Despite the calendar showing, April 17th, it's hard to believe that April will soon conclude and make way for the prospects of sunny May. Despite the oncoming approach of May 2019, we cannot forget that Bellingham Beer Week is only two days away. Oh, you didn't know? Well, let's break things down for you.

Quick Facts

Bellingham Beer Week is 9 days of beer-themed celebrations from April 19th - April 27th.
The city of Bellingham hosts over 10 breweries
Over 30 business, including numerous breweries, alehouses, and special bottle shops.
Over 50 unique events will be featured throughout BBW 2019.
Bellingham Beer Week will conclude, April 27th, with the return of April Brews Day

Our Picks

April 19th - Kulshan Brewing presents Beer Olympics 5 pm - 10 pm

Join us for the 4th annual Beer Olympic Games for the official kick-off of Bellingham Beer Week. 22 teams will compete in 8 Beer Olympic games for Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals (and bragging rights). Amazing prize packages for the winners, beer specials, and the most fun you’ll have all year! Don’t have a team? No problem! Come play spectator games, drink beer, and heckle the competitors. We’ll be joined by Hot Mess Food Truck and West Coast Pops. 21+

Why we like it: One of the more original ideas out there. We like the idea of mixing physical challenges with beer. After all, doesn't the label specifically say to not operate heavy machinery?

April 19th - Wander Beer Dinner at Ciao Thyme Commons April 19th from 6 pm to 9 pm

Great food and great beer are a natural pairing! Join us and the brewers of Wander Brewing to enjoy a 5-course paired beer dinner to kick off Bellingham Beer Week in the Ciao Thyme Commons! Menu is below...don't miss this downtown Bellingham mash-up!
Wild Warehouse Farmhouse Ale—
Prawn, scallop and corn fritter with pickled red onion, cabbage and carrot criolla with fresh oregano and pear mostarda
Plum Bob Sour vs. Billy Crystal IPA—
A tale of two beers: Poached opah or tuna in Plum Bob Sour with spring greens tossed with lemon oil served over potato coins with plum-caper aioli and fried lemon balm
Dwayne "The Rauch" Johnson—
Seared, savory apple brioche bread pudding served with smoky rabbit paprikash
Black Currant Mille Sour—
Spring lamb dumplings with anise, cardamom, ginger and allspice with poached rhubarb and goat’s milk yogurt drizzle
Single EyePA—
Almond-passionfruit opera cakes with lemon verbena whipped cream, pickled green strawberries and candied tangerinequats
*We regret that we cannot accommodate vegetarian or gluten-free diners at this beer dinner.

Why like it. It's a beer dinner with Wander! Need we say anything else?!

April 20th - Wander Brewing presents Whatcom Creek Early Earth Day Cleanup Party 10 am - 12 pm

Join us at the Brew Hall as we strap on boots and gloves and clean up a portion of our treasured Whatcom Creek for Earth Day (a few days early!). We will be focusing on the section of creek that runs alongside the brewery between the Railroad Avenue Trail footbridge and the Cornwall Ave overpass. Wander will provide gloves and trash bags, just bring your enthusiasm and thirst for discounted beers afterward!

Why we like it. Get an early start on doing a small part to clean up the earth.

April 20th - Boundary Bay Brewery and Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition present Cedar Dust Alley WMBC Fundraiser from 12 pm - 5 pm

image sourced from Boundary Bay Brewing Company

Bellingham’s Downtown Mountain Bike Festival! We can promise a whole lot of bikes, beers, live music and more BIKES!
Featuring our Galbraith Mountain beer series: Belgian Strong Gold, Lost Giants CDA, Galbraith Mountain Pale, Cedar Dust IPA and Last Call Juicy Pale.
12PM-2PM FOR THE KIDS: Bicycle painting station, tiny bike race, bike rodeo area, and a raffle for brand new kid's mountain bike.
2PM-4PM FOR THE GROWNUPS: Toilet race, Tiny Bike Race, Bike Piñata Competition and Crowning of the Alley King & Queen
4PM-5PM The Bad Tenants will be playing in the Beer Garden
NEW! Join us on Galbraith beforehand for Bellingham's biggest Cedar Dust Trail Shred Party!
Proceeds from the event will help fund the Galbraith parking lot. Buy a brick and get your name on the parking lot's donation brick wall. Help put another brick in the wall and build our badly needed parking lot this year! For more info see: wmbcmtb.org/parking/

Why we like it. Take a load off from working in the creek, while supporting a great organization dedicated to preserving trails in Whatcom County. Oh, and Boundary Bay Brewery helping host this event also helps.

