As beer centric as Bellingham is, it’s home to just two breweries – Chuckanut and Boundary Bay. Granted, these are both award-winning breweries that make delicious beer, but this Pacific Northwest town could easily sustain many more breweries.
When you compare Bellingham, which has a population of about 80,000, to other similarly sized and similarly cultured cities, you get a good idea of how much room it has to grow.
- Asheville, N.C., has a population of 83,000 and it has 10 breweries.
- Bend, Ore., has a population of 77,000 and it has 7 breweries.
- Boulder, Colo., has a population of 97,000 and it has 9 breweries.
- Kalamazoo, Mich., has a population of 74,000 and it has 4 breweries.
- Portland, Maine, has a population of 66,000 and it has 6 breweries.
Fortunately, for the thirsty, beer-loving citizens of Bellingham, more breweries are on tap to open. The Bellingham Beer Lab cooperative brewery is on the horizon, and Kulshan Brewing Company plans to open soon.
BELLINGHAM BEER LAB
As of late January, the Bellingham Beer Lab (BBL) was still working on its articles of incorporation, appointing its board of directors, and working out start-up costs. Sometime this month (February) BBL hopes to kick off its membership drive. Follow BBL’s progress at bellinghambeerlab.wordpress.com or on Facebook.
KULSHAN BREWING COMPANY
Kulshan Brewing Company, located at 2238 James St., has been in the planning stages for over a year and the building stages since September. With construction wrapping up on the 7-barrel brewhouse, Kulshan is getting ready to brew its maiden batches.
Kulshan Brewing is a collaboration between four partners who all have a passion for great beer. Founder Dave Vitt is heading up the operations as builder, brewer and general manager.
“I started brewing on my back porch on Humboldt Street in Bellingham about 10 years ago,” Vitt recalls. “After a couple years, I decided to take a job with Fish Brewing in Olympia. I hired on as a brewer and slowly worked my way around the plant until finally deciding to come back to Bellingham to open the brewery of my dreams.”
Growing up in the shadow of Mount Baker, the name “Kulshan” (the Native name for Mount Baker) really says “home” to Vitt.
In the beginning, the brewery plans to sell kegs, growlers and pints. And once it gets on its feet, Vitt hopes to get into canning at some point.
When can you expect to taste your first Kulshan brew? “As with any construction project, things take longer than expected,” Vitt says, “but we plan to open sometime in March. Stay tuned!”
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