Ski to Sea Weekend with BEER!

For many years, a big part of Bellingham’s Memorial Day tradition has been the Ski to Sea race and accompanying festivities.  The race itself is a 93.5 relay race from MT. Baker to Bellingham Bay encompassing seven different sports:  Cross Country Ski; Downhill Ski/Snowboard; Running; Road Bike; Canoe; Mountain Bike and Kayak.

The weekend of fun also includes a community block party with music and food (and a Boundary Bay Brewery beer garden!), a junior Ski to Sea Race for the little ones, a hometown parade and special events all around town – including plenty of ones right here at Boundary Bay Brewery.

Starting Friday, May 25th, we’ll have all kinds of family friendly entertainment to keep everybody busy.  This Friday kicks off the Official Ski to Sea Block Party in our Beer Garden!  There’ll be music, dancing, food and fun.  It’s a costume party too (NOT required!), so wear your Ski to Sea themed attire for a chance to win a fabulous prize! Dress as an original 1911 racer or a modern day racer…be as creative as you want.  AND, the first 800 racers who show up with their race bibs get an official 2012 Ski to Sea beer glass for free!  Oh, and be sure to enter the Ski to Sea and Alaska Airlines contest for a chance to win two round trip tickets from Bellingham to ANYWHERE Alaska Airlines flies. We’ll have our BBQ up and running and there’ll be live music by The Atlantics, too!

Then, on Saturday, May 26th our Beer Garden will open at 2pm and we’ll have the BBQ running all day.  The Bellingham Firefighters Pipes & Drums band will be performing throughout the afternoon along with performances from other pipe and drum bands from the area.  Around 7pm, we’ll start charging a $5 cover for the live music by Sundance which is all ages till 10pm.

The weekend’s festivities will wrap up on Sunday, May 27th with live music by the True Spokes (formerly Flowmotion) at 8:30pm.  The show has a $10 cover as is 21+only, but the Beer Garden and BBQ open at 2, so people of all ages are welcome to relax down there and enjoy BBQ and beer until around 8 when we’ll start charging covers.

Be sure to try some of our Ski to Sea ESB this weekend, too!  It’s brewed specially to commemorate and celebrate the Ski to Sea annual race and this rare brew of ours only gets released once a year.  It’s available on tap here at the brewpub and in 22 oz. bottles sold here at Boundary Bay Brewery and at local grocery stores like Haggens.

Our Ski to Sea ESB is a copper colored English style pale ale that emphasizes the subtle blend of imported and domestic malts. The addition of dry hops adds a delightful hoppy aroma and a slight floral, grassy flavor.

We’ve even got Ski to Sea ESB tshirts and hoodies if you wanna commemorate your experience here in Bellingham this weekend!

Looking Back – 2011 at BBAY

Another year is winding down and before we say hello to 2012, we thought we’d say a fond goodbye to 2011 with some of our favorite moments of the past year.  Here at Boundary Bay Brewery, 2011 gave us lots of opportunities to expand on previous successes and was jam packed with brand new adventures as well:

giddy while filling the Dry Fly barrels with Scotch Ale!

* We partnered up with Dry Fly Distillery (in Spokane, WA) to try barrel aging a couple of our beers.  First up was our Scotch Ale which was consumed with gusto and our Oatmeal Stout is currently aging – to be released soon.  The project was a great success and we’re already looking forward to trying more barrel aging in the new year.

* We brewed up our very first Cascadia Dark Ale and cast our two cents in the debate about what to name this elusive beer style.  We still think Black IPA just doesn’t cut it and retain our vote for Cascadia Dark Ale in honor of the region this iconic style was birthed in.

* We jumped in to our first of (hopefully) many Beer vs. Wine dinners at Semiahmoo Resort.  Craft Beer is gaining ground as a food pairing phenomenon and we’ve had a lot of fun challenging Washington wineries like Chateau Ste. Michelle to see which beverage comes out on top.  We’ve got our next Beer vs. Wine dinner on January 28th, so why not make it one of your New Years resolutions to join us and open your mind to the possibilities of beer and food pairings?!

