Oktoberfest Menu

While Oktoberfest is typically celebrated on the third weekend in September, we decided to postpone our celebration to help create an unique menu with local ingredients.

Here is the delicious Bavarian & German inspired menu for the weekend! (Normal menu items available too)

BRATWURST – Bratwurst from Jack Mountain Meats in a pretzel bun from Ralf’s Bavarian Bakery with oatmeal stout mustard and caramelized onions. Choice of side: Roasted potatoes, house salad or Tim’s Potato Chips. $10

PLOUGHMAN’S PLATE– Hardboiled egg, house pickled peppers & onions, smoked ham from Jack Mountain Meats, and Gothberg Farms Buck’s Brew cheese. $13

BAVARIAN BOWL – Sauerkraut & roasted potatoes dusted with juniper; topped with pork loin & Jack Mountain Meats Bratwurst  $14

SCHNITZEL BURGER – Breaded & fried pork loin with German slaw, tomato confit, lettuce & onion in a pretzel bun from Ralf’s Bavarian Bakery. Served with roasted potatoes on side with bacon & Gruyere. $10

PORK SHANK – Braised pork shank smeared with roasted garlic. Served with mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetable. Topped with pan gravy. $18

Want to know more about our local ingredients! Check out Jack Mountain Meats, Gothberg Farms and Ralf’s Bavarian Bakery!

Beer Week at Boundary

Ready for Beer Week Bellingham? The planning is well underway, and we thought you might like to know what we’ve got lined up here at Bbay:

According to the owner of Chocolate Necessities, Kevin Buck, nothing pairs better with chocolate, than a tasty brew (and yes, this includes wine!) Naturally, we think so too : ) so, we’ve partnered up with Kevin to bring you an educational tasting experience that will surely please your pallets. Chocolate Necessities imports and produces some of the finest chocolates you will ever taste… We use a variety of remarkable ingredients gathered through years of inquiry into specialty sources — Amarena cherries, Agostoni chocolate and real pastry liquors from Italy, Vanuatu chocolate from Belgium, vanilla from Tahiti.

Everything we make is handcrafted to give you the best chocolate experience.  So why not offer a two-fer; the best chocolate AND beer experience in one!? Stop by during any day of Beer Week and sample Chocolate Necessities paired with Boundary Bay Beers. How does our Imperial IPA paired with Chocolate covered Lemon Sticks from France sound? Or maybe an Oatmeal Stout with Vanuatu milk chocolate from Belgian? There’s so much more…

On Monday, September 23^rd at 7:00, we’ll be hosting a delicious 5 course beer dinner led by Chef Matt Hansen and our Head Brewer Aaron Jacob Smith. Tickets are of very limited availability and will go fast. They can be purchased at Boundary Bay for $50 a person.  (21+ Only). Here’s how the menu is shaping up:

Roasted Yellow Pepper & Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, w/ Szechuan Peppercorn ESB
Locally Foraged Mushroom and Goat Cheese Parcel, paired with Harvest Rye Ale
Lamb and Rose Stuffed Quail with Harissa and Apricots, paired with Amber Ale
Choucroute Garnie made with local Carne sausages, infused with Scotch Ale
Oatmeal Stout Donut with Irish Stout Creme Anglaise paired with Irish Stout

Oktoberfest in the Beer Garden at 5pm on Thursday, September 26th!  We know we know, its not technically October yet…but we just can’t wait that long. Get ready to put on your lederhosen and tighten up your dirndl, were going to be dancing, drinkin’ and eating pretzels all night long! Not only are we hosting our annual celebration in the Beer Garden, but the next day on the 27^th, we’re also running an Oktoberfest BREWS Cruise on the Bay with San Juan Cruises.  Two days of Oktoberfestitivies…WE THINK YES!

Don’t forget the Beer and Bike ride set for the 29^th at Noon. The biking parade will start at Boundary, head to Kulshan, to Elizabeth Station, Chuckanut Brewery and finally end at the Copper Hog. Last year’s ride was a blast and we cant wait for you to be apart of it!

For more information about beer week, visit http://www.bellinghambeerweek.com!

Bellingham Beer Week 2013

We’re coming up on the 2^nd annual Bellingham Beer Week (Septmber 20-29^th) and this year…we’ve got the events stacked all day and all night.

