Days of the Beer, October 18

The beer for today is Alaskan Brewing Company, Alaskan Amber.

On October 18, 1867, the United States took possession of Alaska from Russia, after purchasing it for $7.2 million.

The Alaska Purchase (or Seward's Folly) was purchased from the Russian Empire at the urging of Secretary of State William Seward. The territory purchased 586,412 square miles. The purchase price worked out to be about 1.9 cents per acre. Russia at the time was in a difficult financial position, and was afraid they would lose the land in a future conflict, and receive no compensation for it.

Russia might have made a mistake...

The Klondike Gold Rush netted about 12.5 million ounces of gold. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there are between 5.7 and 16 billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

As to the beer:

Alaskan Amber is an Alt (or old) style of beer. It is based on a turn of the century recipe from a Juneau brewer. It was voted the Best Beer in the Nation at the 1988 GABV.

Alaskan Amber is made from glacier-fed water and a generous blend of the finest quality European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and premium two-row pale and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500 square-mile Juneau Ice Field and the more than 90 inches of rainfall we receive each year.

At 5.3% ABV, it's a good drinker.

So, for Seward's Folly, have a beer made in Alaska.