Dining and drinking review: a trio of local breweries

The Esplanade is strategically located in walking distance of five local breweries - six if you count The Rock Pizza, which serves its own brands of beer (but are not locally produced). This weekend Kurt Kwon reviews three of those local breweries. Kurt may be a little picky about his beers, but as he says, everyone has different tastes. Perhaps someday we will organize a community "brewery walk," with stops at all five for a pint...or maybe a half pint.

Reviews by Kurt Kwon

I thought a change of pace was needed besides restaurant reviews. I love the new resurgence of breweries popping up in the local area and thought I would try a few. Please keep in mind that beer is very subjective to everyone's vast palates. I tend to favor pale ales and stouts. I'm learning to like some IPA's, but I'm not a bitter fan. These three breweries were unfortunately a bust for me, but alas I will keep up the fight and look for that perfect beer!

Wingman Brewers is located at 509 1/2 Puyallup Ave

These guys are a legit brewery. With some time I think they will produce some great beer. First and foremost this place is a brewery. Nothing special for decor at this place. The couple times I've been here the service has been top notch. Very friendly and knowledgable guys who definitely have passion for their product.

Beer is a matter of taste, obviously. I enjoyed Wingman's darker beers, but the others just had too much "other stuff" in them. It seems to be a trend of brewmasters to infuse different items into their beers. I don't have a problem with the experimentation but it tends to take over the taste of the beers. I'm sure others may like that. But I always think that a brewery should have their signature "normal" beers and then experiment with other beers. I will be back sometime in the future to see how they are doing. Hopefully there will be a beer that meets my palate better.

Odd Otter Brewing Company is located at 716 Pacific Ave

Came in a few days ago to a busy night with some friends to check out the Odd Otter. Only one bartender, but he noticed us right away and provided outstanding service giving us mini tastes of whatever we wanted to try. Five stars to the great service. Ambiance is laid back and has potential to be fun. Unfortunately, the Odd Otter lived up to their name of being "odd."  A goofy selection of infusions like the chai tea and coconut or the bourbon flavored beer. Both over-powered the actual beer taste. Tried all the other beers and nothing stood out. Unfortunately the only beer my party liked was a guest beer and not one of their own. The pricing for the beers is very odd too. The larger pours are very expensive.

Harmon Brewing Co. & Restaurant is located at 1938 Pacific Ave S

Came here after dinner to have some drinks and late appetizers on a Saturday night. Thought it would be busy but it was a ghost town. Food is at best average. Had the nachos and chicken wings. Meh...just blah, not bad but not good either. Had some beers too and nothing extraordinary, again just OK. Unfortunately I had to flag someone down to actually get some service for our table. Staff seemed to be apathetic. Unfortunately this place has gone down hill. Such a shame for a prime location. The beer selection was more classic than the other breweries around. But unfortunately, it didn't distinguish itself from your run of the mill store-bought beer.