Olympia and Tacoma Road Trip

Yep, BuckeyeOne nailed it in terms of Olympia. There's a McM in town as well, but I'd skip that (buidling is cool, but otherwise, it's a fairly typical McM outpost).

In Tacoma you have a few more options. The top beer bars continue to be places such as E9, the Red Hot and the Parkway Tavern. All three are pretty close to one another, with the E9 and Red Hot literally across the street from one another. In terms of beer stores, there's a BevMo in town now that I haven't visited, but otherwise, I'd go with Pint Defiance. Places like Tacoma Boys and the Metro also have a decent selection, but I don't think any of those places can match what you'll find at PD. PD also typically has 8 or 9 different beers on tap as well, and the selection is usually very good. I would also add that 99 Bottles is just up the road a bit in Federal Way (roughly 10 milles north of Tacoma). and they have arguably the best bottle/can selection in the state. If any place will have Bale Breaker cans south of the Seattle area, it will be them.

In terms of breweries, Harmon is the big fish in the area, but I confess I've never been all that impressed by their beer. Still, they do have a nice brewpub downtown, and the food there is decent enough. Otherwse, there's Tacoma brewing at the Amocat Cafe and Narrows brewing in the area as well. However, like Harmon brewing, I can't say I've been overly impressed by the beers from either of those locations as well (beer is decent, but just nothing memorable). If you don't mind a brief detour, I would add that Seven Seas Brewing is just across the (toll) bridge in Gig Harbor, and I think their beers are generally very good. The Rude Parrot IPA is excellent, but most of their beers are at least decent, and since they moved into their new facility (a very large pub), they typically have between 10 and 15 beers on tap at any one time, several of which tend to be brewery only offerings.

Have fun!