A comprehensive guide to drinking beer at Pierce County breweries

We asked readers to vote for the best brewery in Pierce County, and the winners probably won’t surprise you. One of them went so far as to ask their fans to vote even if it went to a competitor, in a rising-tide-lifts-all-ships nod to the important role breweries play in towns across America.

To celebrate National Beer Day (and the passing of the Cullen-Harrison Act, which ended Prohibition), we present to you a guide to visiting all of these great breweries, with tidbits about the origins, the beer, the vibe, whether they serve food, allow kids and dogs — you know, the important facts of life.

Washington state is uniquely situated in the craft beer world because hops, as it turns out, largely come from the Yakima Valley. Every fall, breweries around the state — and into Oregon and Idaho — hightail it to the hop fields for a haul of the fresh stuff, which they brew that week into hyper-seasonal, hyper-limited, highly coveted releases.

Of more than 420 breweries across the state, a little more than two dozen operate in Pierce County. According to the Washington Beer Commission, most — about 120 — are in and around Seattle, followed by more than 80 around Bellingham and the “North Sound.”

The best breweries in Pierce County aren’t only in Tacoma, readers say

As the owners of Top Down Brewing Co. in Sumner said, Pierce County breweries deserve more attention.

Their growth means that locally focused bar owners, like Lauren Lively at the revamped Lake City Pub in Lakewood, can serve an entire tap list of beers brewed in and around the 253. “I’m focusing on serving only 253, and helping customers to understand that 253 isn’t just Tacoma: It’s Sumner, Edgewood, Gig Harbor and so much more,” she told The News Tribune in April.

A note about kids: Per the Liquor and Cannabis Board, breweries where production happens on-site can elect to allow minors into the bar. If it’s just a taproom, the business must acquire a tavern license, which allows them to sell beer and wine — but only those of drinking age can enter.

On the upside, in the last few years breweries have gained a few important rule updates. They can now devote a certain number of taps to guest beverages, whether that’s cider, wine, soda or kombucha. They can also serve wine from Washington wineries by the glass and bottle. As of 2023, breweries can now also hire minors for certain roles, a bright sign for the continued boom of Washington as a leader of the U.S. beer industry.

Below is our guide to Pierce County breweries and a handy map that also includes some of the county’s best non-producing taprooms and bottle shops — Peaks & Pints, Edison City Alehouse, Pint Defiance and Caskcades among them. It also loops in breweries within about an hour’s drive, from Olympia to Bremerton.

Tacoma

NORTH 47 BREWING

▪ 1000 Town Center NE, Tacoma, 253-517-9865, north47brewery.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 3-10 p.m., Friday 3-11 p.m., Saturday 2-11 p.m., Sunday 1-8 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: warm-weather food trucks or BYO

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

Nestled in the tight-knit neighborhood of Browns Point, North 47 opened in 2015. Beers range from your go-to IPAs to the Bavarian Breakfast coffee cream ale, an English Special Bitter, porters, ambers and the Tacoma UnCommon, their take on the steam beer. Owners Patrick and Keri Sherman are in the midst of developing a restaurant and second taproom in downtown Tacoma. The laid back taproom stores plenty of board games, and a tented patio extends seating into the parking lot.

BLACK FLEET BREWING

▪ 2302 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-327-1641, blackfleetbrewing.com

▪ Thursday-Friday 3-9 p.m., Friday noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: open-air (roll-up garage door)

▪ Food: in-house pub fare

▪ Notes: all ages, no dogs

Staking claim in the growing Brewing District near downtown Tacoma, Kyle Maxwell and Caitlyn Byce debuted Black Fleet in a 1907 building (see the very old boot in a glass ceiling pane) in 2018. Themed around the ships of a former French noblewoman turned PNW pirate, the taproom offers both bar seating and a full-service, family-friendly dining room. Nosh on beer-battered fish, a Blunderbuss burger with crispy cheese and wings. Beer pushes beyond IPAs with the likes of American wheat, dark and dunkel ales, plus housemade sodas: root beer, vanilla cream and “sushi-ginger” ginger ale.

SIG BREWING CO.

▪ 2534 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253-503-6446, sigbrewingco.com

▪ Wednesday-Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3-10 p.m., Saturday noon-10 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: full-service restaurant

▪ Notes: all ages until 7 p.m., no dogs

Sig Brewing made quite the splash when it debuted in 2020. Head brewer Jeff Stokes offers an intriguing lineup of excellent IPAs and out-there specialty brews, from the unusual smoothie style to barrel-aged stouts, doppelbocks and light lagers. You won’t find seltzers like Sig makes them, packed with fruit and sometimes candy or other flavors like Starburst and cotton candy. An ambitious kitchen provides excellent brick-oven pizza and shareable plates of pork meatballs, deviled eggs, parmesan-dusted tteokbokki and big salads.

