This brewery focused on lagers and ales is coming to downtown Bellingham
CORRECTION: The name of the business was corrected on May 16, 2022.
A new brewery is coming to Bellingham, but it will have a familiar face to those who keep track of the local brewing industry.
Sam Milne and his wife Kate are in the early stages of establishing the Larrabee Lager Company. It is going into the former Village Lighting building at 1616 N. State St., next to the bridge that was recently replaced by the city on North State Street. Milne is just starting the building permit process and is aiming for an early 2023 opening.
Milne was the head brewer at Kulshan Brewery before learning more about his craft by training in Chicago and Germany. He moved back to the area last fall and, drawing inspiration from his recent brewing experiences, is planning a brewery that focuses on lagers and ales. The brewery will have a tasting room that he said will be a warm, relaxing, open area that has a nostalgic beer lodge feel.
“The beer styles that we will produce have been brewed and enjoyed around the world for hundreds of years because of one inherent reason; their sublime drinkability,” Milne said in an interview. “We are excited to bring these traditional, true-to-style European lagers, in their purest form, to the thirsty people of Bellingham.”
Milne is aware that Bellingham has plenty of brewery options and his goal is to add to it by creating his own specialty beers. He said building a brewery is a great opportunity because this area has a strong tradition of brewers supporting each other, which benefits the local consumer base. There are currently more than a dozen breweries in Bellingham, while another one — Darach Brewing — is in the process of opening at 1015 N. State St.
Milne said the plan is to focus on beer production, so he has no plans to put in a restaurant. Instead he will go with another option that has worked well in Bellingham: Inviting food trucks to the property and also reaching out to nearby restaurants to provide food options.
Up to this point, Larrabee Lager has been focused on getting financing and landing a property. The company is just getting started with social media and their progress will be updated on Instagram.
This story was originally published May 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
