Monday, April 15th, 2019
Your Guide to Bellingham Beer Week 2019
Brandon Fralic

Spring is here, and Bellingham is bursting at the seams with beer buzz. Bellingham Beer Week 2019 takes place April 19 – 27!

Now in its 8th year, the annual Bellingham Beer Week features parties, brewery events, speakers, craft beer releases, a beer festival, and more over the course of 9 days. With over 30 participating breweries and taphouses, and more than 50 events, 2019 is set to be the biggest Bellingham Beer Week ever. To narrow it down, we’ve selected our top picks per day. These events are the meat and potatoes of Beer Week — everything else is gravy.

The Events

Visit Tap Trail to view the full Bellingham Beer Week schedule. And don’t forget to pick up your Tap Trail Map and Passport at participating locations to collect stamps and earn swag along the way!

Friday, April 19

Kulshan Beer Olympics

Kulshan Beer Olympics. Photo: Tap Trail.

A longtime Beer Week favorite, Kulshan will once again host the legendary Beer Olympics. In 2019, 22 teams will compete in eight games (like keg toss, trivia, and corn hole) at Kulshan’s Roosevelt location (K2). Like the actual Olympics, you need not compete to enjoy them. There’s plenty of beer (and spectator games) to go around for everyone. 

Atwood Ales + Gruff Brewing: Beet Beer Release & The Office Trivia

Atwood Ales and Gruff Brewing Collaboration Beer Release.

Do you love beets, beer, and The Office? Then Atwood Ales and Gruff Brewing have just the event for you. Celebrate the release of “Assistant to the Regional Manager,” a Saison-style Beet Beer made with estate-grown golden beets from Atwood’s farm. The Office trivia kicks off at 7 pm in Gruff’s taproom. There a costume contest, too. Be there or be…Schrute?

Saturday, April 20

The first Saturday of Beer Week is packed full of events! Kick your day off with a stop at the Bellingham Farmers Market, located across the street from Boundary Bay Brewery. Here are a few events to get you started.

Cedar Dust Trail Shred Party

This one is for the mountain bikers among us. “The biggest shred party train to ever visit Galbraith Mountain” will meet on the Bandito side of Cedar Dust Trailhead. Ride the morning away, then head to Boundary Bay for a big afterparty in the alley (details below). Riders will receive $1 off pint coupons to redeem down at Boundary Bay, and riders wearing Cedar Dust gear get extra special treatment.

  • Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Cedar Dust Trailhead (Bandito Side) at Galbraith Mountain

Cedar Dust Alley. Photo: Tap Trail.

Cedar Dust Alley

Get ready to have Galbraith Mountain brought down to you, as Boundary Bay turns their alley into a mountain bike playground. There will be Galbraith Mountain Series beers on tap, bike demos and competitions, live music, kids activities, and more in the alley behind Boundary Bay. Funds raised from this event will benefit the new Pump Track coming to the Birchwood neighborhood.

Cornhole Championship of the Universe at Aslan Depot

Cornhole Championship at Aslan Depot. Photo: Tap Trail.

Music, beer, costumes, and cornhole. That’s what you can expect at this happenin’ event, taking place at Aslan Depot in Downtown Bellingham. Who will be the champion?

Sign your team up at Aslan’s website, or simply stop by to witness the shenanigans.

Sunday, April 21 (Easter)

Wander Paper Airplane Contest

Ease into your Easter Sunday with something a little different. Did you know that Wander Brewing’s logo is a paper airplane?

Build your own paper airplane at Wander. Photo: Wander Brewing/Tap Trail.

In celebration of their mighty icon, Wander is hosting an all-ages paper airplane building and launching contest. They’ve got a big, lofty space for it too. Go float some planes in support of Blue Skies for Children at the Brew Hall. Contest entry is $5. 

