Four Brews to Try at Evergreen Brewing
BY MATT STEVENS for WEEKLY VOLCANO 3/13/26 |
I moseyed down to their newish taproom on the Thea Foss Waterway on a warm day for March, but it was still chilly in the PNW. A lovely, warm, and inviting space with wood paneling inside, a pool table, and a lovely patio outside. While I didn’t catch much sun, I think this space in the summer would make a great happy hour or a Saturday afternoon hangout.
I got a four-beer sampler to try out a variety of beers from Evergreen.
First off was the Hazy IPA, Evergreen Invasion, brewed as a collaboration with a home brewer for Tacoma Beer Week. The beer pours a beautiful light straw color and is quite hazy. It nailed the delicateness of a beautiful beer. The nose is deliciously light and effervescent. The bitterness of hops is here, but it is lacking the big fruit flavors I associate with a hazy. It is a fine beer, just not a great example of a strong hazy IPA.
Taste: The beer is slightly thin and does not have a ton of fruit coming through. It is tasty and very drinkable, but it is more subtle. Mouthfeel is excellent. It is still thin, but not annoyingly so. I want more than just my 6 oz. pour.
Overall: Pretty solid. A fine example of an easy-drinking hazy IPA.
Brown
The Brown Ale (Harry Henderson, what a great name) is the reason I did not just get a single pint but splurged for the sampler. A great brown is so hard to find. Too many browns or ambers are just a checkbox on a tap list. They are relatively easy to brew. They have a built-in market of people who do not like IPAs (too bitter) and do not like stouts (too roasty), so many macro drinkers love them as their alternative to mass-market lagers.
The appearance is solid, a darker amber, but not so cloudy that you cannot see through it. Beautiful small head on the sampler glass. The nose has hints of honey, but when you dive into it, the honey and nut flavors really partner well with the brown malts. A delicious first sip.
Moving on to the second and third sips, it is approaching too sweet for my palate. This is still a really good beer, but I like my beer a little drier or with more roast to balance that level of sweetness.
Overall, a great beer to get my father-in-law, who does not like 95 percent of the beers I do. I cannot wait to drag him out here on a warm summer day.
CDA
This Cascadia Dark Ale (Skyjacked) is a very different beer than the collaboration CDA we had from E9 and home brewer Darren Stiplin last week. This pours a lot lighter, with more brown showing through and not as thick. The nose is very different, more coffee and general roastiness and less pine from the hops
The flavor is very different. Coffee flavors are strongly coming through, and the hop flavors are more muted. It is not greatly balanced for a CDA. It does not quite hit the guidelines. It is also thin for a CDA. Overall, this is a fine beer and it is very drinkable, but it is more like a coffee amber than a CDA to me.
Blonde
I finish the sampler with the Blonde Ale, High Point. This beer is slightly darker in color than I was expecting, more golden than straw-colored, especially compared to the hazy IPA, but it is a beautiful color. The aroma has hints of malt, but not a lot going on. Flavor-wise, the beer does bring in the malt profile, a lightish malt, not roasty and not sweet. It is very good with the residual sweetness.
This beer does not have the golden pop or bright flavor I associate with Belgian golden ales, but it is enjoyable. A solid beer. Mouthfeel is good. The malt flavors may be a little strong. Overall, this is again a solid beer.
Overall, you need to get yourself down to Evergreen State Brewing Company. It is right on the Foss, with a gorgeous view of boats going up and down the water. There is a huge outdoor patio, and they have bags you can play. Inside, there is a pool table and plenty of space to let kids ramble about.
Parking your living room on wheels may be an issue, but there is paid parking in the Henry Garage. Because it is on Dock Street, there is also a great trail that runs along the Foss.
Evergreen State Brewing is partnering with a barbecue joint that is cooking in the building. I did not have any ribs or pulled pork, but it smelled delicious. A perfect place this summer to enjoy a Friday happy hour after a week of responding to too many emails.
Evergreen State Brewing Co., 1901 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA, USA
Website: es-brewing.com
