Mountain fresh

Peaks and Pints aims high in Proctor

By Jake and Jason de Paul on January 12, 2017

ANNOUNCER: It is hard not to like any place that holds beer meetings and gatherings around here, especially calling them Lodge Meetings at Base Camp - that's a great salute to the area.  And it is only one of the many things we like about Peaks and Pints.  Now, for full disclosure: one of the co-owners of this week's review is a former owner of the Weekly Volcano ... but we aren't holding that against him!

JASON: Anything that Ron Swarner puts his name to is going to be, at the very least, perfectly pretty.  And his new venture, a beer store and tap room, Peaks and Pints is no exception.  This place is part ski chalet and part beer mecca - and together it has helped transform the Proctor District into the place to be.

JAKE: It's hard to miss the huge refrigerator cases at the very back - they are jammed with beer labels you can't find strolling down the aisle at Safeway. Frankly, in the unlikelihood that you don't find something behind the bar on the many taps, you can open the refrigerator and pull out something you do want to taste.  Filled with cider, beer and wine, there are options for even the pickiest of drinkers.

JASON: It is kind of like being home and grabbing a beer out of your own fridge ... only there is a small tap fee here.  But, lets push past the beers, which are both plentiful and fun, and focus on the food being offered.  Swarner teamed up with local sandwich guru's the Peterson Brothers, and the menu here is taking lots of people by culinary storm.

JAKE: I gave the smoked salmon bacon spread a shot from the small bites section of the menu.  They have taken the traditional cream cheese and smoked salmon and kicked it up several notches by adding both bacon and jalapeno.  The hot and salty addition spread with the freshly toasted crostinis are ideal, especially if you've chosen something sweet like a cider or white wine.

JASON: Yes, but it is the Reuben that must be conquered.

JAKE: It's not always easy to find a truly good Rueben sandwich, but Peaks and Pints knows the secret to its success.  Stacks of pastrami topped with Havarti cheese, Thousand Island dressing and piles of sauerkraut.  And all this sour, salty and creamy is served between rich and buttery toasted rye bread.

JASON: Even the simple things taste good - I enjoyed the pretzel bread sticks - soft, salty and chewy.

JAKE: On another visit, I went simple and selected the Beef and Beecher's sandwich.  Even as a basic sandwich, it is made with great care.  Tons of roast beef is topped with rich white cheddar cheese and served on a toasted French roll.  Add a pint of Dick's Cherry Chocolate Stout and you will not be disappointed.

JASON: We miss Ron at the Weekly Volcano, but let's be honest, once you eat at Peaks and Pints, you can't help but be happy he left to open up this place!

Peaks and Pints, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday-Sunday, 3816 N. 26th St. B, Tacoma, 253.328.5621, peaksandpints.com