You don’t have to leave Bellingham to get your IPA fix on this fine holiday (National IPA Day). We have 8 amazing local IPA’s right in our own backyard.
So,.. what is an IPA? Kulshan Brewery summarized it nicely.

“India Pale Ale was originally an English style of beer, popularized in the late 18th Century. Although stories of its invention as a style brewed to last the long voyage to India have been largely discredited, IPAs were a staple of British brewers until the 1980s. The style was fading in the U.K. until American craft brewers adopted the style, putting their own twist on it with the use of more assertive U.S.-grown hops.”

All the local IPA’s are below

Have you tried them all? Did we miss any?

Boundary Bay Brewery

IPA

7% ABV // 78 IBU // 17 OG
A honey-amber colored India Pale Ale with good body, fairly strong alcohol content and an aggressive “fresh hop” quality. One of our most popular brews!

Cedar Dust IPA

6.5% ABV // 66 IBU // 16 OG
Brewed with five varieties of big hops, all bred and grown in WA state, Cedar Dust IPA has a distinctive herbal pine, citrus aroma. The addition of Mosaic hops, provide subtle blueberry undertones followed by a spicy, earth mouthfeel. Smooth and naturally carbonated, it has a unique blend of malts (including a secret dark malts!) which provide just enough backbone to balance it’s big hop character. Complex, delicious and refreshing! As they say, a bit of wood makes a big difference.

Chuckanut Brewery

British IPA

5.8% ABV // 45 IBU // 13 OG
Light amber, complex, dry, hop bitterness & aroma
By the late 18th Century, the British were established in India and needed beer. Brewing in India was impossible (it was too hot and beer shipped overseas spoiled on the journe)y. By brewing a stronger version of Pale ale by increasing the alcohol content & adding hops to the beer container, the beer arrived in Calcutta in fine shape – clear, strong, & bitter. Using a combination of hops Chuckanut IPA is easy to drink balancing bitterness with a sturdy malt flavor.
FOOD PAIRING // Grilled meats, are very good with India Pale Ales. Excellent with roast turkey sandwiches, spicy Thai Chili Beef Salad, and our Hempler’s Brat, you won’t be disappointed!

Kulshan Brewery

BASTARD KAT IPA

“The beer that bites back!”
6.66% ABV // 70 IBU // 14.8ºP OG

Brewed with passion and precision, Bastard Kat is an American Style West Coast IPA with a prolific full hop flavor and aroma predicated upon the citrus notes of the Cascade Hop. Brewed for your next adventure.

Bastard Kat IPA is the perfect beer to pair with rich foods, where the hop bitterness will clear the palate. Think juicy steaks, braised pork or grilled salmon. Bastard Kat can also stand up to the heat of the most fiery Asian, Indian or Mexican dishes. Stinky soft cheeses are a natural with hoppy IPAs.

BULL OF THE WOODS DOUBLE IPA

7.75% ABV // 92 IBU // 16.5ºP OG

Walking down endless rows of a green forest, the onslaught of hop aroma seduces one to a time, a place, a dream, a memory, an ideal ideal. How can I put that in a pint and deliver it unto you? Never limiting, always pursuing, climbing to the top. Allow yourself to be enveloped by this blanket of hops, and dream a little dream, of a forest of green.

Food Pairings: Spicy Asian or Mexican fare, hearty pastas, pizza or stews, pork belly, artisan Bleu, Brie, crème brulee.

Aslan Brewery

BATCH 15 IPA

7.0% ABV // 65 IBU // 1.066 OG
MEDIUM BODY + CITRUSY + UNFILTERED

This hoppy creation is everything a Northwest IPA should be. It showcases the amazing resinous and piney characteristics of Simcoe, the crisp citrus of Citra, and the bitterness of Summit hops. Pouring a beautiful opaque orange, this beer is juicy, unfiltered, and delicious!

HOPS: Citra, Chinook, Palisade, Simcoe, Summit
MALT: 2-Row Pale, Wheat

AWARDS: