I’m going to be in the Tacoma area an extra couple days. Any recommendations for breweries or bottle shops? I’ve already made a couple forays into Seattle, so am not really looking to go that far north again. I’m staying actually slightly south of Tacoma in University Place. A relative introduced me to Pint Defiance, which had a pretty good bottle selection. I like the growler fill laws as well. Alternatively if anyone in the area is interested in a bottleshare in the next 2 days might be possible. One I had planned for fell through at the last minute. Thanks, Bret.
Bottle shops/bars: Edison City Alehouse, Peaks and Pints and Pint Defiance. Bars: Parkway Tavern and The Red Hot. Breweries: E9 (they have two locations), SIG, Camp Corvos and Narrows Brewing.
Would also recommend the Seven Seas brewery downtown taproom as well. Beers are only OK, but it's a nice space in a nice location. There's also a new McMenamins downtown as well if you're into that sort of thing (the new Elks Temple). Would also recommend Tacoma Boys as a decent place to visit for bottles/cans to go. Everyone's taste and perceptions are different, but for a beer bar I feel as if it's hard to beat the Parkway. I also visit E9 and the Red Hot periodically (as well as Pint Defiance), but always find myself hanging in the Parkway if I'm not overjoyed with the online tap selection at PD, the Red Hot or E9. I haven't been to SIG or Camp Corvos so I can't comment about those places, but otherwise have not been blown away by any of the breweries located in Tacoma. I always hear that the sours from E9 are great, but as I'm not a huge sour fan it's difficult for me to have an opinion. However, I've tried most of their other beers and haven't been wowed by anything. Some decent stuff for sure, but usually I find myself drinking guest beers when I'm at the E9 (they do tend to often have a VERY good selection of guest beers on tap, and even a pretty decent bottle selection). Have fun.
Narrows makes solid IPAs and has the best view of any taproom in the South Puget Sound. The new E9 location down by Seven Seas is really cool and has a different food menu than the original Engine House No. 9 location in North Tacoma. SIG (also in the same area as E9, Camp Colvos and Seven Seas) is the new brewery in town that makes all kinds of hazy IPAs and also one of the only WA breweries doing big smoothie sours, if that's your thing.
Agreed. My wife used to live a half mile from the brewery and we would go there just for the view. Beers back then were no better than so-so, but that was some 5 years ago... I'm glad to hear their IPA's have improved.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend all the beers, but downtown Tacoma makes for an interesting walking tour. There are old- and new-school breweries amid what amounts to a 19th Century architectural museum. Thinking of Odd Otter, Pacific Brewing, Dystopian State, and the McMenamins Pub at Elks Temple, which is new to me but surely worth a look.
Mother Fern opened in the old Pacific Brewing site. Never been. http://washingtonbeerblog.com/mother-fern-brewing-opens-in-a-familiar-tacoma-location/
This is good to know. We'll be heading up to Woodinville for Thanksgiving, but I always include a stop in Tacoma. The Parkway is a must for me, but I always check the taplist at Pint Defiance, the E9 and the Red Hot. Especially around the holidays, in the past E9 has had some amazing things on tap.
Engine House Number 9 (what they're calling the restaurant) still has a good taplist, but they've moved all brewing operations to what is referred to as E9 Brewing where the "fancier" options are on draft. Don't sleep on Peaks and Pints or Edison City Alehouse, I like both better than Pint Defiance.
I am still trying to understand the restaurant location as I don't live near anymore... do they still have a good guest tap list there? Seems I've always been able to get a good BA beer from someone, or other good/unique guest beers. Also, do they still have a big bar selection?
There's still a variety of guest taps at the restaurants, you just see more of the experimental E9 beers at the brewery facility. There's definitely a feeling of separation between the two locations. They're owned by the same people but operated separately.