Celebrate Bellingham’s craft beer scene with an entire week (+ 3 more days because one week isn’t long enough) dedicated soley to the love, exploration, and passion of Craft Brewing. Boundary Bay, and several of the other awesome breweries and pubs in town, are assembling together to give you 10 whole days of non-stop “ale-related” events. (AKA Disney Land for adults.) The possibilities of the potential events you can attend are overwhelming, so TAKE A GOOD LOOK at what might interest you — AND GET OUT AND ENJOY YOURSELVES!

Oktoberfest with Solace

Boundary Bay Oktoberfest poster by Solace Wonder

Join us next Thursday, September 30th, in our Beer Garden for the Boundary Bay Brewery Oktoberfest Celebration!  The party will get started around 4pm and the event is free and family friendly! We’ll have live music, beer trivia, hand made Bavarian pretzels by Ralf’s Pretzels and a special German menu.  Not to mention, an art show by Seattle guest artist Solace Wonder and a Firkin Keg (or 2!) of fresh-hopped Harvest Ale!  Our Harvest Ale is akin to an “Oktoberfest” style.  Our popular fall seasonal features Dark Crystal, Carastan and Munich malts giving this ale a rich malt character and a beatuiful red-orange hue.

Here’s what Solace Wonder has to say about himself and Oktoberfest, in general:

“As long as I can remember, Oktoberfest posters have always caught my eye.  True, there are usually pretty girls and big beer steins on them-which may play a big part, but it’s more than that.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s because of the fall season, it’s colors, and what it brings that has connected me to these posters for so many years.  Being that I’m a beer-loving German fella, I figured it only appropriate to have an art show based on the Oktoberfest season.  Boundary Bay Brewery was kind enough to play along with my vision and host the show as part of their celebration.  I tapped into my roots, (as well as many beers,) for inspiration for this collection.  It is playful, colorful, and at times a humorous way of seeing a season that is well known for its traditions.  I’ve captured everything from lederhosen wearing lads to pretzel wielding ladies and much more!  Bring the family down to enjoy the festivities and the art!”

Solace – Urban Artiste at Large and for Hire!

sol·ace [ sólləss ]

1. relief from emotional distress: comfort at a time of sadness, grief or disappointment
2. source of comfort: somebody or something that provides comfort at a time of sadness, grief or disappointment

I call myself an urban artist or street artist because my work is influenced by street culture and highly inspired by graffiti. While graffiti is normally rooted in letterforms, I lean towards the character design element.  My pacific-northwest surroundings instill a respect for nature that is personified in my work.  Via organic textures, vibrant colors, and a graphic painterly approach, I attempt to meld city life with the tranquility of uninhabited lands.  Through a blend of mediums, aerosol propelled and acrylic, I concoct my background landscapes and finish them with the character design. I call my characters “wanders.”  The wanders are unique in perspective and rely on body language over facial expression to tell their story.  I am always looking to progress my style and increase my stable of characters while challenging conventional mediums.  The mediums most utilized at this time are canvas, large-scale mural production, custom vinyl toys, original plush toys, live painting, graphic design, and t-shirt design.

Some of the venues that have been most gracious in showing my work include:

In Seattle– 35^th North Skateshop, 619 Western, Artifakt, Artoleptic Urban Arts Festival, Bauhaus Coffee and Books, Bherd Studio, Brand Vibes Studio, Café Flora, Capitol Hill Block Party, DB Clay, Deli, Evo, Flatcolor Gallery, Form Space Altier, Fremont Solstice Parade, Goods, Graphic Display Sign and Awning, Greenwood Collective, Halogen Gallery, the Henry Art Gallery, Jones Soda Co., King Cobra, Kristo’s, Laced Up, the Little Red Studio, LoFi, Mackie, Mad Pizza, Market Street Shoes, Mercury Cloud, Moksha, Nectar Lounge, NW Throwbacks, Olivo Doce, the Pioneer Square Saloon, the Purple Razors Studio, Rio Pacific Gallery, the Robert Daniel Gallery (Tacoma), the Satellite Lounge, the Seattle Center, Showbox, Skatebarn West, Sneaker Pimps, Snowboard Connection, Sonny’s, Thread, Trickwood Skateshop, Twilite Collective, Upper Playground/24sea, Urban Light Studio, Vera Project, and the Zebra Club.

In Bellingham (Wa)- Boundary Bay Brewery.

In Oregon: Brian Marki Gallery (Portland)

In Massachusetts– Now Here Fast (Boston)

In California– Alpha Cult (Long Beach), Lost Souls Café (Los Angeles), Da Festicon (San Diego), Munkey King (Los Angeles), Ronin Gallery (Los Angeles), UnitedState (Sacramento), and Sk8ology (Long Beach).

