Hops vs. Malts in the National IPA Championships

Brewing News is holding their 3rd Annual National IPA Challenge.

As with last year, participating IPAs from across the nation have been randomly chosen for a 1:1 single elimination bracket tournament. Winners of the first round will advance to the next. The events will be held at beer festivals across the nation, beginning February 14, 2010 and the judges will all be brewers!

Round 1 is on Valentine’s Day in Syracuse, NY.

Our opponent in this first round is the Marin IPA from Marin Brewing Co located in Larkspur, CA. This should be an interesting match-up as our Boundary Bay Brewery IPA is all about the hops and Marin describes their IPA as having “more malt than most.”

Team: Boundary Bay Brewery
Player Stats: A honey-amber colored India Pale Ale with good body, fairly strong alcohol content and an aggressive “fresh hop” quality. A very refreshing beer, IPA can be enjoyed by itself for its many interesting flavor highlights. It also goes well with lighter foods like chicken, pasta, seafood or spicy foods.
ABV: 7.4%
IBUs: 67.5
Original Gravity: 1.074
Hops: Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade, Crystal

vs.

Team: Marin Brewing Co.
Player Stats: Dank West Coast IPA with more malt than most.
ABV: 6.8%
IBUs: 70
Original Gravity: 1.068
Hops: Cascade, Columbus, Centennial

Wish you could play along?  Well, you can!  As with last year, IPA lovers will be able to choose their winners for each round on-line.  Log on to the website to see images of each beer and read their brief descriptions.  Then pick your poison…fill out the brackets with who you think will come out on top!  Prizes will be awarded for readers with correct NIPAC brackets.

The top prize will be a free case of the 2010 NIPAC championship IPA!! And if that’s not enough of a reason to play, then maybe you just don’t love craft beer like we do!

Results of each round will be posted on-line within twenty-four hours of each round. Final results and winners will be published on-line and in the April/May 2010 issue of Brewing News.

 

Bellingham Beer Cook-Off

Backcountry Essentials is an outdoor specialty shop right here in Bellingham. They cater to the outdoor community, specifically: climbers, backcountry skiers, hikers, campers, kayakers, and people who enjoy the culture of the Northwest and Bellingham.  They also carry beer (including some Boundary Bay brews!).

Yes, it’s true…they rock!  And now, they’ve gotten even cooler!

On February 28th at 5pm, they will be holding the Backcountry Essentials Beer Recipe Cook-off.  This is your chance to show off your culinary skills by creating and showcasing a recipe that includes beer as one of the ingredients. All entries will be tasted and judged accordingly and prizes will be awarded to the winners!  There are three categories that you can enter under: entree, side dish/appetizer, and dessert.  A winner will be chosen from each category.

If you want to participate you just need to RSVP to Backcountry Essentials and let them know what category you’ll be entering.  You can call the store, just stop by…or email them at chris@backcountryessentials.net or arielle@backcountryessentials.net.

Backcountry Essentials
214 West Holly Street Bellingham, WA
5:00 PM

(360) 543-5678

www.backcountryessentials.net

 

Beers With Your Olympics?

Are you excited about the Olympics but dread the border crossing?  Are you longing for real beer, eh?  Why not just stop here in Bellingham rather than heading all the way up to Vancouver?

Come watch the Olympics here at Boundary Bay Brewery and enjoy a pint (or a few!) of craft beer while your cheer on your favorite athletes! We’ll be projecting NBC’s coverage of the games on a movie screen in our tap room (21+ only)!

Sunday, Feb 14th
1:00p – 6:00p
The U.S. jumps and races for its first-ever Olympic medal in Nordic Combined (live ET/CT). Also, Speed Skating, Luge and Biathlon.

Monday, Feb 15th
1:00p – 2:30p Women’s Cross Country
Daytime coverage begins on the slopes of Whistler with women’s Cross Country (10km).

2:30p – 4:00p Men’s Snowboarding
Snowboard cross is so fast it’s been compared to NASCAR on snow. Defending gold medalist Seth Wescott is among the favorites, as is Nate Holland, a 31 year old who has won every big action sports competition but Olympic gold.

Tues, Feb 16th
3:00p – 5:00p Daytime
The U.S. looks for its first ever Olympic biathlon medals in the men’s 12.5k and the women’s 10k. (live ET/CT).

