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josiahcox

josiahcox

Well-Known Member
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Bellingham
I finally stopped lurking on the forums here and made my own account. :)
Thanks for the awesome community here and all of the great info.
-Josiah
 
welcome Bellingham is beautiful.
i lived there as a kid for 1.5 years i may have saw you in grade school lol
 
Greetings from Stanwood!

We need to start a north-end brewclub. There's getting to be enough of us up here that can get in contact. I'd be willing to drive up to Mt Vernon for it.
 
Bellingham! I'm out in the County, despite what the location says below my avatar... So, I lied a little, but B'ham is where I work and buy most of my brewing supplies.
 
Nice to see other NW 'ers on here. :) The only other person I brew with in county is my friend Matt, but I am always down to brew with other people.

I technically live in Sandy Point but who's counting right? Where in the county are you monkey?

I'm totally down for a brew club. :)
 
ChshreCat said:
You've never dry-Whoppered before? ;)
Click to expand...

Only all the time!

I certainly hope that Cheeseburger IPA is great with cheeseburgers... But I don't actually know yet! The keg is next on tap (as soon as the raspberry ale runs dry), so the results will be in soon... This batch is my first formulation of the recipe, so I imagine I will end up tweaking it, and maybe changing the name accordingly to something like Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger IPA, Ultimate Cheeseburger IPA, or even Quarter Pounder With Cheese IPA. :D
 
I've been meaning to ask you fellow Cascadians about homebrew stores and good brewpubs in NW Washington.

We have a place in Point Roberts, so I'm officially in Washington a lot, but I'd like to check out the real 'northwest' (sorry Pt. Bobs) rather than simply just bombing down I-5 to Seattle or Portland.

Let me know when you have a chance.

Cheers.
 
My main shop is Homebrew Heaven in Everett. They have a fantastic selection of specialty grains.

My other shop is NW Brewers Supply in Anacortes. Mainly I go there for hops because I can get custom measured amounts for a better price instead of buying in 2oz packages.

I stopped by the shop in Bellingham a couple times, but don't think I'll go back.
 
ChshreCat said:
I stopped by the shop in Bellingham a couple times, but don't think I'll go back.
Click to expand...

It's pretty disorganized and sort of "Bellinghammy" wouldn't you say? Still, with the funkiness of it, I like to support local stuff, and for most things, once I figure in shipping costs, I simply can't beat Robert's prices, especially on grain (hops, now that's another story... thanks hopsdirect.com!).

Nugent said:
We have a place in Point Roberts, so I'm officially in Washington a lot, but I'd like to check out the real 'northwest' (sorry Pt. Bobs).
Click to expand...

Ah, Pt. Bob... It's BC's easily accessible, international, vacationland, hotspot. Why fly to Mexico or Hawaii when you can just drive to Pt. Bob (or Birch Bay, even)!

As for microbrews, if you haven't stopped in Bellingham at either Boundary Bay Brewery or Chuckanut Brewery, you've done yourself a great disservice! BBB makes a number of excellent west coast style ales, and Chuckanut does great continental style lagers. Food is excellent at both venues.

If you're a skier/snowboarder/hiker or just want to go for a nice drive, head up to Mt. Baker and along the way, stop at the North Fork Brewery, Beer Shrine & Wedding Chapel. It's right on the highway, can't miss. Good beer, good pizza.

And, last but not least, the Frank n' Stein in Ferndale. It's tiny, they brew 10-15 gallon batches, the four taps are constantly rotating, and the menu consists entirely of sausage (franks, if you will), but Lloyd, the owner is a great guy, and it's a cool, laid back, very local spot that I like to stop by somewhat regularly.

I'll also throw the Archer Alehouse in the mix, too. It's just a pub, not a microbrewery, but they have a very impressive beer list. The Archer is in Fairhaven, that quaint, old-timey-yet-increasingly-hipster part of Bellingham near the Alaska Ferry Terminal.
 
frolickingmonkey said:
It's pretty disorganized and sort of "Bellinghammy" wouldn't you say? Still, with the funkiness of it, I like to support local stuff, and for most things, once I figure in shipping costs, I simply can't beat Robert's prices, especially on grain (hops, now that's another story... thanks hopsdirect.com!).
Click to expand...

It was a combination of lack of selection in anything and the overall grungy dirtyness of the place that put me off.

That, an they keep the yeast sitting in a rack on a desk instead of in a fridge.
 
+1 Boundary Bay
+1 Archer for a great Public House feel. (Real Darts!)
+1 North Fork
+10 Chuckanut. If you don't know already it was started a year ago by Will Kemper. If you stop by and he's got time, prepared to be bombarded with info. He is STILL a homebrewer at heart.
I have not been to HB Heaven or the B'ham store. NW brewers is a good store and I too love that they'll take your IBU calcs, weigh out the bags and number the additions for you. Larry and Trevor are both great.
Mount Vernon has three pubs that are popular down here. Trumpeter Public House, Empire Alehouse and Porterhouse are dedicated to great beers.

EDIT: As for Breweries in the MV area, Skagit River, LaConner, Anacortes Brewery, and Birdsview. Anacortes has a Brown Ale aged in a Bourbon cask that is the best beer I have ever had.
 
I was so enchanted with North Fork during a trip up yon that I had to stop and take a picture. Unfortunately, I was in too much of a hurry to stop.

profilepic30899_1.gif
 
ChshreCat said:
It was a combination of lack of selection in anything and the overall grungy dirtyness of the place that put me off.
Click to expand...

I guess that's what I mean by a general "Bellinghamyness." :D


ChshreCat said:
That, an they keep the yeast sitting in a rack on a desk instead of in a fridge.
Click to expand...

