Olympia, Washington has a long brewing history, with a man named Leopold Schmidt opening a brewery in the capital in 1896 because of the excellent water he found in Washington’s artesian wells. Well 80 Brewhouse is built on one of those artesian wells and positions itself as continuing the same type of brewing as their predecessors.

Well 80 is located in the Historic District of Olympia in a handsome brick building right along the main street. Inside, the brewpub is spacious with open rafters and a clean, industrial vibe. Even so, the brewery still feels welcoming, perhaps even cozy. As a brewpub, Well 80 has both an extensive beer list and a food menu with typical artisanal pub food, including salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and a few appetizers and entrees. We shared a salad and a chicken sandwich, both of which were flavorful and tasty.

Along with our food we sampled four of Well 80’s beers. We tried a stout, a sour grisette, and two lagers, one of which was brewed according to Leopold Schmidt’s original recipe for his brewery. We enjoyed sampling all these beers and found them to be the perfect complement to our food.

Well 80 Brewhouse was a great place for a bite to eat and some beer. We enjoyed our visit and recommend a visit to this Olympia brewery. You can even pair it with a visit to Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, a nice natural area and the site of Leopold Schmidt’s original brewery.