Tacoma now seems to have every kind of bottle shop. They have the little places that kept expanding their selection until they offered hundreds of labels, and now they have the place that set out from the beginning to be a beer nerd’s one-stop shop. Pint Defiance is that purpose-built bottle shop, from the ground up. It’s right next to a good Thai place in a strip mall in the north end. There’s decent parking, and the place is clean and bright inside. There’s nice new flooring, and big lines of perfectly matched brand-new coolers packed to the gills with all different beers. There’s a glassware shelf, and in back there are tables and stools so you can hang out. It’s brightly lit and not uncomfortably chilly. The selections don’t seem to be organized by style or by geography, at least not to an OCD level. There’s a loose Belgian section, and then there seems to be a bit of a tendency to bundle domestics together by state. But there didn’t seem to be an obvious pattern. There are about 600 bottles in, probably, and prices are reasonably solid by bottle shop standards (e.g., a supermarket can probably beat their prices on the things they get, but this place has much more selection and better service). In back there are about 18 taps. Like most places these days, the selections will be familiar to most people who visit good beer spots regularly, but they do have the occasional rare treat on. You can get growlers to go in two-pint and four-pint configurations. Bottom line, this place does a really good job across the board, and they have the crowds to show for it. I’ll definitely be back anytime I am in T-Town and beer shopping.

Barry has set a new high mark for PNW bottle shops. PD have exacting control over cooler temps and have gone through great lengths to ensure that their beers aren’t lightstruck: LED lighting and tinted front windows. Selection and knowledge are top drawer, as is the service. WiFi and 10 handles make leisurely shopping even more attractive. Selection is definitely PNW-biased, but with so many excellent local beers available, there’s no need to look to far afield.

Great place awesome ambiance. 8 taps with super fresh stuff on tap. Over 750 bottles with more coming. Great staff and they are very knowledgeable with the brews. I was impressed and will be back.