Mount Rainier-inspired beer on tap after new owner buys Gig Harbor’s namesake brewery

Gig Harbor Brewing is now Evergreen State Brewing, following a February sale that has ushered in a Pacific Northwest-themed rebrand and new beer recipes to two Tacoma-area taprooms.

“We are thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to join the NW brewing community, and we look forward to serving the passionate craft beer drinkers throughout the region,” new brewery owner Matthew Burnett said in a news release.

Burnett bought both of the brewery’s taprooms in Tacoma and Gig Harbor from founder John Fosberg. The sale closed Feb. 1, Burnett told The News Tribune in a phone call.

Gig Harbor Brewing opened its craft brewery and taproom at 3120 S. Tacoma Way in 2015 after the business struggled to find production space in its namesake town, The News Tribune reported at the time. They secured a second taproom on the waterfront in downtown Gig Harbor by 2018. In 2021, Fosberg and his son, Max Fosberg, added a spinoff, Home Turf Taproom, in Parkland, but it closed two years later. (It’s now La Ca Cafe.)

They listed the brewery for sale last June.

“I always wanted to own a brewery,” Burnett said. “I used to do a lot of homebrewing ... the price was good, so I went ahead and moved on it. “

A self-described lover of “good craft beer,” he said he was raised in Tacoma and considers the city his home.

Evergreen State Brewing will introduce a full rebrand, including new beer recipes — though Burnett said Gig Harbor Brewing’s menu won’t disappear entirely. He will keep Dead Man’s Island IPA on the menu and plans to recreate some of his predecessor’s recipes as specials a few times a year.

Burnett is excited about the grain, yeast and hops that they’ll use in their new recipes. Asked what makes a good beer, he answered immediately: “A brew master and quality ingredients.”

“You can tell by the price of your ingredients,” he said. “There’s cheaper ones out there, and we tend to pay for the higher end.”

Evergreen State Brewing names their beers after Washington state icons and themes, according to Burnett.

He highlighted the 29 Tribes Red Ale and Harry Henderson Brown Ale as taste-tester favorites. The High Point Blonde Ale, “a bold, crisp new blond ale that is sure to be a crowd fave” per the brewery’s social media, is inspired by Mount Rainier.

The brewery will host a grand opening at the Tacoma taproom March 21-22 and at their Gig Harbor taproom March 28-29. The Tacoma outpost is family-friendly, while the Gig Harbor taproom is 21-and-up.

Burnett has eyes on opening other taprooms in Washington state. His next destination is Chelan, where he said he aims to introduce the brand next January.

EVERGREEN STATE BREWING CO.

▪ 3120 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253-319, 8181, es-brewing.com

▪ 3155 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor

▪ Details: new owners for Gig Harbor-Tacoma brewery, follow instagram.com/esbrewing for updates

▪ Grand opening party and beer tasting in Tacoma, March 21-22, 2-11 p.m., and in Gig Harbor, March 28-29, 2-11 p.m.

The News Tribune’s Kristine Sherred contributed to this report.

Julia Park

The News Tribune

253-274-7325

Julia Park is the Gig Harbor reporter at The News Tribune and writes stories about Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Fox Island and other areas across the Tacoma Narrows. She started as a news intern in summer 2024 after graduating from the University of Washington, where she wrote for her student paper, The Daily, freelanced for the South Seattle Emerald and interned at Cascade PBS News (formerly Crosscut).