10-05-2025
‘It's rough out there.' Local brewery closes downtown Bellingham taproom and lounge
Downtown Bellingham has lost a popular bottle shop, taproom and lounge connected to a local brewery.
Garden Path Fermentation, a beer, wine, cider, and mead brewery in Skagit County, has permanently closed The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge in Bellingham, its only Whatcom County location.
The closure was announced April 3 in a social media post.
'We opened The Great Northern almost two years ago with the goal of bringing Bellingham a unique curated selection of beer, natural wine, and cider from small independent producers around the world, most of which you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. We're proud of what we've accomplished, including hosting Cantillon's Zwanze Day last year, but, y'all, it's rough out there right now,' the post states.
The Great Northern Bottle Shop closed Saturday, May 3. It was located at 1319 Commercial St., next door to Brandywine Kitchen.
'Last year was the first in decades that saw more brewery closures than openings, and with constant market changes, including new uncertainties with beer and wine imports and exports, we've decided we need to focus all our attention on Garden Path to make sure we can ride out whatever waves are coming,' the post states.
Although Garden Path Fermentation closed its Bellingham location, its Burlington tasting room has extended hours and is expected to remain open. The brewery's products are also available for purchase online.
The brewery's website also teased possible pop-up events in Bellingham and other cities: 'May 3, 2025 was, sadly, our last day of regular operation at The Great Northern. Please come see us at at our Skagit Valley Tasting Room & Bottle Shop and keep an eye out for future pop-up events in Bellingham, Seattle, and beyond!'
Garden Path Fermentation's tasting room and bottle shop is open from 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, 2 to 9 p.m. Thursday, 1 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday at 11653 Higgins Airport Way in Burlington, about a 30-minute drive from downtown Bellingham.
The Bellingham Herald reached out to Garden Path Fermentation but did not receive a response as of May 9.