In Florida– Sk8ology (Miami)

Questions, comments, and inquiries are always welcome- feel free to contact me via Email: solacewonder@gmail.com or facebook.com/solacewonder

Special Menus at Boundary Bay Brewery

It’s a big, busy day today here at Boundary Bay Brewery!  We’re welcoming October in with two special menus.  Upstairs, in our bistro and taproom, you can Eat Local all day long.  We’re participating in Sustainable Connections‘ Eat Local Every Week program.  Eat Local Every Week is your chance to take an extra step—or ten—in eating local. There are major environmental, economic, and social benefits of buying food from local farms.  Doing so says you believe in the importance of keeping our farmland in agriculture and knowing that your dinner had a positive effect on the land, water, and people from whence it came.  In our global food system, it can be a big challenge to change our habits and eat local.  Eat Local Every Week is an opportunity to try it on, just once or twice a week for the growing season—to go a little further into our local foodshed than you’ve been before!

So join us today, here at Boundary Bay Brewery, and treat yourself to our special Eat Local Menu sure to please your tastebuds and your conscience!  For our appetizer (available all day), we’re serving Caprese Salad: heirloom tomatoes sliced and layered with fresh basil and house made ricotta cheese, served with garlic baguette toasts (tomatoes: Cloud Mountain Farms, ricotta: Breckenridge Dairy Milk, garlic: Red River Farms and bread: Breadfarm).  For lunch, you can grab an Oyster Po’Boy: breaded pan fried oysters served with mesclun greens and a sweet pepper remoulade on Parisian Rolls, served with choice of salad or roasted potatoes (oysters: Taylor Bay Shellfish, peppers: Cloud Mountain Farms, potatoes: Red River Farms, bread: Breadfarm and dairy: Breckenridge Dairy).  If you’re coming for dinner (only available after 5pm), you’ve got to make the tough choice between salmon or spaghetti with clams!  We’ve got Grilled Salmon with an Heirloom Tomato and Ground Cherry ‘Salsa’ with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and Seasonal Veggies (salmon: Barleans, tomatoes: Cloud Mountain Farms, potatoes & veg: Red River Farms, cherries: Holistic Homestead Farms and dairy: Breckenridge Dairy).  Or try Spaghetti Vongole: Taylor Bay Manila Clams sautéed with garlic and tomatoes with a lightly spiced white wine broth over fresh pasta (clams: Barleans, tomatoes: Cloud Mountain Farms, garlic: Red River Farms and pasta: Bellingham Pasta Co.).

But that’s not all folks!  Nope, we’ve got even more special treats for you today here at the brewery.  Down in our beer garden, at 4pm, we’re kicking off our Oktoberfest celebration!  Not only do we have a FIRKIN keg of our Harvest Ale that’s been fresh hopped with hops from our very own beer garden, but our brewers decided this morning to pull out a keg of Dunklesbock to really make it a party!

We’re serving up a special Oktoberfest menu too.  We’ve got The Best of the Wurst: Your choice of Brat, Bock or Knockwurst served with sauerkraut and mustard on freshly made buns from Ralf’s Bavarian Pretzels.  Served with German potato salad.  Of for the vegetarians and vegans: Your choice of Tofurky Polish Kielbasa or Tofurky Beer Brat served with sauerkraut and mustard on freshly made buns from Ralf’s Bavarian Pretzels.  Served with potato chips.  And, if you’re not really in the mood for wurst, try our Ploughman’s Lunch: Ham, aged cheddar and Gruyere served with a freshly made bun from Ralf’s Bavarian Pretzels.  Served with pickled onions and German potato salad.

Who Gives A Hoot About Oktoberfest?

Oct. 1st in the Boundary Bay Brewery beer garden

We’re gearing up for our own Oktoberfest celebration here at Boundary Bay Brewery and we were wondering how many other people out there loved this awesome beer celebration like we do?  As it turns out, lots and lots and LOTS of people give a hoot about Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September (and running to early October.) It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world’s largest fair, with some six million people attending every year.  The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October and is an important part of Bavarian culture.

The original “Oktoberfest” occurred in Munich, on October 18, 1810 and by 1960, the Oktoberfest had turned into an enormous world-famous festival.  Today, the idea of Oktoberfest has spread like wildfire – with festivals happening in Argentina, Colombia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Palestinian territories (to name just a few!).  It’s even inspired fictional festivities…in World of Warcraft there is a “Brewfest” event that takes place in early October each year.  What can we say?  People know a good idea when they see one!

