Odd Otter Brewing

Just moved to Tacoma and heard some great things about Odd Otter, so I made time to try it and I am very glad that I did! I had the OddiTea Brown Ale which was a very satisfying, tasty beer. The woman working behind the counter was very friendly, and as a bonus ‘its always happy hour for military’! The place itself has a nice inviting interior, and they have a Jukebox so you can play all of your favorite songs. add in the easy access from the Tacoma downtown light rail, and I think I just found place to become a regular at!

This is hands-​down the best brewery in Tacoma. Try one of the Blind Otter brews (aged in either port, cognac, or bourbon barrels). Also! Come to yoga and beer on Saturdays at 1000 am. You’ll get a great stretch plus a free brew afterwards!

I stopped by here for brew after lunch at a neighboring place. Odd Otter doesn’t sell any food, but you can order Mexican grub from The Matador across the street. The beer here is incredible, these people are true craftsman.

Stopped by to check out this unique brewery based on the reviews. I had pours of the Ottermelon and Odditea. I enjoyed both of them and how unique they were. The Ottermelon definitely had that taste of watermelon and felt refreshing. The Odditea is such a unique blend of coconut and chai tea that it’s worth trying! I enjoyed drinking it because at the beginning you get that taste of coconut and it ends with a stronger tea taste which also makes it more bitter. It makes you keep wanting to drink it because it is so interesting on your palate!
Our pourer, Eric, was friendly and approachable. We enjoyed the free popcorn and board games!

I’ve had Odd Otter on my radar since I moved to Tacoma six months ago. Glad to say I finally stopped in!
Met up with some friends for a book club, so I only ended up trying one beer. It was an IPA — something like Notterosense. Tasted like your standard IPA. Definitely delicious.
Odd Otter has a cozy atmosphere. There’s just something about cute otter decorations It looks like they keep a busy activity board. This week there was karaōke Tuesday night and yoga on Saturday! They keep it all posted on a nice chalkboard. There’s also a spot to grab some free popcorn!
I plan on making it back for future visits, so I’ll update my beer reviews as I go.

This place is awesome. So awesome. Amazing beer that rotates. Great location for crawls. Cool name and logo. But… its really expensive. So expensive that their profit margin per beer has to be through the roof…

Character and atmosphere is fun.
I didn’t try any of the beers (as I went with a friend and I’m pregnant). A little disappointing that they don’t have anything besides beer OR any food to drink.
They have a chalkboard with various activities throughout the week.
Tues-​kareoke night
Wed-​Tricia night + movie night
Thurs-​pint club
Sat-yoga+beer
Bartender was knowledgable and friendly.
Their beer varieties change and the activities might change as well. Overall fun but probably more so if you enjoy beer.

My fiancé and I love otters, so when one of his friends checked in here and he saw the name, he promptly planned a day trip for us to go down to Tacoma to check it out.
We were surprised to see that they don’t serve food, but they are totally okay with you bringing your own food in and there are quite a few restaurants nearby to choose from.
They had quite a lot of beer options so we got a couple of samplers. They had some very unique options! We really liked most of what we had, even some of the, well, odder ones. If we lived closer we would likely be there more frequently.

We’ve been to Odd Otter a handful of times. The beer at the beginning was hit or miss. They’ve really upped their game in the 10 months since I’ve been going there. Really cool range of offerings on tap. If you’re the kind of douche nozzle who wants 8 out of 10 beers on tap to be pale ales or IPAs, go somewhere else. Great range of styles available at all times here.
I was there last week, and they had a flight of their 3 15% beers. While the beers ranged from interesting to delicious, I kind of wish I had known that the 3 «5 oz» (no way they were 5oz btw) were going to be over $ 8 each. The price isn’t listed anywhere on the menu that I saw. The cognac aged beer was sickeningly sweet, but the port barrel aged beer and the bourbon ones were top notch.
I got two flights of beer and spent over $ 40 before tip. What is this Capitol Hill or Ballard? Come on Tacoma.

