On Saturday, Dec. 10, Darach Brewing held its grand opening in Bellingham. The brewery and taproom is now ready for business at 1015 N. State St. in the former Firefly Lounge and Green Frog location.
Owners Emily Nichols and Shawn Vail met at Crucible Brewing in 2018. Both had spent several years in the beer industry — Nichols giving tours at Redhook and working front-of-house roles at several Snohomish breweries, and Vail brewing for Stone Brewing and various Washington breweries. They both worked at Garden Path Fermentation in Burlington, where they gained a deeper understanding of mixed fermentation and spontaneous beer.
Nichols and Vail dreamed of opening their own brewery taproom. After making several trips to Bellingham during the research phase, they fell in love with the local beer scene and decided to open their business here. To stand out from the crowd, they plan to offer farmhouse-style and oak barrel-aged beers.
“We’re planning on doing a lot of mixed fermentation and spontaneous beers along with bourbon barrel or spirit barrel aging,” Vail said. “We’re going to have a lot of oak barrels here, so that was kind of the inspiration for the name.”
The name “Darach” (pronounced “dar-rock”) is Gaelic for “oak.”
Darach Brewing offers crowlers of beer to go. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Nichols and Vail have worked tirelessly to transform the former music venue into a brewery and taproom. Gone are the stage, sound booth and raised seating from the Firefly and Green Frog. New flooring, cozy bistro seating and a mural by local artist Gretchen Leggitt create a warm taproom atmosphere. Games and playing cards are available for entertainment.
Back at the bar, a beautiful new oak-round bar top was constructed by local woodworker Carpenter Ant. Head out on the deck for heated outdoor seating. Darach grows hops on the deck, which are harvested, dried and will eventually be used in spontaneously-fermented coolship beers, which take one to three years to mature.
Darach opened with five of its own beers on tap. In addition to a porter and hazy pale, two saisons and a “raw ale” were available. Having never tried the style before, I was excited to learn more about it.
“The reason it’s called raw ale is because it’s not boiled. And so with that, you get a lot more of the grain character,” Vail explained. “We used Skagit Valley Malt on that — it’s a really good showcase of their malt.”
I tried a sample, and the grain does indeed come through on Trip to the Farm Raw Ale — a Norwegian-style farmhouse beer. I’ve tasted many, many beers made with Skagit Valley Malt, and few fully express the valley’s unique terroir. Darach’s raw ale is refreshingly grain-forward, yet light-bodied and drinkable. I’ll be ordering a pint (or two) on my next visit.
The Darach Brewing logo shines on the new mash tun of the brewhouse in the basement of the building. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
The brewery’s opening tap list also features three collaboration beers — a wee heavy ale, imperial stout and an American pilsner. Two guest taps are available from Garden Path Fermentation. A local cider from Bellingham Cider Company — plus three wine options — round out the offerings. Beer is available on draft and to-go in crowlers.
For food, Darach offers packaged snacks including Hempler’s meat sticks and Po Papa’s Nuts. You’re also welcome to bring your own food.
Darach Brewing is all-ages and dog-friendly. The taproom is open Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). Check Darach’s website for current hours.
Terramar Distillery in Edison recently released two new small-batch whiskeys — Violetta and Talisman. Try both at Terramar, or pick up a gift box to-go. (Photo courtesy of Terramar Distillery)
Beer and spirits news
• El Sueñito Brewing is finishing up construction in Sunnyland. Expect to see its doors open soon. In the meantime, you can taste El Sueñito’s latest collaboration beer, Baya Gose, made with Aslan Brewing. Available in cans at Aslan, this summery brew blends raspberries, strawberries, coriander and sea salt for a tart, dry, low-alcohol refreshment.
• The North Fork Brewery is celebrating 25 years with raffles, giveaways and four anniversary beers. The first celebration was held Dec. 13 at North Fork’s Bellingham Barrel House. On Wednesday, Dec. 14, the North Fork Brewery in Deming celebrates from 4–8 p.m. Stop by either location to pick up special wax-capped bottles to go.
• Bellewood Distillery recently earned accolades for its Holiday Cinnamon Aged Vodka. The seasonal spirit won Gold in the “Flavored Vodka” category of Sip magazine’s Best of the Northwest competition.
• Terramar Distillery has released two new small-batch whiskeys — Violetta and Talisman. According to a social media post, both are “identically crafted … with the only variable being the winter barley base malt.” Violetta barley is grown in North Carolina and malted in Skagit Valley, while Talisman is grown and malted in Skagit Valley. Try both at Terramar, or pick up a gift box to-go.
Brandon Fralic’s Drink Cascadia column runs every other Wednesday. Reach him at drinkcascadia@gmail.com.