* We began highlighting our Local Connections through short video blogs, which turned out to be a great way to connect our customers and our suppliers.  It’s been inspiring to connect with those who are passionate about what they do, and we’ve enjoyed visiting the farms who grow our food and the great cafés, bars and restaurants who serve our beer!   We’ll start the new year with a behind-the-scenes peek at Ralf’s Bavarian Pretzels and show you exactly why we love working with this awesome local business.

our shirt on the Discovery Channel!

* We came up with some new merchandise to tempt you: a new 2L growler and a Cabin Fever Hoodie.  Our hoodies continue to be known as Bellingham’s unofficial uniform and our Save the Ales slogan is recognized far outside of our little corner of the Northwest.  We hear about our customers being stopped in Disneyland, in New York and even in New Zealand when someone recognizes our iconic shirt.  A lot of you have probably even seen our Munzinger shirt on the Discovery Channel special “How Beer Saved The World.”

* Our relationships with craft beer lovers across the country (and into Canada!) are continuing to grow and strengthen: our beer was officially poured for the first time in Hawaii when we took part in the Kauai Beer Festival, we’ve expanded our distribution into British Columbia which has been received with MUCH enthusiasm and our little brewpub was even written up in the Vancouver Sun, EnRoute: the AirCanada in-flight magazine and the American Airlines in-flight magazine!

* We were honored to find out that Bellingham Firefighters refer to our brewpub as Station 7 (since there are 6 official fire stations here in town) – so, with their input, we created a Station 7 shirt and are donating the proceeds from shirt sales to Camp Phoenix which is a camp for child burn victims.

* We have continued to take full advantage of our own success and to spread that love by doing everything we can to support local nonprofits.  Every year, we donate to over 100 local charities and  this year, for the first time, we became a sponsor of the Dirty Farm Trek – a physical and mental obstacle race put on by the VZ Foundation.

at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, 2011

* The Bellingham Firefighters Pipes & Drums band has, unofficially, become our house band!  We’re delighted that they feel welcome enough here at the brewpub to just drop by for spontaneous performances and entertain our customers with their tunes.

* Our General Manager, Janet Lightner, has been the driving force behind Bellingham’s St. Patricks Day Parade and we were thrilled to help her put on another successful parade in 2011 despite the unfavorable weather.  Amazingly, it’s almost time to start thinking about next year’s parade too!  This year, the 2011 Paddy’s Day Parade will fall on the 17th – St. Patrick’s Day itself, so mark your calendars and plan on a whole day of Irish-inspired festivities.

* We brewed the very first Ski to Sea ESB  – commemorating 100 years of racing and look forward to continuing that tradition next year.  And, the Boundary Bay Brewery women’s Ski to Sea Team enjoyed another win in the Competitive Women’s Division and continues to be the ONLY team in Ski to Sea history to win their division 11 years in a row!

* We are thrilled to have been named the Best Brewery in Washington, the Best Brewpub in Washington and the Best Scotch Ale in the Northwest by the Northwest Brewing News Reader’s Choice Awards and were named the Best Bar in Bellingham by the Bellingham Herald Readers Choice Awards.

* And, the biggest news of all for 2011, is our impending expansion!  We’ll take over the lease of the new space on January 1st and are excited to start the new year with lots and lots of construction.  ;)

As we look back on 2011 and ahead to whatever may come in 2012, we want to take a moment to say thank you to all of YOU – our beloved friends and customers who have become a part of the Boundary Bay Brewery family!  We are so proud to be a part of this incredible community (both Bellingham and the craft beer community at large) and honored to have your support as we move on to another year of handcrafted beer and great local food.  We truly couldn’t do what we do without you.  Cheers, from all of us here at Boundary Bay Brewery!

The Party STARTS at Boundary Bay Brewery!

join us in our Beer Garden!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time again for the annual Ski to Sea race here in Bellingham.

