Every town should have a brewery — at least that’s the mindset of Ben Millstein, manager and owner of Kodiak Island Brewing Co.

“I just consider it part of the essential infrastructure,” he said.

Kodiak’s own small-town brewery opened about five years ago and has seen nearly continual growth. It began with two beers, and currently has seven beers on tap, and often has as many as nine. While certain beers are always available, Millstein said he likes to rotate the beers so he caters not only to those who are loyal to a certain kind, but those who want to try something different.

Millstein said he was a home brewer for years. His interest only grew with time, as he took notes, developed recipes and honed his understanding of the whole process.

Millstein said he had many friends who were “brewing fanatics,” and who opened breweries of their own.

“It looked like a lot of fun,” he said.

Millstein previously built houses in Kodiak. Though the work was good, it was not a passion, he said — not like brewing.

“I thought, might as well look into it,” he said. When he did, he became convinced that it was what he wanted to do.

The brewery reached a milestone recently with its 100th batch of Liquid Sunshine, one of the two original beers and a popular staple among his customers. It is a pale, hoppier and somewhat stronger “California Common” style beer, according to the business’ Web site, www.kodiakbrewery.com. Liquid Sunshine is similar to a pale ale and has 5 percent alcohol content.

Millstein said he hoped to get six entries mailed out Tuesday for the Brewer’s Association World Beer Cup competition.

In 2006, the latest statistics available on the contest’s Web site, more than 2,200 beers were entered in the contest from 540 breweries in 56 countries.

While each of his entries is competitive, Millstein said even if they do not place, the feedback he receives from the judges will be well worth the expense of entering. In the evaluation sheets he receives, Millstein will learn how his products compare to similar products from all over the world.

Millstein said there are about 90 different styles of beer, something many people do not realize. He talks knowingly of the different styles and their attributes.

Standing at the counter in the front of his brewery, Millstein said when people come in and he asks them what they want, many will say they want “something light.” What Millstein has to figure out is what they mean by the term. Beer can be light in color, but hoppy and bitter tasting; dark in color but have a lighter, smoother flavor; or light in percentage of alcohol content.

“Part of what I do is help people learn more about different types of beer,” Millstein said.

Millstein said since the brewery opened, he has discerned a difference in the community’s palate.

“A lot of people are much more willing to experiment,” he said.

Customers can sample the beers on tap and may purchase up to two pints to drink in the brewery.

About half his sales are made directly to customers who come to the brewery. The other half is sold to local bars.

In addition to the several local businesses that keep his fresh, locally made beer on tap, Millstein sometimes ships to restaurants in Anchorage. However, he does not bottle and does not sell to locations farther afield, because it is a fresh beer, and has live yeast in it. For that reason, he does not bottle his product and sell it in traditional packaging. If a person were to purchase a six pack of the product then not open it for several weeks, they would find the beer altered.

Millstein said fresh beer might be an acquired taste for some, who are accustomed to the six packs they can pick up so easily. But he said the canned product and his fresh beer are as different as loaves of bread available for purchase at a grocery and a loaf freshly made in a bakery.

It takes about two weeks for a batch of normal-strength ale to be ready to serve.

A batch is brewed for about six hours, and then ferments for about a week. After fermenting, the product spends another week conditioning.

Millstein said, on average, he brews about one batch a week.

He uses all reusable containers in his sales, so his business is also environmentally friendly. His product is also mostly organic.

Millstein said those who are concerned about their carbon footprint often buy from him because the cost to ship beer is so high, when considering energy costs, packaging and other factors.

Millstein said there are many who patronize his establishment because they want to support local businesses.

In addition to his brewed products, Millstein has built his business around the T-shirts and other products he sells bearing the company logo.

He said he has no desire to move toward bottling his product or opening a restaurant, as some have suggested. He is happy to focus his efforts on his current product.

Mirror writer Misty Maynard can be reached via e-mail at mmaynard@kodiakdailymirror.com.