CAMP COLVOS BREWING

▪ 2104 Commerce St., Tacoma, campcolvos.com

▪ Monday-Thursday noon-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-11 p.m., Sunday noon-8 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: in-house pizza and sandwiches

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed outside

Matt Lawrence debuted Camp Colvos in 2019 on Vashon Island, where he still brews and operates a bustling taproom. In 2021, the Tacoma taproom opened with a full bar (hint: cocktails are also highly recommended) and New York-style pizza that quickly became the talk of the town. If you’re here for the beer, the list features many IPAs, including one with rye, but what separates this one from the rest is a focus on German styles — Helles, Vienna, Kölsch — and several farmhouse ales. Bar seating and long tables inside give way to a roomy semi-covered and heated patio.

7 SEAS BREWING - TACOMA

▪ 2101 Jefferson Ave., 253-572-7770, 7seasbrewing.com

▪ Daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: in-house restaurant, outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, no dogs

This taproom is massive, with an in-the-round bar, couches, communal tables and a private event space, all in view of 7 Seas’ production facility — formerly a Heidelberg warehouse. In fact, the owners resurrected the old Tacoma beer brand in late 2021, now available in tallboy cans and on draft. In addition to flagship brews on tap, seasonals are always worth a spin, and you can take many home in cans and anything in a growler. Bring your own snacks or order from the Canteen by Camp Colvos, now serving smashburgers, chicken sandwiches and a lobster roll.

DYSTOPIAN STATE BREWING

▪ 611 S Baker St., Tacoma, 253-302-3466, dystopianstate.com

▪ Thursday 5-10 p.m, Friday 5-11 p.m., Saturday noon-11 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: open-air (big windows), standing-only street patio

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs only on Thursdays

One of the largest taprooms in Tacoma, plus 18 taps, Shane McElwrath, Lana Adshigirey and Chris Bradley kicked things off in 2015. Dystopian State has since become a popular event venue for everything from weddings to parties. On usual taproom days, though, you can find a seat on a couch or at a table under the exposed wooden beams and factory-sized windows, enjoying an American IPA or one of their European-leaning brews like the flagship Heliophant Helles, the Retro Dread maibock and the low-ABV Scottish ale. Board games and natural light abound.

MCMENAMINS ELKS TEMPLE

▪ 565 Broadway, Tacoma, 253-300-8777, mcmenamins.com/elks-temple

▪ Daily, hours vary for each in-house bar

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: several in-house restaurants

▪ Notes: no kids, no dogs

Somewhere in the enigmatic McMenamins Elks Temple is a brewery. Find all of the goodies at the Brewery Tasting Room and Bottle Shop, accessible from the staircase or through the lower Commerce Street entrance. But no matter which bar you choose — the Pub, Spanish Bar, Doc’s Bar, The Old Hangout, The Vault — house brews are always on tap, from the flagship Hammerhead IPA to the Luke Skylager, Terminator Stout and Ruby Royale. Take-home crowlers, growlers and bottles, too. Sit outside on the Spanish Steps and on the Broadway sidewalk.

E9 BREWING CO.

▪ 2506 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-383-7707, e9brewingco.com

▪ Wednesday-Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3-10 p.m., Saturday noon-10 p.m., Sunday noon-9 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: open-air (roll-up garage door)

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: no kids, dogs allowed

Touted as Tacoma’s first craft brewery, the story of E9 Brewing began in 1995 on Pine Street, where E9 Firehouse still operates today. In 2011, under new ownership, brewer Shane Johns forged the highly respected program now so well-known, including its barrel-aged bottles and extensive sour collection. As of 2019, brewing all happens on Fawcett, where a sleek light-wood aesthetic provides a very Tacoma vibe, with seating near the bar, in the brewery or outside in a tented, heated patio. There you’ll smell the funky wood-fired pizza — some of the city’s best pies — to indulge in alongside whatever fine brews currently on tap: IPAs a-plenty, the T-Dome Pils, and usually some of those specialties.

