Three Northmen tasting room opens in Haines, Alaska, serving cider, mead and hard sodas

From khns.org

Haines in Alaska  has a brand new tasting room that opened its doors earlier this month, though its spirits have been fermenting for more than a year in preparation. The Three Northmen serves hard cider, mead and hard sodas, each made by one of the three owners. KHNS’ Corinne Smith dropped by to check it out.

On a recent warm Saturday evening in Haines, the doors are open at the new Three Northmen tasting room, located off Main St just a block from the harbor. Chad Clark is at the bar, and runs through the menu of ciders, meads, and hard sodas.

“Our meads and ciders, they serve like a wine,” Clark said. “They average 13 to 16 percent alcohol.”

Mead is fermented honey, sometimes with spices or hops. Some of the flavors include cranberry, vanilla, spruce tip, maple, and smoked maple.

Chad Clark is co-owner with Jeremy Groves and Chris Thorgeson, and each partner has taken on making one spirit. Clark makes the hard sodas like mojito and ginger beer, but he’s happy to recommend other drinks, like the Woodsmen Mead which is birch, spruce, maple and aged in an oak barrel 

“It’s pretty dang popular. Heath and Henry over there, that’s a favorite for them, so shout out to the Woodsmen!”

The beams in the Three Northmen were repurposed from the old ferry dock, and there are crushed peanut shells on the floor (Corinne Smith/KHNS)

Patrons gather around tall wooden tables as their boots crunch on peanut shells that cover the floor. Racks of antlers and fishing gear adorn the walls, giving the Three Northmen’s tasting room the feel of an early 1900s Norwegian fishing tavern.

Erica Loomis is sampling a mixed flight with cider and hard soda. “Its really good, so far I’ve only tried the ginger beer.”

Earlier in the day, I stopped by and Clark shared some background about the business. He says  getting the license took a year and a half, and when they finally got the green light from the Haines Borough last December, they got to fermenting.

The ingredients are bought in bulk from sources in Alaska and the Lower 48, and Clark says they’re most focused on quality.  

“As I specialize in hard sodas, a lot of mine comes from concentrate. So we have a source for fruit concentrates. So for example the strawberry daiquiri, that is pureed strawberry,” Clark said. “The same goes for hard lemonades and margaritas, sourcing the ingredients, and keeping them fresh, and keeping them quality, so we’ve got a great product and people keep coming back.”

With the Canadian border closed and less cruise ship traffic this summer, the owners weren’t sure what to expect when they opened their doors. But Clark says they have confidence in their products, and that the community will rally behind the new local watering hole.

 “If you want to look on the bright side, glass half full, you could say you know what, you get your feet under you, you’ve got town supporting you, you can get your groove, get your process, get it stream lined.”

Clark says they hope to start selling their products in restaurants and liquor stores, but for now, the Three Northmen’s tasting room is the only place to try the Woodsmen Mead.

https://khns.org/three-northmen-tasting-room-opens-in-haines-serving-cider-mead-and-hard-sodas