The Ski to Sea Festival consists of a 100 mile relay race of seven different sports, a parade, and other special events provide a wide variety of entertainment and adventure for all who participate.

A phrase you’ll hear often about Ski to Sea weekend is “It All Ends in Fairhaven” which is where the finish line to the race is as well as the street fair on Sunday.  But, while it may all END in Fairhaven, we say that party STARTS at Boundary Bay Brewery!

We’ve got a long weekend packed full of events to keep you entertained and best of all, this year there will be a shuttle leaving from our front door and heading to Fairhaven and Zuanich Park on Ski to Sea day (Sunday, May 29th). And just $2 will get you unlimited rides
all day long!

Thursday Happy Hour BBQ

Thursday, May 26th: 

Happy Hour BBQ in the beer garden, 4-6pm. All ages welcome. Burgers, Dogs, Salmon & Veggie Burgers, only $5 each. Onion rings and fries available too. BBQ continues till 8pm. Free live music starts at 6pm with your host, Robert Sarazin Blake.

Friday, May 27th:

Fish Fry Fryday.  Fish and Chips in the garden, Boundary style. Beer battered Rockfish and crispy golden fries. Onion rings available too. Free live music featuring local musicians starts at 6pm. All ages till 9pm.

Later that night: DJ Idlhnds Presents: Hip Hop to Help. Live performances by My Dad Bruce, The Bad Tenants, Bloodshot. Plus DJ sets by DJ Einstein & DJ Idlhnds. 9pm, 21+, $5 in the beer garden. Beer! Hip-Hop! Raffle! Proceeds to benefit Amy’s Place. www.amysplaceforyouth.org 

Amy’s Place Drop-in Center began in December 2006 to address the gap in services being provided to the homeless, runaway and street youth population in Whatcom County. Amy’s Place quickly grew from serving only a few youth a night to now providing services for up to 48 youth Friday and Saturday evenings. Many of the youth served at Amy’s Place are the hardest to serve and really don’t fit into Whatcom County’s current shelter and support system network because of chemical dependency issues and mental illness. At Amy’s Place, the goal is to build relationships with these hard-to-reach youth so that they can choose for themselves to live in recovery, enter treatment and leave the streets.

delicious craft beer!

Sat, May 28th:

Ski to Sea Block Party/Luau!  4-8pm. Wear your best Hawaiian Luau outfit and get ready to hula for a chance to win two tickets to Honolulu, HI, courtesy of Alaska Airlines! There’ll be live music, dancing, food, and fun! First 800 racers with their bibs to show up get an official Ski to Sea drinking glass!

Later than Night: Music by the The DT’s, Tom Price Desert Classic (Garage / Post punk / Rock band from Seattle), & Don’t.  9:30pm, 21+, Cover $6 
”Hard soul is a description of the DT’s sound: a head-on collision of dirty R&B and raw-soul influenced hard rock” (what’s up magazine) The Dts originated as a threesome at the tail-end of 2001. Guitarist Dave Crider (Mono Men, Watts, and head honcho of Estrus Records) and Diana Young-Blanchard (chanteuse, writer, and song stylist, Madame X) are long-time friends who conceived the idea of forming a band with heavy influences of 70’s-style-hard-rock, injected with a flavorful dose of soul sensibility, likened to that of greats like Otis, Al, and Ike & Tina to name a few. Shortly after the dynamic duo design, they latched onto powerhouse drummer Phil Carter and spent their first year blowing people’s minds with a full-on, Hard Soul sound rarely matched by any group twice their number. DON’T pulls their sound from punk, blues and surf, creating a dark and soulful blend of rock. DON’T features Dave Minick, Sam Henry, Dan Lowinger, and Jenny Don’t.  Featuring two ex-Bellingham musician’s Dan Lowinger and Jenny Don’t, Portland’s DON’T mix a dark and brooding sound with surf rock for a combination that is winning over the Portland music scene and beyond. DON’T initially came together seven months ago

Sun, May 29th:

Flowmotion and special guest Cody Beebe and the Crooks.  9pm, 21+, $10 cover Flowmotion, one of Seattle’s most distinctly diverse rock bands. This is an act that fails to fall into an easily packaged genre, succeeds in defying stereotypes, and throws one hell of a party no matter what city, town or festival the five-piece band happens to land in.  one Oregon paper declared their band “a high-energy, multi-genre rock and roll explosion.”

