BY MATT STEVENS for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 6/19/2026
Regular readers may try to bestow that title on McMenamins, which I, of course, have not yet visited for this column. But they would, in fact, be wrong.
This week, we made a trip down to enjoy the brewery in Tacoma that is the most distinct from others: Fermentation Initiative.
Fermentation Initiative is a homebrew shop located on South Tacoma Way in the heart of the Nalley Valley, among the former pickle empire but now the heart of the Tacoma marijuana grow empire. They sell all the ingredients and equipment you need to brew your own beer, but they’ve also opened a pub in the back corner and serve their own homemade beers. They also have a patio out the back door that has umbrellas and is a wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon in the glorious Pacific Northwest summer.
I had them pour the hefeweizen for me.
Appearance
Appearance-wise, it comes in a delicious-looking straw yellow, maybe a touch clear for my preferences. While the head is brilliant white, perfect for the style, the beer-can glassware really doesn’t do this style justice, and I wish more places would invest in proper glassware.
Nose/Smell
Aroma-wise, this beer comes ready. All the expected flavors of a solid German-style hefeweizen; keep those weak American wheat beers out of here: banana, clove, this one also has hints of lemon, and maybe a touch of honey. Also, because I’m outside in the Nalley Valley, when the wind blows just right, I catch all the Mary Jane.
Taste
This beer tastes great. That banana flavor comes through, and then the lemon comes on very pleasantly. But it’s a great complement to the banana. I love big banana in my German hefs, and this beer tastes great.
Mouthfeel
Mouthfeel-wise, this beer is just fine. It also goes fantastic with the warm day on the patio at Fermentation Initiative. To be honest, the patio isn’t much. It’s five picnic tables with umbrellas and some wine barrels cut in half to grow some hops. And someone was told to spend $20 on decorations at Lowe’s: “Go nuts!” But it’s outside, and the breeze is glorious, and it’s easy to avoid looking at the barbed wire behind the nicely done wood fence. Don’t forget the mop bucket left in the corner.
I’m sorry, the patio space is really nice to enjoy on a Friday afternoon by myself, and the shade is brilliant. Honestly, I’ll be out here again to work this summer when I can get away.
This beer continues to grow on me. It’s a solid beer with the banana and lemon mixing well. It’s just an easy sipper. If I was going to be super picky, maybe slightly more carbonated. Maybe. That may destroy some of that banana flavor that lingers on my tongue, so that may not be ideal.
Overall
Overall, a solid beer, especially on a warm afternoon. This really hit the spot.
Get yourself to the back corner of Fermentation Initiative to grab a pint or maybe make your own beer.
Fermentation Initiative is at 2626 S. Tacoma Way, Suite D, in Tacoma.
