New taproom with self-pour concept opens in Poulsbo

Following the closure of the Slippery Pig Brewery in downtown Poulsbo earlier this year, a new taproom with a self-serve concept has opened in its place.

Co-owners Jay and Brooke Huffman opened The Sip during Viking Fest weekend in May, an intentional move given the number of people who visit downtown Poulsbo during that weekend.

“I was super adamant that we open by Viking Fest,” Brooke said. “Opening day was our busiest day that we have had since we opened three months ago. They knew the Slippery Pig, they knew the space. It was raining, so people wanted to come inside. It was crazy but awesome.”

Previously, the Huffmans were part owners of Fletcher Bay Winery on Bainbridge Island from 2017-2020, but sold their share back to the winemaker. Brooke was interested in opening their own space with a self-pour concept and the Huffmans met with the owner of The Redd Dog, a pub that has three locations on the other side of Puget Sound. That business uses a self-pour concept through technology company PourMyBeer.

“He had really positive stuff to say about the concept, and that’s when we got serious and started looking and talking to property managers,” Brooke said.

The Huffmans, who live in Poulsbo, had been searching for the right location to open such a taproom and almost signed a lease to open it on BI. But then they got word of the Slippery Pig closing and jumped at the opportunity.

“I really wanted something with outdoor seating because that’s so crucial in the summer here,” Brooke said. “We actually saw on Facebook that the Slippery Pig was closing and then we contacted the building owner and one thing led to another and we got it. It was really quick once we found the space.”

The self-serve concept involves guests pouring their own drinks and paying by the ounce through a technology system. The first step is to check in with the greeter and open a tap card, which gets linked to your credit/debit card. Then you grab a glass and tap your tap card on the reader above to activate it. Finally, pour your drink into your glass. Everything is charged by the ounce, so guests pay for what they pour. The Sip offers 36 taps featuring a rotating lineup of beer, wine, cider, craft sodas, cold-brewed coffee, seltzer and wine cocktails, per the taproom’s website.

“I think people are surprised how easy it is,” Brooke said. “It’s kind of a lot to take in when you first come in…but once you do it once, it’s simply tapping and opening the tab handle and closing when you’re done.”

Brooke said while the start-up costs are high, it ends up being worth it down the road because you save on labor and save the customer’s time.

“I think that is something that is catching on with people; the ability to be in control, and also something that’s experimental, new and different,” she said. “You don’t have to staff servers, hosts and greeters. We have that, but it’s on a much smaller scale.”

The Sip also serves food, which Brooke said is “as clean and organic as possible. Everything is made fresh, we’re not doing stuff out of a can. No dyes, no high fructose corn syrup. It’s all kind of board-themed, like a charcuterie board or nacho board.”

The business also looks much different now than the Slippery Pig. Brooke said they knocked down walls, painted everything and redid the entryway as part of the expedited renovation process.

“From the time we signed our lease to the time we opened, it was three months,” she said. “We did an entire remodel, got all the permitting, hired, trained, figured out our food menu, and marketing. We were like ‘ok, let’s get open’ because I didn’t want to miss the busy summer tourist season.”