As the craft beer scene in Bellingham has grown, so have many of our palettes and the array of beer we enjoy on a day to day basis. The Pacific Northwest has earned the reputation of being IPA snobs, but many don’t know that we are all expanding our horizons.

For some of us, discovering sour beer was one of the best developments in our drinking lives. Whether we’re crushing an Urban Family bottled sour or a six pack of Kulshan’s raspberry gose, it’s the summer of the sour.

Lucky for you, Bellingham’s favorite bottle shop is hosting Bellingham Sour Fest this weekend, where you can indulge in sours from breweries near and far.

On Saturday, July 28, Elizabeth Station and it’s parking lot will be full of sour-lovers and beer-lovers in general. Not only is there something for everyone at Elizabeth Station, who carries over 1,000 different beers and ciders, but they specialize in a well-curated tap list of beers you may not otherwise find in Bellingham.

This year’s theme for Sour Fest is raspberries, which seems to be an emerging local trend, after Kulshan’s raspberry gose, Structures’ raspberry FUZZ IPA, and Aslan’s multiple takes on beers infused with raspberry like Disco Lemonade berliner weisse and Captain Ron IPA.

At Sour Fest, you can order at the main bar inside Elizabeth Station where they will have up to 24 different raspberry sours, as well as an assortment of other critically acclaimed sours.

In years past, you have needed to buy tickets in advance for Sour Fest. This made the division between walk-in customers and event-goers difficult to distinguish, and sours are for everybody! For Sour Fest 2018, you won’t need to buy a ticket in advance, but instead can buy tokens for 5 ounce pours. This will average out to about $4 for a 5 oz pour, and considering the price of sours these days, Elizabeth Station is aiming to keep things affordable.

So far, Elizabeth Station has been aiming to do collaborations for Sour Fest, as well as curate a tap list of local and sours you can’t find every day. As a sneak preview, some local brews you may be able to find at Sour Fest include Wander’s Raspberry Champagne Toast, North Fork’s Electric Berryland Raspberry, and Boundary Bay’s raspberry version of their Citra Weisse.

From beyond Bellingham, you can find brews from Almanac, Firestone Walker, Pfriem, TRVE, Crooked Stave, and more. Elizabeth Station also collaborated for a non-alcoholic option, a special-release raspberry kombucha from Kombucha Town.

Non-beer drinkers can get in on the raspberry theme too. There will be plenty of raspberry mead and cider to pick from as well.

The event will be held at Elizabeth Station, located at 1400 W. Holly Street from 12-8 pm. Elizabeth Station will still be open for regular business, meaning it’s not a 21+ event.

We’re looking forward to it just as much as you are, and are ready to get our berliner weisse on.