A tasty beverage: Icy Bay IPA

Alaskan Brewing Company has begun exporting its brews to Michigan, making the Wolverine State the first place the company distributes to in the Eastern time zone. (They say it's kind of a milestone for them.) While we usually prefer Michigan-made products, the hoppy flavors and fun-loving names inspired by the frozen northland have a certain appeal. We enjoyed their HOP-o-thermia brew, as well as their Icy Bay IPA, made with a blend of five kinds of hops and specialty malts, and glacier-fed water that originates in the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Ice Field — and from more than 90 inches of rainfall each year. If you're looking for a beer that will perk you up when the mercury drops, you could do worse than get a sixer from the land of the tundra. — mt