Boundary Bay Brewery Wins Big(gest)

The New Brewer (a publication of the Brewers Association) just released their Annual Industry Review Issue where they discuss 2008 craft beer statistics.  We are delighted to announce that for the second year in a row, Boundary Bay Brewery ranked in as the largest brewpub in the nation (based on number of barrels sold).

The brewing industry defines a brewpub as a restaurant-brewery that sells 25% or more of its beer on site. The beer is brewed primarily for sale in the restaurant and bar. The beer is often dispensed directly from the brewery’s storage tanks. Where allowed by law, brewpubs often sell beer “to go” and /or distribute to off site accounts. As opposed to a microbrewery (like McMenamins) which is defined as a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year with 75% or more of its beer sold off site. Microbreweries sell to the public by one or more of the following methods: the traditional three-tier system (brewer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer); the two-tier system (brewer acting as wholesaler to retailer to consumer); and, directly to the consumer through carryouts and/or on-site tap-room or restaurant sales.

So thank you, to all of our loyal customers, for being a part of not just our success, but the growing success of craft brewing as an industry.  And next time you’re here at Boundary Bay Brewery, head down to the beer garden and sign our declaration supporting craft beer and beer independence.

The Largest Brewpub in the Nation is Bottling Beer Today!

Earlier this year, Boundary Bay Brewery was declared the largest brewpub in the nation (based on 2007 beer production) according to the “New Brewer,” the official publication of the Brewer’s Association, which is the national craft beer organization. Each year, the Brewers Association compile statistics based on the amount of beer barrels sold, and in the case of brewpubs, how much of that beer is sold on site.  They define a brewpub as a restaurant-brewery that sells 25% or more of its beer on site; a company would be classified as a microbrewery if its distributed beer sales exceeded 75%. Being a brewpub, we here at Boundary Bay consume most of our beer on site thanks to our loyal patrons and employees!  The second largest percentage of our beer gets distributed to restaurants and bars from Bellingham to Olympia and even into Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.  (click here to find places that carry our beer near you!)  Once those demands are filled, we bottle what we’ve got left and sell 22 oz. bottles here at our brewery and in select grocery stores in the region.  We are finding it harder and harder to keep our 22’s in stock and we’ve been sold out even here in the brewery for a good portion of the summer.  Luckily, though, today marks the end of that sad drought!  Our brewers are working hard today to bottle our ever popular IPA and our Scotch Ale…both longtime favorites of myself and many others (as proven by our long list of awards for these two brews!).  And just about this time next month, the long awaited Cabin Fever will be available in bottles for the first (and possibly only) time all year!  Luckily, those 22’s will come out just in time to grace Thanksgiving tables everywhere!  Come on down to Boundary Bay this week to pick up some IPA and Scotch Ale to kick off your Halloween night right.  And then mark your calendars for the last week of November so you don’t miss your chance to grab everyone’s favorite Winter Warmer!