Darach Brewing just announced via social media that it is closing. The brewery and taproom opened in late 2022. In their own words, “Unfortunately, time was not on our side to grow a big enough base to support ourselves.” Darach Brewing’s last day of operation is September 23rd.
The focus at Darach Brewing was farmhouse-style ales, mixed-fermentation beers, and other creative concoctions. When I visited in March, the menu even included a couple of raw ales, also known as “no-boil” beer. It was good stuff, but perhaps a bit too uncommon for Bellingham’s collective beer palate. The problem certainly was not the quality of the beer. Interesting, adventurous, and good.
I think there’s a lesson here. Bellingham is a town that knows beer. Bellingham is a town that knows what it likes. Bellingham is nicknamed The City of Subdued Excitement. That excitement was a bit too subdued when it came to the kinds of beers Darach Brewing produced. Some folks never warmed up to the taproom’s space.
“One of our goals when we opened Darach Brewing was to bring new and interesting beers to Bellingham, and in that we feel like we succeeded. Unfortunately, time was not on our side to grow a big enough base to support ourselves.”
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In a town like Bellingham, where a number of breweries have succeeded wildly, there is a roadmap for success. Possible success, that is. Some brewers might find it boring and unchallenging to brew a predictable menu of IPAs and Pale Ales, but all brewers are in the business of selling beer. Get people excited about your IPA and your Pilsner, then use that excitement as a segway to your Sahti and your Grodziskie.
“From now until we close we will be offering discounts on merch and crowlers, starting with 25% off merch and $1 off crowlers. We hope to see all of you again between now and our last day!”
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Darach Brewing is/was a cool place that makes/made really interesting and tasty beers. Sadly, these days, maybe that’s not enough. Also, sometimes it is just a matter of the place and the time.
There’s another element that must be considered: some potential customers may have been put off by the political signs and flags. Although a few other local breweries that have similar displays seem to be doing well, there should be a least an acknowledgement that a silent boycott is afoot due to the BLM signage and rainbow flags on some establishments. If a place truly wants to be “welcoming,” it should just avoid political displays altogether.
I have trouble imagining that this one brewery was the victim of the silent boycott of which you speak. From what I have witnessed, the kind of boycotters you’re talking about are very, very rarely silent.
Lol. This is definitely not the case. A lot of breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, etc have political signs in Downtown Bellingham and they do very, very well. There are many reasons a food service establishment doesn’t succeed in Bellingham, this is for sure not one of them.
Sadly I moved from Bellingham a couple of years ago so I was never able to visit this brewery. I think their story isn’t uncommon though. The reality is, the micro brew market is relatively saturated right now. I think at this time have good beer in standard styles is a must and you will create a successful business if you add things like a family friendly atmosphere, popular food trucks, comfortable outdoor spaces. Truth is 99% of people going to the breweries aren’t out to experience one off ales, they want to spend some time with people they love in a safe comfortable, exciting environment. For beer fanatics that kind of stinks, but that’s what homebrew clubs are for.
I never stepped foot in Darach Brewing so I can’t speak to the quality of the beer or food or venue, but I did start following them on Instagram around the time they opened, and I think they would’ve benefitted from stronger marketing. It was hard to tell what set Darach apart from the many other breweries in town. I don’t want to rag on a business that had to close its doors so soon after opening, but there may be a lesson here for future businesses.
Tough location away from “downtown, downtown”, no food, and a delayed opening by several months. It doesn’t help that their previous mainstay neighbor, red light, has relocated