ABOUT GAKONA BREWING COMPANY
Gakona is an Athabascan term for "Rabbit River". As the brewing passion grew, so did the need for an appropriate logo. Lorrie's brother Jack "hopped right to it" and designed our rabbit themed logo. Who doesn't love our furry little friends, especially when they are relaxing and enjoying our favorite brew!
Gakona Brewing Company was born in 2012, and officially established in 2015 after a 3 year learning curve of Federal and State Statutes, Regulations and Requirements.
We are located approximately 2 miles south of the Gakona River on a bluff high above the mighty Copper River. Our tasting room is open , and we do give tours.
Eddie Miner
Eddie grew up in Penacook, NH, just outside of Concord. He graduated from Merrimack Valley Regional High School. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard after high school graduation spending 9 of his 26 years in Alaska. The move to Alaska after retiring in 2003 was a dream come true.
Eddie started brewing in 2006 and got his knowledge "on the job". He decided to go commercial as a brewer when all of his homebrews were consumed by friends before he even got a chance to really enjoy them. Enough people asked if they could pay him to make beer for them that he started the licensing process and is now proudly Gakona's largest AND ONLY commercial brewery.
Eddie is happily married to Lorrie and has 2 daughters (Emily & Rachel) and 3 dogs. When not brewing up a storm, Eddie enjoys flying planes, hunting, fishing, camping and everything Alaska has to offer.
Lorrie Miner
Eddie's wife Lorrie, was born in Boston, grew up in the small island community of Nahant, Mass., later moving to and graduating from Kennebunk, Maine. She received her Bachelor degrees in Elementary and Special Education (Sp.Ed.) from Univ. of Maine, Farmington and Master's Degree in Exceptionality from Univ. Southern Maine. She is currently a Sp.Ed. teacher at Winterberry Charter School, a Waldorf-Inspired Public School in Anchorage.
Having met Eddie in 2001, and newly introduced to an in-home kegerator and the drinking of "barley-pops", Ed's beer enthusiasm quickly spread. Bringing up over a dozen cherished house rabbits in her life, the move to Gakona seemed like an amazingly perfect bond of beer and bunnies!
Eddie and Lorrie live with their beer inspired named Boxers, Barley-Pup and Cody-Keg, and our beloved Boston Terrier/Pug mix, Fuggles McSnuggles. When not teaching or helping Eddie in his "hoppiness", Lorrie enjoys crafts (quilting, knitting, x-stitch etc), baking "scooby" snacks, music, sailing, swimming and anything ocean.