Everett Craft Beer Festival

Everett Craft Beer Festival
Sat. August 19th Noon-8pm
Downtown Everett (Hewitt Ave. & Hoyt Ave.)

Saturday, August 18th, the Washington Beer Commision will host their first ever Everett Craft Beer Festival featuring 26 local Washington breweries. Over 60 different ales will be poured with names by the likes of Caboose Oatmeal Stout, “Bedraggled” Irish Red Ale & Ziggy Zoggy Summer Lager etc. We’re tellin’ ya, these beers won’t disappoint!  Boundary will be spicing it up with some of our own specialty seasonals…we’re bringing a Ginger Peach Blonde and our newest concoction: Thai-PA.

Ginger Peach Blonde: as a straightforward lighter bodied ale, this Blonde is brewed with generous amounts of German pilsner and Vienna malts that balance with a crisp yet cleansing Noble Saaz hop finish. We added Fresh Hawaiian ginger and natural peach extract creating a just hint of sweet & spicy flavor. OG 1.070

Thai-PA: A honey-ambered colored India Pale Ale with good body, fairly strong alcohol content and an aggressive “fresh hop” quality. Heavily dry hopped with kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass, this beer has a zesty citrus taste. OG 1.052

 

Additional Details

• Entry to the event includes a tasting glass and five tokens (each good for a 5oz. taste).
• Additional drink tokens can be purchased at $1.50 each or four for $5.
• Tickets are $15 in advance online, $20 on the day of at the entrance gate.
• Designated Driver admission will be available for $5 and includes free water and soft drinks.
• Band headliners of the day include Jr. Geezer, Bucula, and Wild Snohomians.

Breweries Expected to Attend

American Brewing Anacortes Brewery

Boundary Bay Brewery Chuckanut Brewery

Brickyard Brewing Diamond Knot Craft Brewing

Dirty Bucket Brewing

Elysian Brewing

Emerald City Beer

Fish Brewing Company

Foggy Noggin Brewing Fremont Brewing

Gallaghers’ Where U Brew

Georgetown Brewing

Harmon Brewing

Hood Canal Brewery

Lazy Boy Brewing

Maritime Pacific Brewing

North Sound Brewing

Odin Brewing

Ram Restaurant & Brewery

Roslyn Brewing Company

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company

Silver City Brewery

Sound Brewery

Twelve Bar Brews

Two Beers Brewing

BBQing With Beer

Now that summer’s finally here (well, in theory at least!), what’s better than spending a weekend afternoon BBQing and drinking beer?  We think the only thing better than that is BBQing WITH beer – especially Boundary Bay Brewery beer!

Here in our latest video, Matt Hanson, our Kitchen Manager, shows us how to make a Jamaican Jerk marinade with Boundary Bay IPA.  In the video, he marinates steak, but he’s quick to point out that this marinade would be equally great on chicken or even tofu!  Check it out:

Our IPA is undoubtedly our most popular beer and it’s available in kegs, pony kegs, growlers and in 22 oz. bottles here at the brewery.  Don’t forget, you can always head over to the Boundary Bay Brewery YouTube channel to check out all of Matt’s cooking videos.  Cheers!

Local Connections – Big Rock Cafe and Grocery

We brew all our own beer here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  You probably already knew that.  But did you know that we bottle it and distribute it ourselves too?  We deliver to accounts all over Whatcom, Skagit and King county every day and we get to meet all kinds of great folks who choose to put our beer on tap in their establishment.  We figured a good way for you to get to know these amazing people too was to show you just how cool t

Casey & Cody - the men behind Big Rock

hey are in these Local Connections videos.  Our latest Local Connections episode was filmed at Big Rock Cafe and Grocery on the corner of the turnabout at College Way and Hwy 9 in Mount Vernon.

Big Rock is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  They’ll also sell you groceries, fill your tank up with gas and pull you a pint while you’re there!  Yep, you read that right…Big Rock is a cafe, a grocery store and a gas station all rolled into one.  The place has been around since the 1920′s and over the years, has come to feel a whole lot like home to lots of people.

