I know, I know.

Winter is upon us and we all feel very lazy.  That coupled with the stress of the holiday season makes for a town full of lazy, stressed-out people.  How exactly, to deal with this early winter funk?  Well y’all, I recommend something funky.  For a good cause of course.  Your $4 cover (and ALL the money raised from the show) will go to support the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.

Friday, December 4 Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro will be host to that funky thing to pull you out of your winter funk.  Join us at 10:30 pm for Portland, OR’s Quick & Easy Boys deftly mix country, blues, classic rock with generous helpings of down and dirty funk with a sound that falls somewhere between Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show and Funkadelic.

Observe:

And attend:

We are oh so happy to announce that Boundary Bay Brewery has just been named the Best Brewery in Washington State by the Northwest Brewing News 2009 Readers Choice poll!

Each year, the publication asks hundreds of readers to vote online or by mail for best beer, best homebrew store, best bartender, best beer store, and best brewery…among many, many other categories.  We are honored to receive these awards, particularly because they are from the readers of Northwest Brewing News.  These are the people we make our beer for, the people who come in on a regular basis and sample our craft.  Sure, we brew beers that we like to drink, but with Reader’s Choice awards like this, we get to see that we brew beers that YOU like to drink as well!  And that really, really matters to us.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you!  Not only to those who voted in this Readers Choice poll, but to all of our loyal customers, friends and fans who have supported us through the years.  We opened our doors in 1995 and have been lucky enough to have been a part of a supportive, involved community since the very beginning.  While our mission has always been to brew craft beers that are excellent examples of classic styles, it has always been equally important for us to have a strong connection to our community.  I think there’s a reason Boundary Bay Brewery has been dubbed “Pure Bellingham.”  And that matters a whole lot to us!

The official results will be printed in the Winter issue of Northwest Brewing News which comes out January 17th.  Click here to subscribe online!

Ski Lift Chocolate Mousse

After Thanksgiving, we’ll be serving up a new Winter Dessert Menu here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  We like to offer up desserts that celebrate the flavors of the season and this new Winter Menu is full of hearty, warming desserts perfect to ward off any winter chill!  Look for our new menu during the first week of December!

Winter Crumble

Winter Crumble: a sweet walnut crumble tops a wintery fruit filling of pears, apples, dried figs and cranberries.  Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  A sweet treat to balance the bitter winds of winter.

Ski-Lift Chocolate Mousse:  a rich chocolate mousse spiked with peppermint schnapps!  One bite and you might think you’re dining in a chalet up on Mt. Baker with this new take on a winter warm-up enjoyed by powder hounds around the world.

Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Cake: house made caramel ice cream is sandwiched between layers of bittersweet chocolate cake smothered in a warm chocolate sauce.  Both the cake and the sauce are flavored with Boundary Bay Brewery’s own Oatmeal Stout.  A great dessert for sharing…if you have the will power!

Sticky Pecan Pumpkin Cake:  Thanksgiving has come and gone but if you haven’t had your fill of Autumn flavors you CAN have your cake and eat it too!  Pumpkin pie meets pecan pie in this delicious cake with a sticky sweet layer of caramelized pecans covering a decadent pumpkin cake topped with Oatmeal Stout caramel sauce.

Sticky Pecan Pumpkin Cake

Ah, the 1920’s…the decade of bathtub gin, the model T, speakeasies, flappers and gangsters.  Referred to as the Roaring Twenties and The Jazz Age, it was a period of American prosperity and optimism.  A time of great social upheaval and change…the most explosive decade of the century.  Women were granted the right to vote, but Prohibition cast its shadow over the decade and inspired the rise of organized crime.  The decade was a time of great advancements as America became more urban and more commercially driven until the market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression.

Join us here at Boundary Bay Brewery for a rip-roaring party on Saturday, December 5th as we relive the 20’s/30’s and celebrate the End of Prohibition! This is a family friendly event that starts around noon and lasts all day.

Costumes are not only welcome, but encouraged! Dress up in 1920’s/30’s period costume and join us as we re-enact prohibition.

In the evening, we’re going to shut down the taps, stage a protest, and then let the beer flow once again.  But that’s not all!  We’ve got good times planned all day for you…FREE horse drawn wagon rides from 1-4 pm, live music from 5-9 pm and costume contests with prizes for best dressed.  And, don’t forget to get your portraits taken by professional photographer, Jon Brunk to memorialize your flapper dress and pearls or zoot suit and tommy gun!

Need costume ideas?  Come as a speakeasy owner/bartender, a factory worker or a moonshine runner.  How about a gangster, a flapper or a protestor?  You could be a Suffragette, model Depression era clothing or just cobble together something that reminds you of the 20’s and/or 30’s.  Think zoot suits, pinstripes, wing tips and martinis.  Feathers, beaded fringe, evening dresses and long pearl necklaces.  Cigarette holders, finger waves in your hair and pinstripe suits.

Come re-enact history with us.  Join the protests.  Raise your voice.  Demand your right to beer!