This brewery was the highlight of the Washington Beer Open House day. Not only is their logo just awesome, their beer is just as magnificent. They split their menu into low– and high-​gravity options with a slightly higher price for high-​gravity.
We almost ordered the 3 Blind Otter barrel-​aged beers, but the bartender said they were fairly sweet, so we stayed away and tried their Russian Imperial stout and the Ottermelon Hef. Both were great and the Ottermelon is the only other hef I’ve had that even comes close to the texture and consistency as the well-​known Widmer Hef. These guys get added bonus points for having board games and Connect Four to play at the bar.
After about 15 games of Connect Four, we decided that loser of the next game should get the tab… with the Blind Otter beers as well (thankfully I won!). We ordered the Blind Otters and my life was changed. Three barrel-​aged elixirs of life were set in front of us. These were barleywine based beers with one aged in cognac, bourbon, and port barrels. At 15+%, these guys were sippers. I’ve had my fair share of barrel-​aged beers in my day and these guys rivaled the best. The Port one was a little sweet, naturally, with the grape sugars from the barrels coming through. The cognac and bourbon were absolutely amazing, very smooth, great barrel flavors, and definitely not sweet like the bartender made them out to be. Equally as exciting was this was my 1000^th check-​in on Untappd (hey, it’s the little things). They had some other interesting styles including a Chai Tea beer, Belgian offerings, ESB, and German-​style beers.
The taproom is good size with enough space for about 20 people. The brewery is visible down the hallway in the back. I would absolutely hit this place up and I’m excited to see what happens with them in the near future.

Screeching IIPA is nice, is more reminiscent of a barley wine, but could be hoppier…
My wife drinking a tasty Imperial Chocolate Stout… and loves it.
A groovy vibe, with chilling tunes… and good brews!

So before I talk about their beer let me talk about the space and the service.
I have to say that this is a brewery that really embraced their theme. The brewery space is full of fun and whimsical artwork that replaces the traditional subjects with otters. Even the bathroom gets in on the fun by being made up to look like a mountain scene. It really embraces a sense of fun and joy that a brewery should have, without delving into the hipster/​ironic side.
The service here was also top notch. While we didn’t really talk to the bartender that much he was doing a great job interacting with the customers at the bar. He never neglected anyone that walked up though. He would also take the time to explain the beers if you had any questions on them. He did it in a way too that wasn’t condescending or too complicated for non beer lovers.
Now for the beer. I typically review breweries based on one of two things. A brewery either is swinging for the fences with out there styles, or they make the «classics» but at an elevated style. I would say Odd Otter is more of the swing for the fences sort of a brewery, although they do also make the classic styles quite well.
I say they swing for the fences because they have beers that incorporate other elements not typical in beer. They bring in things like chai or wine grapes, and they experiment with barrel aging. One of the issues that can come from swinging for the fences is you miss. Odd Otter shows a great deal of restraint with their big swings. While they go for the out there flavors they also make sure that they aren’t doing anything in excess. It basically walks that fine line of out there but still palatable.
We tried almost all of their beers and enjoyed most of them. I think the only one that didn’t connect for me was the watermelon heff. Overall though this was a standout brewery for me on this trip. Really happy we got to check it ou.
¹⁸⁄₁₀₀

Love this business. What I think is really special, other than the amazing beer, is that fire fighters, nurses, teachers, etc always get a discount. Really shows how much they care about our community and everyone deserves a cold beer after a long day! Ottermelon is probably one of my all time favorite beers– it’s so refreshing! Staff is extremely friendly, their logo is adorable, and it is just an all around great place!
They don’t serve food, but don’t hesitate to order from one of the other local businesses across the street and bring it on in with you c:

I have been here twice and each time has been a blast. The first time I was a little confused about the pricing, but after learning how the pricing worked it made a lot more sense. Its a cool little brewery in downtown Tacoma and just a short walk from the lightrail.
I would suggest for anyone who visits to order anything from the forum. And to try some of the more odd sounding beers. The first time we came I was utterly blown away by the Odditea (chai beer) and the Watermelon beer. I would never guessed I would have enjoyed those, but they were among the top of the day.
Great atmosphere. Great service. and a fun flight!

