Incline Cider Is Leaving Brewery Blocks, but the Brand Is Staying Put

Incline Cider House is preparing to pour its final pints at Brewery Blocks—but the Tacoma-born cider company says this is a move, not a farewell.

The taproom at 2115 S. C St. will close after service on Saturday, September 26, according to an article in The News Tribune. The closing brings Incline’s seven-year run at the downtown-adjacent development to an end.

Owners Jordan Zehner and Lesley Shields said the decision was not driven by a lack of customers. Business at the taproom remains strong, Zehner told the newspaper, but the lease is expiring and the company needs more space to grow and rethink what an Incline gathering place could become.

The owners informed employees about the coming closure in early August and said supporting the staff through the transition has been a priority. Over the years, the taproom’s team helped turn the space into more than a tasting room, hosting trivia nights, holiday gatherings and other community events.

Incline is now looking at potential locations in several Tacoma neighborhoods. The possibilities could include partnering with another local business or creating a space that serves one purpose during the day before transforming into a cider house at night.

Food may also play a larger role in the next location. After seven years of operating the taproom, the owners say they have a better understanding of how customers want to eat, drink and spend time together—and they want the next version to feel like a fuller experience.

Incline opened on C Street in late 2019 as one of the first commercial tenants at Brewery Blocks. The broader redevelopment was expected to bring several new restaurants and businesses to the collection of historic buildings, but the pandemic disrupted many of those plans. Some proposed tenants never opened, while others arrived and later departed.

The cider company itself will continue operating. Incline’s retail and wholesale business is separate from the taproom, and production will carry on through a shared facility in Eugene. Customers should continue seeing Incline products in stores, restaurants and bars; the company also maintains an online product locator.

For now, customers have one final week to visit the original Incline Cider House, revisit a favorite pour and say goodbye to the space that introduced many Tacomans to the brand. The current chapter ends September 26, but Incline’s owners are promising another one in Tacoma.

See the original article with photographs in the News Tribune here.