Monday, April 22 (Earth Day)

Stones Throw Hop Planting at the Chuckanut Center

Plant some hops for Earth Day at the Chuckanut Center, a community garden on Old Fairhaven Parkway, with Stones Throw Brewing.  Hops planted during this event will be used in a community-grown fresh hop beer in the fall.

Stones Throw Brewing. Photo: Stones Throw/Tap Trail.

Chuckanut Lecture Series: Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest

Join us on the patio at Chuckanut Brewery for the first of a three-part lecture series. When I say “us”, I mean my co-author, Rachel Wood, and me. We’ll talk about our guidebook, Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest, followed by a book signing. Come say hi!

Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest event at Chuckanut Brewery.

Tuesday, April 23

Books and Brews

Overflow Taps and Village Books in Lynden have partnered for a monthly book club for 2019. Each month participants read a new book picked by Village Books, and Overflow Taps picks a featured beverage to pair. April’s featured book is, appropriately, “B is for Beer”, by Tom Robbins. Pick up a copy at Village Books, then join discussion host (and Village Books founder) Chuck Robinson for a pint and chat at Overflow Taps.

Books and Brews. Photo: Overflow Taps/Tap Trail.

Wednesday, April 24

Walk For a Paws

Enjoy a scenic walk along Boulevard Trail with your pup in support of Whatcom Humane Society. Participants will gather at 5 p.m. at Boundary Bay Brewery, where humans will get to enjoy complimentary root beer and celebrate the Dog-Friendly Beer Garden. At 5:30 p.m., participants will walk as a group along the Boulevard Trail to Fairhaven’s Paws for a Beer. Once they arrive at Paws for a Beer, their furry friends will receive a swag bag and humans can choose to enjoy beverages, music and a food truck! 

Walk for a Paws. Photo: Boundary Bay/Tap Trail.

Whatcom Symphony Orchestra – Classical on Tap

Whatcom Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Tap Trail.

Join the director and members of the Whatcom Symphony at Chuckanut Brewery to listen to and chat about classical music over beers.

Thursday, April 25

The Funk Forum at the Aslan Depot

Join Aslan Depot for a celebration of wild, sour, and mixed culture beer from select breweries from around the world. Sounds like the perfect excuse to kick back in the Depot’s comfy chairs.

Beer and leather seating at Aslan Depot. Brandon Fralic photo.

Friday, April 26

April Brews Day Pre-Party at Overflow Taps

Overflow Taps in Barkley Village is throwing their 4th annual pre-April Brews Day block party in support of Max Higbee Center, with $0.25 per pint donated to the organization. Expect live music, cornhole, and beer-a-flowing at this Barkley block party. This event is free to attend, and always a fun alternative to April Brews Day if you can’t make it to the big festival.

Barleywood Squares

Leave it to Kulshan Brewing to open and close Bellingham Beer Week with two blockbuster events. The first was Beer Olympics (see above) and the grand finale is Barleywood Squares: a beer-themed version of the hilarious 1965 game show, Hollywood Squares. Each square will be filled with a “BEERlebrity” who will be asked beer related questions by the host. Join as a contestant or just drink beer and watch the hilarity ensue. Emceed by The Upfront Theater, it’s sure to be a riot.

Barleywood Squares. Photo: Kulshan Brewing/Tap Trail.

Saturday, April 27

And of course,  The 18th Annual April Brews Day

Beer Week’s culminating event, the 18th annual April Brews Day is a massive celebration featuring 65 breweries from around the Northwest. With hundreds of beers to try, there’s more than enough to go around. Visit Aprilbrewsday.org for ticket info.

April Brews Day 2017, photo courtesy of April Brews Day.

Fireworks at April Brews Day.

Also, see our Beer page for more posts about Bellingham Craft Beer.

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About the Author:

Freelance writer Brandon Fralic has called Bellingham home since 2006. He writes about the outdoors, travel, and craft beer for a variety of regional publications. Brandon co-founded Beers at the Bottom in 2013 to highlight Pacific Northwest trails and ales. His first book, Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest, was released in 2018.