And don’t forget to try some of our special Ski to Sea ESB – a rare brew only available for about a month that was brewed to commemorate the Ski to Sea 100 years of racing.

Ski to Sea ESB

This year, the Ski to Sea Race is celebrating 100 years of racing in this community and they’ve asked us to brew a special Boundary Bay Brewery beer to commemorate this exciting anniversary.  We were thrilled to take on the challenge and created a dry hopped ESB that we’re calling the Ski to Sea ESB.  It is an English style pale ale, copper in color, emphasizing the subtle blend of imported and domestic malts. The addition of dry hops adds a delightful hoppy aroma and a slight floral, grassy flavor.

the label & tshirt design

What is the history of the Ski to Sea race? In 1911, a few crazy Bellingham and Whatcom County locals ran to the summit of Mt. Baker and back down to see who was the fastest in the first Mt. Baker Marathon, America’s original adventure race.  Today, that spirit lives on in the Ski to Sea Race, a 7 sport relay over 100 mile course. You can read more about the rich history of this race here.

We’ll be bottling the beer here at the brewery on May 4th or May 5th and it will be available to the public in 22 oz. bottles and on tap at Boundary Bay Brewery by May 6th.  We’ll also have t-shirts and posters with the Ski to Sea ESB label design for sale here at the brewery – coming soon!

Our Ski to Sea Beginnings

written by Janet Lightner, General Manager of Boundary Bay Brewery

2010 Boundary Bay Brewery Ski to Sea Team pictured with Ed and Janet (on right)

We started the competitive womens team on a suggestion from Brian Boatman of Beavers Tree Service.  He thought it would be interesting to put together a top notch women’s Ski to Sea team.  Brian had a core group of women in mind including Debbie Chadwick a paddler from Prince George who continues to race for us!  With 6 of the  8 positions filled I just needed to find the 2 and we would have our first competive women’s team.  Easy enough eh?

The search began for a cross country skier and a kayaker. Many hours were logged comparing times, figuring out the style of boat and the type of skier we needed.  What was a surf ski anyway?  I had a lot of learning to do. I figured to go big and locate athletes training in Olympic training centers. What did I have to lose?  oh yea the race…

It took many weeks and the race day was closing in.  I found Barb Jones a member of the US XC Ski Team training in Bend and she agreed to do the race, but I still needed a kayaker to bring us home!  My search continued with dozens of phone calls to racing centers up and down the West Coast, and then I found Leanne Wood.  She had been traing at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista California and just happened to be visiting her family in Seattle for Memorial Weekend.  She would do the race!  Now I just had to find her a racing surfski as her kayak was in CA. and this was Friday night and the race was on Sunday.  I used the terrific network of Boundary Bay fans and was able to secure a boat for Leanne. whew! It seemed like I was all ready in a race!

Back in 2000 I was still really hands on in the kitchens at Boundary. I remember meeting the althetes as they arrived with an apron on and flour on my hands and face.  I warmly welcomed each and we instantly connected.  I had been communicating with all 8 of them on the phone and through email, but it was so exciting to have them gather together and introduce them to each other.  The first Boundary Bay Womens Team was born of determination, networking, and a little luck.

It has been such a thrill for me to meet these talented hard working women. Their dedication to their health, fitness and their individual sports is an inspiration for me.  Their energy is contagious and we feed off of one another over the weekend.  It is an honor to have them be a part of Boundary Bay even if it is just for a couple of days.  They feel like my family and I have a special connection with them.

On the Eve of Ski to Sea

Ski to Sea has always been an important part of the Boundary Bay Brewery history.  Not just the jam-packed weekend full of events that has grown to be the official kick off of summer around here.  But also, the race itself.

