Structures Brewing new Old Town Brewpub in former Chuckanut Brewing location
Bellingham, Washington is undoubtedly among the best beer cities in the pacific northwest with with nearly 20 breweries, most of them good to great and many worth traveling for. Structures Brewing and Chuckanut Brewing are two of their brightest stars, so it was considered a major blow when Chuckanut decided to leave their original founding home on W. Holly street and open a taproom in Portland instead. Luckily for fans of their beer, Structures Brewing saw an opportunity to expand their long in-demand and in-short supply beers with a new brewery and their first full service restaurant while Chuckanut is doubling the size of their brewery in nearby Burlington. It’s a win/win.
“It is a great location,” says Structures Brewing founder James Alexander about the new Structures Brewing on Holly St. in Old Town Bellingham, “The vision since 2015 has been to open a second location. And when we caught wind that 601 W Holly was going to be for sale, we moved on it. I am so stoked for them [Chuckanut] at their spot in Skagit. The beer they make is incredible, and their new build out is going to be great!”
Structures Brewing’s new Old Town brewpub bar on Holly Street
Structures Brewing is known for their gothic metal leaning brand that takes inspiration from music and the occult. As well as their cutting edge small-batch American beers like crowd-pleaser FUZZ a New England-style IPA that was among the first of its kind in Washington. Structures launched with a slant towards Belgian Farmhouse and mixed fermentation beers, and over the years have explored everything from brown ales to pastry stouts, barrel-aged barleywines, and triple IPA’s. The vision and identity of Structures Brewing has remained consistent since they opened 7 years ago, but it has evolved especially during the pandemic when former Chuckanut and pFriem Family Brewers head brewer Bryan Cardwell joined Alexander as a new partner in the company. “Our portfolio has expanded...specifically in the realm of lager beer. Bryan is a world class lager brewer,” says Alexander.
“Joining our skill sets of making hoppy beer and lager beer. We really couldn't be more excited to be working together,” he says on his 10 year friendship with new business partner Bryan Cardwell, who bought into the company in 2021. Cardwell is intimately familiar with the new Old Town location, has already started to make a mark on Structures current beers brewed at their original State St. home.
James Alexander (left) and Bryan Cardwell (right)
That said, Chuckanut removed their brewing equipment when they closed the Bellingham location in late 2021. Restarting brewing operations there will take time, but they are committed to getting it up and running by 2025. It’s all part of the plan says Alexander, noting that they started on a boot strap budget and slow growth was always the way forward for them.
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“We took the building down to its studs, put two massive glass garage doors in that overlook the water, built a wrap-around patio, added a beautiful front door on the street side and added an entire draft system and bar to the back patio,” says Alexander on the revamp of the former Chuckanut that they designed and built out all on their own over the past year. The new location comes with a new design theme, while the original State St. taproom has a Blair Witch/True Detective season 1 vibe, the Old Town pub’s inspiration comes from the San Juan Islands. “Mount Baker gets a lot of love up here, but I have been in love with the color pallet of the San Juan’s for as long as I can remember,” adds Alexander. Taxidermy, animal skulls, and a majestic but slightly eery painting by Cardwell’s father all warm up the wood paneled walls that make this location feel more like a gothic hunting lodge. Unlike the original taproom, Old Town rocks a thoughtfully curated soundtrack with more ambient atmospheric sounds than the doom metal that permeates State St.
The slightly more laid-back and hangout ready Structures Old Town is the beginning of a new focus on hospitality centered around a brand new kitchen. Structures has hired chef Louis Quigley to execute a concise and efficient menu of Drive-in style burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers, and housemade potato chips that don’t sound special, but are so authentically and well executed that they will leave you licking your fingers. Each item is inspired by an iconic example from another restaurant or bar they have visited, so imagine a sort of “best of” dive bar/drive-thru eats approach. The restaurant and bar will comfortably fit in 250 people, and has a really special place in town on the estuary of Whatcom Creek with views overlooking the Bellingham waterfront at the bay with Lummi Island and the arboretum in the distance. The space, including outdoor areas, is large enough to hosts mid-size concerts, pop-ups, markets, and beer festivals such as a planned Oktoberfest celebration.
Structures Brewing Old Town outdoor seating along the Bellingham estuary
While the original taproom is a bar service, and 21+ only space with just a few tables, Alexander says at the Holly St. pub is all-ages with full table service in addition to the bar. But if you crave the emo thrum of dark metal music and the adults only intimacy of their first taproom, Alexander says the State St. location will remain open after undergoing a recent month-long remodel that kept the most beloved elements intact.
Structures Brewing’s put out about 1,200 barrels of beer in 2022, and recently upgraded their 15bbl brewhouse to a 20bbl system, and added two more 20bbl FVs and a 30bbl Brite tank. So even ahead of a second production brewery at the new location, Alexander expects to be able to produce about 1,300 more barrels of beer this year than last.
Structures Brewing Old Town first opened on Saturday, March 11th, and is open daily from 11:30am to 11:00pm at 601 W Holly St Bellingham, WA 98225
