Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham brought home their 50th medal from the 2017 North American Beer Awards (NABA), hosted by the North American Brewers Association. “Batch 6000” Baltic Porter was awarded a gold medal in the Baltic-Style Porter category.
“Batch 6000” is a high-octane Baltic Porter cold-fermented with lager yeast. It excites the palette with notes of stone fruit, vanilla and hazelnuts, that are complemented by a rich and chocolatey finish.
“It’s incredible to hit two milestones with one beer,” Owner Ed Bennett says. “Not only was it our 6000th batch of beer, but it brought home our 50th NABA award!”
On January 18, Brewer Aaron Jacob Smith brewed the 6000th batch of beer in Boundary Bay’s 17-barrel brewhouse. But, just how much beer does 6000 batches yield? That’s about 22.3 million pints in total.
“When I first started at Boundary Bay as cellarman 19 years ago, I remember looking at the bung of first keg I washed and reading ‘Batch 196,’” Brewer Aaron Jacob Smith said. “Seems like yesterday, but now, we’re beyond 6000 brews.”
The Stats for “Batch 6000” Baltic Porter
19.5°P OG // 35 IBU // 8.5% ABV
MALTS: Skagit Valley Malting Copeland, Pilsner, Munich, Special B, Carafa II & Chocolate Malt
HOPS: German Tettnanger
YEAST: Lager
Additionally, the May/June issue of The New Brewer contained production statistics released by the Brewers Association about the craft beer industry. According to the data, Boundary Bay Brewery is still the largest individual-site brewpub in the United States. A Brewpub is classified as a restaurant-brewery that sells 25 percent or more of its beer on site.