For our Boundary Bay Oktoberfest, we’ve planned festivities in our Beer Garden to celebrate craft beer.  It all kicks off at 4 pm on Thursday, October 1st when we’ll be tapping a very special Firkin Keg of Harvest Ale that has hops from our very own beer garden in it!  The Boundary Bay Harvest Ale is a red-orange beer with rich malty flavors. This is our Autumn seasonal beer that bears only a distant connection to the German “Oktoberfest” style from which it gets its inspiration.  Our take on the Oktoberfest style results in a  full bodied beer with maltiness as the predominate flavor…perfect for our cool fall evenings.  We’ll be serving up a special Oktoberfest menu too, so dust off your Lederhosen and get on down here.

This is the kind of celebration where families are welcome and costumes are encouraged.  To prove our point, here are a couple pics from last year’s Oktoberfest right here at Boundary Bay Brewery:

Join us on Thursday, October 1st for Oktoberfest…Boundary Bay Brewery style!  The show starts at 4pm with the tapping of the Firkin Keg.  Maybe you can be the one to shout out “O’zapft is” (Angezapft ist) or “It’s tapped!”, the cry that goes up every year when the Lord Mayor of Munich hammers a spigot into the very first keg of Oktoberfest beer.  See you there!  

Oktoberfest at Boundary Bay!

As we know, all good things must come to an end and, unfortunately, the season of events in the beer garden has come to an end.  It did, however, go out with a bang!  For the final event of the season in our beer garden we had our own Oktoberfest celebration.  The garden was full of Fall revelers and people getting in to the spirit of things!  Ralf supplied us with authentic Bravarian pretzel treats and, as is our Oktoberfest tradition, we tapped a Firkin keg that, this year, held Havest Ale that had been fresh hopped with hops from our very own garden.  Here’s a couple of our favorite pics from the Oktoberfest celebration:

Looks like a fun time was had by all!  Don’t miss out next year on our Oktoberfest party in the beer garden.

Oh, and while I began this blog by saying the Oktoberfest marked the end of the season in the beer garden…well, all rules have exceptions, don’t they?  While the season is, for the most part, over…there are three events that came in just under the deadline and will stretch the season of garden events just a little longer.

The first of these events is on Saturday, October 4th when the Soundwaves Surfrider Benefit Concert is happening from 2pm until midnight.  The Northwest Straights chapter of the Surfriders Foundation is holding a benefit concert and fashion show in the beer garden.  The fashion show by Georgie Girls is at 7 pm and there will be a raffle to win a Gabe Kling autographed custom surfboard.  There will be music by The Surf Messiahs, Boris Budd, Vox Solis, North by Northwest, Vaughn Kreestoe, Voodoo Grace Notes, Pau Hana Brothers, Kreg Presley, and Sweet Beets.  All ages are welcome until 10 pm and the cover is $7 ($5 for 10 and under).

On Sunday October 5th, we’re going to have an art exhibition and a live art show down in the garden starting at 3 pm.  Don’t miss this unique, exciting opportunity to watch an amazing artist create right in front of you!  This art show is going to be from a Seattle artist named Solace who makes great urban, graffiti inspired art.  He’ll be working with acryclics and spray paint in the garden on Sunday.  Trust me, you do not want to miss this!  Check out this gallery on myspace of Solace’s work.

And finally, on Saturday October 25th, there will be a fundraiser in the beer garden for the Alpine Safety Awareness Program (ASAP).  This is an all ages community event featuring live music from BentGrass, all you can eat fish tacos, and a live auction of outdoor recreational equipment.  All money raised during this evening of fun pays for the insurance that ASAP must purchase to offer their free youth and adult awareness programs.

Beer…and Beer festivals

So, if you’ve been following the blog you’ll have been anxiously awaiting September 25th when our Traverse Ale was supposed to be released.  Well, we’ve got great news for you!  We were over eager and jumped the gun…we released our Traverse Ale on Friday, September 12th so we could revel in it’s rich, full body, lively hops, and deep red color just a little longer!  Come on in and try this great seasonal ale that will only be with us for a short time.  And don’t forget to check out the Bellingham Traverse (the actual race the beer was brewed in honor of) happening on Saturday, September 27th.