Brothers Cody and Casey run Big Rock, after buying it from their father who owned the place for 23 years.  They stopped long enough to chat with us last Friday about their unique business and why they like having Boundary Bay Brewery beer be a part of it:

CDA vs. Black IPA

There’s a new beer style emerging currently, and brewing right alongside it is an argument about whether this new style should be called Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA) or Black IPA (or one of the many variants of the latter).

This new beer is basically a dynamic duo of malt and hops – it is characteristically dark or black in appearance, due to roasted malt, but still retains the big, bold hop flavors and aromas more traditionally found in an IPA.  There are claims that the style originated in Vermont and there are those who insists that homebrewers in the Pacific Northwest were making it first.  But, wherever it started, the style is finally hitting the mainstream.  As brewers across the country were experimenting with making this new beer style, a variety of names popped up because no one was quite sure what to call it:  Black IPA, Black Ale, Dark Ale, India Dark Ale, India Style Dark ale, India Style Dark Ale, Cascadia Dark Ale, etc.  In 2010, the Brewers Association added the style to the Great American Beer Festival guidelines and officially designated it as American-style Black Ale, but the debate about just what to call this beer rages on.

There are many who believe strongly in naming the style Black IPA, but a whole lot of us here in the Pacific Northwest are fighting for the name Cascadian Dark Ale.  Yes, the style is dark and yes, it still tastes very hoppy, so we can see why the early brewers used terms like Black IPA to try to explain what they were brewing.  But, it really bears little similarity to the historic IPA’s and paring the terms black or dark with pale ale in the same style name seems more than a little confusing!  So our vote is for Cascadian Dark Ale.  Not just because Cascadian hops are used in this beer style (and in a vast majority of all beers produced in the United States) and not just because there are those who trace the roots of this emerging beer style to our region.  We are championing the name Cascadian Dark Ale because here, in the Cascade region, we have embraced this style while it was still a gimmick for most of the rest of the United States.  The Pacific Northwest is where this new beer style is emerging, being embraced and being defined!  Perhaps it’s just that it’s a natural fit for us.  Those of us here in the Northwest seem to have a pallete all our own where big, bold flavors are appreciated – intensely roasted coffee and big, hoppy, bitter beers.  Naming this style Cascadian Dark Ale is about honoring this region and the styles and hops that come from here and that have helped to shape this industry.

Those who argue against the CDA name say that it shows regional favortism and that we’re poised to go the route of champagne if we allow this (only Champagne comes from Champagne region of France – everything else must be called sparkling wine).  But, brewing with Cascade hops or brewing the beer HERE in the Cascade Region is not a requirement for the style.  The name is more appropriately seen as an homage to where this beer style came into it’s own.  We don’t think this is any different from other beers named for specific regions:  Pilsners from Pilsen in the Czech Republic or Scotch Ale from Scotland.  Pilsners and Scotch Ales are now brewed everywhere, by all kinds of brewers…and yet, the names remain and they honor the roots of those beer styles.  Just as we hope Cascadian Dark Ales will honor the Cascade region and it’s part in brewing history.  Cheers – from all of us here at Boundary Bay Brewery!

Everybody’s Irish at Boundary Bay Brewery!

I don’t know, maybe it was all the Cabin Fever, but somehow this Winter seemed to fly by and I’m finding it hard to believe it’s already March.  It’s a busy time for us around the brewery as we prepare for St. Patrick’s Day…the BBAY way!

the Penk O'Donnell Dancers at Boundary Bay Brewery

If you haven’t yet celebrated St. Paddy’s Day with us here at Boundary Bay Brewery, you are missing one heck of a good time!  The fun starts right when we open our doors at 11am.  We’ll be serving up a special menu of Irish Pub Fare and pouring some special limited edition beers.  As for entertainment, we’ll have Bagpipers and Irish Dancing from the Penk O’Donnell Dancers and the McGlaughlin Dancers performing throughout the day in both the Tap Room (21+ only) and in the Bistro where families are always welcome!  Dance performances take place at 12:30 , 2:00 (McGlaughlin), 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 and 9:00 (McGlaughlin).  Then, around 8 pm, The Paddy Whackers will be joining the party!  They’ll be performing their living Irish tunes in the Tap Room ($5 / 21+ only) and we’ll bet you won’t be able to stay in your seat so come prepared to kick up your heels!  But, before all the festivities go down on the big day itself (Thursday, March 17th), there’s all kinds of Irish celebrating to do the weekend before to get you in the mood!

