Though I’d heard whispers of The Firehall Kitchen & Taphouse for a while, news of its opening was slow to reach me. I stopped by in January to see the space and sample its offerings.
The Firehall opened at the end of December in La Conner, at 402 Morris St. (next to Pioneer Market). This is La Conner Brewing Co.’s (LCB) second location.
Larger than La Conner Brewing’s cozy brewpub, the space provides both indoor and outdoor seating. A couple of picnic tables out front offer seating on Morris Street, with additional outdoor seating behind the building. Inside, the space feels modern and inviting, with all-ages restaurant seating and 21+ bar seating.
The wraparound bar offers a dozen taps, plus house cocktails and a full bar. Four of the beers on tap during my visit were from LCB; the remaining eight taps ranged from Coors Light to Ecliptic Tangerine Sour. I chose the La Conner Pilsner — an easy-drinking, malt-forward lager made with German malts, hops and lager yeast.
LCB beers taste nostalgic to me. Similar to Boundary Bay Brewing, LCB opened in 1995 and has been a community hub for more than 25 years. It’s increasingly rare for breweries to survive so long in today’s competitive beer market, but with the opening of its second location, LCB appears to be thriving.
House cocktails at The Firehall come with names like Smoke Jumper (classic whiskey sour) and Brushfire (gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and Prosecco). A fire ladder hangs from the ceiling and historic photos line the hallway walls — all nods to The Firehall’s previous life. During warmer months, the garage doors will offer easy access to outdoor seating.
The food menu is a departure from LCB’s classic wood-fired pizzas. At The Firehall, you’ll find fried pickles and poutine appetizers, plus burgers, bowls and seafood specials such as fish tacos. Over the next few months, The Firehall plans to expand its menu and hours.
The Firehall is open from 3–8 pm. Thursday, and noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Stop by next time you’re in La Conner to try something new from an old favorite.
El Sueñito Brewing & Frelard Tamales opening soon
February’s big Bellingham beer news has been a long time coming. First announced in September 2021, El Sueñito Brewing & Frelard Tamales will open Friday, Feb. 17 in the Sunnyland neighborhood. The grand opening celebration will last all weekend, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The all-ages, dog-friendly (dogs are allowed on the outdoor patio) event will feature music, raffles and a selection of handmade tamales. El Sueñito beer will be on tap, along with cider, cocktails (think margaritas), and non-alcoholic options including house-made agua fresca.
Located at 1926 Humboldt St., El Sueñito is just blocks away from Otherlands Beer, Twin Sisters Brewing, The North Fork Barrel House, and Kulshan Brewing.
El Sueñito’s opening has been highly anticipated for many months. Where else in Washington can you get house-made tamales at a brewery? Nowhere. El Sueñito is the first of its kind in the state. If you choose to attend the grand opening, be prepared for crowds and perhaps a bit of a wait. I’m very excited to welcome El Sueñito to Bellingham’s beer community and will report on my experience there next month.
Beer news
El Capitan’s — Bellingham’s gourmet sausage spot — has opened a taproom in its neighboring space at 1201 Cornwall Ave., unit 103. Located in Babygreens’ former downtown digs, The Crow’s Nest at El Capitan’s is open from 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday. The Crow’s Nest opened with nine local beer and cider taps and plans to add five more. El Capitan’s full food menu is available at the taproom.
An acquaintance recently asked me which Bellingham brewery makes the best dark brews. It’s an impossible question, usually answered along the lines of, “we’re spoiled by choices,” “you can’t go wrong” or “it depends on what you’re looking for.” But when pressed for my opinion, I’ll give it, and after a moment’s consideration, I offered my one-word answer: Structures. Heads nodded around the table.
There is no denying Structures is an IPA-centric brewery, but when they choose to release darker ales and lagers, they absolutely kill it. One such beer is Structures Schwarzbier, a German-style black lager. Rich and dark in appearance and flavor, the style is refreshingly light-bodied, dry and roasty. When I recently ran into some industry friends at Structures, Schwarzbier was the brew everyone chose to “cheers” with.
Speaking of Structures, there’s still no word on an opening date for its Holly Street location. However, the brewery recently dropped a teaser on social media, saying “We are getting very close to opening our Old Town location.” Stay tuned!
Brandon Fralic’s Drink Cascadia Column runs on the second Wednesday of every month. Reach him at drinkcascadia@gmail.com.
