Well, the models are calling for a dry day on Christmas. So no. No snow. It looks like we will be going into a split pattern by the end of the week. Or maybe a retrograde low which might spell some snow, but to early to tell. Over all the pattern will be less active. No windstorms, snow storms, or flooding. Boring!! As for today, we might see some mixed precip with snow by evening. Don’t count on any accumulations by the water. maybe a dusting on the higher hills.

Winter is here.

From all of us here at Boundary Bay Brewery, we wish you the happiest of holidays.  May you have much laughter, joy and love surround you as we ease out of one year and into the next.  We opened our doors almost 15 years ago and, through those years, have been lucky to celebrate many of our holidays with the very community that supports us.

This year, we will be open on Christmas Eve with our regular menu until 4:00 pm.  Then, from 5-8  pm we’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve with an All You Can Eat Pasta Feed!  Families are welcome and reservations are recommended.  We will close early on Christmas Eve and will be closed Christmas Day to celebrate the holidays.  On New Years Eve and New Years Day we’ll be open for our regular hours and we’ll be partying hard New Years Eve with No Fi Soul Rebellion and Guinness and the Reparations.

Come celebrate your holidays with us here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  Here, you are our family.  Cheers, everyone!

Hoppy Holidays from your local craft brewery, Boundary Bay!

Yesterday, the Washington State Supreme Court issued its decision in the Goldstar Resorts v.  Futurewise matter.    This case involves challenges to Whatcom County’s rural zoning designations.    Central to this case is whether the County appropriately designated Limited Areas of More Intensive Development (“LAMIRDs”).  See my earlier blog posts for more information on LAMIRDs.

On this issue, the Supreme Court ruled  held that the County did not properly designate LAMIRDs when the County revised its comprehensive plan in 2005.  Essentially, the Supreme Court affirmed the original ruling by the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board (“Hearings Board”)  with regard to this issue.  Consequently, the County has been charged with creating logical boundaries around rural areas containing preexisting development.

Importantly, however, the Supreme Court has remanded this case to the Hearings Board to reconsider its ruling on the validity of  some of the County’s rural zoning designations.  The Hearings Board had originally held that, outside of LAMIRDs,  areas zoned for densities at greater than 5 units per acre (i.e. R1A, R2A, RR2, RR1, etc.) were not rural in nature and thus not compliant with the State’s Growth Management Act (“GMA”).

In remanding this issue to the  Board, the Supreme Court held that there is no “bright line” rule as to what densities are appropriate in rural areas.  The Hearings Board will thus be required to consider the overall character of an area rather than using a strict density rule to determine what is rural under the GMA.

As further discussed in my prior postings on this issue, the County has been working on designating LAMIRDs in compliance with statutory requirements; and work on the County’s rural element will continue into next year.  The Supreme Court’s ruling should not necessarily cause the County to change course on this work except to the extent that the County need not be bound by any “bright line” rule as to what amount of density per acre should be allowed in the rural areas.

For more information on the County’s LAMIRD designation process, see the County’s Rural Element website.

Here at Boundary Bay Brewery, we love supporting small local businesses.  It’s just fun for us to help keep this community strong and healthy…and to get to know our neighbors really, really well!  This Christmas, we’re very lucky to be selling glass ornaments made specifically for us by another Bellingham company: Glassworks Northwest.  You can pick up pint glass ornaments ($10 ea.)in a variety of beer shades…ranging from a nice light blonde to a deep, dark stout color.  Or, if you prefer your beer in bigger batches, grab one of the growler ornaments ($14 ea.) labeled with our various beers.  This fun ornament would make a great gift for any beer lover…or fan of Boundary Bay Brewery!  And, it’s locally made which, in our opinion, makes it even better!  The owner of Glassworks Northwest has loved glass for many years and makes lots of great ornaments, garden art and jewelry.  Go check out her Etsy shop…and when you purchase any of her products, a portion of that sale will be donated to the local Humane Society and no-kill shelters that help animals in need.  So, really, this is a total win-win situation…you can come here to your local craft brewery, purchase an ornament made by another Bellingham company, AND help animals in need by purchasing Glassworks Northwest art.  What better time than the holidays to spread that kind of love?!