Boundary Bay Brewery in 2010 Parade

Saturday, March 12th is Bellingham’s 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade!  If you somehow missed the parade last year we strongly encourage you to not make the same mistake again this year.  Lots of local businesses, schools and organizations – plus bagpipers, cheerleaders, bands and dance troops – will be coming together to march down Cornwall Avenue at noon.  Yes, it’s a St. Patrick’s Day parade so there will be plenty of shamrocks and leprechauns and people wearing green.  But this parade is also a chance to honor Bellingham’s law enforcement and fire departments and a moment for the community to come together and celebrate all the cool people who make Bellingham such a great place to call home.  For more details on the parade route, the businesses that have signed up for the parade already and information on how YOU can be part of this year’s parade, check out the Bellingham St. Patrick’s Day parade website.

If you’re looking for the lazy man’s way to prep for the parade, then just swing by the brewery to have a pint and catch some traditional Irish dancing on Friday, Saturday or Sunday!  The Penk O’Donnell dancers will be kicking up their heels at Boundary Bay Brewery at 6:00 and 8:00pm on Friday, March 11th and at 1:00, 5:30 and 8:00 pm on Saturday, March 12th…not to mention 6:30 pm on Sunday, March 13th!

We’ve got a whole day of fun planned at Boundary Bay Brewery on parade day!  If you’re an early riser, come pre-funk with us before the parade at our Paddycakes Pancake Breakfast.  It’s an all you can eat pancake feed in our Beer Garden and the whole family is welcome.  $7 (kids 5 yrs. and under are free) gets you bacon or sausage and coffee, juice or tea plus all you can eat pancakes! And there’ll even be live music by The Mad Haggis! We’re serving up breakfast from 9-11am so you’ll still have time to go find a good vantage spot to catch all the action on Cornwall before the parade starts at Noon! Call the brewery at 360-647-5593 to make your breakfast reservations today!

After the parade, it’s back to the Beer Garden for BBQ, beer and lots of live music!  Families are welcome and there’s no cover, so bring the whole gang down and enjoy live music by Giant’s Causeway (1:30-3pm), Muddy Boots (3:15-4:45) and Whiskey Galore (5-6:30).  Hope to see you there!  Cheers.

On To Round 2!

We really, truly love this time of year.  And not just becuase it’s Valentine’s Day, but because it’s time for the annual National IPA Championships (NIPAC)!  Last night, in Buffalo, New York, IPAs from across the nation went head to head in the first round of a 1:1 elimination tournament.  In Round 1, we had our much loved IPA as well as a rare style for us, our Cascadian Dark and we are proud to announce that BOTH of our beers took down their competitors and are advancing to Round 2!

Next Saturday, February 19th, the NIPAC judging moves to Syracuse, NY and our IPA goes up against Lakefront IPA by Lakefront Brewery while our Cascadian Dark takes on Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA. The Lakefront IPA, according to Lakefront Brewery “pours a hazy orange with a rocky white head that lasts, and leaves soft lace on your glass as you sip this refreshing beer. American Cascade and Chinook hops dominate the aroma, yielding a citrusy, floral bouquet. The hops give a nice bitter bite to the flavor, but this beer is surprisingly well balanced with a full body and smooth malty flavor to back up the hops. It finishes smooth and crisp with a lingering hop flavor reminiscent of fresh ruby red grapefruit.” Dark Horse describes their Crooked Tree IPA as “Heavily dry-hopped to give a big aroma of pine and citrus, the flavors are big but very balanced between fresh hops and malt. Often described as “grapefruity” our hops give this beer an excellent flavor that finishes dry, crisp, and clean.”

There were 19 beers from Washington State in the first round of NIPAC, but they’ve been whittled down to just 9 Washington beers still standing in Round 2.  We’re thrilled to be among those 9 and proud to represent the unique, bold flavors of Washington craft beer.  Cheers!