E9 FIREHOUSE & GASTROPUB

▪ 611 N Pine St., Tacoma, 253-272-3435, ehouse9.com

▪ Monday-Tuesday 4-10 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday open at noon

▪ Outdoor seating: open-air (roll-up garage door)

▪ Food: full-service restaurant

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed outside

It all started here, in 1972, when Tacoma reporters Win Anderson and Bob Lane bought the then-dilapidated 20th-century firehouse, home to the last horse-drawn fire station in town. They opened a restaurant and, under different owners, a brewery blossomed here in the mid-90s. In 2019 brewing production moved to E9’s Fawcett taproom, but house beers remain on tap, alongside other regional picks and a full bar. A menu of pub fare, sandwiches to fish and chips, meets a darn fine thin-crust pizza, inspired by East Coast-style bar pies.

NARROWS BREWING CO.

▪ 9007 S 19th St., Tacoma, 253-327-1400, narrowsbrewing.com

Sunday-Thursday noon-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-11 p.m.

Outdoor seating: yes

Food: snack mix etc., outside food welcome

Notes: no kids, no dogs

Situated on the Narrows Marina, with a picturesque view of the bridges, this brewery has been kicking it since 2013, led by owner and head brewer Parker Rush. Flagships include one of the most reliable IPAs in town, the Octo, a malty pale ale called First Pitch, and a surprisingly refreshing Peanut Butter Cookie Blonde Ale. Countless other brews have emerged over the years, thanks in large part to new releases at every One-Off Wednesday. Thursday is popular for trivia, and every day is a good day to catch this view from the multi-room taproom or the outside deck.

ODD OTTER BREWING

▪ 716 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-327-1680, oddotterbrewing.com

▪ Monday-Friday 2 p.m.-midnight, Saturday-Sunday 11 a.m.-midnight

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food welcome, plus order-in from Wooden City

▪ Notes: no kids, dogs allowed

A group of five friends, including two Army doctors, opened Odd Otter in 2013. From this 19th-century building in downtown Tacoma, head brewer Owen McGrane has created dozens of styles that constantly rotate, but expect a solid mix on tap whenever you visit. Favorites include the Ottermelon hefeweizen, a quaffable keller bier, various IPAs and seasonal pours like a strawberry blonde ale and coconut chai brown ale. The industrial space boasts high ceilings and a sidewalk patio, but inside you can take in the myriad otter-themed artwork spun from classic paintings like Norman Rockwell’s Mr. Apple.

ODIN BREWING

▪ 203 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253-301-3636, odinbrewing.com

▪ Tuesday-Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday-Sunday noon-10 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: full-service restaurant

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed outside

Dan Lee launched Odin in Seattle in 2009, moving to Tukwila in 2014. In a testament to Pierce County’s brewing scene, the company now operates solely in Tacoma, with a pub in the Stadium District and a production facility in the Nalley Valley. Inspired by Viking mythology, daily brews include the Galactic Space Dragon IPA, Odin’s Gift amber and Thor’s Equinox, a Belgian dark ale. The company recently launched nonalcoholic cans under the label Dream Ninja, with an IPA and a rosé sour. From the kitchen, dig into pizza from a stone oven, burgers, sandwiches, salads and plenty of shareable apps.

FERMENTATION INITIATIVE

▪ 2626 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, fermentationinitiative.com

▪ Daily noon-8 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food welcome

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

A homebrewing supply store since 2017, Fermentation Initiative owner Christopher Schleif quietly installed a taproom in 2020. Head through the store to find the drafts — 14 of them, pouring a stellar lineup of IPAs, saisons and ales, including a strong ale and oatmeal stout. It’s an airy space with high ceilings, white walls, a long bar and a hidden-gem back patio, fully fenced and outfitted with picnic tables and umbrellas. It’s one of Tacoma’s best-kept brewery secrets, but maybe not for long.

GIG HARBOR BREWING - TACOMA

▪ 3120 South Tacoma Way, 253-474-0672, gigharborbrewing.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 2-8 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed outside

Despite the Gig Harbor name, John Fosberg’s brewery makes the goods in South Tacoma. The low-key taproom feels a bit like going to your friend’s house. Find a seat in the lounge-y front space or a high-top table in the back. A roll-up garage door leads to a modest patio. Every day (at both taprooms) brings some sweet deals: $3 pours for service industry on Mondays, 20 percent off for teachers on Tuesday, $12 growler fills on Wednesday and intense trivia every Thursday.

SCAMP BREWING CO.

