By Laura Rogers
Subdued Brewing Company aims to be true to its name.
The new brewery is slated for the heart of Bellingham’s hip Columbia neighborhood and Fountain District. The plan is to transform the old Gifford’s Market on Elm and Monroe into a laid-back, fun (but serious about beer) neighborhood gathering place. Though in the very beginning stages, owners Dave Morales and Chris McClanahan have recently jumped the next hurdle toward construction – their public notice meeting for a conditional use permit received an enthusiastic stamp of approval.
Subdued’s owners have a lot of work ahead of them, but have a solid vision in place. “While we don’t want to commit to a specific target date, we hope to be pouring our beers a year from now,” says Chris. “The construction will be a conversion with the most conversion happening in the production area. We will be making energy-code improvements, exploring solar, and enhancing the outside space, while providing lots of bike parking.”
In keeping with what feels like a Bellingham theme, Subdued Brewing will be settling into the scene and becoming one with the neighborhood. They are planning “to develop a space that blends in to the Fountain Urban Village, not one that sticks out.” Outdoor seating is planned for both street sides of the brewery, and like others before them, they will utilize the ever-popular food-truck culture. In addition, there will be some snacks in the taproom, possibly including those from nearby restaurants.
Dave and Chris are self-described Belgian beer junkies, but they will offer the locally-loved standards as well. IPA, pale ale, and stout will all be on tap, among others. But Subdued has set it’s sights on being just different enough from the other Bellingham breweries. “There will be some Belgian offerings as well, with our own twist to them. We are working hard on various prototypes and we are exploring beers that aren’t on brewery taproom lists right now. We will dare to be a little different than the brewery down the street in terms of our recipes, hops used, grains used and yeast strains used.” They will also run a couple of guest taps, wines, a cider, and a root beer. Kids will be welcome at Subdued with what the owners describe as a “safe and family-friendly environment in our taproom.”
Chris and Dave come to their endeavor with a great deal of combined experience. Chris began brewing around 1993 and has home-brewed over 400 batches since then. Dave started brewing in 1991 and has made beer in such well-known place as Boundary Bay Brewery, Pyramid Brewing, and Pike Place Brewery. They also are both nationally certified, and active beer judges.
Beer-lovers can keep an eye out for Subdued’s social media and website to kick-off as soon as construction is underway. Future patrons will be able to follow the new brewery’s progress through to opening. “In the meantime, if you see us around town, we’ll be the really tired looking guys who probably need a hug,” say the hard-working owners with a laugh.
