I discovered Boundary Bay Brewing Company one rainy Saturday in the late spring of 2009. I was with my wife several other friends on a Washington Beer Lovers (WABL) bus tour throughout Northern Washington. We were fortunate enough to hit up several Breweries in the Bellingham area each with a plethora of awards for their recognized beers. At Boundary Bay, my buddy and I got a behind the scenes look at the brewery and the Brew master even poured us a pint of one of the finest IPAs I have ever had, directly from the Bright Beer Tank. Today was no different, a spring Saturday, overcast and rainy, just seated on my couch rather than bellied up to the bar. I was up for a bold beer and was looking through the many IPAs I have in my fridge when I stumbled across the Cabin Fever. I remember the first time I had a Cabin Fever was at the WABL Winter Beer Fest in December 2009, I have been searching for it in bottles ever since. Needless to say I was pumped, as I had forgotten that I had bought a few bottles a couple weeks prior to share when my folks were in town visiting. This was just the beer I was looking for, something to warm up my spirits and inspire my brewing philosophy.
THE BEER:
A little bit about Boundary Bay Brewing Co…
“The Boundary Bay approach to beer is to render excellent examples of classic styles. In some cases–such as with our IPA, Imperial IPA and Imperial Oatmeal Stout–we push the envelope and make a very big and flavorful brew. Like a new kind of music, it may take a few samplings to build your palette but soon you will be coming back for more.”
Bump City Brews thoughts…
Pour: Small head – light brown, toffee-like in color. The body was a dark Red/Brownish when held up to natural light. I couldn’t determine if there were particles present or not, but with a dark ale, it’s not an issue anyways. Lacing was good too.
Aroma: A pleasant dark cherry aroma, but fades quickly. Also noticed a low aroma of alcohol present in the background, which is quite common for stronger ale such as this. More malt aroma than hops present.
Taste: Rich, sweet burnt sugar flavor upfront. Light cherry present as well…not cloying what so ever. The presence of Roasted malts help balance the sweetness. Not much flavor from hops, but some bitterness present that also helps balance the richness of this beer. The complex flavors from the Sweetness, Roastiness, and hoppiness all balance and complement each other perfectly.
Overall: Rich, Cherry Sweetness, balanced with the use of roasted grains and a nice balance of bittering hops. Chocolate covered cherries would pair nicely with this beer.
Although this beer is listed under the style of Winter Ale, I would drink this one throughout the year, summer, spring or fall – doesn’t matter. I will definitely bring a few with me on the first camping trip of the year, when it still gets chilly in the evenings. Cabin Fever is by far one of my favorite beers made by Boundary Bay, if not the entire state of Washington. The rest of the U.S. must think so as well, considering it won Silver at the World Beer Cup in Chicago earlier this month.
Will I buy more of it?: Already have! I have set it aside, hoping to age it for a few years, curious to see what subtle flavors shine through over time.
Vintage: 2009
BEER FACTS:
Name: Cabin Fever
Style: Winter Ale
Brewery: Boundary Bay Brewing Company
City: Bellingham, WA
Country: USA
Container: 22 oz Bottle
Malts: ??
Hops: Bittering – ?? Dry Hop – Cascade
ABV: ??
IBUs: ??
Date: 4.1.10
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