▪ 5419 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, scampbrewing.com

▪ Wednesday-Friday 3-9 p.m., Saturday 2-9 p.m., Sunday 1-7 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: no minors, dogs allowed outside

Brewer Arthur Cohn opened his Tacoma taproom in 2022, extending the beer he has made in Auburn since 2017. Scamp is known for its playful concoctions, such as a PB&J tart ale crafted with 100 pounds of fresh blackberries, a peanut butter-marshmallow brown ale and s’mores strong ale. The list regularly includes multiple IPAs and usually a varietal of his popular Exile in Sibeeria stout. High ceilings, Skee-ball and plenty of tables make for a casual hang where outside food is encouraged. Pro tip: Buddy’s Chicken & Waffles and Side Piece Kitchen, both takeout-only, are next door, and Howdy Bagel will open on the other side this summer.

DuPont & Puyallup/Sumner/Edgewood

FORWARD OPERATING BASE BREWING

▪ 2750 Williamson Place, DuPont, fobbrewingcompany.com

▪ Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (kitchen closes at 6 p.m.)

▪ Outdoor seating: open-air with roll-up garage doors

▪ Food: in-house barbecue restaurant

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

From a warehouse in DuPont, F.O.B. is a spacious taproom outfitted with upcycled military surplus decor, authentic unit memorabilia and communal picnic tables. Owner-brewer Jared Wharton opened the brewery in 2017 with a mission to honor his years as an Army counterintelligence officer and support the veteran community. House beers have names like Ambush Light (a take on the easy-drinking American lager), Cool Hand Lager (a German-style pilsner) and SNAFU (a malty amber). The tap list usually features other Washington breweries and cideries, and the in-house restaurant serves up a fitting menu of barbecue favorites, including pulled pork in a Cherry Coke brine, Texas brisket and jalapeno cheddar sausage, plus buttermilk potato salad, meaty beans and a kale Caesar slaw.

ACORN BREWING

▪ 2105 Meridian Ave. E, Edgewood, 253-517-8899, acornbeer.com

▪ Open daily at 11:30 a.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: house sandwiches plus regular food trucks

▪ Notes: no minors, dogs outside only

Michael Pearce and Rick Winniford opened their Edgewood taproom in 2019 and in 2021 upgraded their brewing capacity to a 7-barrel system. In 2022, they added a casual whiskey and cocktail bar next door and have a spacious back patio. Flagship brews include a malt-forward IPA, a red ale, an Irish stout and a classic Czech pils, while rotating taps dabble in Belgian fruit ales, a brown or cream ale. Try the Black CDA or Rye IPA if available. They serve a sizable sandwich menu from their own kitchen, but they also host food trucks most days.

TOP DOWN BREWING CO.

▪ 15355 Main St. E, Sumner, 253-447-8632, topdownbrewing.com

▪ Wednesday-Friday at 2 p.m., Saturday-Sunday at noon

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: regular food trucks, outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

Chad Cray and Greg Burd, with the support of their spouses, opened Top Down in 2021. The setup of this 1,500-square-foot brewery is unique: In a brilliant space-saving technique, the fermentation tanks are hoisted overhead on custom steel beams. Beyond IPAs, the brewers here “nerd out” on nuanced styles to fulfill any drinker’s interests: amber, hefeweizen, pilsner, Kölsch. They have also perfected the unexpected art of blends, such as a black IPA that combines their Maduro Stout and Rite of Passage IPA. The precise ratios vary as staff carefully recalibrate with each fresh batch. The intimate taproom also offers seating on a front sidewalk and fenced-in side patio, and every week brings a rotating cast of food trucks. Burd’s Shiloh Estates provides house wines, and they offer housemade lemonade.

HALF LION BREWING CO.

▪ 1723 W Valley Hwy E, Sumner, 253-750-4479, halflion.com

▪ Wednesday-Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday at 11 a.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: house food truck

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

Since 2016, Half Lion has served Sumner a rustic taproom experience that leans into the region’s logging industry roots. In 2019, founders David Westby and Adam Shay opened a full-service restaurant at the Riverbend Golf Complex in Kent and recently signed onto a third location in Yelm. Flagship brews include the namesake pilsner, two IPAs, a blonde and an amber, plus seasonals like a strawberry hefeweizen and imperial porter. Here you can also sip their house seltzers — blueberry lime, hazy grapefruit, orange creamsicle. The brand has also expanded to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and T-Mobile Park.

