Visiting six great breweries with historic and personal connections to the Puget Sound area was very rewarding work.

The lagers I sampled weren't bad, either.

From the gritty patriotism of Wingman Brewers, to the service orientation of Top Rung Brewing, followed by the sense of community of Three Magnets Brewing Company, mirrored by the Tacoma history connection to The Pacific Brewing & Malting Company to the Narrows Brewing Company connection to Galloping Gertie, it's been quite a walk through a mug of Puget Sound's history.

Cheers.

Tacoma Beer, Tacoma's History

Hidden in a closet in the American Exchange Hotel built in 1850 in Sutter Creek, California, a man found a wooden box with Jackson Brewery imprinted on the cover.

He opened the box and found some Tacoma history.

Inside were slots, large enough to hold bottles of beer.  Seven of the bottles were full; an eighth was half-full.

The brew had been produced at the Tacoma Bottling Company in San Francisco.

"Pacific Brewing & Malting Company had moved its operations to San Francisco in 1916 when Washington state went dry," explained Steve Navarro, the brewery's owner and brewer.

But the story gets better - and relevant.

"Our 1897 Pale Lager is my homage to the Pacific Beer that was brewed here before Prohibition," Navarro said.

The eight bottles of beer mentioned above all read "Tacoma Beer" on the label.

The Pacific Brewing & Malting Company formed in downtown Tacoma in 1897.  It soon grew to be one of the largest breweries in the Northwest.  In fact, the brand was a hit up and down the west coast and reached to Hawaii.

"Best East or West" became the slogan of the brewery, and it can be found on almost every piece of PB&M merchandise produced.

Success, both east and west, ended when Prohibition began, and the brewery closed its doors in 1916.

Now, nearly a century later, PB&M is back in Tacoma.  Reformed by a group of local beer enthusiasts with an understanding of Tacoma and its rich history, the brewery is situated next to the Old City Hall Building.

"Where we are standing was once used as an annex and carriage house for the police department, which was on the first floor of City Hall," continued Navarro, as we stood outside 610 Pacific Avenue.

"Our 1897 Pale Lager tries to capture the history and essence of Tacoma."

For more information, visit www.pacificbrewingandmalting.com.

Galloping Gertie Beer

Galloping Gertie Golden Ale is iconic.

The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge was nicknamed "Galloping Gertie" because of movements in the wind.

That tendency resulted in its destruction on November 7, 1940 in a 42 mph wind.

"The view we have today of the two bridges inspired the beer, and the history surrounding the first bridge doesn't hurt," explained Narrows Brewing Company brewer Mike Davis.

"We opened almost two years ago, and Galloping Gertie was our first beer."

Patrons to the brewery can enjoy their beers as they look over the Narrows Marina and out over the water at the two Narrows bridges.

"It's a refreshing beer," Davis added.

To say nothing of being iconic.

The Narrows Brewing Company is located at 9007 S. 19th Street, Tacoma.  For more information, visit www.narrowsbrewing.com.

Jack and the beer

The connection between the Tacoma Brewing Company and the defunct Tacoma Hotel is a brown bear named Jack.

"Our Jack the Beer is named after that resident of the hotel," brewer Morgan Alexander explained.

Raised in the hotel since a cub, Jack would drink beer from a mug without spilling a drop.

One afternoon after drinking, Jack slipped his collar and wandered into Tacoma.  While on Pacific Avenue, a police officer shot and killed Jack.

Created in 2014, Jack the Beer is an amber beer which is, as Alexander described it, "more hoppier" than most amber beers.

"We also used a honey malt to further the beer's connection to Jack."

Tacoma Brewing Company is located at 625 St. Helens.  For more information, visit www.tacomabrewing.com.

Olympia brewery offers unique ale

Three Magnets Brewing Company is about societal harmony, a concept that the city of Olympia understands.

"I would say that our Helsing Junction Farmhouse Ale would be perfect for this article," wrote Nathan Reilly, who owns the company with his wife, Sara.

In promoting the idea that the three magnets of town, country and town-country are important, the combination of two traditional Belgian yeast strains, crushed black pepper, ripe fruit, and herbal spice tones, malts and hops make for a crisp and sparkling ale.

"We want our brewery to be a representation of our community," Reilly concluded.

Three Magnets Brewing Company is located at 600 Franklin Street SE in downtown Olympia.  For more information, visit www.threemagnetsbrewing.com.

A lager for your service

Casey Sobol and Jason Stoltz understand service.

Both are firefighters with the McLane/Black Lake Fire Department, and both own and manage Top Rung Brewing in Lacey.

Since opening in 2014, the two have worked to create lagers that capture the meaning of what it means to serve.

"Our Lacey Lager and Lacey Dark Lager were designed with the military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in mind," explained Sobol, as he showed me the labels for the soon-to-be offered lagers.

"These lagers are a simple and clear tribute to servicemembers and their value to the service, the South Puget Sound area and its heritage."

Top Rung Brewing is located at 8343 Hogum Bay Lane NE, Lacey.  For more information, visit www.toprungbrewing.com.

Wingman Brewers’ Daniel Heath is happy to offer a Tacoma classic, P-51, an ale that links the city to its blue-
collar roots and World War II’s Greatest Generation. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Grit and beer

The grit in Wingman Brewers is palpable.

Just outside the back door, four Burlington Northern Santa Fe engines idled.  

Quintessentially, gritty Tacoma.

Inside amongst the barrels, co-owner Daniel Heath held forth about the brewery's P-51 Porter, a beverage steeped in Tacoma's past.

"We embrace the grittiness of this city," said Daniel Heath, a co-owner of Wingman Brewers.

He added that the P-51 Porter speaks to his grandfather's service in World War II.

"This beer also honors the Greatest Generation, those who built this city," Heath continued.

"We are innovative; we create authentic beers that are well-crafted."

Wingman Brewers is located at 509 ½ Puyallup Avenue in Tacoma. For more information, visit www.wingmanbrewers.com.