How Does our IPA Stack Up?

The National IPA Championship (NIPAC) starts this weekend!  Not sure what the NIPAC is?  Here’s how Northwest Brewing News (who hosts the competition) explains it:

Participating IPAs from across the nation will be randomly chosen for a 1:1 single elimination bracket tournament. Winners of the first round will advance to the next. The complete IPA tournament bracket will be published in the February/March issue of Great Lakes Brewing News and posted on-line. The events will be held in several locations, beginning February 13, 2011. The judges will all be brewers.

As with last year, IPA lovers will be able to choose their winners for each round on-line. They will log onto the web and read a brief description of your beer as well as view an image (be sure to fill out the description on the entry form, as well as send an image or logo via email). Prizes will be awarded for readers with correct NIPAC brackets. The top prize will be a free case of the 2011 NIPAC championship IPA.

The Judging Process: All judges will be brewers. They will be organized into panels of 3, and given the task of choosing the best IPA between two beers. The judges will not know what beers they are being served. The majority rules on the voting.

BBAY Cascadian Dark

You still have time to make your predictions, but you’d better hurry because the deadline is tomorrow – February 13th! Visit the on-line Locker Room for full descriptions of each of the IPA competitors: After confirming your age, you will then be able to review the beers and go to our on-line contest . NIPAC winners will be determined by the total points earned from each round…and let us reiterate, you could win a CASE of the CHAMPIONSHIP IPA!  What’s not to love about that?!?

In the first round our Cascadian Dark (black in color, this aggressively hopped ale is smooth with a clean, dry finish. ABV: 7.5%  Hops: Columbus, Simcoe & Tradition) is paired up against Flashpoint IPA from Pumphouse Brewery (an American-style IPA made with Simco, Chinook, Amarillo, Cascade and Centennial hops.  ABV: 6.7%).

And our Boundary Bay IPA (a honey-colored India Pale Ale with good body, fairly strong alcohol content and an aggressive “fresh hop” quality.  ABV: 7.4%  Hops: Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade and Crystal) is going head to head with Dale’s Pale Ale by Oskar Blues Brewery (America’s first hand-canned craft beer is a voluminously hopped mutha that delivers a hoppy nose, assertive-but-balanced flavors of pale malts and hops from start to finish. First canned in 2002, Dale’s Pale Ale is a hearty (6.5% and 65 IBUs), critically acclaimed trailblazer that has changed the way craft beer fiends perceive canned beer.  Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Columbus, Centennial Hops).

Both should be interesting match ups…we’re excited to see how they turn out! Cheers.

Round 1- February 13th @ Buffalo, NY

Round 2 – February 19th @ Syracuse, NY

Round 3 – February 26th @ Grand Rapids, MI

Round 4 – March 2nd @ Cleveland, OH

Final Round – March 5th @ Philadelphia, PA

Beer Vs. Wine Smackdown

Pairing dinners have become increasingly popular through the last few years.  Whether you’re a wine conniseur or a die hard fan of craft beer, you’ve probably been to an event designed to showcase how your beverage of choice pairs with a wide range of food.  More recently, however, the idea of pitting wine and beer against in each other in a food pairing battle is a growing trend.  And, what can we say?  We’re hopping on the band wagon…and we’re doin’ it in style!

We’re bringing together Ed Bennett, the owner of Boundary Bay Brewery and Bob Bertheau who is the Head Winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle.  Not only will this be a showcase of Washington’s Best Brewpub (as voted by the readers of Northwest Brewing News for the last few years!) and Washington state’s oldest and most acclaimed winery, but this is a settling of old scores as well.  Ed and Bob attended the University of California at Davis together…and were both part of the enology program.  But, after school, where Ed peeled off to join the craft beer revolution, Bob stayed in the wine world.  And for this dinner, we’re bringing them back together again!

Join us on February 5th for a Wine vs. Beer Dinner at Semiahmoo Resort.  The evening will feature multiple courses – each expertly paired with a Chateau St. Michelle wine AND a Boundary Bay Brewery beer.  Guests will get to enjoy a friendly battle between Ed and Bob, each defending their beverage as being the superior pairing option.  The diners, however, will get to be the judges and vote on the winning beverage paring for each course.

And don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a serious, stuffy event where you’ll have to be worried about impressing those around you.  This is just going to be lots and lots of fun! Check out this video with Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewery as he explains the concept of the Beer vs. Wine Dinner…and see for yourself what good entertainment a little head to head competition can provide.

This Ultimate Taste-Off dinner will take place on Saturday, February 5th at 6:30pm and will feature five courses prepared by Semiahmoo Resort’s Executive Chef, Andrew Dixon.  You can make reservations for the dinner only for $59 per person or splurge for a hotel and dinner package from $219 and enjoy an overnight stay at the resort after your fabulous dining experience!  Call Semiahmoo Resort at 1-800-770-7992 to secure your reservation today!

Semiahmoo Resort is located 25 minutes north of Bellingham in Blaine, Washington and offers a waterfront hotel, a full-service spa, gourmet dining options and two golf courses.  They have almost nearly 200 incredible guest rooms – many with wood-burning fireplaces, patios and/or balconies..not to mention incredible views of mountains, islands, Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Bay.

 

The Best of 2010

It’s hard to believe, but another year is already drawing to a close and it’s got us in a reflective mood over here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  So, today…we’re looking back!

Cheers to our 15th Anniversary!

2010 marked our 15th anniversary and we had a fantastic party here at the brewery to celebrate!  We ranked as the largest selling brewpub in the nation for the third year running and were voted the Best Brewpub in Washington by the readers of Northwest Brewing News – also for the third year in a row.  The Northwest Brewing News Readers choice awards also named Boundary Bay Brewery for Best Scotch Ale and Best IPA…which makes our IPA the winner for the last five years consecutively!

In 2010, we brewed our first Tripel, made an anniversary ale called “15” and created a special brew to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of Village Books…and all were met with rave reviews! We got a new Mash Tun and installed our very first beer engine which now lets us provide our thirsty customers with not one but TWO cask ales every day.  We brought home medals from the North American Beer Awards, the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup:  Silvers for our Dunkles Bock (WBC) and our Porter (NABA) and Bronzes for our Cabin Fever (WBC), Imperial IPA (WBC) and Imperial Oatmeal Stout (GABF).

our logo come to life in St. Paddy's Parade!

We had the pleasure of helping over 100 local nonprofits and in bringing the community together for Bellingham’s first annual St. Patrick’s Day parade (thanks to Janet, our General Manager!).  We had a Locks of Love donation party with free haircuts in our beer garden and brought together lots of local and sustainable businesses for our very first Earth Day Sustainability Fair.  We surpassed 10,000 fans on Facebook, held our first (possibly THE first ever?) Virtual Brewers Night and took back the tap as the House IPA at Beveridge Place Pub!

And, besides all that, we’ve kept on keeping on…brewing and bottling all our usuals that you’ve come to know and love, serving up fresh and local Northwest food, hosting events here at the brewery throughout the year and doing our best to help keep Bellingham a strong, local, sustainable community.  It’s been a whirlwind and we’ve had a fabulous time!  We just want to say thank you to all of our incredible fans who are such an important part of what we do.  We could never be a success without the love and support we receive from our community.  So, cheers everyone…and thank you!

 

 

Finding craft beer with your Iphone

Another post from our very own Graphic Designer: Tammy Findlay:

“O.k., I’ll be honest: it’s finally happened to me. I’m addicted to my iPhone. Now I’m trying to justify using it during work. Luckily, I’m a Web Designer at Boundary Bay Brewery and we’re toying with the idea of developing our own app, so I got the green light to do a little iPhone beer research.

