Background
Kevin Burton and Matt Tomter, along with dedicated Alaskan investors, started Matanuska Brewing Company in 2017. Kevin Burton was head brewer at Glacier Brewhouse for 20 years.
Originally, Tomter opened Airport Pizza in Nome, which became iconic within the surrounding communities. Tomter a pilot, would fly fresh pizzas to eager customers. Tomter’s establishment in Nome served not only an array of fine ales, and food that stood out in the frontier town.
In the fall of 2011, Tomter’s opened Eagle River Alehouse in Eagle River. After success with Eagle River, in 2014 Tomter opened the Palmer City Alehouse. And then, Anchorage Alehouse was opened in 2017.
2017 also brought Matt Tomter and Kevin Burton together to create Matanuska Brewing Company. They purchased the historic Matanuska Maid Creamery across from Tomter’s Palmer City Alehouse. As a result they set about creating a production brewery. The new brewery produces beer for Glacier Brewhouse and Tomter’s original alehouses. Tomter then decided to rebrand his collection of facilities. They are now all various iterations of Matanuska Brewing Company.
Experience
Just down the street from 49th state is Matanuska Brewing Company. We grabbed a table and ordered a flight. There were a few other people in the tasting room and a guy was playing a pretty good guitar. The vibe of the place was good. Unfortunately, the beers at Matanuska need some work. This was my least favorite beer in Alaska. We look forward to improvement.
There is a Hilton Anchorage right down the street on W 3rd avenue. Also visit our review of 49th State at http://searchfortheholyale.com/49th-state-brewing-anchorage-ak/
