The road to Artist Point, the final 2.7 miles of State Route 542/Mount Baker Highway, is closed for the season.
Brandon Fralic | 06/18/2018 | Craft Beer, Insider Blogs |   

6 Classic Bellingham Beers: A Beginner's Guide

When it comes to beer — like most things in life — we’ve all gotta start somewhere. My love for Bellingham beer began at Boundary Bay on my 21st birthday nearly a decade ago. In the years since I have observed the Bellingham beer scene blossom — from a two-brewery town to today’s boomtown of over a dozen breweries. And with more breweries on the way, “Beeringham” shows no signs of slowing down.

If you’re new to town, just visiting, or exploring Bellingham’s independent breweries for the first time, the sheer number of Tap Trail stops in Bellingham can be overwhelming. Where does one begin?

To point beer-curious folks in the right direction, I’ve rounded up six of Bellingham’s most time-tested brews. Many of these are personal favorites. Yet they also represent the wide variety of styles brewed here. Yes, we tend to champion our IPAs in the northwest, but you’ll find more than bitter brews on this list. To back up my claims, I’ve included links to the most popular Bellingham brews from trusted beer rating site, Beer Advocate. As they say, respect beer!


The Classics

These are the three oldest breweries in Bellingham proper (excluding the excellent North Fork Brewery in Deming). Boundary Bay started brewing in 1995 and remains a local favorite. You’re not a true Bellinghamster if you don’t own one of their classic Save the Ales hoodies. Chuckanut came along in 2008, winning Small Brewpub of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009. Kulshan Brewing was founded in the Sunnyland neighborhood in 2012 and has since opened a 30-barrel brewhouse at their second location, K2.

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