Satellite brewery taproom closes on STW. Are 2 locations too many in Tacoma?
Another attempt at a brewery taproom on South Tacoma Way has stumbled.
Sig Brewing Co. closed its secondary location Aug. 29, a little more than a year after its debut. The flagship brewery in Tacoma’s “brewery district” is open and kicking, with a frequently rotating tap list and cans to-go, plus some of the best pizza in town.
Co-owner Jon Samuelson pointed to differences with the landlords and timing as playing into the STW closure. The building is owned by an LLC associated with Theory Real Estate, which has rehabbed a number of properties in the neighborhood.
“It seemed like the right time to hang up and focus on the brewery,” said Samuelson in a message Wednesday night.
The business appears to have first shared news of the closure Aug. 27 on the South taproom’s Instagram page.
Sig opened its production facility and restaurant at 2534 Tacoma Ave. S. in 2020. Head brewer Jeff Stokes makes some awesome beers as well as fruit beers and hard seltzers that have attracted their own fans. Seasonal specials currently include a fall festbier, several fresh-hop varietals and “The Fair is Canceled,” a cotton-candy sour ale, while the everyday list has leaned into easy-drinkers like Pilscifer and Sig Light, the brewery’s take on a classic American lager.
That space also boasts a full kitchen that bakes Neapolitan-style pizzas in a stone oven and churns out fun snacks like deviled eggs and excellent salads.
In looking to expand, STW seemed like an ideal choice. The neighborhood lost its only true beer bar, Edison City Alehouse, in June 2024. (That team opened Kingfisher and Rye Tavern on Sixth Avenue earlier this year.) Auburn-based Scamp Brewing also tried its hand at 5419 South Tacoma Way in 2022, but it, too, closed after about a year due in part to personal reasons.
It feels like a prime location: The unit shares a hallway with the ever-busy Howdy Bagel, and last year, the family behind Edison Square, the event venue next door, introduced an in-house burger concept called Radnor’s with chefs Lewis and Myra Mageo. Sig’s taproom offered QR code ordering, and Radnor’s staff would even deliver your order to your table. (You can still pop into Radnor’s, of course, for their awesome smashburgers!)
The taproom also allowed for other outside food. It was, however, 21-and-up, which has proven to be a difficult bargain in Tacoma in recent years. In Washington, that limitation is often not the choice of the business but a necessity of the liquor license: Many secondary taprooms operate under a tavern license, which excludes minors. Meanwhile in the Proctor District, Narrows Brewing has taken a chance on the secondary taproom idea; that breezy new bar also offers charcuterie boards and frequent food trucks.
South Tacoma and its main corridor continue to evolve. The city recently completed a two-year “neighborhood plan” study, which aims to improve ongoing challenges like transportation, health, affordability and economic development. Beyond Howdy Bagel and established spots like The Mule Tavern, The Church Cantina, Luis Panes and Dawson’s, a focused effort to attract locally owned and operated businesses to the area has drawn an intriguing array of storefronts — among them Sober AF, a nonalcoholic bottle shop; Bluebeard Coffee, which opened a roastery with a built-in cafe last year; and Airport Tavern, now with an expansive music venue on the corner of STW and South 54th Street.
Sig South was not alone in closing this summer: The Opal Lounge also said goodbye after a 7-year run, but new owners are planning a fresh concept.
Sig Brewing Co.
- 2534 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, 253-503-6446, sigbrewingco.com
- Tuesday-Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 12-10 p.m. (kids welcome through 7 p.m. daily)
- Details: brewery and taproom with stone-oven pizza and snacks, plus cans to-go
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM.