Whether with guitar pick, hammer, paint brush, or blade, Gabe Fletcher’s hands are always at work. Born in Vermont and raised in Alaska, Gabe is at home in nature, hunting, fishing, and breaking down wild game the old-fashioned way. A lifelong appreciation for edged tools comes with the territory.
At 21 years old Gabe took a job at a local brewery, and although he couldn’t have known it at the time, this was the beginning of a journey which would eventually lead him to us. Gabe had a knack for brewing, and just 18 short months after his hiring he was named head brewer. For 13 years Gabe ran that brewery, learning the craft and honing his skills. It was then time to forge his own path, and he founded Anchorage Brewing Company in 2010. This endeavor has grown to support a full-time team of 14 and a portfolio that includes internationally recognized and award-winning craft beers that are shipped around the world.
Always an admirer of true craftsmanship in its many forms, it was when Gabe’s sister Heather introduced him to knifemaker Neil Kamimura that Gabe’s admiration became focused on a particular type of object. The spark was lit, and a year after acquiring his first knife from Neil, Gabe flew to Hawaii to experience the art form in person. There was no turning back. As soon as Gabe landed home in Anchorage he RSVP’d to a local blacksmith’s meeting where he met maker Spenser Sandison who would assist Gabe in forging his first knife, one he gifted to his wife for Christmas of 2021. Admiration and fascination quickly escalated to obsession, in Gabe’s own words, and he immersed himself in every bit of content, piece of literature, and instruction he could get his hands on. In March of 2022 Anchorage Forge was officially born.
Over the following years, with an intensity and fervor not often seen, Gabe traveled not only back to Hawaii on more than one occasion, he also spent time in Washington State with Mareko Maumasi and Salem Straub, learning from some of the best culinary bladesmiths in the world. Mareko, who Gabe considers his true mentor, taught an intensive, week-long damascus theory class, helping take Gabe’s budding talents to yet new heights. Mareko has also visited Gabe in Alaska more than once, the two diving deep into the nuances of knife and damascus making, becoming close friends along the way.
With his forge located right inside his brewery, Gabe Fletcher is rarely more than a few steps from a hammer and anvil. Gabe cherishes the parallels between the craft beer community which has so embraced him, and a knife-making community that has been so welcoming. And, if the extraordinary and corresponding quality of the fruits of each of his passions is any indication, the creative process each demands has a few things in common as well. In the brewery Gabe has now created five distinct beers inspired by knifemakers he admires as yet another way to bridge his two loves. At the forge, large, bold profiles, integral, hand-forged construction, and stunning, homemade damascus patterns with finely calibrated geometry are all hallmarks of Gabe’s one-of-a-kind chef’s knives.