There is a fridge full of yeast in addition to that rack... I ALWAYS pull stock from the fridge when I buy Nottingham and wonder to myself, "Who the crap is buying this stuff on the front desk?"

In conclusion, I totally understand why you'll never go back. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to shop there, but it's so damn convenient for me... Unless they run out of stuff I need... Which happens sometimes...

northernlad said:
As for Breweries in the MV area, Skagit River, LaConner, Anacortes Brewery, and Birdsview. Anacortes has a Brown Ale aged in a Bourbon cask that is the best beer I have ever had.
Click to expand...

I've only been to Anacortes Brewery once, but the beers I had were fantastic, so +1 to northernlad's recommendation. Food was decent, but the service was some of the worst I've ever had, however. I have a friend who, until recently, worked up in Diablo and would stop at the Birdsview Brewery from time to time. Apparently it has changed ownership and improved a lot in the last year, going from skunky and funky, to making some pretty good brews. Plus, it's a helluva scenic drive up the Skagit and over the North Cascades!
 
frolickingmonkey said:
Apparently it has changed ownership and improved a lot in the last year, going from skunky and funky, to making some pretty good brews.
Click to expand...
This is news to me. I was talking to the brewer/owner's wife a week or so ago and she told me that her husband homebrewed for a year or two then went about setting up their shop. I may be missing a portion of the timeline however.
North Cascades Highway = Awesome
 
northernlad said:
This is news to me. I was talking to the brewer/owner's wife a week or so ago and she told me that her husband homebrewed for a year or two then went about setting up their shop. I may be missing a portion of the timeline however.
North Cascades Highway = Awesome
Click to expand...

Well, my info is second or third hand, so I'm sure that your information is more accurate. I am likely totally wrong about this, and there's been no change of ownership and he's simply become a better brewer in the last year or something. Whatever the case, I'm still very curious and I need to go for a scenic drive (or climb some mountains or try some new trails down that way) and stop in there sometime...
 
North Corner Brewing Supply is VERY Bellinghammy. :) It's not really a bad thing. You just have to get used to the fact that the store is a little disorganized and that the selection on hand may not be great due to the volume that they sell.
They DO keep their liquid yeasts in a fridge. I'm not sure what ChshreCat saw but I'm in this place all the time and I have never seen liquid yeast out. Not saying your wrong by the way. :)

If your looking for places to drink good beer, Frolicking listed most of my fave's. I'd also include the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern and belive it or not..... Pizza Pipeline in Bellingham. The Green Frog has great stuff (lots of NW and other US micros) on tap and a laid back atmosphere. Pizza Pipeline just remodeled and now they are a fully functioning pub with a great tap selection.

Side note, I just got my first Imperial IPA into the primary on Friday. I'm hoping it will be my Christmas beer alongside a chocolate stout I'm going to be doing next week. :)
 
This was an extract batch. I almost have everything I need to go AG, but not quite.

10lb light extract
12oz wheat malt
4oz dextrin
4oz arromatic malt
2tsp gyp 1 tsp I Moss
2oz Magnum @60
2oz NZ Green Bullet @10
2oz NZ Green Bullet @0

It tasted prety good when we put it in the fermentor Friday night. It reached high krausen sometime last night so it's going into the secondary after work today. The OG was a little lower than we were shooting for but I'm hoping for around a 8.5% to 9%. It's also going to get dry hopped with some homegrown Cascade hops.
The calculated OG was suposed to be 1.070, any ideas why I would have been a little shy of that?
We did use a yeast starter on her. The temp did get up to 76 on Sunday (someone covered the fermentor housing with a thick blanket :mad: ) but other than that I think it should come out tasting pretty nice.
 
I love B'ham, is the Beaver still going? Also hit the bivalve bash if you can.
P.S. did you go to Mt Vernon give the key to an idiot day?
 
josiahcox said:
This was an extract batch. I almost have everything I need to go AG, but not quite.

10lb light extract
12oz wheat malt
4oz dextrin
4oz arromatic malt
2tsp gyp 1 tsp I Moss
2oz Magnum @60
2oz NZ Green Bullet @10
2oz NZ Green Bullet @0

It tasted prety good when we put it in the fermentor Friday night. It reached high krausen sometime last night so it's going into the secondary after work today. The OG was a little lower than we were shooting for but I'm hoping for around a 8.5% to 9%. It's also going to get dry hopped with some homegrown Cascade hops.
The calculated OG was suposed to be 1.070, any ideas why I would have been a little shy of that?
We did use a yeast starter on her. The temp did get up to 76 on Sunday (someone covered the fermentor housing with a thick blanket :mad: ) but other than that I think it should come out tasting pretty nice.
Click to expand...

Sweet. I think I'll throw that in after the porter I want to do after the Wheat in #1. Let me know how it turns out.
 
For sure I will let you know how it turns out. I'm torn between a Stout or a porter next. All I know is that it needs to be dark, real dark. :)
Anyone have a good extract batch suggestion? High ABV would be nice too.
 
Welcome Josiah! How's Bellingham these day? I used to live near Mt. Vernon (I guess that's not exactly close is it).

Cheers!
Ben
 
Cheers Ben,
Bellingham is doing pretty well. I still love living here and I try not to brag about it too much to keep. It has everything I need. If you can get a good job here it is a fantastic place to live.
Mt. V is pretty damn close at least for us west coasters. :) How is Corvallis? I havn't been down in your neck of the woods since this last spring. I'm hoping to do a Oregon coast pub crawl again this next spring.
 

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