I’ve only been downloading and researching free apps so far. I’m sure there’s a load of great beer apps out there for a reasonable fee. And if you wanna look cool, or dorky (the jury’s out) you can download Hottrix’s iBeer app for only 99¢. It simulates drinking a pint of beer as you tip the phone to your lips. Anyway, I’m not a professional brewer or taster, so go easy on me. I personally think my own beer tastes are a little weird, and probably really uncool to most Craft Beer enthusiasts. I like only a handful of IPA’s. I have to be in the mood for Stouts, Porters, and Winter Ales. When it comes to Craft Beer, I usually order a Pale Ale or an ESB. I love our Best Bitter here at Boundary Bay Brewery, but my BBAY favorites are the Pilsner, Amarillo, and Lightner (3B) which are usually only available in the Summer. Sometimes I even really enjoy (gasp) cheap beer in a can.  All that being said, here’s a little review from my perspective.

First up is Pintley (available at the App Store for your iPhone or on Pintley.com for use on your computer). They also have a mobile site for non iPhone users. When you create a new free account with Pintley it takes you through an introduction to try to deduce your beer tastes. It randomly accesses beers from it’s database and asks you to rate the ones you’ve tried.  As you rate beers you’ve had…even ones you don’t like…Pintley fine tunes your beer tastes and recommends other beers it thinks you might like. You can also help the app narrow in on your beer style preferences by searching it’s database for beers you know you love and rating those. Pintley covers the majority of beer styles, like Belgium, Stout, Pales, IPA, Import, and Cheap. You can search for a beer by brewery or style and we’re happy to report that that he database is actually really thorough. Each beer has an average rating, lists the brewery it’s from and includes a description. You can read other people’s tasting notes and you can add yours to the database.  After rating a few beers myself, I got some recommendations…and it is making me too thirsty, because I see a lot of beers I’d like to try! Unfortunately, the app doesn’t tell me where I can get these recommended beers, but I believe this would take some sort of GOD app.  Especially if you prefer beers from a small brewery like Boundary Bay.  For a large scale brewery with national distribution, listing where each beer is available isn’t difficult.  Here at Boundary Bay Brewery, though, we self distribute most of what we brew and we can’t bottle a ton. Most of our beer is consumed right at the brewery. When kegs get delivered to accounts, with a few exceptions, its hard to tell you what they’ll have on tap. As one keg runs out, another goes on. It’s constantly changing and hard to pin down…but our best effort is a “Find our Beer” list on our website. You can look at the list, then call the establishment and ask them which Boundary Beer is on tap.  All in all, I like this app because it actually gives you a description of each beer and shows other people’s tasting notes as well as your own.  I liked using it to make my wish list too…never again will I forget which sour beer that one guy recommended!

Next I tried an app called Keg O’Rator, which is also available through the App Store. This app uses your location to tell you which breweries are closest to you, which I think is a really great feature. Once you click on a brewery, a list of their brews appears.  From there, you can rate the beer and view an average rating, but it doesn’t offer beer descriptions. You can search for beers and styles all over the world and it keeps track of your favorites,which we’ve had a lot of fun with after our general manager got back from her recent trip to New Zealand.  It also has a BAC calculator, which I really haven’t had time to test out (I think it is more of a fun gimick). This is a great app if you are traveling and want to find a brewery near you.  This app is awesome for finding a brewery close to wherever you are…great for when you’re exploring new places and want to check out new beers!  You could find a great beer at every stop on your next journey.  It also has a great search function that allows you to look by beer, by style, by brewery, by city or by state/providence.  I also really like that the app allows you to rate both the beer and the brewery.

I also tried Beer Cloud and Grab a Beer. I didn’t find either of these apps useful. Beer Cloud’s database was lacking. It was built by GreatBrewers.com and I think they require the brewery’s membership to list it. Grab a Beer crashed on me and I didn’t give it a second go.

Next I’d like to give a little shout out to our own Mobile App. It isn’t an App you download from the App Store, it’s a mobile website, optimized for a small screen. That means it should work on most devices, but you do need an internet connection. If you go to www.bbaybrewery.com on your mobile device, you should be redirected to it. If not the address is http://www.bbaybrewery.com/mobile.

We are looking into developing a Boundary Bay Brewery app for the iPhone, but we aren’t quite sure what it should do. So share your ideas with us. Also, if you know about some cool beer apps for the Android or iPhone, let us know!  Cheers.”