April 20th - Kulshan Brewing presents Easter Keg Hunt from 12 pm - 1 pm

Help us celebrate spring with our annual Easter Keg Hunt! We'll be hiding an empty Kulshan keg around Whatcom County on Saturday, April 6th, and April 13th, April 20th so mark your calendars.
Find the keg and win a Kulshan gift card equal to the value of a 1/6 bbl keg.
The first clue to find each keg will be released from our Sunnyland Taproom at 12 pm. Then we'll release clues every hour on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter throughout the day until each keg is found. Join the hunt!
Keg Hunt Dates:
April 6th
April 13th
April 20th
First clue released from Sunnyland at 12 pm
Follow us on social for more clues

Why we like it. Seriously?! Who doesn't like a scavenger hunt?!

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April 21st - Aslan Brewing presents Aslan Barre at the Bar! from 10 am - 11 am

45 minute Barre class plus pint of beer - this year will be even more fun than last time!

Sign-up here, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4fa8aa23a5fa7-aslan1

Why we like it. Push out those toxins from a weekend spent enjoying local beers and what makes Whatcom County special.

image sourced from Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

April 22nd - Community Plate Date from 11 am - 10 pm

This week’s Downtown Bellingham Partnership plate is spruced up with special beer induced recipes by Chef Doug.

Why we like it. Stroll into Boundary Bay Brewing's Bistro as you support the local economy while enjoying BBB's Chef Doug's beer-inspired dishes.

image sourced from Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen

April 22nd - Earth Day with Book Talk Beer Hiking PNW authors Rachel Wood & Brandon Fralic from 7 pm

Come celebrate Earth Day with us and authors Rachel Wood and Brandon Fralic. Their book, Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest, is a beer lovers trail guide and the perfect book to commemorate for Bellingham Beer Week! If you love beer and/or hiking, this book talk is for you!

Why we like it. As someone that owns this book, we can tell you there's nothing more fun than pairing a beer with a hike. If you haven't heard of this book or are curious about embarking on trails, this event will no be one to be missed. Oh, and the fact that it's at a brewery shouldn't alarm anyone.

April 23rd - Chuckanut presents Best Buds! from 11 am - 9 pm

It's a pawfect match: Beer and Dogs! Celebrate Tuesday of Bellingham Beer Week with your pup! Bring your dog to our North Nut location for $4 pints and treats from Mud Bay for your best friend!

Why we like it. Whether you own one or not, there's something special about a dog. Whether it's a puppy on display, in the arms of that special someone, or walking at your side along the shores of the Pacific; there's nothing that beats a dog. Ok, maybe the beer that will be waiting for you when you show up to Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen might beat it. But whether you own or admire a dog, this will be a fun day for sure.

April 23rd - North Fork Brewery hosts Beer Week Collaboration Celebration from 5 pm - 9 pm

We are big fans of collaborations at North Fork and we sure brewed a lot of them in 2018 & 2019. Not all of them are still around (which makes us sad), but many of them are and they'll be taking over the taps at North Fork on Tuesday night. Most are in kegs, some are in bottles, others are in cans...and we're diggin' them all out of the back of the cooler just for Beer Week!
We'll also have pizza specials, raffles, and giveaways from all the breweries
Our collaboration brews at the event will include:
Babs (Kulshan Brewing Company)
Bothell Belgian Brut (Beardslee Public House)
Brother Crazy John's Quad (John Andrews)
Giant Fork (Lost Giants Cider Company)
Hoppy Red Lager (Kulshan Brewing Company)
It's a Sleeper (Boundary Bay Brewery)
Klessig's Kolsch (Jim Klessig)
Kick the Tires (FrinGe Brewing)
Leipzig 1738 (Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen)
Stranger in the Alps (Matchless Brewing & Aslan Brewing Company)
The Spring IPA (Overflow Taps)

Why we like it. As one of the more undervalued breweries, not to mention one of the oldest in Whatcom County, North Fork remains a destination brewery for hikers, skiers, and snowboarders-alike. One simply needs to head along historic Mt. Baker Highway, to learn about the bar that hands out fortune cookies instead of dinner mints at the conclusion of your meal.

April 24th - Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro presents 3rd Annual Walk for a Paws from 5 pm - 6pm

During Bellingham Beer Week, we invite you to "Walk for a Paws" from Boundary Bay Brewery to Paws for a Beer! Enjoy a scenic walk along Boulevard Trail with your pup (or cat!) and help support a great cause! Proceeds from this event will go towards our local Whatcom Humane Society.
Participants will gather at 5pm at Boundary Bay Brewery, where humans will get to enjoy complimentary root beer and celebrate our Dog Friendly Beer Garden. At 5:30pm, we’ll walk as a group along the 3 mile Boulevard Trail to Fairhaven’s Paws For A Beer. Upon arrival, pets will receive a Paws For A Beer swag bag, and humans can choose to enjoy beverages, music and a food truck!
At Paws For A Beer, proceeds from Boundary Bay’s Brews will be donated to Whatcom Humane Society. Additionally, folks can receive discounted membership to Paws for a Beer if they choose to signup on April 24th.
Boundary Bay Bar open // One free root beer with admission // Food truck at Paws for a Beer // Raffle Prizes at the Finish
Beer Garden, South Bay Trail, Paws for a Beer
Admission $10 at the Door

Why we like it. We think you can sense a theme here but if you need a hint, we tend to favor unique events showcasing local beer over your run of the mill brewery night. So if you thought Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen was not your thing, then this might be more your speed.

April 25th - Aslan Brewing Company presents The Funk Forum from 3 pm to 11 pm

image sourced from Aslan Brewery’s The Depot

Join us at the Aslan Depot for a celebration of wild, sour, and mixed culture beer from select breweries.

Why we like it. There's nothing more interesting than a mixed-fermentation beer. What's more fun than walking into Aslan's Depot: Barrels & Blending bar for some mixed-culture beers paired with several like-minded individuals. See you there!

April 26th - Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro presents Stemma Collab Night from 5 pm to 7 pm

Welcome to the family, Stemma Brewing Co.! Boundary Bay and Stemma got together last month to say ‘hey,’ break bread and brew beer.
Want to get a taste of this special brew? Join us at The Local Public House on Friday, 4/26 to chat with our brewers and try our BBW Collab: Training Wheels Blonde IPA.
The Local Public House // Free // 5-7pm // 21+

Why we like it. Stopping into The Local for a few beers, while listening to the legendary Aaron Jacob Smith introduce new brewery Stemma Brewing Co to Bellingham and the rest of Northwestern Washington, should be a treat!

April 27th - Lager Symposium from 1 pm - 2:30 pm

Do you love lagers? Brewers REALLY love lagers. Ask them what they are drinking and it is probably a lager! Spend your pre-April Brews Day Saturday enjoying a taste of the lighter side of beer and listen to 5 PNW brewers talk about bottom fermenting yeast. We will be joined by our friends and brewers from Breakside Brewery, Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, Stoup Brewing, and Wayfinder Beer for an entertaining casual roundtable discussion. Glasses and tasting flights of lager from all five breweries will be available, free to attend. Bring your thirst, bring your questions, and relax while you listen to these brewers talk about why their lager is better than Budweiser.

Why we like it. One way to pre-funk (not that we condone this sort of thing) before taking a cab downtown for some April Brews Day action!

April 27th - April Brews Day from (5:30 pm *VIP) 6:30 pm to 10 pm

Why we like it. As one of the areas older-running beer festivals, April Brews Days ticks all the boxes as it a. supports the local community, b. promotes local and regional beer, and c. benefits the Max Higbee Center's mission of supporting local recreational programs. Tickets are on sale for this one unique opportunity to enjoy a beer in the historic Depot Market Square.