Christmas Eve is a time of traditions, of gathering together with the people you love most and of eating lovely, decadent meals that stretch long into the evening.  Here at Boundary Bay Brewery, we’ve made it our tradition to invite the community into our place to share a special meal with us on Christmas Eve.

For years now, we’ve been holding an all you can eat pasta buffet on the night before Christmas and it brings us great joy to share such a special time with our community.  And, by the way, all are welcome…regardless of where you stand on the Christmas issue.  This night is about sharing a meal, about coming together as a community and about having a lot of fun!  On December 24th, we’ll be serving our regular menu until around 3 or 4 pm.  Then, we’ll be setting up for our feast!

From 5-8 pm you can join us for ceaser salad, garlic bread and all you can eat pasta…with tons of pasta options to choose from!  You can fill up on spaghetti and meatballs, fettucini alfredo, shrimp capellini, lasagna (both a meat version AND a vegetarian one!), pasta puttanesca (a vegetarian version!), pasta primavera (also vegetarian!) and/or chicken pesto penne!  I mean, seriously…there’s gotta be something for everyone on that list!  This tends to be a pretty popular night here at the brewery, so we strongly recommend reservations for this event.

Call the brewery at 360-647-5593 to reserve your spot with us on Christmas Eve!  $15 per person. $10 for kids 10 years and under.

Earlier this month, the  Bellingham City Council directed Staff to review options for implementing an inclusionary zoning law.   Inclusionary zoning ordinances mandate that developers make a portion of their project affordable to low to moderate income households.  Inclusionary zoning programs often include density bonuses in an attempt to offset project costs and compensate for reduced profits.  Whether these density bonuses truly are adequate offsets is up to debate.

One reason that inclusionary zoning is  controversial is that, as a practical matter, it taxes developers to pay for what is in fact a community wide problem.  The question thus arises as to whether it is fair to make individual developers pay for an affordable housing problem that affects the city as whole.

A study undertaken by HUD, indicates that inclusionary zoning ordinances in California resulted in an increase in single family home prices and an increase in the number of multifamily unit developments.   Although  inclusionary zoning in Bellingham may not have exactly the same results, this study should be considered in determining whether inclusionary zoning is a suitable option here.

Other options do exist to create more affordable housing including incentive zoning and creation of a housing trust fund.  Incentive zoning is a voluntary approach whereby a municipality waives certain requirements for developers or provides density bonuses in exchange for the developer providing affordable housing.   Bellingham has already implemented this approach in certain neighborhoods, including Old Town.

The City Council is scheduled to revisit this matter in February and will need to decide whether to use a carrot vs. stick approach (incentive vs. inclusionary zoning) in regard to providing new affordable housing.  Alternatively, the City could create a housing  trust fund and/or promote existing infill techniques, such as attached and unattached dwelling units, carriage houses, etc. to create a  more diverse and affordable housing stock.

The Council will also need to decide what type of affordable housing is needed in Bellingham, is it lower-priced single family homes? or affordable rental housing for those who cannot or do not desire to own a home? more multi-family housing? or some combination of these?  Stay tuned for further updates on this important issue.

Big news for our little brewery!  We were named the 2009 Small Business of The Year by the Bellingham/Whatcom County Chamber of Commerce last week.  And, earlier in December, we were awarded Best Brewery in Washington State by the Readers Choice Awards in the Northwest Brewing News publication.  These particular awards matter a great deal to us because they represent what the people who support our business think of what we do.  We have been fortunate to win many beer awards and each of those medals signal a triumph in the craft beer community.  But the awards we’ve received this month, reflect our connection to our community of customers, neighbors, friends and fans who make it possible for us to keep doing what we do. We have always tried to make strong connections with our customers and our community…in the hopes of making Bellingham as a whole a stronger community.  These awards make us feel like we’ve succeeded in doing just that.  Thank you, from all of us here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  And cheers!  (great image of our brewery posted on a Bellingham blog by lizziviggi.)

