Here's the spot for beery information for the year. Starting with Kendall's top 10 most read stories of last year: https://washingtonbeerblog.com/our-top-10-stories-of-2025-reflecting-on-an-eventful-year/
I am sure few of you will be able to locate this brewery on a map, but they will be closing after February 27–28, Dear Bugu Brewing Family, Brad has accepted a brewer position with Four Peaks Brewing in Arizona and will be moving on January 14th. He’s looking forward to new opportunities, warmer weather, and starting this next chapter with his wife, Kristin. While we’ll miss having him here every day, we’re excited for what’s ahead for him—and we’re definitely looking forward to visiting him in AZ! With this transition, Kipp will be wrapping up Bugu Brewing, and our final day with doors open will be February 28th. This has been an incredible run, and Kipp is ready to truly begin his retirement. ... We will be planning a gathering at the end of February to help us kill some kegs and celebrate Kipp as he kicks off his next adventure. Please save the dates: February 27–28 for our closing weekend, as we come together one last time to raise a glass and celebrate the memories we’ve made.
Hmmm. I just visited my local Vancouver brewery Trap Door for the first time this year, and found that a pint is now $9. Is this the case elsewhere as well?
Washington's minimum wage went to over $17/hr at the turn of the year (it's now over $19 here), so ownership probably jacked the price at the same time.
Boundary Bay may be gone, and something may be in future, but for now, they're pairing with another local business for a smol tasting room. From FB: "We’re excited to raise a glass to something special Mercato delle Bonta officially kicks off 2-530pm on Saturday, January 10th. As locally and family-owned businesses, we share an understanding of how much a good meal and a great beer matter when they are enjoyed together. Mercato delle Bontà’s expanded space brings Boundary Bay beer into the thoughtful, ingredient-driven setting Mercato is known for. It is a place to slow down, gather, and savor time with friends, family, and neighbors. Located in the Granary Building within downtown Bellingham’s waterfront community, the tasting room celebrates local craft, shared values, and the simple joy of coming together around the table or the tap. To help kick things off, join us for: -Chance to meet the Boundary Bay team and learn what’s next for the brand -Suggested Pairings Board highlighting Boundary Bay beers alongside Mercato menu items -Waterfront photo moment with Boundary Bay’s iconic boat -Sneak peek at future events and releases at Mercato Mercato will be a source for Boundary Bay flagship and seasonal draft and canned offerings. It will also be a place to order kegs to go. If you love Boundary Bay, you’ll love Mercato delle Bontà."
Not at Mahoneys, 3 Peaks or the Beer Tap Reserve. These are places that I frequent in the Ridgefield/ Vancouver area. At least that was the case as of a couple weeks ago. Haven't been to the Ruse waterfront spot in a bit, but I'll bet pints there are in the $9 range. They've always been pretty aggressive with their pricing.
I'm sure that most of y'all have seen the 'Millionth Beer' thread on the mainpage. I've spent some time the last few days going through some local (Whatcom/Skagit) breweries, adding beers. While doing District today, I saw that they had some Grape Lotion beers on tap at their Lynden and Ferndale locations. Blueberry Muffin at Lynden, and Top Down in Ferntucky. That's the first time I can recall seeing their beers around here, except for Elizabeth Station, and, maybe, Juxt. There's info for y'all to use, or not.
Some good news to start the year from Good Society, via Kendall: https://washingtonbeerblog.com/big-news-and-big-walt-at-the-good-society-brewery/
Lowercase Brewing shared the news that it was closing the brewery to focus all its attention and efforts on Douglas Lager. The Good Society Brewery has taken over the space and the brewing system.
Garden Path is going after the Gubmint over some labelling minutiae: https://washingtonbeerblog.com/new-lawsuit-garden-path-fermentation-v-united-states/
Presumably, there’s some advantage to filing in Eastern WA jurisdiction even though Garden Path is in Western WA. Lower case load? Judges more sympathetic to agriculture?
I have no idea about these things. Could be those things, or could be the way the judicial maps are drawn, or, something.......
I know years ago Dino Rossi filed his lawsuit to overturn the election of Christine Gregoire in Chelan County because it was considered the most conservative county in Washington at the time, and his campaign therefore assumed their odds of benefitting from sympathetic locals was highest there. Perhaps GP thinks their odds of success against the Feds are increased by filing in "Greater Idaho."
Cross post (with the smaller Spokane/E WA thread) Came across this today. They also added a buzz word. “Juicy”.
I had heard this already, but now that it's a public FB post (go to Otherlands page to see for yourself), Otherlands is now paying $2000 more per malt order, due to the tariff situation. I'mma attempt a Cut n Paste here: Hey everyone, Ben here. The effects of tariffs can seem very abstract and far away. Maybe you read about them in the news but don’t hang out with too many import merchants in your free time. For most of us it’s hard to clearly see their impact on our lives. At Otherlands Beer we buy our brewing malt directly from a small maltster we adore in Bamberg, Germany. We truly believe that their malt is a fundamental source of the character of our beer and have spent years building a relationship with them. Last year the Trump administration applied tariffs to most products imported from the European Union (as well as the rest of the world.) We Americans were told that the tariffs would help American businesses, that “other countries” would pay the tariffs, not us. The invoice pictured here shows you the tariffs and who pays them. The “Duty Deposit” circled in red represents the 15% tariff. We paid it. Otherlands Beer in Bellingham, WA. Not the EU, not the government of Germany, not our friends in Bamberg. This American small business. Yesterday, the tariff rate on many European countries was increased an additional 10%. There are threats of another 25%. While all of this is intended to bully and coerce our European friends, sadly, American small businesses will keep paying these tariffs. And whether we realize it or not, we all will.
Overt political commentary isn't allowed on BA (or at least is strongly discouraged), otherwise... Obviously, Otherland will have no alternative but to pass this on as a price increase to their customers (or so I would assume).
It's either that or find a stateside supplier to source from. But, as Ben said, there is no US equal to the malt he uses. So, its either pay the price, or make a product that's not his ideal.
Back-to-back GABF gold medal winning Trap Door Brewing has a big expansion planned for their third location https://newschoolbeer.com/home/2025/12/trap-door-brewing-prairie-view-station
