Brewery taproom with unique flavors will add to South Tacoma’s growing stretch of bars
With Skee-Ball, shuffleboard and a new draft system, Scamp Brewing — named after the owner’s wily feline — will open a taproom this summer at 5419 South Tacoma Way.
Owner Arthur Cohn has been brewing and serving from his 16-seat bar at 15th and D streets in Auburn since 2017. His tap list typically includes a Northwest amber, hefeweizen and a hazy IPA or two, but he’s also attracted a following for his playful spins, such as a s’mores strong ale and a peanut butter-marshmallow brown ale. A few have garnered accolades, including the Exile in Sibeeria, a chocolate, coffee and coconut stout, at the 2021 SIP Awards and a Scottish Shilling ale at the 2019 Washington Beer Awards.
Within a couple of years, Cohn was ready for a second location but was hampered by pandemic slowdowns.
“I had eyes on Tacoma and was just looking for the right place,” he told The News Tribune in May.
Top of the list was a well-trafficked neighborhood where he could stand out, and that stretch of South Tacoma has steadily blossomed into a food and nightlife destination.
Located in the standout 1909 white-brick building at 5419-5421 South Tacoma Way, Scamp’s Tacoma taproom replaces the short-lived Main Ingredient Pizzeria. It features high ceilings, walls that Cohn plans to paint a shade of forest green, and a bar for a dozen plus room for plenty of table seating. He already has the Skee-Ball and plans to add shuffleboard, a TouchTunes jukebox system, regular food trucks parked in the back alley parking space and weekly trivia.
Next door, with an adjoining doorway, Howdy Bagel will also open its Tacoma shop by fall.
Above the bar, Tacoma’s Brennan Sandstrom opened the Discovery Cider Co. taproom in January (entrance through the alley). One door north at 5415, Theory Real Estate — which has quietly purchased and rehabbed many of the buildings on the blocks between South 52nd and 56th streets — introduced the two-story, multipurpose event venue Edison Square.
Farther up the street at South 50th, KVLT Mead moved from the Dome District to South Tacoma last year. Also on STW: The Church Cantina, The Mule, Airport Tavern, Opal Lounge and Colombiana Luis Empanadas.
Cohn will continue brewing only at his original Auburn facility. The Tacoma taproom will allow for more experimental brews and more kegs in general.
One of his most popular small-run beers is a PB&J tart ale made with 100 pounds of real blackberries per batch.
“It’s not practical to make all the time,” he said, but people love the stuff.
An Auburn native, Cohn worked at a music warehouse before opening the brewery with the help of his father Jim Cohn, who bartends a couple nights a week and leads outside sales. About 13 years ago, his homebrewing uncle gifted him a kit.
Scamp’s kegs have been on tap at local beer havens, including The Red Hot, Edison City Alehouse, Rainier Growlers and Oddfellas Pub, plus Flatstick Pub locations in Seattle. Before they closed, The Swiss and Copper Door (now Gilman House) also carried the brand.
As for the mascot: He was saved as a 2-week-old kitten and bottle-raised before growing into a mighty little beast whose “curiosity overwhelms any judgment he may have,” according to his website bio.
“He was just a troublemaker,” laughed Cohn.
You won’t find him roaming the Tacoma taproom, and despite his claim to the Auburn brewery’s name, he’s not a regular.
“He’d probably just jump on top of the walk-in and nobody would get him down,” said his caretaker, also of a gray tabby named Paulie and a brown lab. “Other than family, he’s kind of shy around people.”
Cohn has liquor board and health permits in hand, but with some light renovation, he anticipates a summer opening.
SCAMP BREWING
Tacoma: 5419 South Tacoma Way; target opening July 2022, follow Facebook for updates
Auburn: 402 16th St. NE #108, Auburn, scampbrewing.com; open Wednesday-Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday at 1 p.m.
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.