Aslan Brewing of Bellingham, Washington is preparing to commemorate a significant milestone. The company celebrates its 10th anniversary on May 18th.
Located at a prominent corner in downtown Bellingham, Aslan Brewing reimagined and reconfigured a building at the corner of Forest Street and Magnolia Street. When the brewery and pub opened ten years ago, the community did not take long to embrace it. The beer, made with organic ingredients, was brewed to the local’s tastes and the food menu also hit the mark. (Image above courtesy Aslan Brewing.)
In the ensuing years, Aslan Brewing opened a second location about a block away on State Street. The Aslan Depot: Barrels and Blending opened in 2018, providing a different kind of atmosphere focused on a more refined, less pub-ish atmosphere and experience. (See our archived story about that opening.) About a year after that the brewery announced plans to open a third location, a taproom in Seattle.
Put a pandemic in the middle of all that and it’s been an eventful first decade for Aslan Brewing. Here is the announcement from the brewery about the upcoming anniversary celebration:
On May 18th, Aslan Brewing will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary! From our first review, which said they’d rather drink the ketchup on the table over our Disco Lemonade (now a GABF gold medal winner), to paving the path for organic brewing in the Pacific Northwest, Aslan has grown so much in these ten years.
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Let’s flashback to ten years ago: The year is 2014, May 19th, to be specific. Jack Lamb, Frank Trosset, Boe Trosset, and a few friends just finished building the brewery and Brewpub from refurbished materials over nine months. Jack posts on social media an hour or two before noon to remind folks about the grand opening, and before the doors even open to the public, people start lining up outside, eager to see what Aslan is all about. On that opening day, they ran out of cash and were still trying to figure out sales tax (both resolved with the help of neighboring breweries). It was a wild, tiring, rewarding day, and they had no idea what was ahead of them.
From the beginning, a core part of Aslan’s brand has been based on minimizing impact as a craft brewery—an industry with a large carbon footprint. Brewing beer with organic ingredients has been essential to our ethos from the start. Organic beer was, and still is, a novelty, and the Aslan team has worked hard to prioritize using high-quality, organic ingredients in our beers.
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“While this has always been our soapbox to stand on, we’ll continue to say over and over that we brew organic beer because we believe it’s better for our customers, the planet, and the folks that grow the ingredients we use,” said Layne Carter, Aslan’s Operations Manager.
In these ten years, Aslan Brewing has accomplished remarkable feats. We’ve collaborated with awesome folks like Bitburger, Rainier Beer, and Patagonia Provisions. We’ve brewed 48,930 barrels of beer, many of which have won awards and adulations. We’ve partnered with awesome local organizations and non-profits, donating more than $330,000 back into our community through in-kind donations. We’ve gotten 232 different products certified as organic and just hit eight years of being a B-Corporation! Needless to say, Aslan has been busy the last decade, and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!
“No matter how much Aslan has evolved over the last ten years, it remains a launchpad for community growth. That is a source of immense pride for me,” says Jack Lamb, co-owner. “We continue to provide a stage for advocacy and a safe space for employees, all while brewing organic beer when no one else dares to. The real magic, however, is in the fun of it all. It’s hard to replicate an Aslan party. I am so grateful for the creative minds that have passed through this organization and shaped who we are today.”
The Aslan Brewing team is looking forward to the future as a chance to rapidly expand our horizons and make the big picture of sustainability in beer even bigger. Cheers to ten years, and cheers to ten more!
Join us on May 18th to celebrate ten years of Aslan! The brewpub will have face painting, performances from the Bellingham Circus Guild, special beer flights, beer releases, and more! The Aslan Depot will have live music all day, performances from the Bellingham Circus Guild, drink specials, and more. We also have a surprise musical guest in the Depot music line-up…the guest will be announced a couple of days before our anniversary, so follow us on Instagram (@aslanbrewing) to see the announcement!
Check out the rest of the schedule:
Brewpub: 1330 N. Forest St (All Ages)
● All Day: Guess That Hazy Flight
● All Day: Mystery Disco Lemonade Flavor
● 1 PM: Face Painting
● 2 PM: Bellingham Circus Guild
Depot: 1322 N State St. (All Ages until 6 PM // 21+ 6 PM on)
● 1 PM: DJ AÜ
● 4 PM: Bellingham Circus Guild
● 5 PM: DJ Kitchen Sink
● 9 PM: SPECIAL MUSICAL GUEST
● 11 PM: DJ KraymerGDot & OG Neeks Collab Set & Dance Party
Visit our Events page to learn about other beer-related events.
