to choose the Best in Show for the year. This is one of the hottest contested Home Brew Competitions in the entire region.

Besides the craft beer sampling, there will be live music to ease the evening and local merchants, games, activities, and food vendors. There’s also a 5k and 10k run, and you can either stay in local hotels, private cabins, or camp. This event has loved ones meeting back up in Haines and spending a fun weekend together while sipping beers and mingling with new people.