Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro – Bellingham, WA

After nearly two weeks off with the flu, I was more than ready to hit the road for a quick Good Beer Trip. We headed 90 miles north from Seattle to Bellingham, Washington. Home to our Alma Mater Western Washington University, where Lush C and I first met, and two great breweries; Boundary Bay and Chuckanut. We make it to Bellingham about 10 times a year, and split our visits between the two. This trip we opted for Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro.

Boundary Bay is by far one of our favorite brewpubs. Their beer is exceptional, the atmosphere is great, and their food is tasty. Their only downside is that their service is hit and miss (after a rushed start we got good service this visit). It is located in an old brick building in downtown B’ham. You have the choice to sit in 21+ pub, the family friendly dining room, or the outdoor patio/deck (during the summer months). We prefer to sit in the pub, and on this trip we were lucky to find a table. The pub is large and open, with high ceilings with a small bar area that has good view of the the glass enclosed brewery. They theme is nautical with a sail on the ceiling and a small boat on the wall. On this visit, they were decorated for the holidays with a large tree decked with cool glass ornaments that looked like pints and growlers, wreaths, and lights.

Their menu is full of local, organic and natural pub fare of sandwiches, burgers, pizza, soups and salads. You may notice the lack of fries, but their roasted potatoes fill the void, and are tasty. Lush C opted for the Salmon Sandwich and I went for the Beef Stew. Both were very yummy.

Now, onto the main event, the Beer. Lush C didn’t waste any time and ordered a Cabin Fever, and I decided to get their six beer sampler.

Beer Sampler:

Blonde – a cloudy blonde with a slight fruity aroma. Light bodied malt flavor with a slight peppery floral finish. Decent, but not a favorite of mine.

ESB, Best Bitter – Orange with a sweet floral aroma. Sweet and malty with a hoppy finish. A near perfect session beer if it were only a little better balanced.

Inside Passage IPA – Cloudy orange with a floral aroma. Nicely balanced malt with a floral hop finish. A classic Northwest IPA.

Amber – light amber with a citrus floral aroma. A smooth roasted malt flavor with a enough hops to keep it from being to sweet. Very well balanced.

Scotch – Dark amber with a sweet aroma. Very well balanced. Sweet, but not to sweet, malty and just enough hops. A favorite of Lush C’s.

Imperial Oatmeal Stout – Dark Black with a sweet alcohol aroma. Medium bodied, sweet and malty with a hint of chocolate and a sublte hop flavor. Not overly complex, but still delightful.

Cabin Fever (English Strong Ale) – nice auburn brown with a sweet carmel aroma. Full bodied, malty, sweet, slight hops and a hint of spice. Very smooth and well balanced. It gets the job done! A nice Winter Warmer.

Disclaimer: Goodbeertrips.com is in no way affiliated with the Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro. All beer and food was paid for by Goodbeertrips.com.