Well, We have a little storm coming in. Cold air is still in place do to the Frasier Outflow. NWS issued a winter weather advisory for today. Now,, here is the question. How much more snow will we get? It all depends on how much warm air will infiltrate and how fast. It won’t take much for Bellingham City Proper. Yesterday a slight breeze came up out of the SW and the temp rose into the high 30’s. The flow turned NE and dropped it back down last night. Further into the interior it will take longer. Places like Ferndale, Lynden and Blaine will be the last to see the transition. Bottom line-Snow mixed with rain in Bellingham proper and snow the further you travel away from the water and to the NE.  Then again if the wind stays NE as the precip starts we could see 1-2 inches here in Bellingham….We will see. Rest of the week looks wet and warmer.

I see trees of white, sky’s of gray, I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Well maybe on Sunday. The next couple of days should be non eventful. A few snow flurries maybe mixed in with some stronger snow showers. Sunday is the day to watch for. The NWS is starting to hedge their bets on some sort of event (snow advisory,winter storm warning). But they won’t commit on the event. Give it another 24hrs and the models and some good old human intuition will give us a better picture. None the less we should prepare a little. Monday morning could be a bit messy.

I was reading the Seattle Times earlier and came across an article by Seattle Times reporter Tan Vinh about the new Whatcom Lightcatcher Museum. I just thought it was so dope that the new Whatcom Museum is becoming such a big hit not just amongst the people of Bellingham, but of the entire state and beyond.

The museum opened its doors a few weeks ago on November 14th after a 12 year construction effort.  According to the museum’s website it is named for its focal point and most innovative feature — a spectacular, translucent wall 37 feet high and 180 feet long, that captures the Northwest’s most precious natural resource: sunlight. The 42,000-square-foot-building integrates natural materials native to the region and will be the first museum in Washington designed and registered to LEED Silver-Level specifications.

The glowing 38 foot high walls attracted nearly 5,000 people on opening day alone. I’m sure the city is hoping that the number of people walking through the doors stays at a consistently high number in order to justify the 18.3 million dollar price tag that came with it. I’ll be heading up to Bellingham within the next few weeks so a glance at the 42,000 square foot contemporary art collection is somewhere in my foreseeable future.

This holiday season the Downtown Bellingham Partnership wants you to shop downtown when checking people off your holiday list…they’ve even arranged for FREE parking every weekday during lunch (11:30-1:30pm) to sweeten the deal!  Shopping downtown during the holidays is just one more way that the Bellingham community can be supportive of our local, independently owned businesses. Keeping your dollars local enhances the livability of our community, the stability and diversity of the local economy, and the retention and expansion of independent, NW Washington owned businesses.  You’ll find gifts for everyone downtown…from sweet, funky home decor at Digs to one of a kind pieces at Allied Arts.  How about outdoor gear for all your athletes at Backcountry Essentials or fun toys and great clothes for the little ones at Kids Northwest.  While you’re downtown, shopping locally, drop by Boundary Bay Brewery for a quick lunchtime fuel up!  We’ve got a rotating soup of the day menu (see the calendar online!) and lots of menu items featuring local ingredients sure to please any appetite.  What strikes your fancy…our Great Northwest smoked salmon pizza, a lamb burger or our legendary Mac and Cheese?  How about a spinach salad or our infamous Yam Alechiladas?  We’ll cook it for fresh for you and have you out shopping again in no time!

