The Banks Alehouse

Alright, this will be my last post about Fairbanks, I promise!  When we visited up there in October, The Banks Alehouse was a fun spot we found for lunch right after we landed. It's worth a share here because the food was good and the beer selection was pretty extensive - with Alaska breweries dominating the selection. 

That right there makes it worth a share in my book.  Gotta love a place where you can get beers from places like Kenai River Brewing, Denali Brewing Company, & 49th State.  Plus, there was this type of art on the walls - which I'm 100% in love with:

I mean the expressions, the booties?  Those are some elated pooches.  It's fantastic.  Now I'm not saying I would hang it in my home, but it's so perfect for an Alaskan Pub.

We had a respectable craft beer menu to choose from with one of my favorite pub visuals:  a nice long line of taps to choose from - I ended up trying two beers that were new to me, both from breweries in Anchorage.

Isn't that endless line of taps a beautiful site?      Top right:  Peach Wheat      Bottom Right:  Cosik Amber Ale

I started with a Peach Wheat from a brewery called Sleeping Lady Brewing, and then moved on to Cosik Amber Ale from Midnight Sun Brewing Company.  Both were tasty, but I was feeling the Peach Wheat a little more than the Amber.  I think my take on Alaskan beer is pretty much summed up on a t-shirt I bought from Silver Gulch Brewing Company, another brewery we checked out while we visited Fairbanks.  The tag line is:  Alaska - Where the people are unusual and the beer is unusually good.  Can't argue with that.

As for the meal, I had to go with the elk burger.  I'm sure there are folks who wouldn't agree, but I think a burger is a burger is a burger.  Beef, buffalo, elk, moose - it all tastes basically the same to me.  Throw it between a good bun with some cheese and condiments and I'd be hard pressed to tell a real difference between any of them!

This elk burger was southwestern-style, with green chili peppers, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried tortilla strings & a chipotle aioli.  It was a spicy bit of heaven tucked between two pieces of bread.  Behold, the deliciousness...

Elk Burger love

Interior & exterior of The Banks Alehouse

I think I'm done with posting about Fairbanks now!  I got a good 3 or 4 posts about our trip there, so I guess I can call the "Fairbanks series" done.  Unless we go again, of course.  But, I don't see that happening.  Too many other parts of Alaska to see while we're here.  Fairbanks was fun, but it wasn't so compelling that I'd make it a priority to go back.

So, on the off chance you find yourself up in Fairbanks looking for a good variety of Alaskan brewed beer and a bite, check out The Banks Alehouse.  If only for the sled dog art! 

Ta-ta for now.