CGNW Recommends: 122 West

There’s a new brewery in town. Located in the Fountain District, 122 West gets its name from the number of the longitudinal meridian that Meridian Street itself is named after (the brewery’s exact coordinates are 48.762560,-122.485790). 

If you’re just realizing now where that is: yes, it’s the same building where Melvin used to be. No, it’s not Melvin anymore. New owner, new management, new name - it’s a whole new business. 

The owner, Gary Pickering, is also an owner of Hyak Financial and ClickMonster. He’s wanted to acquire a brewery for several years now, and when the Melvin business became available early this year, it was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. His background in financial analysis and marketing has been crucial for taking a struggling business and turning it around. 

The pub offers a variety of beers on tap, and canned seltzers, including one of Leo’s favorites, White Claw. Choose from their IPAs, ales, or lagers, or pick any four for a $10 flight. Gary recommends the Honey Wheat or the West Coast Session IPA; they recently had a great Japanese lager (now sold out) and have a Cambodian lager coming soon. Since they’re a small brewery, they’re releasing beers in batches, so the beer list is ever-changing.

On the food side: test out their pub classics like pulled pork, fish and chips, or buffalo wings, or check out the grilled Mediterranean cheese or roasted cauliflower dishes. Finish out the night with the sized-to-share S’mores Bowl, made with local dark chocolate and Snohomish County ice cream. The menu has been under development in past weeks, so stop in to see what’s new!

Owner Gary Pickering will be our guest in a special segment of this month’s Building Bellingham podcast, where he’ll talk about the challenges of taking on a struggling business and the importance of due diligence both before and after signing the purchase contract. Subscribe on on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or follow Building Bellingham on Facebook or Instagram to be notified when the new episode is released later this month!