A new taproom in Tacoma’s Proctor District was buzzing on its first day in business.
Narrows Brewing opened its second location, 2620 N. Proctor St., on Wednesday with a full roster of house brews, charcuterie boards and weekly events already on the calendar.
The neighborhood locale doesn’t boast the same incredible view as the flagship brewery at the Narrows Marina, but fans of the original will feel right at home here, too.
The bar top and all of the tables were crafted with live-edge cedar that co-owner and head brewer Parker Rush milled with his late grandfather. Support beams and the wall behind the bar are also lined with cedar planks. Rush kept the pieces in storage, anticipating a future expansion of the business he and his wife Lauren bought in 2020, following his brewing days at Lowercase Brewing in Seattle. (A group of families opened Narrows Brewing Co. in 2013.)
The taproom is breezy and big with ample seating, custom woodwork and a nautical mural that highlights the brewery’s roots at Narrows Marina. Beer drinkers checked it out on Wednesday, July 2.
Offsetting that light wood are burgundy banquettes and marine-blue walls, in a nod to the brand’s nautical roots — in more ways than one. Every summer, Rush spends a couple of months in Alaska pursuing the other family trade: commercial fishing largely of sockeye salmon. To the right of the entrance, a large mural by Seattle-based artist Sarah Robbins depicts the Pacific Northwest’s quintessential evergreens, the midcentury Narrows Bridge, abstract mountains, a Gertie-esque octopus tentacle, hops and the Eldie — Parker’s first boat, an investment that helped fund the brewery venture.
The tap lineup features, naturally, Narrows’ own beer, which includes mainstays like Eldies Amber, Highway 16 lager and Octo IPA. The rest rotate through seasonal staples such as Super Chicken, a very drinkable West Coast IPA, to a newer light lager — a trend into which many craft breweries have leaned in recent years. Narrows has also ventured into cider; current pours are cherry and pineapple. There are several glass and bottle options from Washington wineries as well as Topo Chico hard seltzer and nonalcoholic drinks.
Snack on Chex Mix or a custom blend of popcorn, Cheetos and pretzels, as well as charcuterie boards from the kitchen with your choice of La Panzanella crackers, an assortment of cheese and cured salami.
The Proctor taproom is set up well for all-day needs, solo hangs and group outings. It was already buzzing on opening day, July 2, around 3 p.m.
They have also arranged to have frequent food trucks parked right out front. Stacks Burgers was setting up for a 4-8 p.m. run on opening day. If preferred, customers are welcome to bring in outside food, whether from home or nearby restaurants — pizza, Thai, sandwiches and banh mi among them.
In eyeing an expansion, the Rushes said they wanted to “add to an already vibrant area.”
They found it at the 2,800-square-foot former home of Viva Tacoma, which closed in March. They bought the 1940s-era building and spent the past three months knocking down walls, painting and all-around sprucing it up. The result is a much more open, airy atmosphere with an even breezier future: They plan to replace the large front windows with roll-ups that will let the outside in.
Visit on Tuesdays for co-op trivia: Every team can have up to eight players, and everyone “buys in” for $2. The winning team takes all, and the losing team can return the following week to pick a “red lantern” category. Every Wednesday the brewery releases a new beer — a longstanding Narrows tradition, from which some favorites have definitely emerged. On Thursday there is a low-key music bingo. Otherwise, it’s free reign, and there are plenty of tables.
The draft list includes house brews like Eldies Amber and Inside Passage Pale Ale. Rush trained at the University of California at Davis and spent several years with Lowercase Brewing in Seattle before buying Narrows Brewing in 2020.
For now, due to its current tavern license from the state liquor board, which allows it to offer more beverage variety, it’s 21-and-up.
Narrows joins a cohort of three other Tacoma breweries with multiple locations: E9 Brewing Co. (which just turned 30!), Sig Brewing Co. and Evergreen State Brewing (formerly Gig Harbor).
NARROWS PROCTOR
▪ 2620 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, narrowsbrewing.com
▪ Sunday-Thursday noon-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-10 p.m.
▪ Details: brewery taproom with charcuterie, regular food trucks, weekly events and new-beer releases (follow instagram.com/narrowsbrewing for updates); outside food allowed, 21-and-up