The Great Canadian Beer Festival took place last weekend in Victoria, B.C.  So, we went to Canada and spent September 5th and 6th with over 45 craft beer brewers and about 700 participants who come from all over the world to enjoy samples of internationally acclaimed craft beer.  One fun-filled participant sent our brewery photos she took at the event and proclaimed our booth the winners of the “spirit award!”

Boundary Bay Employees with Spriit!

Yesterday, we were representin’ at the WABL (Washington Association of Beer Lovers) Oktoberfest in Seattle.  The event was held in the Pyramid Alehouse parking lot and was the 2nd Annual Oktoberfest presented by the Washington Beer Commission.  The festival was packed with heartily enthusiastic supporters of both beer and Oktoberfest culture.  There were the usual faves…like the chicken dance (check out the video below from yesterday’s beer lovers!) which has become an Oktoberfest tradition, men in Lederhosen, and even an accordion jam session.  =)

I came across a group of soldiers who were due to be shipped out to Afghanistan soon (details were not forthcoming as it would, apparently, be a breach of confidential troop movements…boy did I feel dumb for asking!) and were using their last days in the United States drinking as much locally made Washington craft beer as possible.  But, I think my favorite part of the event was the loose interpretation of the keg toss that is also tradition at Oktoberfest events.  In the interest of safety and the lack of coordination in the severely inebriated, this festival opted to toss full cans of Rainier Beer toward a keg (sawed in half) and surrounded by a bed of nails.  I missed the exact details of the competition, but basically, you got 2 points if your can made it into the keg, 1 point if you stuck the can onto the bed of nails (hopefully spraying the crowd in the process) and 5 points if you could slice your can in half by landing it directly on the edge of the sawed off keg.

Check out our website for a slideshow of all the great pictures from the WABL Oktoberfest…and don’t miss this Washingon Beer Lovers Oktoberfest next year!

Just Whetting the Appetite!

Check out our Oktoberfest teaser…and the enthusiasm of our brewer, Anthony!  =)

And then remember to come to the Boundary Bay Beer Garden on September 25th to celebrate Oktoberfest in true, Bellingham style.  Don’t miss out on this year’s Firkin keg full of Harvest Ale that has been fresh hopped with hops from our own beer garden!

September at Boundary Bay

September is here already and rather than lament the ending of Summer, Boundary’s got lots of good news brewing to lure you into Fall. On September 22nd, we’ll release our Autumn favorite: Harvest Ale! It only comes once a year and is brewed in limited quantities so don’t miss this chance to taste this beautiful red-orange beer with rich malty flavors. This is a full bodied beer, which is perfect for our cool fall evenings. This autumn seasonal beer has only a distant connection to the German “Oktoberfest” style from which it gets its inspiration. Maltiness is the predominate flavor component of any true Oktoberfest style and also really stands out in our Harvest Ale. Just in case you love the Harvest Ale as much as we do, look for our limited edition Harvest Ale hoodies to add to your Boundary Bay wardrobe.

Speaking of Oktoberfest, join us in our own beer garden on September 25th for an Oktoberfest celebration Bellingham style! Yes, you read right…the Oktoberfest celebration is in September. Confusing as it is, we’re following tradition by holding the festival in late September just as it’s always been done in Bavaria. We’ll be tapping the beloved Firkin keg which is always a good show, and there will be a special Oktoberfest menu (with traditional favorites like Brats!) as well as our usual fare.

Last, but definitely not least, we’ll be tapping the Traverse Ale on September 25th as well. The Bellingham Traverse is a race that takes place on September 27th and celebrates the lifecycle of salmon, recognizing the natural and urban challenges fish face in their life-long journey. 5.5 mile run, 6 mile Mountain bike, 18 mile Road Ride, 3 mile Trail Run, 4 mile paddle, .5 mile Team Trek to the finish line at Boundary Bay Brewery. So, in celebration of all the hard work of the race participants, we’ve brewed a Traverse Ale that is a deep reddish-brown ale with medium to full body and a lively hop character. The hops make this beer particularly refreshing, especially for a darker style. The flavor is rich enough to stand on its own, but also goes extremely well with pastas and spicy food. This beer has a smooth refreshing finish, creating a perfect summer session beer to cool off with after a long “Traverse.” And, whether you participate in the Traverse itself or just enjoy the Traverse Ale, there will be souvenirs aplenty available at Boundary Bay: Traverse hoodies, t-shirts and pint glasses. Available for a limited time only.