Wed, Feb 17th
3:30p – 5:00p Cross Country Finals
With a medal on the line in the women’s sprint, Kikkan Randall — the most successful female cross country skier in U.S. history — aims to build on her second-place World Championships finish.

Thurs, Feb 18th
3:30p – 5:00p Women’s Snowboarding
Women’s Halfpipe qualifying features a trio of talented Americans. Watch live as Torino gold medalist Hannah Teter tries to defend her title against Salt Lake City gold medalist Kelly Clark and 2006 silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler.

Sun, Feb 21st
12:00p – 1:30p Freestyle Skiing
Ski Cross officially debuts as an Olympic sport live (ET/CT) as coverage begins from Whistler.

1:30p – 3:00p Men’s Biathlon
The popular men’s mass start Biathlon event kicks off live. Watch for American Tim Burke, who comes to Vancouver with a chance to win Team USA’s first ever Biathlon medal.

7:00p – 11:00p Primetime
Ice dancing continues live (ET/CT) with original dance as Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto continue their gold medal quest. Also, men’s giant slalom.

Mon, Feb 22nd
3:00p – 5:00p Daytime
Live (ET/CT) from Whistler: semifinal and final round men’s and women’s Cross Country (team sprints).

Tue Feb 23rd
3:00p – 5:00p Daytime
Torino silver medalist Chad Hedrick looks to return to the podium in 10,000m Speed Skating (live ET/CT). Also, women’s Biathlon (4×6k relay).

Wed Feb 24th
8:00p – 11:30p Primetime
Short Track star Apolo Ohno returns to the ice for the 500m live (ET/CT). Also, Bobsled and Lindsey Vonn in the giant slalom.

Thurs, Feb 25th
3:00p – 5:00p Daytime
Watch as the women take their turn racing through the picturesque forests around Whistler as one of the Cross Country’s classic events (the 4×5k relay) unfolds live. Plus, NBC provides an exclusive look at primetime’s main event: the ladies free skate.

Sun Feb 27th
7:00p – 10:30p Primetime
The 21st Winter Olympic Games conclude with the live (ET/CT) Closing Ceremony from Vancouver.

 

Bellingham Beer History Hits the Rails

If you’ve ever known anything about model trains, chances are quite high that you’ve heard of Atlas.   Over the years Atlas has sought ways to express their appreciation to customers for their loyalty and support. In 2006, they began the Atlas O ‘Golden Spike Club’ (GSC) for ‘O’ scalers as a way to say thank you.

The overwhelming success of that endeavor encouraged Atlas Model Railroad Company to expand the Golden Spike Club to include N and HO scalers as well as their Industrial Rail line. To encourage broad participation, they offer two different membership levels, (Primary and Deluxe) in every scale.

Primary members receive: a membership card and appropriate club pin, special ‘members only’ club offers throughout the year, mailed Atlas Product and Track Catalogs, and the Golden Spike Club newsletters filled with articles and information from Atlas staff to help you enjoy your GSC experience to the fullest.  Deluxe members, however,  receive all of the above, plus an exclusive annual club car in the member’s selected scale. The annual club cars are solely for Atlas Golden Spike Club members and aren’t offered through stores or to the general public.

This year, the O scale deluxe members will receive a railroad car emblazoned with the logo of Bellingham Bay Brewery, Bellingham’s first craft brewery!

As you can imagine, once we got wind of this at Boundary Bay Brewery, we contacted Atlas to see if we could sweet talk them into getting one of these limited edition cars to display here in our brewery.  How could we not?!?  Our brewery is on RAILROAD Ave., we serve up our 3-B beer in honor of the original Bellingham Bay Brewery and this car is an awesome piece of Bellingham’s craft beer history!  Lucky for us, Atlas is a great company and they very happily agreed to give us as many as we needed for our display! Atlas will be shipping the cars in July or August so look for the rail car here in our Tap Room towards the end of summer.  And come have a pint of 3-B to celebrate our brewing history in this great town!

Thanks Atlas…for preserving an important part of Bellingham history and craft beer history!  And for being just so darn cool!