But don’t forget to check out our Brewtique on your way out!  We’ve been stocking up for the holidays and we’ve got lots of great gifts for everyone on your list…be they naughty or nice!  Yes, we’ve got lots and lots of hoodies with our Save the Ales slogan on it, but we’ve also got women’s clothing, tons of hats and great stocking stuffers like bike stickers, keychains and water bottles.  Plus lots and lots more!  Need some gift ideas? Grab one of our brewing equipment series t-shirts, a few Boundary Bay 22’s and a bottle opener key chain for the craft beer enthusiast.  Get your uncle in Seattle who’s visited a couple times and loves Boundary one of our baseball hats and our 2010 calendar that features Boundary events, regional beer festivals and national craft beer events!  Your friends who just had kids will really appreciate the Boundary Bay-bie bib or one of our baby t-shirts…maybe even a root beer t-shirt for the older brother or sister.  We guarantee your room mate will love a growler of our Cabin Fever or a couple of our 22 oz. bottles tucked under the Christmas tree!  And your cycling buddy will kick off the new year right with one of our cycling jerseys, a brand new bike stickers and a sweet stainless steel water bottle to keep them hydrated on all their adventures.  Your friend who practically LIVES at the disc golf course in Cornwall park would love one of our driver or putter (or both!) disc golf discs and a few 22’s for his backpack!  And for the outdoor lover on your list, we’ve got new beanies coming in from Coal and new fleece jackets with our diamond logo embroidered on them.  You can find t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and clothes for the whole family…or we’ve got gift cards (good for food, beer and/or merchandise) if you just can’t decide what they’d love the most.  We’ve got personal shoppers in our Brewtique to be on hand from 4-8 pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and from 12-8pm on Saturdays.  During those hours, our merchandise area will be staffed with people to ring you up, grab you different sizes and check our back stock for whatever you don’t see out on the racks.  But, don’t worry…if you can’t make it down here to the brewery during the Brewtique hours, you can always just take your purchases up to the bar to buy them or you can shop online!

Hoppy Holidays from Boundary Bay Brewery…your local brewing company.  Cheers!

I know, I know.

Winter is upon us and we all feel very lazy.  That coupled with the stress of the holiday season makes for a town full of lazy, stressed-out people.  How exactly, to deal with this early winter funk?  Well y’all, I recommend something funky.  For a good cause of course.  Your $4 cover (and ALL the money raised from the show) will go to support the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center.

Friday, December 4 Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro will be host to that funky thing to pull you out of your winter funk.  Join us at 10:30 pm for Portland, OR’s Quick & Easy Boys deftly mix country, blues, classic rock with generous helpings of down and dirty funk with a sound that falls somewhere between Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show and Funkadelic.

Observe:

And attend:

We are oh so happy to announce that Boundary Bay Brewery has just been named the Best Brewery in Washington State by the Northwest Brewing News 2009 Readers Choice poll!

Each year, the publication asks hundreds of readers to vote online or by mail for best beer, best homebrew store, best bartender, best beer store, and best brewery…among many, many other categories.  We are honored to receive these awards, particularly because they are from the readers of Northwest Brewing News.  These are the people we make our beer for, the people who come in on a regular basis and sample our craft.  Sure, we brew beers that we like to drink, but with Reader’s Choice awards like this, we get to see that we brew beers that YOU like to drink as well!  And that really, really matters to us.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you!  Not only to those who voted in this Readers Choice poll, but to all of our loyal customers, friends and fans who have supported us through the years.  We opened our doors in 1995 and have been lucky enough to have been a part of a supportive, involved community since the very beginning.  While our mission has always been to brew craft beers that are excellent examples of classic styles, it has always been equally important for us to have a strong connection to our community.  I think there’s a reason Boundary Bay Brewery has been dubbed “Pure Bellingham.”  And that matters a whole lot to us!

The official results will be printed in the Winter issue of Northwest Brewing News which comes out January 17th.  Click here to subscribe online!

Ski Lift Chocolate Mousse

After Thanksgiving, we’ll be serving up a new Winter Dessert Menu here at Boundary Bay Brewery.  We like to offer up desserts that celebrate the flavors of the season and this new Winter Menu is full of hearty, warming desserts perfect to ward off any winter chill!  Look for our new menu during the first week of December!

