So much about enjoying beer has to do with the atmosphere, activities or munchies that go along with the particular brew.



Summer beers mean hotdogs, burgers, sun worshipping and patio beer sipping. While the waterfronts in Tacoma, Ruston, Steilacoom and Olympia have a smattering of locations to sip beer while watching the waves, most bars that are legally allowed to have patios wheel out their lawn chairs and table umbrellas as ways to entice patrons to their watering holes by offering them suds and sun at the same time.



One of the landmark taverns in that regard is Tacoma’s Engine House No. 9, at the corner of Pine and Sixth Avenue. Many people enjoy the sense of Tacoma’s history in spirit, as E9 has been a tavern for more than 37 years, and the old photographs that deck the walls and provide a distraction from that pointless obliterated conversation you began with someone in your chemistry lab at nearby University of Puget Sound. However, the sun is a bigger distraction. E9 has two deck options: A dozen or so tables sit on its front porch, or hidden off to the right is a small enclosed patio with a half-dozen tables.



Its Tacoma brew is the traditional recipe made for local workers more than 50 years ago. The brew’s light taste and mild tones make it a perfect beer for summer sipping over the heavier brews common in the winter months.



Its spiritual cousin elsewhere in the South Sound is arguably The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia. Commonly referred to as the “BroHo,” this hangout is the place, of course, for legislative staffers, mostly of the leftist ilk. But the bar is noted for its open feel and casual mood. While the locale doesn’t seem like it would have much of a patio, there is one out back — away from the traffic from the street and well worth a look if the sun is out and the beers are flowing.



But sometimes beer drinkers want to sip their beers at home rather than out and about. They don’t have to worry about not finding the right beer since two locations in Tacoma offer large stocks of beer either as singles or by the rack. Here is how they measure up in case you were wondering. I went undercover just for you. You are welcome.



Head to head, MSM Deli II (Magic Sandwich Makers) and Tacoma Boys along opposite ends of Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue seem like an uneven match up. MSN Deli II has sandwiches made fresh and 150 brews in bottles, while Tacoma Boys has more than 500 labels and all the raw fixings someone would need to make their own sandwich.



Price differences are hit and miss, so that factor is pretty much a wash. What seemed odd, however, was that MSN Deli II still had a stock of winter beers that were near their pull dates and Tacoma Boys was well into its stock of summer brews.



As far as beer knowledge from the clerks was concerned, there was no contest, Tacoma Boys’ Donna Herren reigns supreme in that department. But when a doctoral degree in beer knowledge is not required, MSN can answer most beer pairing questions with a passable air of expertise.



What flips the coin for one over the other comes in the purpose of the trip. MSM is more of a deli spot to grab a sandwich and a beer before heading to the waterfront for a picnic. Tacoma Boys is more set up to be a spot to pick up the raw ingredients to make dinner and grab a six pack to wash down the meal on your own patio.



[Engine House No. 9, 611 N. Pine St., Tacoma, 253.272.3435]



[The Brotherhood Lounge, 119 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.352.4153]



[MSM II Deli, 2220 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4814]



[Tacoma Boys, 5602 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.756.0902]