Last week, around here at least, it officially became a new season.  Our Beer Garden here at Boundary Bay Brewery closed up for winter when the hop vines were cut back and the tent was taken down.  Thankfully, saying goodbye to our beer garden season also means saying hello to Cabin Fever and to the beginning of the holidays.

Cabin Fever, our winter seasonal beer, was released at the beginning of November and has been on tap here at the brewery since.  Next week, on Wednesday November 25th, Cabin Fever will finally be available in our 22 oz. bottles too!  (And, luckily, our new 4-pack carriers for 22’s will be available then too!)  For those of us here in Bellingham, the appearance of Boundary’s Cabin Fever signals the opening of Mt. Baker (hopefully!) and the beginning of skiing/snowboarding season.  It conjures up memories of past winter nights being warmed by this big, hearty beer and the spicy stews or rich winter dishes this beer pairs so well with.  For me, it is a tradition…a ritual that I need to mark the coming of winter.

And, speaking of traditions, Thanksgiving is once again upon us.  We will be open on Thanksgiving from 10-2…for beer to go ONLY. There will be no food service or bar service available.  But, you can stop in and grab a few 22’s, a growler or even a couple kegs to grace your Thanksgiving feast.  Now THAT’S something to be thankful for!! On Friday, November 27th, we’ll reopen for business as usual and take part in Downtown Bellingham’s Shop Where Your Heart Is event.  Fight Black Friday madness and Buy Local instead.  Help make our community stronger and celebrate downtown with a week-long independent holiday extravaganza! This year’s event includes specials at participating businesses, live music, free refreshments and prizes to welcome you to the holiday season downtown! Visit www.DowntownBellingham.com for a list of participating businesses…including us.  During Shop Where Your Heart Is you can score 15% off our new 4 pack 22 oz. bottle carriers…with mix and match 22’s!

Our Christmas Brew-tique will be up and running and jam-packed with Boundary Bay goodies to satisfy your holiday gift shopping needs!  We’ve got lots of new stuff coming in like fleece jackets, winter hats and stickers for your bicycle.  Plus, all the old favorites you’ve come to love (like disc golf discs and bike jerseys)…and some new colors for our traditional hoodies and t-shirts too!  Starting Wednesday, November 25th, a personal shopper will be at your disposal between 4-8pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and 12-8 pm on Saturdays  to help you stock up for the season!  But don’t worry, you’re not out of luck if those hours don’t work for you.  If you’re shopping during other hours, you can just take your bounty up to the bar to purchase it or shop online through our website.

Bring on the holidays…Boundary Bay Brewery is ready!

Add a little Boundary Bay to your holiday!  Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro kitchen manager Ben Glass shares a simple flavor injected turkey recipe that uses Boundary Bay Brewing Co.’s Blonde Ale.

Join us for the opening reception of Harvest on Saturday, November 21st from 10am-11am at Boundary Bay Brewery.  Find a great gift for the locavore or art lover in your life-perfect for the holidays. This is an art show you can feel good about…a local artist, celebrating the local agriculture of our region, showcased in your local brewery: Boundary Bay!  Complimentary coffee and baked goods, too!

Erica Epperson’s show, Harvest, celebrates the relationship between locavores and the land that feeds them.  She works in both acyrlics and oils to capture the beauty of everyday life as well as to honor the connection between people and the sustenance that the earth provides for them.  Epperson relies heavily on photographs she takes of food she has grown and eaten herself.  From running a sign-making business to mural painting to opening a tattoo studio, Erica Epperson is a self-taught artist who has had art as a consistent theme in her life. Her painting style shows definite influences from both art deco painters and WPA murals.  She now finds rich inspiration from Bellingham, which she currently calls home.
Harvest (works by local artist Erica Epperson)
Opening Reception
Saturday, November 21st  10am-11am
Boundary Bay Brewery
1107 Railroad Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225

View oil and acrylic works by local artist Erica Epperson at Boundary Bay Brewery from November 15th through January 1st.

Get ready for an epic Skiing and Snowboarding season this year. At least things are starting out right. Mt Baker Ski Area is set to have one of its earliest openings on record with a base of 64 inches and more snow expected this Friday. Opening day is TODAY, Thurs, Nov 12th 2009. And there is more good news! Introducing The Baker Bus, run by Cascade Adventures, a fun, safe alternative transportation option that is affordable and convenient. The Baker Bus is running daily from Kendall and you can catch it from Bellingham on weekends and holidays. There are 15 spots available and seating is first come first served. Rides from Bellingham are only $10 round trip. They also offer passes and punch cards at a cheaper rate. Check out their website at http://www.wildandscenic.com/bakerbus.html to see their schedule, rates, pick up times and pick up areas.

We here at Boundary Bay Brewery really love the idea of the Baker Bus. Many of our employees love to ride at Baker. Providing alternative mass transit to the ski area makes sense. It’s healthier for our environment and alleviates the heavy traffic going up and down the road, making it a safer journey for other vehicles.

Cascade Adventures hopes that increased ridership and sponsorship from local & like-minded business can help expand their services to a bigger bus running on bio-diesel. If you’d like to help or become a sponsor please call 360-599-3115 or email hoboexpeditions@hotmail.com for more information.