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Dr Fermento's Foamy Rant

Beer News From Alaska
September 25, 2009

Fairbanks beer lovers might notice something interesting happening at the Gold Hill Liquor Store in Ester. The Gold Hill Liquor Store has long been respected as the depot for the best of the best in beer up north. My history of the store goes back years and years to my formative days in craft beer drinking in the state. I went to Fairbanks for a variety of reasons and friends in my drinking circle alerted me to this little gem along the way.

Regardless, today, the store’s reputation is stellar in the state and this all started when proprietor Susan Osborne took the reins and cleaned the place up, organized the offerings and started featuring beer rather than just having it.

Susan bought a caboose. Yup. That’s right. A real, no kidding Alaska Railroad caboose. And, she’s going to plant it right next to the liquor store, refurbish it and turn it into a coffee shop. I’m jealous.I’ve always wanted my own caboose. I own private property in Hope that I’m developing into my retirement dream. Sure, I’ll have a real, no kidding house some day, but I thought a caboose would be better than some travel trailer or 5thwheel trailer on the lot to stay in while I constructed my dream home over time. I’ve seen other venues that have used rail cars in one fashion or another for some sort of dwelling and I guess I just want one too.

I digress Susan was the successful bidder at a recent auction where re-tired cabooses were being auctioned off. She met the minimum bid and went beyond it and suddenly she owned a caboose of dubious origin and of more than dubious repair, but just the same, she owned one. The next problem was getting it to Ester, which is 13 miles out of Fairbanks to the south. The Alaska Rail-road helped get it so far, but at this point, she’s going to have tofigure out how to get it to the store.

It’s not something you cantoss on the back of someone’s ’62 Chevy pickup truck with alittle beer bait and move it across from the tracks to the store.So, sometime in the near future duck in for a cup of mud beforeshopping for your favorite high-end beer in Ester.