 

February Soups at Boundary Bay Brewery

 

Have A Heart 4 Haiti

In the face of tragedy like what we’re all seeing in Haiti, it is often difficult to know how to help.  It is easy to become overwhelmed and believe that you, alone, can’t make a difference.  But here at Boundary Bay Brewery, we believe that we should all do what we can and that every small bit helps.  There are relief efforts sprouting up across the globe and communities are coming together to help in all kinds of creative, heartwarming ways.  Boundary Bay Brewery is eager to do what we can, too.

Beginning on Valentine’s Day, Boundary Bay Brewery is holding a week-long event we’re calling: “Have a Heart 4 Haiti”.  All week long we’ll be offering up special opportunities for you to donate money to the American Red Cross. And, at the end of the week, Boundary Bay Brewery will be matching the total amount of funds raised through the week.

Here’s how it works: our servers will be donating a portion of their tips from Valentine’s Day, we’ll have dessert specials throughout the week with 100% of the proceeds from sales being donated, and the Late Show fundraiser with PanPan and Talkdemonic on Friday, February 19th (all $ from covers donated).

Best of all, is the Buck a Beer Happy Hour Donations where a particular beer is featured every Happy Hour (Sunday-Thursday 4-6pm) and one dollar is donated for each pint of that brew purchased.

More than 430 Red Cross and Red Crescent workers from at least 30 countries are in Haiti supporting thousands of local volunteers.  The relief operation in Haiti is already the largest single-country personnel deployment in global Red Cross history.  Red Cross responders from eight countries are treating approximately 500 people each day at medical facilities throughout the capital city.  Other Red Cross teams are focused on purifying the water supply and are delivering clean drinking water to 400,000 people each day.  So far, more than 2 million liters of water have been distributed.  And there’s still so much to do!

Join us in helping to support the American Red Cross.  Come Have A Heart 4 Haiti at Boundary Bay Brewery February 14th -19th! We’ve come up with some fun ways to help raise money…no matter which day of the week you get down here.

For more information, visit our website or our Facebook Fan page.

“Mesmerizing—that’s probably the easiest way to describe Talkdemonic, although plenty of other words have been utilized in an attempt to communicate what this Portland duo create with just a laptop, drums, and viola. Who needs words, though? This vocal-free combo crafts music that’s intense, emotional, and utterly engaging—they are infinitely better experienced firsthand than read about. See for yourself why they’ve become one of the most talked-about groups in Portland’s up-and-coming music scene.” -Barbara Mitchell, The Stranger

“Best known for her skills as a trumpeter with The Love Lights as well as hitting the horns with the Presidents of the United States of America, Bellingham’s Sarah Jerns has stepped into the lead with her solo project Pan Pan. Full of beautiful and haunting melodies on piano and trumpet, Pan Pan goes far beyond the standard fair of college rock, stretching the boundaries of local music.” -Brent Cole, What’s Up

 

We’ve Got What You Need For Superbowl!

If you’re watching the Superbowl, Boundary Bay Brewery’s got what you need!  We’ll be serving up special game-worthy munchies (including some of our Happy Hour menu items) in our Tap Room.  Plus, we’ve got ya covered when it comes to beer to go: whether that’s a couple of 22 oz bottles, a few growlers or even a keg!

Planning a party at home? We’ve got packages you can order in advance by calling the brewery (360-647-5593) or by ordering online.  Sub sandwiches to feed a crowd, our infamous Smoked Salmon Chowder and more!  Let us do the work and impress your friends.

These packages are for in-store pickup only…which makes picking up a keg or filling a couple growlers even more convenient!

Orders must be made by 5pm on Friday, Feb 5th. Pick up anytime after 11am on Sunday, Feb 7th.

 

St. Paddy’s Day with Boundary Bay Brewery

a pint of Dry Irish Stout from Boundary Bay Brewery

We all know that Saint Patrick’s Day is a big holiday when it comes to beer.  But for us here at Boundary Bay Brewery, it’s taken on a whole new dimension this year.

We’ve always had a long history of being a community hub; often described by locals as “pure Bellingham.”  So, it should come as no surprise that Boundary Bay Brewery and General Manager, Janet Lightner are behind the efforts to get Bellingham’s first St. Patrick’s Day Parade up and running.

