Birdsview Brewing Company

I visited Birdsview while tootling around up north a couple months ago. While I was there, they had 10 beers plus a cider on tap: a couple IPAs, a witbier, a pale, a scotch ale, a pilsner, and a few others. I had a flight, and of what I tried I think the hazy IPA was the best, and it had kind of an orange creamsicle thing going on. The "cold IPA" and pilsner were not my favorite; overall the quality of the beers was not excellent. I may have caught them on a bad week, of course.

They've got a lovely outdoor beer garden that is wonderful on a sunny day. The taproom is small but homey, with a real log cabin feel - I mean, the place basically IS a cabin. It might even be an old chicken house based on its shape. They've got a little stage in the taproom, with guitars hanging from the wall, and you can see the brewhouse through the back door (not quite out in front, but I'll take it). They also have a ton of vintage beer cans and growlers decorating the ceiling area -- love that too!

It's order at the bar, and service is quick and friendly. They have a kitchen with sandwiches and the like, although I did not partake.

Cool little yurt looking building, which lots of outdoor seating out back under various canopies. About a half dozen of their beers on tap plus a couple guess taps and ciders. Pils, Pale, Amber, IPA, Red, Wit, and Scotch Ale. The food setup is tiny but they have a surprisingly diverse menu for their limitations. Food was decent. Get there early though - on a weeknight, the kitchen closed at 6:30 and the lights were off at 7:00.

This brewery is locacated in the middle of nowhere and I love it! Birdsview has a good vibe, more on the quiet side on a Friday afternoon. Don't let that detour you, the beers here are strong but not overkill. Pushing the boundaries between "true to style" and "imperial". But the elephant in the room is all the guitars on the wall make a good atmosphere. Show up with a good book grab a scooner and enjoy.

 

 

 

Located on Hwy 20, just before the turnoff for Baker Lake Road and some pretty righteous trailheads (30-40 minutes beyond) at the base of Mt. Baker.

It's an obvious post-hike stop. The place itself is quite funky - a huge backyard with picnic tables and an eccentric open interior. There is a small corner where they grill up burgers and the like and there were 6-8 taps.

The IPA was strong and malty and I would venture to guess that none of the beers are particularly good by its quality. Still, a cool place and when you bag a 15 mile hike and really need a beer, its a beacon in the sky.

Pints are $4.50

In a little yurt-like structure off HWY 20 lives a little brewery with 8 tables, a beer garden, and a tiny little kitchen area off to the side. Not an extensive selection of food nor anything special (aside from their tartar sauce) but it's inexpensive and good quality. Service is small town and friendly. After showing up for lunch after a nice hike in Rasar State Park right around the corner, it was a great stop for a burger and a beer. There is a wide selection of beers on tap brewed on premises so you'll easily find a style to suit you. The thing is every style is high on alcohol (which may not be a complaint for some) but if you want something under 6.5%, you won't find it here. Almost all I could see were brewed with some sort of sugar added such as honey or maple syrup. Overall, an interesting stop that will keep your eyes moving the whole time with all their beer paraphernalia on the walls.

I finally made a visit to this brewpub recently and it was everything I'd heard it was. A small, family run place right alongside the North Cascades Highway (WA State Rte. 20), the brewery sits in a valley not far from the banks of the mighty Skagit River, where farther upstream dams give Seattle it's electricity.

We sat outside on a partly sunny day and watched eagles and hawks soar above. The beers were mostly average, or a bit above, with only the Hefeweizen being off-putting, due to an overly strong bubblegum taste. The burger was one of the best burgers I've ever had. Fresh, local beef making a world of difference from the meat you get in cities.

They have a growler trade plan, if you bring them a logo growler that they don't already have, they will give you one of theirs, full! I'm sorry I waited so long to make "up river", I'll be going back sooner rather than later.

I’ve visited many family operated brewpubs over the years, but Birdsview is perhaps the most family involved I’ve encountered. Seven or eight people work at Birdsview and they’re all named Voigt. Not only do the Voigts run the pub, but they live on the same property in a house ‘round the back. They even did most of the carpentry during Birdsview’s construction in 2006.

And they did a very fine job. The essential structure of the place is of two conjoined octagons with the brewhouse in the smaller and the restaurant in the larger. Exposed Doug-fir logs framing a windowed cupola lend a log cabin feel. Radiant floor heat keeps the place warm. But (typically) what I like best is the beer garden with its views of the Skagit River Valley and surrounding mountainsides. It stands to reason that a place named Birdsview might have a decent garden, but the Voigts have taken the trouble of making something of a bird garden towards the rear fence with a fountain and bird feeder among hop-growing trestles and a bounty of blooming flowers. Since part of the garden extends more than 25-feet from the rear door, smoking is allowed at a far table.

Birdsview pours ten house taps in the range of 5%-7.7% ABV, with no cask, no nitro, and no guests. Their beers encompass the customary English-American ales commonly brewed in our area, with the inclusion of a pilsner and a wit. Quality varies widely, but by far their most distinctive beer is their porter, which is fabulously robust and flavorful. Food is simple barfare though with no deep fryer, they don’t offer fries. Instead, the thick, hearty sandwiches come with chips and a cookie that goes awfully well with that porter.

Service is friendly but don't expect too much attention if a Harry Potter book has recently been released.