Rounding Up Bellingham's Craft Beer Scene with Almost 20 Must-Visit Breweries
So much beer, so little time. With nearly 20 craft breweries now operating in Bellingham and Whatcom County, it can be tricky to keep track of them all. And there are many variables to consider when choosing which brewery to visit. Which ones offer food? Can you bring the kids? Fido? Do they offer happy hour? Who’s new, and who has been around awhile? What is each brewery known for?
To address these burning questions, we’ve compiled this list of breweries in Bellingham and Whatcom County, with quick facts for reference. Cheers!
How many breweries are in Bellingham and Whatcom County?
This question comes up a lot. The answer, of course, is a moving target — it seems we have a new brewery pop up every few months or so. At last count, there are at least 14 breweries in Bellingham city limits and five in other locations to total 19 breweries in Whatcom County.
Which Bellingham breweries allow kids?
You'll find plenty of kid-friendly breweries in Bellingham, with a few exceptions. K2 (Kentucky Street), Structures Brewing, Aslan Depot, and Gruff Brewing are 21+ establishments.
Where are the breweries located? Can you walk between them?
Most of Bellingham’s breweries are located within a couple miles of each other in the downtown core. Some are very close together (Boundary Bay and Gruff are right across the street from each other). Others — like Kulshan, K2, Menace, Otherlands, and Stones Throw — are a bit far to walk from downtown, but easily accessible by bike, bus, or car.
Bellingham & Whatcom County Breweries
Aslan Brewing Co.
- Established: 2014
- What’s Unique: All beer brewed at Aslan Brewing Company is USDA Certified Organic. They also operate a taproom and event space called Aslan Depot, one block from the brewery.
- Food: Full menu.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Open and enclosed patio spaces.
Boundary Bay Brewery
- Established: 1995
- What’s Unique: Bellingham’s oldest brewery, Boundary Bay is a long-established community gathering place offering a wide variety of brews.
- Food: Full Menu.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Large beer garden and deck.
Beach Cat Brewing
- Established: 2020
- What’s Unique: The first brewery in Birch Bay with six taps featuring all Beach Cat originals.
- Food: You can bring your own food or order from The Beach next door.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Patio
El Sueñito Brewing
- Established: 2023
- What’s Unique: One of the newest additions to Bellingham's vibrant beer scene, El Sueñito Brewing brings way more than beer to Bellingham! They also have real, authentic tamales like those made at popular Frelard Tamales in Seattle. The brewery & taproom is located in the Sunnyland neighborhood.
District Brewing - Ferndale
- Established: 2022
- What’s Unique: The Ferndale brewery has unique themed rooms, like the Speakeasy room, Grandma’s Room, and the Arcade room.
- Food: This location partners with Westside Pizza.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating
District Brewing - Lynden
- Established: 2024
- What’s Unique: The Lynden brewery has games and an incredible outdoor beer garden.
- Food: The Lynden location has a menu featuring pizza, wings, desserts, and other pub fare.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating
FrinGe Brewing
- Established: 2019
- What's Unique: The city of Ferndale welcomed it’s first commercial brewery when FrinGe Brewing opened in the summer of 2019.
- Food: Rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Patio
Gruff Brewing
- Established: 2016
- What's Unique: With 16 taps, Gruff regularly releases experimental, small-batch beers.
- Food: Delivery available from Horseshoe Cafe and rotating food trucks.
- 21+ Only
- Outdoor Seating: Large beer garden
Kulshan Brewing- Sunnyland
- Established: 2012
- What's Unique: A true neighborhood brewery, Kulshan offers an expansive lineup of Northwest style ales and lagers.
- Food: Rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Large patio/beer garden
Kulshan Brewing - Roosevelt Neighborhood (K2)
- Established: 2015
- What's Unique: One of the fastest-growing breweries in Bellingham, Kulshan opened their second location — a 30-barrel brewhouse known as K2 — in 2015.
- Food: Food Truck
- 21+ Only
- Outdoor Seating: Patio
Kulshan Brewing - Trackside Beer Garden (Seasonal)
- Established: 2021
- What’s Unique: This seasonal beer garden is part of the new shipping container village located on the site of a former paper mill right in Downtown Bellingham’s waterfront redevelopment project.
- Food: Rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Large Beer Garden
Larrabee Lager Co.
- Established: 2023
- What's Unique: Former head brewer at Kulshan Brewery, Sam Milne is drawing inspiration from his recent brewing experiences, while bringing in a whole new element focused on lagers and ales.
- Food: Full kitchen offering pizzas, salads and appetizers.
- Family Friendly
- Dog-friendly: Yes, but only outside.
- Outdoor Seating: Yes, grassy beer garden with picnic tables
Menace Brewing
- Established: 2017
- What's Unique: Menace is the Fountain District’s neighborhood brewery.
- Food: Rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Pet Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Patio
North Fork Brewery
- Established: 1997
- What’s Unique: What’s not unique about the North Fork? A “beer shrine”, wedding chapel, and pizzeria, this brewery is a mandatory stop for anyone driving the Mount Baker Highway.
- Food: Full Menu.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Small patio/beer garden
Otherlands Beer
- Established: 2020
- What's Unique: Offers "rustic lagers and farmhouse ales alongside European inspired street foods in a cozy guesthouse tavern."
- Food: Cafe with indoor seating.
- Outdoor Seating: Garage door opens to additional outdoor seating.
Stemma Brewing Company
- Established: 2019
- What's Unique: Stemma offers weekly events for the beer community.
- Food: Food trucks
- Family Friendly
Stones Throw Brewery
- Established: 2016
- What’s Unique: Stones Throw’s outdoor fire pit seating area is hands down the most attractive in Bellingham, and the brewery is made out of shipping containers.
- Food: Snacks available; rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Happy Hour: Monday - Friday from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.
- Outdoor Seating: Three unique outdoor seating areas
Structures Brewing
- Established: 2015 (new location on Holly Street opened in 2023)
- What’s Unique: Offering mixed fermentations, Structures focuses on fresh, small-batch brews including saisons, NE IPAs and barrel-aged varieties.
- Food: Yes
- Dog-friendly
- 21+ Only
- Outdoor Seating: Large patio
Wander Brewing
- Established: 2014
- What's Unique: Wander serves traditional styles while experimenting with mixed fermentations through the Wander Barrel Project.
- Food: Rotating food trucks.
- Family Friendly
- Outdoor Seating: Patio