Winter Crumble

Winter Crumble: a sweet walnut crumble tops a wintery fruit filling of pears, apples, dried figs and cranberries.  Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  A sweet treat to balance the bitter winds of winter.

Ski-Lift Chocolate Mousse:  a rich chocolate mousse spiked with peppermint schnapps!  One bite and you might think you’re dining in a chalet up on Mt. Baker with this new take on a winter warm-up enjoyed by powder hounds around the world.

Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate Stout Ice Cream Cake: house made caramel ice cream is sandwiched between layers of bittersweet chocolate cake smothered in a warm chocolate sauce.  Both the cake and the sauce are flavored with Boundary Bay Brewery’s own Oatmeal Stout.  A great dessert for sharing…if you have the will power!

Sticky Pecan Pumpkin Cake:  Thanksgiving has come and gone but if you haven’t had your fill of Autumn flavors you CAN have your cake and eat it too!  Pumpkin pie meets pecan pie in this delicious cake with a sticky sweet layer of caramelized pecans covering a decadent pumpkin cake topped with Oatmeal Stout caramel sauce.

Sticky Pecan Pumpkin Cake

Next Tuesday, the Whatcom County Council will be holding a public hearing regarding proposed changes to its urban growth areas (UGAs).  The current proposal eliminates much of the existing Ferndale and Blaine UGAs and also removes portions of the Bellingham and Lynden UGAs.

Advocates for reducing the size of UGAs throughout Whatcom County do so on the basis of limiting and/or halting “sprawl.”  Although the term “sprawl” often gets bandied about in land use discussions, the term is rarely used correctly.

Sprawl is often used as a catch-all term to encompass any type of development outside of an established neighborhood.  Washington’s Growth Management Act, however, refers to “sprawl” as the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into sprawling, low-density development.  Thus, sprawl is not development in or expansion of an urban growth area per se.

Cities, especially Bellingham, have had a difficult time promoting the infilling and densification of existing neighborhoods.  As a consequence, denser development has occurred at the edges of cities and outside of city limits and within adjacent urban growth areas.

Development at the edge of a city or within its urban growth area is not “sprawl” if the development is urban in nature.   Residential development at more than 4 units per acre and/or commercial or mixed use development adequately served by utilities and transportation facilities are examples of urban types of development.

In preventing “sprawl” counties must consider what in fact causes low density development in rural areas and whether reducing UGAs encourages or discourages further development in rural areas.  In other words, those concerned about sprawl should consider the ramifications of shrinking urban growth areas to such an extent that lack of land availability leads to low density development in rural areas – “sprawl.”

Last week, around here at least, it officially became a new season.  Our Beer Garden here at Boundary Bay Brewery closed up for winter when the hop vines were cut back and the tent was taken down.  Thankfully, saying goodbye to our beer garden season also means saying hello to Cabin Fever and to the beginning of the holidays.

Cabin Fever, our winter seasonal beer, was released at the beginning of November and has been on tap here at the brewery since.  Next week, on Wednesday November 25th, Cabin Fever will finally be available in our 22 oz. bottles too!  (And, luckily, our new 4-pack carriers for 22’s will be available then too!)  For those of us here in Bellingham, the appearance of Boundary’s Cabin Fever signals the opening of Mt. Baker (hopefully!) and the beginning of skiing/snowboarding season.  It conjures up memories of past winter nights being warmed by this big, hearty beer and the spicy stews or rich winter dishes this beer pairs so well with.  For me, it is a tradition…a ritual that I need to mark the coming of winter.

And, speaking of traditions, Thanksgiving is once again upon us.  We will be open on Thanksgiving from 10-2…for beer to go ONLY. There will be no food service or bar service available.  But, you can stop in and grab a few 22’s, a growler or even a couple kegs to grace your Thanksgiving feast.  Now THAT’S something to be thankful for!! On Friday, November 27th, we’ll reopen for business as usual and take part in Downtown Bellingham’s Shop Where Your Heart Is event.  Fight Black Friday madness and Buy Local instead.  Help make our community stronger and celebrate downtown with a week-long independent holiday extravaganza! This year’s event includes specials at participating businesses, live music, free refreshments and prizes to welcome you to the holiday season downtown! Visit www.DowntownBellingham.com for a list of participating businesses…including us.  During Shop Where Your Heart Is you can score 15% off our new 4 pack 22 oz. bottle carriers…with mix and match 22’s!