LOST WOODS BREWERY

▪ 28002 WA-410, Buckley, 360-761-7550, lostwoodsbrewery.com

▪ Weekdays 3-9 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday), Saturday noon-10 p.m., Sunday noon-8 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: no

▪ Food: chips etc., outside food encouraged

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

From a petite one-barrel brewery in Bonney Lake, Lost Woods, established 2016, moved to bigger digs on the main East Pierce County route last year. Head brewer Luke Weipert offers American and European styles, from the Wicked Haze and Citrus Pale Ale to a Belgian blonde and imperial red IPA. They tout their use of fresh water from Victor Falls and Grainger Springs. The taproom is well-attended for trivia on Tuesdays and on weekends try a mimosa flight with tart cherry, grapefruit, cranberry and orange juices — maybe with beer instead of bubbles!

ELK HEAD BREWING

▪ 28120 WA-410, Buckley, 360-829-2739

▪ Monday 3-7 p.m., Tuesday-Friday noon-7 p.m., Saturday noon-6 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: food trucks regularly, outside food allowed

▪ Notes: no dogs, no minors

Without a website since 2003, Rich Dirk and his son Ricky Dirk have been brewing up Black Stag Stouts, Liberty Cap IPAs and, most recently, a seltzer from the Buckley Business Park. The taproom opened in 2004 with views of Mt. Rainier. You’ll feel like a neighbor even if you’re not while sitting on a wood-log stool and chatting with the bartender, Al Garrison. Don’t forget to snap a photo with the hand-carved Bigfoot statue — among other carvings for sale by request. Elk Head has also operated a taproom in Ocean Shores since 2011.

STATION U-BREW

▪ 211 W Stewart Ave., Puyallup, 253-466-3721, thestationu-brew.com

▪ Tuesday & Sunday open at 1 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday at 11 a.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: no minors, no dogs

A taproom that serves both house beers, including a hybrid English-American IPA and a honey lemon blonde, and allows the homebrewing-curious to brew a batch. You create the mash with the assistance of staff, it ferments for a couple of weeks and you return to try your goods. Food is welcome inside and on the covered patio.

OFF CAMBER BREWING

▪ 6506 114th Ave. Ct. E, Puyallup, 253-312-8796,

▪ Thursday-Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 3-8 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: regular food trucks, outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

A veritable garage brewery that expanded into a legitimate taproom, Off Camber offers a one-of-a-kind experience at the home of owner/brewer James Brandt. But don’t worry — this place is fully licensed and permitted. Order at the small bar with view of the tanks, in the garage, then head to the partly covered gravel patio he built next to it. Taps always include pale ales, the Punch It Margaret stout and a blonde. Seasonally, try the latter with strawberry or a hefeweizen with blood orange.

Gig Harbor

WET COAST BREWING

▪ 6820 Kimball Dr. C, Gig Harbor, 253-432-4966,

▪ Monday-Wednesday 1-9 p.m., Thursday-Sunday noon-9 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: regular food trucks, outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

Bryan and Molly Copeland with Aaron and April Johnson hatched their brewery in 2012; the taproom, with an L-shaped bar, long tables and a roll-up garage door, followed three years later. With an expanded 15-barrel system, Wet Coast produces about 1000 barrels each year of their flagship Moving Day IPA, cream ale and Hi Jack! red ale, among some two dozen other varietals. Kick back in the simple modern space or on the sidewalk patio.

7 SEAS BREWING

▪ 3207 57th St. Ct., Gig Harbor, 253-514-8129, 7seasbrewing.com

▪ Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed

7 Seas started here, in this nook near the Gig Harbor Inn, before moving to the plaza near Hop Pharm in 2012. Later this year, they plan to move into a new taproom and event venue currently under construction on the waterfront at 2905 Harborview Drive. Founders Mike Runion and Travis Guterson have solidified their place in the Pierce County beer scene with their classic IPAs, including a taproom-special double and and imperial hazy, and a crisp pilsner. Seasonal beers draw attention, from the Brut IPA to the fruited hazy and sour ales, all brewed at their Tacoma facility.

GIG HARBOR BREWING - HARBOR TAPROOM

▪ 3155 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, 253-313-5745, gigharborbrewing.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 1-9 p.m., Sunday noon-6 p.m.

▪ Outdoor seating: yes

▪ Food: outside food allowed

▪ Notes: all ages, dogs allowed outside

Despite the name, Gig Harbor Brewing actually brews at its Tacoma taproom, but owner John Fosberg wanted to honor his roots. The taproom is in the center of downtown with a great view of the harbor from the semi-covered side patio. Inside, the casual room offers bar seating and a living-room vibe, often host to birthday parties and showers. Beers include a core of IPAs with regular experimental releases, including double IPAs and fruit beers, plus house seltzer under the name Fizz Head.