I suppose after coming here as much as I have, drinking a majority of the beers brewed here and guest ciders served, it’s time to write a review.
Simply put… I love this place.
I am a gluten-​free gal 99% of the time. However, if and when I choose to gluten myself it always involves the beer here. I usually get a flight just so I can try the old favorites and any new beers. I love the beer, Ottermelon, Strawberry Nom Nom and Ottzel Quatzel are my favorites to gluten myself with. Their Screeching Otter IPA is my absolute favorite of all IPAs (and whoa! The alcohol content!). The Comrade Otter makes a delicious cupcake (used in the batter and frosting) and Momma Otter’s Pancake Porter is perfect for making candied bacon! Yup, there’s more to this beer than drinking! Thankfully, for those who are gluten-​free or don’t like beer (*gasp*), they always feature guest ciders. There is usually a dry and something a little sweeter on tap… The key is to mix them half and half for the perfect balance of sweet and dry ;-)
The staff here are amazing. They know the beers and are happy to explain every single one… And pour you a sip to try before committing. Speaking of committing… They also have three different serving sizes (glasses and growlers)… Maybe you want a little, maybe you want a lot… They gotcha covered!
The tasting room itself is great. It’s the kind of place where you meet up with old friends and make new ones along the way. The sense of community there is awesome.
They’ve always got something going on… Karaōke, live music, sportsball… Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see the daily happenings and tap list. They’re also really great about partnering with other organizations in the community to raise money for different causes.
This place… The beer and the people… Are awesome!

*constructive criticism*
1) we wish you had an amber
2) put away the «cardboard» boxes
3) the chalk board has gotta go
4) the wal-​mart lights on the bar back drop need to leave
5) peanuts are unsanitary
6)beer list needs to be bigger /​bad selection
7) extension cords on the floor =no go
8) the volume that the music plays when the juke box is on is what needs to be standard
9) bar stools should all match
10) cable box /​DVD player /​whatever it is /​HIDE IT!!!
*POSITIVES*
I did love the hilltop wheat ipa

Where do I start… If you haven’t been to the Otter yet, get yourself there asap!
So many beers, and the bartenders are wonderful in that they will let you try anything. Luck O’ the Otter stout is my favorite! Like Guinness but better. They brew many different beers but they have the current beer list on the wall.
Service is amazing. All of the bartenders are super-​friendly and will help you find something you like.
OOBC will also let you bring food inside to eat– some places will even deliver. Just ask :)

Wonderful place! I feel like I’m home once I walk through those doors. The staff is always super friendly, and I never go a few minutes without a full glass of beer.
The beer itself is great. A little something for everyone, with an Odd Otter twist. The three size options are great if for someone like me who fills up fast. I can try several different beers instead of two or three beers. The prices are reasonable, and they always have a fun thing going on. Not your typical bar, and I like that.

It absolutely PAINS me to have to update my review.
Went in for a birthday beer last night. Drove all the way from parkland for a glass of their new beer. The beertender had me taste it first and claimed they moved it and it caused the yeast to rise but that it should be ok «in a couple hours». Seeing as I wasn’t driving back in a couple hours I sampled a different beer.. only to find it was warm. I’m not talking kinda cold, I’m talking not even remotely drinkable warm. When I mentioned that the beer was warm, the employee did not even flinch.. like he KNEW it was warm and did nothing to fix whatever problem they had. A tap room should NEVER knowingly serve warm beer.
Those were the only 2 beers I felt comfortable drinking since I was driving, and their high gravity selection would not be smart. We left and had a birthday drink elsewhere.
To make matters worse the once beautiful bar was covered in blue duct tape. I’m not sure what they were covering, but it just looked sad.
I save the 5 star reviews for companies that truly wow me.

On a recent trip to Seattle I came to visit some friends in Tacoma and I was amazed at the craft beer scene over on the West coast. It’s like there’s magical craft beer fairies running around everywhere making some of my favorite IPAs in all the land.
Walking down the main road in Tacoma we came across the Odd Otter while we were waiting for our reservation at The Matador across the street. Upon walking in we were immediately greeted by the staff and told we could sit anywhere. The main focus of this place is their in-​house brews and they were delicious! There is plenty of seating all around and they even have Cards Against Humanity for those who are wanting a little card action.
My personal favorite drink of the night was the Screeching Otter DIPA. With a 9.2% ABV rating you know this is one to not mess with. It was perfection and super hoppy, absolutely what I look for in a IPA. Some other flavors they feature were Coconut Chai Porter, Strawberry Blonde, and Momma Otter’s Pancake Porter.
Their menus are super relaxed and are on cut outs of papers splitting up the beer offerings by high gravity and low gravity. Each beer has their respective ABV listed and the OO offers their beers by 5oz, 10oz, and 160z.
I had such a great time here and will definitely be coming back when I’m visiting Seattle/​Tacoma area again.
Psst– They also offer a Unilocal check-​in promo which is awesome!