Our Christmas Brew-tique will be up and running and jam-packed with Boundary Bay goodies to satisfy your holiday gift shopping needs!  We’ve got lots of new stuff coming in like fleece jackets, winter hats and stickers for your bicycle.  Plus, all the old favorites you’ve come to love (like disc golf discs and bike jerseys)…and some new colors for our traditional hoodies and t-shirts too!  Starting Wednesday, November 25th, a personal shopper will be at your disposal between 4-8pm Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and 12-8 pm on Saturdays  to help you stock up for the season!  But don’t worry, you’re not out of luck if those hours don’t work for you.  If you’re shopping during other hours, you can just take your bounty up to the bar to purchase it or shop online through our website.

Bring on the holidays…Boundary Bay Brewery is ready!

Add a little Boundary Bay to your holiday!  Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro kitchen manager Ben Glass shares a simple flavor injected turkey recipe that uses Boundary Bay Brewing Co.’s Blonde Ale.

Join us for the opening reception of Harvest on Saturday, November 21st from 10am-11am at Boundary Bay Brewery.  Find a great gift for the locavore or art lover in your life-perfect for the holidays. This is an art show you can feel good about…a local artist, celebrating the local agriculture of our region, showcased in your local brewery: Boundary Bay!  Complimentary coffee and baked goods, too!

Erica Epperson’s show, Harvest, celebrates the relationship between locavores and the land that feeds them.  She works in both acyrlics and oils to capture the beauty of everyday life as well as to honor the connection between people and the sustenance that the earth provides for them.  Epperson relies heavily on photographs she takes of food she has grown and eaten herself.  From running a sign-making business to mural painting to opening a tattoo studio, Erica Epperson is a self-taught artist who has had art as a consistent theme in her life. Her painting style shows definite influences from both art deco painters and WPA murals.  She now finds rich inspiration from Bellingham, which she currently calls home.
Harvest (works by local artist Erica Epperson)
Opening Reception
Saturday, November 21st  10am-11am
Boundary Bay Brewery
1107 Railroad Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225

View oil and acrylic works by local artist Erica Epperson at Boundary Bay Brewery from November 15th through January 1st.

Slowing down to

identify a cool bird,

almost got rear-ended.

As part of his 2010 Budget Presentation, Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike has proposed establishment of an Office of Economic Development & Business Relations within the City’s Planning and Community Development department.   The Mayor’s proposal includes a business hot line and collaboration with local businesses to promote economic development.

The Mayor’s emphasis on business development is laudable.  For progress to be made in this area, however, the City also needs to consider how its comprehensive planning and land use policies encourage or discourage business development in Bellingham.

Next year, the City will be starting the review process for the update of its Comprehensive Plan. The City’s Comprehensive Plan is  a guide for the physical economic, and social development of the city.   In the past, comprehensive planning has tended to focus on land use policies, preservation of neighborhood character, and accommodation of future population growth.   Although these are critical issues that need to be addressed, historically, little attention has  focused on economic development.

Over the past few years, Bellingham  has seen a number of local businesses move to Ferndale and elsewhere in Whatcom County.  The  loss of these businesses results in the loss of city revenues and job opportunities.  In order to reverse this trend, a lot of hard work will need to go into balancing community planning and economic development goals.

As part of its Comprehensive Plan update, the City should focus on economic development planning in addition to and in conjunction with  land use, environmental, transportation, and capital facilities planning. Given the current recession and city budgetary woes, economic development planning is critical to achieve community sustainability.

For more information on the Comprehensive Plan update, see the City of Bellingham Planning Commission website for meeting times and planning schedules.