Tap Trail! You came out in droves to vote for Bellingham’s 2016 Best IPA in our online poll. Every single brewery on the Tap Trail made a good showing, but the Top Three showcased the roots of your taste. Bellingham’s diverse IPA offerings are a symptom of a national craze for IPAs that keep evolving and changing. Every region in the US has their own style of IPA and the Northwest is no different.
It was the Northwest that defined what an IPA was for so many people in the US: High gravity, lots of hops, floral and fruity nose. Boundary Bay set the stage for so many Northwest IPAs to come. Their original IPA developed a fierce following. But Boundary’s IPA offerings are diverse. Their Imperial IPA has won national recognition for it’s incredible balance and its most recent iteration, was the hoppiest beer in Boundary’s nearly 21 years of precedent setting.
IPA, Imperial IPA, Cedar Dust
Cedar Dust isn’t the massive hop bomb, or high gravity beast the Northwest helped originate. But at 16°P OG // IBU 66 // 6.5% ABV it still pays homage to Boundary’s hoppy progenitors.
Cedar Dust captured the palates of so many on the Tap Trail that it won Bellingham’s Best Beer of 2015. Tap Trail, you know your roots. Boundary Bay has created something that might be bigger than its beers. It has created a culture and with that culture comes many many beer lovers, so it’s no wonder that Cedar Dust has done it again.
Congrats to the Winner of Bellingham’s 2016 Best IPA…
Boundary Bay Brewery Cedar Dust IPA
You also voted these two fine breweries into the Top 3. They were neck and neck for 2nd and 3rd place and we know you are drinking both of them in high quantities. Both Wander and Kulshan have had their share of shared success in 2016 with awards and accolades. Not to mention, they just collaborated on a beer to celebrate Bellingham Beer Week!
-
- Shoe Toss IPA
-
- Sunnyland IPA
Make sure that you’re trying ALL of the IPAs on the Tap Trail – We have so many different types and styles. We mentioned the regional differences in IPAs above. You can taste regional diversity, right here on the Tap Trail with Structures Brewing’s New England/Northeastern style IPAs. Head up Hwy 542 to North Fork Brewing. Their sours and mixed fermentations are something to behold, but always try the IPA they have on tap. It’s one of my favorites! Are you heading to Bellingham’s borough of Fairhaven? Roll into Stones Throw Brewing and ask for any IPA they have on tap.
Congrats to all of Bellingham’s breweries. Also, get ready to bring it for 2016 Bellingham Beer Week in September! To checkout more of Bellingham’s Best, head here!
