Skep & Skein

Skep & SkeinSkep & Skein
Skep & SkeinSkep & Skein
Bar

2106 Harrison Ave NW
Olympia, Washington, 98502-2798
United States

(360) 292-4400 | map
skepandskein.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.4
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
8
pDev:
9.55%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by Wetpaperbag:
Photo of Wetpaperbag
Reviewed by Wetpaperbag from Washington

4.41/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
A- I like the Skep & Skein quite a bit. It is well lit and clean. The menu is easy to read. I also like the fact that the owner makes his own mead and has it on tap. So toward the back they have brewing equipment (blichmann conical fermenter among other things). It is cool that you could watch the brewing process if he was making mead that day. The bathrooms are at the end of the building away from the bar. Which is nice because I don't want to smell someones business while I drink my beer.

Q- The owner takes his beer serious. They always check to make sure your glass is clean, and they use the correct glass wear for the beer.

S- The service of this place is great. They ask you your name and use it. The bartender always makes sure you are taken care of and that your glass is never dry.

S- The selection is great. They have about 10-15 beers on tap. Lots of local brews and some from other states. All the beers they have are solid brews. It does seem that their menu changes quite a bit because people love the beers they have and kegs blow on the reg. They also have a good bottle selection with beer, mead, and cider. Oh and not to forget the mead that is made on site and is on tap. Another thing that is cool is they sell the beers in different sizes. So if you don't want a pint you can go with a smaller option. They also do growler fills.

F- There is no food, but the owner is totally cool with people bringing in food from neighboring businesses. I've only seen one group of people who made a complete food mess, then left. If more people do that then they will lose it for the rest of us. (The sandwich shop next door is tasty)

I like this place a lot. Our homebrew club has been meeting here the last few times and I've been a fan of that. Many of the members, myself included, will buy a beer or two from them during the meeting.
Mar 12, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by chad_e_martin from Washington

Apr 15, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by yeaprolly from Washington

Feb 24, 2014
Photo of melisoide
Reviewed by melisoide from Washington

4.64/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
This place caught our eye by chance one day and, being the beer enthusiasts we are, we popped in to check it out. This has become a regular meeting place for me and my beer loving comrades.

The atmosphere is clean, quiet and inviting. Their selection is in near constant rotation which is a win for me as there is always something new to try. Its a great opportunity to venture out and try a beer style you may not be too familiar with or partial to since they will gladly provide a sample and 1/2 pint servings are available. You can't lose! I recently enjoyed a very tasty White Frog Witbier (surprising since my past experiences with Witbiers were not too pleasant). I didn't think that was a style I could ever appreciate.

They don't serve food but I rather like that they can focus solely on beer, cider and mead. They avoid the distraction and expense of being a food serving establishment. As others have mentioned, outside food is welcome and there is an excellent sandwich shop right next door.

In all, it is a welcome establishment in Olympia and if you find yourself passing through, do check it out.
Apr 26, 2011
Photo of dragonWhale
Reviewed by dragonWhale from New York

3.66/5  rDev -16.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
FINALLY made it over to Skep & Skein despite being back in Oly for two months and it being an 8 minute walk from my place.
They've done well with a meager space, some cool beer decor adorning the walls, and a pretty slick, moderate sized bar. About 8-10 tables or so in the place and some nice beers on tap.
TEN Fidy, Velvet Merlin, Unearthly, Double Danger, AK Smoked Porter, and some other good stuff on their 15 or so taps. They also had some cider on tap and in the bottle as well as mead, although their selection seemed to be of only one meadery (Redstone).
Service was nice, very friendly gentleman Johnny. Noticed a 1 barrel Blichmann and a 1-barrel conical tucked away in the back...didn't get a chance to ask about whether that's for personal brewing or for future meadery. I suppose we shall see.
Cool little place, good subs next door at Wally's.
Nov 14, 2010
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.86/5  rDev -12.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
A: A place with lots of good beer talk and people who love craft beer as I do. Not so bad.

Q: Good on quality. The beers were all good and the ones I had were with no quality issues

S: The guy was a homebrewwer who knew brewing but not to keen on the beer trade these days. However, he was super nice and good on service.

S: Good. It ranged from Dicks Double Danger to Ten Fidy and beyond. Lots of stuff on tap was easy to find but the selection was good. A good stop.

F: No food here as far as I know.
Nov 12, 2010
Photo of saintwarrick
Reviewed by saintwarrick from South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Dropped by on my recent visit to the Northwest. Sits out of place in a run-down strip mall with little to set it apart as a seller of fine brews. Skep & Skein is run out of what appears to be an old Chinese restaurant or deli with few touchups done to make this a "bar bar." The place lacks severely in the ambiance department, but the other factors cover up for this shortcoming. This is a low-key place to grab a quality Northwest brew; definitely a joint for locals to come and hang on a random night. Decent rotating on-tap selection of 13-15 taps of regional brews and other good craft selections. The bartender was knowledgeable and laid back, offering samples of any brew that piqued an interest. Definitely worth a stop if you're looking for a good brew in west Olympia.
Aug 16, 2010
Photo of EmersonRed
Reviewed by EmersonRed from Washington

4.8/5  rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
The name originates from the owner's love of mead, a skep is barrel used to brew mead. The skein portion from his wife's love of yarn and knitting. It's becoming a popular knitting group meet up.

The first thing I noticed about this place is that it lets the light in, the small bar front and 1/4 of the side wall are floor to ceiling windows. It's nice to watch the rain from inside for once. This place was very clean, and had beer tacks and random beer paraphernalia covering the walls.

The second thing was the taps; I didn't see one macro tap, I was relieved. Some recent notables on the list were Stone IRS, GI's Matilda, and Unibroue's La Fin du Monde. A list of 13 quality craft brews I think with bottles of mead offerings as well! The menus were up to date and the bartender and server discussed possible upcoming kegs and stuff I might want too.

The bartender was friendly and easy to chat up and the server was knowledgeable and conversational. Describing flavor profiles and mouth feel of anything on the list I asked about. Both were appropriately attentive and participative.

The glassware consists of beautiful Delirium Tremens tulips (in which my Stone IRS was served) and Sierra Nevada pints. Tiny snifters were used to serve samples (any beer is free to try). Next door is a delicious sandwich shop called Wally's which will deliver their food to you at the bar.
Jul 08, 2010
Skep & Skein in Olympia, WA
Place rating: 4.4 out of 5 with 8 ratings