The Pacific Northwest's top seasonal sippers are easy to identify: Coffee and all things of the roasted bean concoction, Old Fashioneds and brown liquor-based libations and beer. Tacoma has a rich history steeped in hops, with breweries like Columbia Brewing Company, Heidelberg Brewing and Puget Sound Brewery calling Tacoma home as early as the 1880s. Given our blue collar, gritty city of destiny identity, it's no wonder that bottle shops, taprooms and breweries are aplenty. Prohibition might have shut it down for a time, but once the boozes were flowing, the brewery scene eventually returned and thrived.  Opportunities to indulge in all things hops are so abundant we may as well change our moniker to Brewtown. Disclaimer: This list is going to focus exclusively on some of the local breweries. Bonus, many of these are a mere hop from the others making it easy to concoct your own walkable, brew journey.

Pacific Brewing and Malting Co. is among the few who boasts historic roots in the T-town scene and bears the moniker and crafts the beers of one of the original brewmasters in the area. Their flagship brew is a tribute to these roots in the 1897 Pale Lager. You can also sip on the Dirty Skoog Double IPA, Grit City Porter and more accompanied by bites ordered from any one of the many eateries that line North Pacific. 610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma

Odd Otter stays true to its name by producing some funky, fresh flavors. They have some traditional-styled brews including Screeching Otter Double IPA or the RESPECT Pale Ale, but also challenge the adventurous sippers with the SchuPac Peppercorn Saison or Ottermelon Hefeweizen. If you're not a fan of the hops, they always have a delightful selection of locally crafted ciders on tap, too. 718 Pacific Ave., Tacoma

With both a Tacoma and Gig Harbor locale, 7 Seas Brewing has been dominating local taps since 2009. IPA lovers go gah-gah over the Rude Parrot IPA and Ballz Deep Double IPA, both of which will coat your tongue with the bold, playful flavor of the hops. Other brews to sip upon include the 253 Pilsner, Water Chopper Gose and British Pale Ale, just to name a few. The Gig Harbor locale often has a food truck on-site, but they encourage you to pick up to-go grub from any number of the historic downtown eateries. While the Tacoma locale shares the space with 3uilt, featuring a menu of shucked shellfish, sammies and pizza. 3006 Judson St., Gig Harbor and 2101 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma

Wet Coast Brewing is another Gig Harbor gem. This small batch brewery is crafting fine, foamy sips like the Line Jumper IPA, Sneak Thief Milk Stout and Bottleman Brown Ale. Wet Coast also has a revolving door of seasonals like Wet Coast Cream Ale, Holiday Jeer Winter Ale and a Costa Humeda Mexican Lager. If you don't feel like paying the bridge troll to visit them personally, you can visit their website to find who's featuring them on tap. 6820 Kimball Dr., Gig Harbor

Dystopian State Brewery is one of the newer kids in town, but boast compelling flagship ales including The Red Queen, a red rye India pale ale, and Entropy, a black IPA. Other brews having fun with their monikers include High Command, a Doppelbock for the malt lovers. Or Eschaton Rum-Aged Stout, a Russian Imperial aged for 12 months in St. Croix rum barrels. Well worth a visit. 611 South Baker St., Tacoma

Engine House No. 9 is housed in an old fire station built in the early 1900s. Though E9 has been brewing beers since 1995, it wasn't until the last 10 years they started to really come on strong on the craft brew scene. They have a broad selection, so there's something for everyone, but I recommend you sip on one of their seasonals, barrel-aged farmhouse ales or sours given the opportunity. 611 North Pine, Tacoma

Since 2012, Tacoma Brewing has been crafting fabulous, foamy sips. The selection rotates, but a few of my personal favorite features include the Broken Window IPA, the Sour Not Sour Cherry Saison, and what should be world famous by now, Dr. Alexander's Hard Ginger Ale. They craft a diverse range of IPAs and their swag is some of my favorite in town. It's all about the logo. 1116 Court E, Tacoma

And there's MORE:
North 47, 1000 Town Center NE, Tacoma
Wingman Brewers, 509 ½ Puyallup Ave., Tacoma
Gig Harbor Brewing, 3120 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma
Narrows Brewing, 9007 19th St. W., Tacoma
Dunagan Brewing Company, 1126 Commerce St., Tacoma
Harmon Brewery and Eateries (various locations) 1938 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; 204 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma; 1208 26th Ave. NW, Gig Harbor