Bellingham’s first St Patrick’s Day Parade will hit downtown streets on Saturday, March 13^th at noon. The event, spearheaded by our own Janet Lightner, is being coordinated by an all-volunteer committee and is directly aimed at bringing the community together.  The parade is timed to follow Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department’s Runnin’ O’ the Green Race and Fun Run at Bloedel Donovan Park.  “We’re looking forward to a day full of fun for the entire Bellingham community,” says Lightner.

Her inspiration is the long tradition of St. Patrick’s Day Parades in Chicago, New York, Savannah and New Orleans.  Like those cities, this parade will honor Bellingham’s Police and Fire Department personnel.  Lightner adds, “Especially this year, we want these brave men and women to know that the community supports them.”

Like the traditional parades of Lightner’s inspiration, the Bellingham parade will feature Irish dancers, pipe bands and marching bands.  In a non-traditional twist, however, Bellingham’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is focusing on being green.  The parade organizers are encouraging human and green powered floats representing local businesses, schools, neighborhood associations and groups from all over the community.  Entry into the parade is free and Lightner hopes that will encourage lots of local businesses to come together to participate in this year’s parade.

Want to get involved?  The parade’s website is www.bellinghamstpatricksday.com and the Facebook fan page is www.facebook.com/stpatsbham.  The committee is also using Twitter to build support at www.twitter.com/stpatsbham. Information requests can be emailed to stpatsbham@gmail.com.

the Penk O'Donnell dancers at Boundary Bay, 2009

We’ll be continuing the St. Patrick’s Day fun at Boundary Bay Brewery on Wednesday, March 17^th with our annual Irish shenanigans.  Enjoy a special menu of traditional favorites like Sheperdess pie and corn beef and cabbage (regular menu also available) and kick up your heels to live music from the Paddy Whackers.  Enjoy a pint of Dry Irish Stout and pull up a barstool for the Penk O’Donnell Irish dancers – a yearly St. Patrick’s Day treat at Boundary Bay Brewrey.



 

Bellingham Homebrewers Visit Boundary Bay

Last week we were lucky enough to have a group of homebrewers come visit us here atBoundary Bay Brewery.  Anthony, one of our own brewers, met up with the Bellingham Homebrew Club and gave them a private tour of our 17-barrel system as well as some private tastings of Boundary brew!  A good time was had by all and Jesse Nickerson sent us this quick thank you and info about how to connect with the Homebrew Club if you’re interested!

“I want to start by thanking Boundary Bay Brewery for hosting the Bellingham Homebrew Society for a tour last Monday the 18^th.  Brewer, Anthony Stone showed us around, describing Boundary’s equipment and giving us an idea of some differences between homebrewing and commercial brewing. He did a great job answering questions and even giving some tips that we could take home with us and try on with own equipment.

Our club started last summer with the help of Robert Arzoo who owns North Corner Brewing Supply downtown.  Bellingham has quite a large population of homebrewers. Our current email list is about 150 people!  We’ve been trying to meet monthly and have been getting upwards of 25-30 people at each meeting.  Homebrewing is definitely more enjoyable when you can share your product with other people familiar with the process and get some honest feedback about how you’re doing.  The homebrew community in Bellingham is full of people with tons of experience and knowledge who are incredibly willing to share it with others.  So, it is also great to have a forum to troubleshoot issues that come up.

If you already brew and would like to be added to the email list so that you can know what we’re up to, just send an email to jessenickerson@gmail.com.  If you love beer and have never tried brewing your own, you should!  Go talk with Robert at North Corner Brewing Supply and he can get you set up with everything you need to brew a batch including your first set of ingredients for just a couple hundred bucks.  From there, the possibilities are endless. You can put as much time and money into homebrewing as you’d like and with a little patience will be able to make beers comparable to many of your favorite commercial brews.”

Cheers!

Jesse Nickerson

 

Visqueen & So Adult Friday at Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

The adjective ‘rock’ is thrown around a lot these days.

“This polenta rocks!”

or

“My tax accountant got me a huge refund.  He rocks!”

or even,

“This stain on the carpet does not rock.”

This proliferation of misuse of the descriptor has sucked all the air right out it.

Well friends, leave it Boundary Bay to breath new life into this stale adjective with a show that is guaranteed to rock!

Friday, January 22 Seattle power pop purveyors Viqueen and local heroes So Adult will ACTUALLY ROCK a benefit show in the taproom   for local non-profit organization Make.Shift.   Doors are @ 10:30pm and there is a $4 cover.