Here Comes Cabin Fever Season Again

Good old Dad used to tell me quite regularly that I wouldn’t believe how quickly time seems to speed up the older you get.  It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him…it just wasn’t relevant to me at the time.  I was busy being a kid and then a teenager when things like summer vacation or the countdown to Christmas seemed to stretch on into infinity.  But, years have passed and…like all of us…I’ve gotten older.  And suddenly, Dad’s words make a whole lot more sense than they used to.  I find it nearly impossible to believe that another year has passed again and it’s almost time to break out the Cabin Fever for another Bellingham winter.

The Boundary Bay Brewery Cabin Fever is a strong ale or “winter warmer” with a dark red-brown color and a very rich malty flavor.  We make it with Mt. Hood, Warrior and Crystal hops and balance the flavors with the following malts: Pale 2-Row, Dark Crystal, Munich, Carastan, oats and Chocolate Malt.  While this is a big beer that is deceptively strong (7.2% ABV) it tastes very smooth thank to extra long cold conditioning.  Try this beer with spicy foods or any rich, heavy dishes…perfect for the holidays!

Our Cabin Fever has developed a bit of cult following and we have customers asking for it year round here at Boundary Bay Brewery. It’s our Winter Seasonal brew, though, so we only bring it out at certain times of the year.  Lucky for you, that time is now!  Here at the brewery, Cabin Fever will officially be on tap Friday, November 5th and we’ll debut it the day before with a special Cabin Fever cask on Thursday, the 4th.  If, however, you can’t wait that long…you’ve got a couple of options.  If you feel like heading to Seattle, you can score Cabin Fever at Pouring Main Street Alehouse in Bothell and at Sully’s in Seattle on Phinney Ridge.  But, if fighting I-5 traffic doesn’t seem like a good time to you, check out our Brewers Night at Mckay’s Taphouse (aka: Pizza Pipeline on Samish Way in Bellingham) on Monday, November 1st at 5pm when we’re taking over the joint armed with kegs of Cabin Fever and lots of BBAY goodies to give away.

Winter’s coming…get your Cabin Fever now!

Big Winter Beer Descriptions

Today is the Winter Solstice…the shortest day of the year, the darkest day of the year and the official first day of winter.  Our brewers used that as their excuse to load the taps here at Boundary Bay Brewery today with three of our biggest beers perfect for these winter days.  You already know what we have to say about our beers.  Today, for a little change, I thought I’d let some others tell you what they think of our beers.

Thoughts on our Imperial Porter from Seattle Beer News:

“ I sat at the bar and enjoyed a schooner of their new limited edition Imperial Porter (check out that link for their blog, by the way). This was one big porter, weighing in at 9.2% ABV. It was full of roast, chocolate & a little licorice. Brings lots of taste, but it’s a smooth drinker that is a perfect finish for an evening (not so perfect for a noon beer on a Saturday). Sounds like this one is available at the brewery only, so head on up if you want to get a taste.”  (see the whole article on Bellingham beer here!)

John Michaelson reviews our Old Bounder on Beer Advocate:

“This has always been a favorite barleywine of mine. Was very happy to see it on tap at the brewpub a while back.  The beer pours a coffee color brown color with good head retention and lacing. As expected, the beer is very sweet and malty on the nose, but with hints of underlying citrus from the hops. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, but that sweetness is backed up with some firm hoppiness. The beer is quite rich with flavors of vanilla, butterscotch, coffee and cherry. The mouthfeel is quite plush, and the beer has a long, smooth finish. The beer is pretty drinkable, but with some noticeable warming from the abv.”

Our Cabin Fever gets talked about on atattoedtale’s Blog

“A little bit darker than most of your winter warmers. Leaves a nice latte colored head.  Interesting nose. Definitely malty with a lot of caramel and chocolate, but also reminds me of their IPA, with a hoppy, piney scent. I also get some nice spices, and molasses, and a hint of vanilla. A slightly sweet nose.  This is quite thick, but has a nice little carbonation bite. Good mouthfeel, I usually don’t care all that much about it, but I’m impressed with this.  Nice maltyness up front with a ton of caramel and chocolate. Lots of chocolate on the midpalate with a little bit of hop presence and some sweetness. The back end is my main complaint. It’s a little bit off balanced, and just a tiny bit hot, which it probably shouldn’t be at 7%.  Pretty solid brew here, and if you are in the mood for a winter warmer, this is one of the better one’s I’ve had.”

So come in for a nice big pint to celebrate winter, the solstice, craft beer…whatever!  Cheers.

Boundary Bay at the Great American Beer Festival

Currently, Ed Bennett (owner of Boundary Bay Brewery) and Matt Z. (one of our beer salesmen) are at the Great American Beer Festival that is happening this weekend in Denver.

These are the beers we’ve submitted for judging:

Cabin Fever: Specially brewed and bottled for the Pacific Northwest winters, this winter warmer’s dark red-brown color and rich malty flavor will complement any rich, hardy meal as well as your favorite spicy dish.  However, with it’s cold conditioned, smooth, dry-hopped flavor, Cabin Fever is very satisfying all by itself.

Old Bounder: A rich, full-bodied barley wine with a smooth caramel sweetness, warming alcohol content and balanced hop character.  Excellent with desserts as an after dinner beverage. To be appreciated in moderation.

Dunkles Bock: This traditional German-style Bock is made with all German malts.  Strong, full-bodied and bottom fermented, our Dunkles Bock has a low hop flavor and a deep copper color.

Imperial IPA: A full bodied, copper colored India Pale Ale, with a fairly strong alcohol content and an aggressive “fresh hop” quality.  Only in the Great Northwest can one find such a well balanced, over the top highly hopped draft ale.

Imperial Oatmeal Stout: A black, very rich and full-bodied stout with a silky smoothness that gives way to a long “roasty” finish.  A heavy weight monster of a beer — not for the timid.

Pilsner: A light, honey colored lager with a beautiful hop aroma and flavor.  This lager is brewed in a traditional manner using only the finest ingredients: Pilsner, Munich and Vienna malts and Saaz and Gr. Hallertau hops.  This beer is fermented at lower temperatures than an ale, creating a drier body, with less fruity esters.

Highland Reserve: In commemoration of the Highland Games our brewers have released a special reserve Highland Scotch Ale, rich and dark with a faint smokey finish.  Dark crystal and peated malts are added to achieve the elements unique to this historic seasonal.

Boundary Bay winning the Alpha King, 2006

The Alpha King challenge (which our Imperial IPA won in 2006) will be judged on Friday and all the awards for the entire competition will be presented on Saturday.  Get a piece of the action by trying one of our entries to the GABF.  There will be rotating taps all weekend with selections from our beers being judged. Come in to Boundary Bay this weekend and judge them yourself and let us know what you vote as the favorite!

Click here to see a list of the awards our beers have one in past years of competition.