The acclaimed Melvin Brewing, which has a large Seattle following, opens a brewpub in Bellingham.
Melvin Brewing, the Wyoming brewery with a local cult following, is now open in Washington state, but not in Seattle. Bellingham, you lucky duck.
The much-loved brewery, a big hit every year during Seattle Beer Week, is having a grand opening Monday (June 19) for its 160-seat pub in Bellingham. The seven-barrel brewhouse will focus on experimental and Scandinavian-style beers, trying things like brewing with juniper branches. Those experimental brews will be available only at its Bellingham location. Melvin’s stouts and porters, which were available only in Wyoming, will now be available across Washington state.
The news is a bit heartbreaking for its local fan base, which was hoping Melvin would open in Seattle. But co-founder Jeremy Tofte, a Mount Vernon native, said Bellingham is also a cool beer city with a big snowboarding and mountain-biking community, Melvin’s demographic.
Tofte has not ruled out expanding to Seattle, but his focus is on opening a brewery in Denver in September.
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The eccentric guys behind Melvin, big rap and kung-fu flick fans, are notorious for making quite an entrance. During Seattle Beer Week, they came dressed as ninjas at one event, caused “a ruckus and left,” according to the owner at Pine Box on Capitol Hill. Last month, to promote their Mexi-lager, they hired a mariachi band to play Wu-Tang Clan songs.
The Bellingham brewhouse will be open 4 p.m.- 11 p.m. daily, at 2416 Meridian Street, Bellingham.