Quenching That Post Bike Ride Thirst
After a nice 20 mile ride my thirst was in full swing and the weather was amazing, so I headed up to Bellingham’s new Kulshan Brewing Company. Unlike many breweries in Washington, this is located right in town and near residential areas making it an easy walk for most. The brewery has a nice cozy feel with several tables and a six seat bar. I cozied up to the bar and ordered the sampler tray. The samples came in small jam jars. While being kitschy, the wide mouth jars provide a good nose for the tasting experience. The beers were excellent, the brown porter was amazing, the Russian imperial stout was warm and silky, and the CDA …I still taste it. Dark, malty, hoppy, the best CDA I have had yet. The locals told me that their IPA was amazing, but due to overwhelming demand, it was out for another week. Outside was a Hawaiian BBQ truck, BBQ with a Hawaiian twist. I ordered the grilled Hawaiian chicken. It was very tasty. They currently have two trucks that rotate, check out their website to see what the current offering is.
Next stop was Elizabeth Station. Elizabeth is a new bottle shopped that opened up in early April. Entering was a very cozy feel, with dimmed lighting and warm wood tones throughout. The offered a very nice beer selection organized by brewery and a good spread of beers from the Northwest and abroad. They also have a very nice wine selection (could not tell you more about the wine, I am just not a fan). I ordered a Cascade Saison de Maison at the long wood standup bar. As I was quenching the amazing Saison, I chatted with locals and noticed they offered small food offerings (sammies and snacks) and French press coffee. This is by far, the best bottle shop I have been to. Some may offer more beers, but this had the best vibe. Before leaving I bought a Pelican Doryman Dark Ale and IPA, a Dales Deviant IPA, and an Anchor Liberty.
Since the weather was absolutely wonderful, I had to make a quick stop at Skookum Brewing in Arlington. They are only open from 2-5 and it so happened to fit in my window. Skookum is really like no other. The cross section of people was amazing; car enthusiasts, bikers, beer geeks, and locals. Oh, lots of animals too: horses, horse drawn carts, dogs, and ponies. I ordered a brown and hairy. B/H is a nice low alcohol nut brown ale that is very quaffable. If you have not had a chance to visit and the weather is nice, get there soon!
Cheers,
Shaqfeasel
Good Beer Trips 