Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro celebrates 10 years
by Janet Lightner

As the Boundary Bay Brewery celebrated its 10th anniversary Sept. 16, owner and founder Ed Bennett spent some time reflecting on the roots of the microbrewery, and the impetus for the business’ creation a decade ago. Back then, the beer garden was a parking lot for the adjacent building that now houses the brewery. The upper floor was home to a workout gym and garage and the lower story was a woodworking shop.
Now, chatter from the crowded outdoor dining balcony above drifts down to the beer garden. In a few hours, Latin jazz performers Yambique will take the stage and the tables and hay-strewn lawn will be filled with patrons enjoying local music and local brews from the downstairs bar. In the garden’s outdoor grill, cooks will stoke the flames of the weekly Beer-B-Q.
Upstairs, the garage door now opens to the Boundary Bay taproom on sunny days. The former gym is a wood-lined bistro with a menu reminiscent of all the chefs who have toiled there over the years. Downstairs lies an expanded brewery, a prep kitchen, office space and storage for the brewery and restaurant.
In ten years, the Boundary Bay Brewery has become a leading Pacific Northwest microbrewery and one of the top award-winning breweries in Washington State. Eight house brews are always available, while nine seasonal brews rotate through the taps.
This year alone, 11 Boundary Bay brews brought home medals from the North American Beer Awards, more than any other brewery in the competition. The bistro has expanded onto the outdoor deck and offers a diverse menu of appetizers and meals, as well as wine and beer, opening the Boundary Bay to families and people of all ages.
When he started out, Bennett hoped to create an establishment that would serve as a combined platform for his professional background as a certified public accountant with a master’s in business administration, and his many interests, including contributing to charity and community organizations, restoring old buildings and managing a quality brewery.
“It was a good way to bring all my skills together,” he said. “I wanted to have a facility in which I was able to interact with the community and I was at a stage in my life when I wanted to give back to the community in various ways. I wanted to support Bellingham in every way I could.”
The brewery has donated kegs and time for charity events and hosted fundraisers. In August 2005, an extensive collection of art for sale adorned the walls of the bistro, with all proceeds dedicated to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.
Some of the now traditional events the brewery hosts or sponsors include Soup for Shelter to benefit homeless and abused children, the Whatcom County Lock Up to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Salmon at the Bay for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Jammin’ for Salmon to benefit Conservation Northwest (formerly the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance) and Lawyers Take Orders to raise money for Law Advocates, a group that provides legal help to low income residents of Whatcom County.
“We’re a good reflection of life in Bellingham,” said Boundary Bay General Manager Janet Lightner. “If you take a snapshot of who’s here, it’s a good slice of the people in Bellingham. I’ve seen the community base reveal itself in the past four years here, especially in the events that we’ve participated in.”
Lightner, who made a career as a cook and chef for several Whatcom County restaurants, did some consulting work for Bennett before the brewery opened. She started working as a full-time chef at the brewery in October 1997.
“As a brewery, I think part of our draw is the restaurant, which has helped people see this as a family spot,” she said. “You don’t have to avoid coming here just because you don’t drink beer.”
Lightner has spent time developing the restaurant and building the brewery’s tradition of community outreach. In addition to her professional commitment to the Boundary Bay, she and Bennett have been a couple since December 1998.
Nowadays, she enjoys the returning to her roots as a chef, oversees a staff of 84 and spends time working with the community and interacting with customers.
“I have the opportunity to get to know so many people and to feel like I’m involved in so many things here,” she said. “I like working with the staff. The people part of it is the most work but it’s also the most rewarding.”
Michelle Nelson, a waitress and wait staff trainer at the Boundary Bay, recalls that there were fewer employees when she started her job in March 1996. At that time, the brewery employed about 10 people, and Nelson’s task was to waiting tables, prepare salads and ensure the place was clean.
“It was pretty dead at this end of Railroad,” Nelson said. “It started out very simple and has grown to what it is today through the very unique and talented people that have worked here. It’s been built by every person who has come here and left their mark.”
She credits Bennett and Lightner with giving employees the latitude to add a personal touch to the business and atmosphere. Such contributions can be seen in the diverse menu, quality beer selection, artwork on the walls and live performances by local talent almost every night of most every week.
Bruce Kale’s contribution to the Boundary Bay began before the brewery opened its doors in 1995. Kale began working for Bennett in August 1994 restoring the building and installing brewing equipment. Bennett was the general contractor for the project and Kale was his liaison with the subcontractors.
Bennett was committed to recycling and reusing as much of the material salvaged from the building as possible, Kale said. Most of the flooring and the timbers in the Boundary Bay are the original wood from the building.
According to Kale, the microbrewery’s success can be attributed to hard work, a commitment to quality, slow and sustainable growth and dedication to the community and charitable causes. “Under Bennett’s leadership, the brewery has brought life to a section of Railroad Avenue that didn’t have much going for it and has become a great place to work and a great place to be,” Kale said.
“From day one, that’s what attracted me here,” Kale said. “Ed was the first major player to go non-smoking and provide a good, clean environment for all ages. And he wanted to bring quality beer to a town that didn’t have it.”
Enter Aaron Jacob Smith, head brewer at the Boundary Bay. Smith began work at the brewery as a dishwasher in April 1998 and over the years became involved with brewing operations.
Smith is the third head brewer the Boundary Bay has had in its ten years. He makes a point of maintaining the beer recipes developed by the original brewer and modified by his predecessor. While the recipes are held to tradition during his watch, the capacity and output are not. “Typically, they were brewing two to three days a week when I started. Now they brew six batches each week on average,” he said.
The on-site brewing and storage facilities have grown to meet the need, including the addition of a malt silo, four bright tanks and two walk-in refrigerators.
Along with increasing its capacity, the Boundary Bay Brewery has worked to build the beer palette of its clientele. It helped to move hoppy India Pale Ale (IPA) onto the list of popular brews in the Pacific Northwest, for example. “Scotch Ale was the brewery’s flagship product for years but now has been matched or surpassed by the Boundary Bay Inside Passage Ale,” Smith said. “When people can drink and appreciate a bitter beer, it says to me that they have a very sophisticated palette,” he said.
As local palettes continues to develop, Bennett plans for the Boundary Bay to meet the demand. “It just keeps evolving,” he said. “My philosophy is not to be the biggest brewery around but to produce really high quality beers. I think the way to do that is through slow steady growth.”

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