Stones Throw Brewery in Bellingham is now open. For now, hours are 11a-9pm, Wed-Sun. It's in the Fairhaven neighborhood, and easily reachable by local bus if you're downtown. http://www.stonesthrowbrewco.com/#location http://www.taptrail.com/fairhaven-stones-throw-brewing-now-open-video-tour/ https://www.facebook.com/StonesThrowBrewery/?fref=ts I've given these guys a hand several times, with some of the grunt work that goes into this type of venture. Jack and Tony have poured their hearts, souls, and bank accounts into this thing. They've created a very unique space, and we all welcome them to the Fourth Corner beer scene.
Right now, just some basics, from the tap trail link: Pale Ale, Porter, IPA, ESB, Dry Hop IPA, and a blend of the Pale and Porter. I've been sampling the "test batches" for the last couple years, and there's been some ups and downs. Now that the big system is up and running, I expect consistency to even out. BTW, they've had beer out in local bars for a few weeks now, they just got their occupancy permits to open the tap room.
Made my first "official" visit yesterday. The space is very nice. You walk down their driveway (one of the owners lives in the house) and the first thing you you pass through is an outdoor seating area. You enter the taproom (garage) and there are some tables to your left, and the bar to your right. The bar is made from steel from an old railroad bridge over the Skagit river. Some of the same steel was used to construct the farmers market building in Bham. The bartop features a cut out at every seat with a stainless steel insert. The inserts are just a bit bigger than the size of a shaker pint, and are chilled with the coolant from the system that keeps the cold room cold. If you don't want to sit at the bar, you can go out the back and there's a bit of a sunken seating area, with a gas fire pit. If that's not to your taste, feel free to go upstairs to the seating area on the roof of the brewery. No views of the bay, but it's a pleasant area. There's no food on-site, but there are a lot of restaurants in Fairhaven, and you are welcome to bring in food from them. Pies from Fairhaven Pizza were a popular choice yesterday. The whole place is kid and dog friendly, and there were several of each there. a lot of neighborhood folks were hanging out and having a nice time. A very pleasant facility. The beer. Well, the beer needs some work. There was an IPA, Pale, Bitter, ESB, and Porter on tap yesterday. They were all very cloudy, and Tony (the brewer) says it comes from using a bit of wheat in each beer, along with the yeast. They do not filter the beer. For me, the ESB was the best, smooth, even, nice balance, and a bit of hop tang on the finish. The bitter was my next choice, and seemed like a softer version of the ESB. The other 3 brews all seemed to lack a bit of personality, and were a bit bland. The Porter had a nice bit of roast, but was way thinner than I prefer in the style. Overall, I enjoyed stopping by, and will probably be a semi-regular visitor. I believe the beers will improve over time. Their location in Fairhaven makes them easily accessible to/from trails for hiking and biking it's near the bay for boaters/kayakers, and is a block away from a couple different bus stops. Fairhaven has a lot of stores and shops, and if you need a respite from store hopping, ST is a nice spot to take a load off.
Just ran into Tony, the brewer, and he says they have a Wit fermenting that should be ready by this weekend. It's a collab with the owner of the local homebrew shop. With the weather forecast, I think I know what I'm doing this weekend!
