Of all the categories for which to choose a "best," best brewery is a difficult one. Pierce County is a beer lovin' county. There's no shortage of brew. From Wingman to E9 to Harmon and beyond, beer flows through our be-potholed streets and through many of our veins as well. It is for this reason that being selected as Best Brewery is no small feat.
This year, 7 Seas Brewing won the honor. Why them, you ask? Co-founder Mike Runion says it's all about the basics: good beer, $3 pints, Jenga for the masses and free nuts for all.
"We do our absolute best to make our communities proud, not only proud of the product, but proud of the company, too," he said. "We not only care about every customer's experience, but we also care about our employees, our family, our regulars and newcomers. They are all family to us. We stick to the basics. Make great beer. We don't like change much. We are sure not to lose our roots. We do our best to spread the gospel of the 253."
Founded in 2008 by Runion and Travis Guterson, 7 Seas set out from the start to innovate, to create beers that went where no beers had gone before. They do crazy things, like using cans rather than bottles so your beer doesn't show up in local stores all skunktastic. Cans are cheaper and easier to recycle, too. It's not every day that you can have your beer and save the world a little bit, too, but that's just the kind of brewery that 7 Seas is.
7 Seas believes in beer - real beer. Interesting beer. Brewmaster Guterson doesn't take with the idea that all beers have to fit into a neatly formed category. Some beers go off the map ... and that's OK.
"7 Seas crafts Northwest-inspired beers," Runion said. "We don't make cookie-cutter representations of the same beer styles you see all over. We like to give each beer its own unique approach on the style, make some styles that we don't think there are enough examples of, and make what we think sounds good.
"We like to imagine the end result, finished beer, and then reverse engineer how we can get those flavors and aromas. We take ingredients of the highest quality and craft clean, consistent beers, brewed with true appreciation for the craft. No detail is too small."
So where's this brewery going in the future? Just how far can great brew and great philosophy take this shindig?
"Shit, who knows!" Runion said. "It's been a crazy ride thus far, and we are holding on tight. So we will keep working hard, making the best damn beer we can, and hopefully people keep enjoying it. We listen to feedback, and we have become accustomed to saying ‘never say never.'"
In the next few months, watch for The Galley, a food truck venture with the Peterson Bros. of 1111, and the soon-to-reopen Valley Tavern.
7 Seas Brewing is at 3006 Judson St., which is just steps from the Gig Harbor waterfront.
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Other 2014 Best of Tacoma readers' poll winners and Weekly Volcano staff picks