Pour your own beer at this new Puyallup-area taproom, and bring the pup to the patio

The Puyallup area’s first U-Pour It pub, where guests pour their own drinks from a digitally enhanced tap wall, will open next year.

The team behind The Redd Dog, which brought self-serve beer to Tacoma in 2021, has landed on Sunset Village in South Hill for its second location. It replaces the former Trapper’s Sushi, which moved its Puyallup-area restaurant into a bigger space in the same plaza earlier this year.

Pierce County will soon have three such bars: The Living Room plans to open at Brewery Blocks, next to Incline Cider and Camp Colvos Brewing in Tacoma.

The Redd Dog Puyallup will look and feel very similar to the original on Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue, anchored by the visage of owners Lane and Jamie Scelzi’s golden English lab adorning pint glasses, growlers, keychains and pup accessories.

“We definitely want it to feel like, ‘Oh, I’ve been here before,’” said marketing director Kristi Givens. “You walk in and it’s Redd’s pub.”

Traditions that will carry over include free popcorn, plenty of televisions for sports viewing, a shuffleboard table and the ever-popular trivia night. They also plan to install roll-up garage doors here, too, and to have foosball.

There will be two major — definitely positive — differences: a larger interior and a sizable patio.

The Pour My Beer tap wall will accommodate 40 taps compared to Tacoma’s 24. In addition to plenty of regional beer, that expansion also means more taps for beer alternatives: cider; red, white and sparkling wine; and refreshing nonalcoholic drinks like kombucha.

“Things are always changing, but we always want to keep it as local as we can,” said Givens.

The Redd Dog uses Pour My Beer technology, a Chicago-based company that says its system cuts down on waste and provides a streamlined user experience. You start a tab with a “beerista,” as you would at any bar, but here your credit card is digitally attached to an RFID card. Approach the beer wall, equipped with tablets explaining the drink within, swipe your card and start pouring. You pay by the ounce, ideal for creating your own tasting flight, trying new beers or settling on your favorite.

“For the most part people think it’s super fun,” said Givens. As Scelzi told The News Tribune as he was opening the Tacoma bar, “This concept is very interactive. You’re not just sitting at a table eating — you’re up moving around and meeting people, talking to people at the beer wall.”

Guests also appreciate the ease of paying your own way in a group setting: Everyone can get their own Redd card.

ANOTHER PUYALLUP-AREA PATIO

While the Sixth Avenue bar offers that vast open window and a couple sidewalk tables, the South Hill location’s plaza home allows for ample sidewalk seating. Fans who love the dog theme will be pleased to know they can bring those fuzzy friends to the new patio.

Givens said the shortage of outdoor space in Tacoma has taught Ministro Management Group, Scelzi’s hospitality parent company, the importance of patios for the casual U-Pour bar concept — and one branded with a dog no less.

“The Puyallup location has a much larger outdoor space, and of course dogs are welcome on all the outdoor patios,” she said, adding they are likely to develop a dog treat menu with items like beef jerky, bones and maybe even housemade meatballs.

The human food menu will mirror the original, which features sandwiches with housemade chips, bar-style pizzas, a giant pretzel and brunch specials including a breakfast pie with sunny eggs. Ordering will also stay digital — use your phone to order and pay.

Specials will also carry over, including half-off wine on Wednesday and discounts for college students on Thursdays. Keeping with the dog theme, expect fundraisers for the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, too.

Scelzi and his team anticipate even more Redd Dogs in the future: They are considering a site in Bellevue, where they operate one of two Melting Pot restaurants, the other in downtown Tacoma.

THE REDD DOG - PUYALLUP

▪ Sunrise Village, 10417 156th St. E, Puyallup, theredddog.com

▪ Details: self-serve taproom with beer, wine, cider and NA taps; target opening early 2023

THE REDD DOG - TACOMA

▪ 2805 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253-212-1174, theredddog.com

▪ Open Now: weekdays at 3 p.m., weekends at noon

This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.