Puyallup's Off Camber Brewing Pours Its Last Pint After Nine Years

Off Camber Brewing, the garage-turned-brewery that has quietly anchored a corner of Puyallup since 2017, will pour its final pints on Saturday, September 26. Owner James Brandt is retiring after more than 20 years in the beer industry, closing out the operation with a party featuring food from Sabrina's Sweet Melts and live music from Soul Stripper.

Brandt spent roughly 10 years turning what began as a homebrew experiment into a full brewery and tasting room, according to The News Tribune. “I started making beer in a 5-gallon bucket with a friend, and it just steamrolled from there,” Brandt said. The brewery itself operates out of a converted residential garage at 6506 114th Ave Ct E, where assistant brewer Matthew Vargo — president of the Puyallup Home Brewer's Association — joined Brandt to help with micro-batch brewing after more than a decade of homebrewing experience of his own.

Off Camber built its following on the kind of programming that made it feel less like a business and more like a neighborhood living room. The taproom hosted Thirsty Thursdays, night markets, art workshops led by local small businesses, food trucks, and live music, welcoming both dogs and all ages through its doors. In a statement, the brewery said what started as a dream became a place where friendships were made, milestones were celebrated, live music was enjoyed, and countless memories were shared.

A Well-Earned Exit After Years of Early Mornings

Brandt has been candid about why he's stepping away now. “After years of hard work, long brew days, early mornings, late nights, and everything that comes with running a small brewery, it's time for a well-deserved new chapter,” Off Camber said in its announcement, per the same report. Brandt plans to return to construction work, taking on small jobs and remodels, and he and his wife intend to purchase another house in Arizona.

Until the last day, the taproom remains open Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Brandt has said the brewery was known for its unique atmosphere, and past coverage has described it as providing a one-of-a-kind experience for regulars who came for the beer and stayed for the community feel.

Recipes Head Downtown to Firemind Brewing

Off Camber's story doesn't end entirely with the closing party. Firemind Brewing, a craft brewery and community taproom at 211 W. Stewart Ave in downtown Puyallup, is set to purchase Off Camber's brewing equipment and signature recipes, including the Off Camber Amber and the Rubicon IPA. Firemind — which already hosts weekly events like open mic nights and live music, according to THE WALL — plans to brew and sell both beers, with the Amber and Rubicon IPA expected to hit its taps around the time Off Camber officially shuts its doors. Under Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board rules, microbrewery license holders like Firemind are authorized to manufacture beer and self-distribute directly to licensed retailers without a separate distributor license, according to Park Street Imports, a framework that smooths this kind of recipe and equipment handoff between small operators.

The transfer keeps a piece of Off Camber's identity alive in a craft beer scene that's been shrinking nationally. U.S. craft brewery closures outpaced openings for a second straight year in 2025, with 481 closures against just 300 openings as total national craft production fell 4% to 22.03 million barrels, according to the Brewers Association. Overall U.S. beer volume dropped 5.7% that same year. The pressure hasn't let up in 2026 either — as of June, operating craft breweries nationwide had fallen 1.8% year-over-year to 9,344 establishments, with craft production volume down another 4% over the first half of the year, the trade group's midyear report found.

Puyallup's Hop-Growing Roots Run Deep

Washington still ranks second in the nation for total craft breweries behind only California, though the state's overall count has dipped slightly as taprooms adjust their business models to inflation and shifting drinking habits, according to Axios Seattle. Puyallup's own ties to beer run back further than any modern taproom. City founder Ezra Meeker and his father Jacob planted and harvested the area's first commercial hops in the mid-1860s, an agricultural foundation that helped make Washington the country's top hop-producing state, per Livability.

Even with Off Camber's closure, Puyallup's craft beer density remains notable for a city its size, with roughly 18.6 craft beverage establishments per 100,000 residents and neighborhood spots like Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery, Top Down Brewing Co., and Station U Brew still pouring, according to Beer.Social. The city's fairgrounds also anchor the region's beer tourism, with the Washington State Fair Events Center hosting the Brewallup Craft Beer Festival and Oktoberfest Northwest each year, per the City of Puyallup. Off Camber's closure follows other recent shifts in the South Sound's craft beer landscape, and comes a year after the city held hearings on a downtown redevelopment plan that also envisioned a new craft brewery space in Puyallup's core.