The Art of Alaskan Birch Syrup
Since 1990, Kahiltna Birchworks has been crafting Alaska birch syrup from wild-harvested birch sap in the boreal forest. Each spring, we tap thousands of birch trees during a brief harvest season and carefully concentrate the sap in small batches.
Birch syrup is not maple syrup. It is darker, more complex and intensely flavorful, with notes that can range from caramel and dried fruit to coffee, molasses, balsamic and umami depending on when during the season the sap was harvested.
It can take more than 135 gallons of birch sap to make a single gallon of syrup. That extraordinary concentration — combined with the changing chemistry of the sap throughout the spring — is what gives birch syrup its depth, scarcity and distinctive character.
Our Syrup Collection
Each run captures a different moment in Alaska’s spring harvest, creating four distinct expressions of the same wild birch sap.
Reserve
Harvested during the first days of the season, Reserve is our lightest and most delicate birch syrup. Floral, gently sweet and almost honey like. Reserve is exceptionally limited.
Tasting Notes: Light-bodied, gently sweet, with floral undertones and a clean finish.
Pairings: Soft cheeses, panna cotta, French toast, cocktails.
Early Run
Made during the first part of the harvest, Early Run develops a warm amber character with greater depth while retaining some of the season’s early sweetness.
Tasting Notes: Light and vibrant, caramelized sugar, citrus peel, and soft molasses.
Pairings: Yogurt, oatmeal, breakfast dishes, desserts, aged cheese, and cocktails.
Mid Run
As the harvest progresses, the sap becomes more complex. Mid Run is full-bodied and versatile, balancing sweetness with the deeper savory character birch syrup is known for.
Tasting Notes: Toffee, dried fruit, fig, molasses, cherry.
Pairings: Baking, grilling, roasted vegetables, BBQ sauces, salad dressings.
Late Run
Harvested near the end of the season, Late Run is our darkest, boldest and most savory expression of birch syrup.
Tasting Notes: Coffee, toasted bark, dark caramel, pronounced umami.
Pairings: Marinades, braises, roasted meats, root vegetables, dark chocolate.
A Legacy You Can Taste
Founded on an Alaska homestead in 1990, Kahiltna Birchworks helped pioneer the modern craft of Alaska birch syrup. Today, as part of Hammers Family Birch, we’re proud to carry forward the work of founders Michael and Dulce East while continuing to refine the way we harvest, concentrate and craft birch syrup.
More than three decades later, every bottle still begins with the same thing: a few short weeks of spring, thousands of birch trees, and a remarkable amount of sap. All produced in America's Last Frontier.