Every so often, brewers in Whatcom County band together and collaborate for a cause. These are typically one-off collabs — two or three breweries will team up to make an experimental ale or lager. And while collaboration beers are fun, they sometimes get lost in the never-ending stream of new releases in “Brewingham.” So when a countywide collab involving 14 Whatcom breweries comes along, it makes waves in the local beer scene.
I knew something was up when, one day last week, nearly every Whatcom brewery I follow posted about “Beer of Choice” on social media. Outside of Kulshan’s annual Beer Prom, we haven’t seen a collaboration effort this widespread since Bellingham Beer Week — the pre-pandemic party once held alongside April Brews Day. (Beer Week and Brews Day are coming back in April 2023, but that’s another story.)
Beer of Choice is a serious collaboration series with 100% of proceeds supporting reproductive health care. In other words, this beer series supports a woman’s right to choose.
“It was essentially inspired by all of us not knowing what to do, but wanting to do something in the wake of the SCOTUS Roe v. Wade reversal,” said Emily Mallos, marketing manager at Kulshan Brewing. “We gathered together at Otherlands Beer for an in-person meeting, with the intention to find a thoughtful way to support our community with the resources we have available to us. We decided to stick with what we know best — beer.”
The breweries in attendance made plans to brew five unique beers, released over five consecutive Fridays during the month of September — which just so happens to be Sexual Health Awareness Month.
First up: FrinGe, Structures and North Fork released their Beer of Choice — a hazy pale ale with notes of vanilla, honeysuckle, mango and citrus — on Friday, Sept. 2. The next release to watch for comes out Friday, Sept. 9. El Sueñito, Gruff and Kulshan brewed a batch of American IPA with bright tropical fruit, citrus and orchard fruit hop notes.
Menace, Stones Throw and Beach Cat will release their Beer of Choice on Sept. 16, followed by Otherlands, Chuckanut and Darach on Sept. 23. Aslan and Wander will pair up for the final release on Sept. 30 — culminating in a release party at Aslan Depot. Beer of Choice beers will be available on draft and in cans at participating breweries.
Beer of Choice was made possible by generous local vendors who helped significantly lower the cost of production. Lower production costs translate directly to greater donation amounts for reproductive health care organizations, so these vendors are making a huge impact.
Skagit Valley Malts donated 100% of the malt, Imperial Yeast and Hollingbery & Sons Hops provided discounted ingredients, and Snack Plate Creative donated time in designing the marketing materials and can-label graphics.
It takes a village to make a difference, and local businesses are stepping up. Now it’s our turn, and the assignment is simple: buy Beer of Choice this September to support reproductive health care.
“The craft beer presence in Whatcom County is strong, but the sense of community here is even stronger,” Mallos said. “We hope you’ll join us in supporting our community, the wonderful organizations within it and maybe finding your Beer of Choice along the way.
Beer and spirits news
• Chuckanut Brewery released its annual Fest Bier on Sept. 2. This small-batch golden lager is malty, sweet and well balanced for easy drinking. Find it on tap (served in liter-sized mugs) and in cans at South Nut in Burlington.
• Aslan Depot will host a Lagerfest on Saturday, Sept. 10. Celebrate the end of summer with live music, German food specials (including Ralf’s pretzels paired with Aslan beer cheese) and, of course, lots of lager.
• Fresh hop season is almost here! Several local breweries — including Wander, Beach Cat and Stones Throw — have announced fresh hop beers in the making. Watch for these limited releases around the end of September. I’ll round up a few favorites when the time comes.
• Stemma Brewing announced the acquisition of its neighboring space, the 1019 Iowa St. building, on social media. Few details have emerged so far, but expect expanded parking, additional beer garden space and even more Stemma beer in the future.
• Two local distilleries earned Gold medals in the USA Spirits Ratings competition in San Francisco. Chuckanut Bay Distillery’s Rye Whiskey and Krampus Herbal Liqueur earned high marks — you can try both at its tasting room and Penny Farthing restaurant. Doc Swinson’s Exploratory Cask “La Mente” also brought home Gold. Buy it directly from Doc’s website, or you may be able to find bottles in local stores.
Brandon Fralic’s Drink Cascadia column runs every other Wednesday. Reach him at drinkcascadia@gmail.com.