Our first womens Ski to Sea team was put together by a group of employees in 1999, but 2000 was the first year for a competitive team.  That year, the Boundary Bay Brewery team came in 13th overall, which made them the fastest women’s team in the history of the race.  With the 2009 win for our Women’s Competitive Team, the Boundary Bay Brewery team is now the ONLY team in Ski to Sea history to win their division 10 years in a row!

This year, we are hoping to begin a new tradition that will become a part of our annual Ski to Sea celebrations!  Join us in the Beer Garden on Saturday, May 29th for a big old fashinoned pasta feed on the night before the big race.  From 4-8pm on Ski to Sea Eve (May 29th!) we’ll be serving up spaghetti with meat sauce, our infamous mac and cheese, pesto linguine, vegetable lasagna, meat lasagna, pasta primaver and fettucini alfredo…all with caeser salad and garlic bread!

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for kids 6-12 years old and free for kids 5 years old and under.  You can purchase your tickets at the bar here at Boundary or online.  This event may sell out though, so get your tickets early…especially if you’re hoping to make this a tradition with YOUR Ski to Sea Team!  Cheers!

Boundary Bay Brewery Ski to Sea Stats

In 2009, our 10th year of racing in Ski to Sea, the Boundary Bay Brewery team won first place in their division.  AND, 6 of our 7 athletes placed first during their leg of the race, gaining them Top Gun status in the race.

Our first womens team was put together by a group of employees in 1999, but 2000 was the first year for a competitive Team.  That year, we came in 13th overall, which made them the fastest women’s team in the history of the race.  Our goal ever since has been to break into the top 10 spot.  It seems to get harder and harder as the competition for the race gets more fierce every year!

With this year’s win for our Women’s Competitive Team, the Boundary Bay Brewery team is now the ONLY team in Ski to Sea history to win their division 10 years in a row.

On the day of the race, the Top Gun winners (the fastest racers for each leg, both Females and Males) were recognized.  Somehow, our official times weren’t posted after the race and didn’t actually post until 48 hours later.  Consequently, none of our ladies were given the Top Gun awards right after the race, but we have since found out that almost all of our ladies DID actually finish first in their legs.  In fact, the Sanitary Services Team was awarded the Top Gun for fastest canoe leg.  On their own, they brought their awards over to Boundary Bay because they knew they didn’t beat our team.  We just wanted to take this moment to tell all of our team how proud we are of them and to congratulate Dasha, Brooke, Sabrina, Robin, Debbie, Deighen and Tracy on their official Top Gun status.  (We belive all the women awarded the Top Gun status directly after the race are excellent athletes as well…we just wanted our team to receive the recognition they deserve.)

Race Overall Elapsed 06:32:29
18th Place Overall
1st Place in the Competitive Women Division

Boundary Bay’s Ski to Sea 2009 Women’s Team

Back in 1998 our first Women’s Ski to Sea team was formed.  A couple of employees (Heather and Wendy) put together the team for fun.  I remember stories of their sore muscles after there first couple of kayak and canoe paddles.  They had a good time, and I stayed at the Brewery making pizzas, pouring beer, cleaning dishes and whatever it takes to get through that crazy ski to sea Sunday afternoon.  That was the last race Sunday I have worked inside the Brewery.  My life on this weekend took  a big turn when the next year Brian (a friend and regular at the Brewery) suggested we put together a competitive women’s team.  He had a great core of women and I filled in a couple of spots.  We met them, fed them and were up early on the Mt. to cheer them on.  You can imagine my surprise when our xc skier Barb was the 7th racer out of over 350 to finish!  We took 13th place overall that first year and we got the bug for competitive Ski to Sea racing!!  This is our tenth year anniversary as a team.  Deb was on that 1999 team and she will be back this year.

Being involved in Ski to Sea has brought us life long friendships and deepened our involvement with the community.   I have met athletes who have gone on to the Olympics, and have seen the dedication it takes to achieve that level of fitness.

