April is all about beer in Bellingham: It’s when we host Bellingham Beer Week (BBW), an 11-day celebration of our thriving local beer scene, from April 18–28. The festivities lead up to April Brews Day, the city’s biggest annual beer fest, on April 27. Perhaps next year we should start calling it Bellingham Beer Month.
Now in its 10th year (the pandemic canceled a few), BBW has evolved from a fledgling 2012 event with just a few breweries to a sprawling, 15-brewery collaboration drawing beer tourism to our region. BBW received a fresh new look in 2024 with the formation of the Bellingham Beer Alliance (BBA).
“This winter the Bellingham Beer Alliance was formed as an organizing committee for the breweries,” BBA communications lead Emily Mallos wrote in an email. “As [previous event organizer] Tap Trail passed the logistics of Beer Week back to the breweries, we realized the potential of what having an LLC could do for us, and how a little structure could go a long way in our beer community.”
Mallos is excited to collectively plan BBW — and possibly other beer-centric events — in the future.
“We also can’t help but look forward to other event possibilities throughout the year, like an Oktoberfest or a Winter Beer Festival in Bellingham,” Mallos said. “We’re looking forward to being able to apply for grant money, and continuing on the momentum of Bellingham Beer Week.”
Beer week highlights
I’ve attended nearly every Beer Week since 2013 and found that my favorite BBW events are unique and collaborative — special one-off celebrations that only happen once a year. With that criteria in mind, I’ve rounded up several highlights below. Check online at bellinghambeerweek.com for the full event schedule.
BBW 2024 begins with a 3 p.m. Kickoff Party at Wander Brewing on Thursday, April 18. From there, the 11-day “week” will encompass more than 30 events, including tap takeovers, spring markets, block parties and brewery tours.
Kulshan Brewing always brings the party with its annual Beer Olympics. This lighthearted competition will be held on Saturday, April 20 at Kulshan’s K2 (Roosevelt) beer garden with costumes, spectator games and plenty of heckling as 22 teams compete in eight beer Olympic games. Now in its sixth year, Beer Olympics is one of the most unique and memorable Beer Week events. This free event begins at 1 p.m.
It wouldn’t be a proper Bellingham Beer Week without Chuckanut Brewing. Although Chuckanut no longer brews in Whatcom County, owners Mari and Will Kemper are foundational members of the Bellingham beer scene. Since closing their Bellingham location, they’ve moved production to South Nut in Skagit County — just down the road from Garden Path Fermentation’s production brewery.
Lager lovers will have the opportunity to taste five or six Skagit-brewed beers at Chuckanut Beer School. Chuckanut Brewing will make a Bellingham appearance for a guided tasting at Garden Path’s downtown taproom, The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge, on Sunday, April 21. This event begins at 4 p.m.
The Bellingham Brewery Pine Car Derby returns for its second year on Monday, April 22 at 6 p.m. Brewery teams will race custom-built pine cars at Boundary Bay Brewery; this year’s event will also feature Lego car builds and public races. The Pine Car Derby benefits Pink Boots Society Bellingham’s mission to educate and support women and nonbinary individuals working in the craft beverage industry.
A sort of elevated pub crawl, El Sueñito & Otherlands Taste of Humboldt encourages taking a 4-minute, 0.2-mile walk between the two breweries (with a stop in between) for a progressive dinner. While you can visit in any order, the organizers suggest starting at El Sueñito Brewing for an appetizer, enjoying an entree at Homeschool BBQ (with Beach Cat beer), and ending at Otherlands for dessert. Fill out a punch card at all three stops for a chance to win some goodies. It all goes down Thursday, April 25 at 5 p.m.
Oktoberfest in April? That’s right — Larrabee Lager Co. makes its own rules and will host an “Apriltoberfest” on Friday, April 26 at 4 p.m. Considering Larrabee’s love for German beer and culture, it’s no surprise that the brewery is going all-out Bavarian this spring. If you can’t wait for fall festivities, Larrabee has you covered with lagers from local breweries, German food, lederhosen, accordion tunes and a special Larrabee-Kulshan collaboration beer release.
BBW’s culminating event, April Brews Day, celebrates its 20th year on Saturday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m. Previously held at Depot Market Square (pre-pandemic), Bellingham’s flagship beer festival now takes place at the downtown waterfront, near Waypoint Park and Kulshan Trackside. Attendees can expect more than 65 Pacific Northwest breweries and cideries, plus live entertainment and local food.
General admission tickets are $50 in advance ($60 at the door) and include eight tasting tickets. VIP tickets ($75) include 10 tasting tickets and 90-minute early (4 p.m.) admission. With roughly 4,000 attendees expected, it may be worth springing for those VIP tickets to avoid the crowds. All April Brews Days proceeds support the Max Higbee Center’s community-based recreation programs for people with developmental disabilities.
Brandon Fralic's Drink Cascadia column appears monthly. Reach him at drinkcascadia@gmail.com.
