Here’s where Bellingham stacks up on the list of best craft beer cities
When it comes to best craft beer cities, the Pacific Northwest is well-represented in the latest national list.
SmartAsset came out with its report earlier this month, using a variety of factors like total microbreweries, bars per 10,000 residents and the average price of a pint.
Bellingham ranked 28th on the list of top 50 cities, with 12.4 breweries for every 100,000 residents. That’s likely to rise on a future list, given the recent opening of Twin Sisters Brewing in the Sunnyland neighborhood. In 2016 Bellingham ranked 48th on the list.
With the average pint $5.50, Bellingham’s price was 11th highest compared to the other top-ranked cities. The average price range was $2 for a pint in Duluth, Minn. to $8 in San Francisco. Seattle had an average price of $7 a pint.
According to the study, the average Bellingham brewery has offered 66 different types of beer since it opened.
Bellingham’s rise in breweries has been a recent phenomenon. When Kulshan Brewing opened its first location in April 2012, it was the third brewery in Bellingham at the time. The city now has 13.
With its 67 microbreweries, Portland, Ore., topped the list, beating eighth-ranked Seattle and its 63 microbreweries. Bend, Ore., ranked 5th on the list while Eugene, Ore., ranked 15th. Boise ranked 29th, Spokane 32nd and Tacoma 33rd.
The SmartAsset article noted that breweries have taken off across the U.S., jumping from 880 in 2010 to 2,802 in 2016.
