In Anchorage's compact center, a downtown pub crawl is easy to manage. Mine began at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse (610 West Sixth Avenue; 907-276-BREW), which deserves a lot of the credit for introducing Alaskans to microbrewed beer. It boasts the Pacific Northwest's largest selection of drafts; the menu, which changes daily, features more than 40. Humpy's can be chaotic, and its decor is a little threadbare...but you'll find it as comfortable as an old pair of jeans one you get settled in.

It's a short walk from Humpy's to Sleeping Lady Brewery (717 West Third Avenue; 907-277-7727). As you enter, the first thing you'll see is the glass-enclosed brewery. Walk up the stairs--there's a restaurant on the first floor--and you're inside the pub. A rustic, North Woods atmosphere pervades the pub; there are also some British touches, like dartboards and bar towels. The main attraction--next to the beer, of course (try the Braveheart Scottish Ale)--is the big rooftop patio. It offers a commanding view of Cook Inlet and Mount Susitna, also known as "Sleeping Lady," and it's the place to watch lingering summer sunsets.

Downtown's other brewpub is the Glacier Brewhouse (737 West Fifth Avenue; 907-274-BREW). It's been voted the city's best by readers of both major newspapers. Casual elegance is the watchword; you might think you've stumbled into a hunting lodge catering to millionaires. And once the aromas from the wood-burning fireplace hit you, you'll understand why the food is as big a draw as the beer. That's saying a lot: Glacier brews a wide, adventurous range of beers. They include Hawaiian-Weizen, a wheat beer with a hint of pineapple; a rye bock; and several different styles aged in casks of Jim Beam.

Two stops on the Anchorage beer circuit are in the midtown area. Cusack's Brewpub and Roaster (598 West Northern Lights Boulevard; 907-278-2739), the city's oldest brewpub, is tucked away on the first floor of the Northern Lights Hotel. It has that familiar sports-bar look...not surprising, since Mike Cusack owns the local minor-league hockey team. But the beer is anything but minor league: the menu features a nitrogen-conditioned oatmeal stout, a seven-grain ale, and a red ale said to be patterned after those of Edinburgh.

Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria (3300 Old Seward Hwy; 907-258-ALES) is best described as a neighborhood pizza palace...except that the neighborhood seems to include all of Greater Anchorage. It has the biggest selection of pizzas I've seen--more than 40, not including specials. And if you're here for the beer, there's little chance you'll come away disappointed. The 16 selections run the gamut from English-style session ales to a robust barleywine. Like the brewpubs downtown, Moose's Tooth offers a cask-conditioned ale.

According to a local cliche, Anchorage is only a half-hour's drive from Alaska. So on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, I took a short trip up the Glenn Highway to see it...along with a couple North Slope brewpubs. Wasilla, an important stop on the Iditarod dogsled race, is the home of the Great Bear Brewing Company (238 North Boundary Street; 907-373-4PUB). Less than two years old, this friendly little place has established itself as a gathering spot for local families. Organic ales are the specialty of the house; the flagship beer, Great Bear Gold, is made entirely from certified organic ingredients. The beer list also features two unusual styles: a smoked beer; and a pumpkin ale, spices and all.

The next stop was Regal Eagle Brewing Company (11501 Old Glenn Highway, Eagle River; 907-696-1402), which is located inside a Disneyesque little Klondike village. Alaska's first pub-brewed pint was served here in June 1995. The pub and its brewing equipment share the facilities with the North Slope Restaurant, whose chef, interestingly, went on to become Regal Eagle's brewmaster. The pub's decor is best described as "the Last Frontier meets the Great Outdoors"; they're comfy surroundings for savoring a pint. The beer selection, by the way, includes a lager, a Scotch ale, an India pale ale, and a porter.

I also paid a call on the Borealis Brewery (349 East Ship Creek Avenue; 907-278-5480), looking for Ice Wine 2000, a doppel Maibock that I'd sampled--and fallen in love with--at the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival. In Anchorage, it's routine to stop in at your favorite brewery or pub and get your half-gallon growler refilled. Since air travel and growlers don't mix, I'd left mine at home. No worries, though; the brewmaster had some on tap, and poured me a fresh bottle. That night, I savored it while assembling my notes from the trip. They included this entry: "Borealis Ice Wine 2000: One of the 10 best beers I've ever tasted."

This article originally appeared on Suite101.com in February 2001.