For the tenth year in a row I will be up on Mt. Baker waiting for the gun to go off and cheering on our team!  The excitement of race day will overwhelm me for the tenth time, and as we move closer to gathering the 10 year anniversary team I can’t help but wonder if that 10th place finish might be ours…after all it is our Anniversary?!

Good Luck and have a safe race to all racers, and thank you to all the volunteers and the Chamber of Commerce. Cheers, Janet Lightner

Click here to view our official team site. From there you can read bios of our racers, see photos from previous races and more.

Ski to Sea Weekend at Boundary Bay Brewery

Ski to Sea Weekend is, arguably, the kick off to summer here in Bellingham and the fun this year will be taking place May 22nd-24th!

The annual Ski to Sea Race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay can be traced back to the Mt. Baker Marathon held from 1911 to 1913.  The idea for the marathon was developed by the Mt. Baker Club, a group of conservation minded citizens that were attempting to have the North Cascades area designated as part of the National Park System. The foot race to the top of Mt. Baker was a publicity stunt aimed at focusing the government’s attentions on the region. In 1973, the Mt. Baker Marathon was recreated and called the Ski to Sea Race. The Race, now a relay, was designed to showcase the recreational opportunities in Whatcom County. The Race has evolved into the “Grand Daddy” of all races, attracting participants from all over the world. In 2005, the Ski to Sea Race was featured nationally on the “Fox Sports Northwest” network, reaching 3.2 million households.

Interestingly, this race has also become a long weekend packed with celebrations all over town for racers and non-racers alike. The actual race is on Sunday, May 24th, but like the training the racers undergo, those of us on the celebrating side of things like to get a good warm up in too.  And that’s where Boundary Bay Brewery comes in to help!

We’re kicking off the fesivities on Wednesday, May 20th when we officially open our Beer Garden season with the very first Yogoman’s Wild Rumpus of 2009!  DJ Jordan Rain has been gracing our garden for years now on Wednesday nights in the summer.  He spins reggae while adults and children alike enjoy the beer garden, the BBQ, and hula hooping in the sunshine.  The event is all ages until 10 pm and kids get in free ($3 cover for everybody else)!

Then, on Thursday, we’ll have our Happy Hour BBQ down in the Beer Garden from 4-6 pm where you can grab pints for $1 less than usual and score brats, burgers, and/or bocca burgers (all with fries!) for $4.  What a steal!  Plus, every Thursday during our Happy Hour, we tap a different type of Cask Ale for your drinking pleasure and we have Robert Blake on hand to bring music to the Beer Garden and make your Happy Hour even happier.

Friday night is when all the fun around town this weekend gets kicked into high gear!  On Friday, Jordan Rain returns to the Boundary Bay Brewery, but this time he’s leaving the records at home and bringing his band instead.  At 9 pm, Yogoman’s Burning Band will take the stage in our Beer Garden and get everyone dancing with their fun, slightly kooky and super lively music replete with horns, percussion, and lots of guitar.  This is, seriously, not a performance that you want to miss! (check out the video below for a sneek peak.)

Acorn Project, another favorite Bellingham band, keeps the party going strong on Saturday night down in the Boundary Bay Beer Garden (9pm/$8 cover).  As a six-piece ensemble featuring saxophone, guitar, slide, keyboards, bass, drums, and percussion, Acorn Project produces an irresistibly unique sound and seemed to have perfected funk-infused progressive rock. Formed in 2004, this Bellingham, WA based sextet is rapidly building a devoted fan-base around the country.  Bring your dancin’ shoes for this show!

Sunday morning, May 24th, is the day of the actual race and, while we’ll have a women’s team competing in Ski to Sea, we’re also fitting in just a little more celebrating before the festivities end.  Ryder Cunningham will be playing down in our Beer Garden from 6-8 pm and then the Atlantics will play at 8 pm to wrap up our long weekend.  We’re certainly excited about Ski to Sea weekend…and we’re sure you are too.  Come celebrate Memorial Day weekend with us here at Boundary Bay Brewery!

Check out Yogoman’s Burning Band Dragon Bus video!