On day 2 of my weekend bike trip, I woke up in Bellingham to cloudy skies and damp roads — not an auspicious start to the day’s ride south. Forecast called for improving weather, though, so my brother and I had a leisurely morning of going out for breakfast and then coffee to let the roads and trails dry out a bit. By the time I got on the bike, the conditions were fairly perfect: cloudy and cool, but mostly dry. The sun came out soon after I hit the flats, and when I reached La Conner Brewing, I was ready for a sampler flight. And lunch.

La Conner Brewing sampler tray — La Conner, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Pilsner – 5% – Light, lemony, bready, with a bit spicy and herbal hop flavors. Lightly bitter on finish. Really nice after a hot bike ride.
• Brown – 6% – Light on the tongue. Caramel, with an interesting sour mash edge. Quite drinkable.
• ESB – 6% – Smooth caramel, with a good little herbal hop edge.
• Porter – Seasonal. Light, but good mellow roasty malt throughout with a nice coffee finish. A subdued porter.

The Rest
• Wheat – 5% – Light. A very subtle beer: light breadiness, light lemon flavor, light hops. Too light for me, though…
• IPA – 7% – Floral aroma. Mostly floral hop profile. Hops and malt are kind of a muddled mix. Fairly bitter finish.
• Pale – 5.5% – Light. General malt flavor profile, herbal hoppiness, to a somewhat bitter finish.
• Raspberry Wheat – Seasonal. Strong raspberry aroma and flavor. The flavor eventually goes away, leaving just the regular old Wheat flavor.

So yeah, they have mostly light and easy drinking beers at La Conner Brewing plus good pub food, and the town itself is fairly quaint. All in all, a fine stop on a long bike ride. I would’ve stayed and poked around a bit, but I still had a ways to go — wanted to reach Arlington and the next brewery before it got too late — so I got back on the bike and headed for the hills.