Review: Trap Door Brewing, Vancouver, WA On Friday, March 3rd, we hit one of the up-in-comming breweries in downtown Vancouver, Trap Door Brewing. Opened in 2015, Trap Door has gone through some evolution in their beer quality and they have made some improvements to their location, adding in more food carts and a refined patio space. The great part about the craft beer industry, is that there’s room for everyone. I’ve had the conversation with many beer-geek friends and while you may not have the best product, the greatest location, or the most awesome food, there’s room for you if you’re doing it right. Their location in downtown Vancouver is quickly becoming a craft beer destination with a few taprooms and other smaller microbreweries opening up tasting rooms nearby.
Trap Door fits into the Vancouver brewing scene as having a line up of beers that can hold their own and are appealing to their audience that are quickly learning that craft beer is worth the trip to find. I must say that Vancouver’s scene is just starting out (compared to Portlands) and we need to give them room to grow and should allow them to improve over time. For breweries to succeed in Vancouver, they need to provide something unique and a step up from commercially produced crap that’s at most bars. Trap Door is doing this with effeciency and success. Their taproom/brewery location provides a friendly space to both learn about and enjoy their beers. Props to the bartenders that are well versed and willing to help you explore their lineup. They have a larger bar to sit at, small two top and larger tables/booths that you can easily find a spot at, unless it’s a Thurs, Fri. or Saturday night. They tend to be packed on those nights.
I appreciate their model in not having to deal with the complications that come with running a restaurant with your brewery, they are focused on what they do, and they do it pretty well. The availablility of food carts with a range of awesome Thai and Mexican food, and a great patio outside gives equal opportunity to draw in more foot traffic and provide a place for people to enjoy the excellent food and great beer in one spot. The one issue that I might have with their location is that they do allow kids in the front part of the seating area (they even have play mats and games for them). There’s been a few times we’ve stopped by and had a bunch of kids running around and being loud. I know it’s cutting off a sector of the public to not allow kids inside, but is it worth alienating those that don’t want to listen to screaming kids while you try to sip on a beer?
With all that said, I’ve been fortunate enough to have sampled their beers right after they opened, and subsequently every few months since then. They had a couple of really good recipes that have maintained since then (IPA and Pilsner), and they’ve expanded to other varieites and are doing a bunch of one-off seasonals that both hit and miss depending on your preferences in beer. This time around my favorite was the Bourbon Barrel Aged Uptown Brown and El Sobrante Milk Stout (Nitro). The reviews below are pictured starting at the left, and going clockwise around the tray. I’d definately recommend giving them a try if you’re in downtown Vancouver, or if you can find their beer on tap at a local bar/restaurant.
Trap Door Brewing
2315 Main Street,
Vancouver WA,98660
Phone: 360-314-6966
E: info@trapdoorbrewing.com
Web: http://trapdoorbrewing.com
Face: https://www.facebook.com/trapdoorbrewing/
ZestFest Trap Door Brewing • Pale Ale • IBU: 30 • ABV: 4.6% • SRM: 7 Appearance: Orange/golden, clear draft with a slight foamy white head, minimal lacing and no retention. Smell/Aroma: Has a ton of fruit juices, acidic citrus from grapefruit to apple/mango/pineapple, mild wet leaves. Taste: Thin malts (crackery), with plenty of pine and hop vegital resins, a bit of citrus zest sharpness on the mid. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, some tingling on the back of the tongue from the good amount of carbonation. Overall: This is a great wet-hop Pale Ale, with tons of fresh grapefruit juice on the mouth with the sharp acidity one would expect with zest. |
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Hazed Up Trap Door Brewing • New England Style Imperial IPA • IBU: ?? • ABV: 8.1% • SRM: 4 Appearance: Hazy pale yellow, opaic with a shallow foamy head, minimal retention that dropped quickly, some spider lacing on the rim. Smell/Aroma: Yeasty and bright citrus and sweet fruits. Taste: Bitterness from the front to back, shallow yeast and low crackery malt profile. Citrus and grapefruits show up, lemon, dries out on the back. Mouthfeel: Great presence with lots of carbonation, mild chalky tongue. Overall: Great NE style IPA, tons of bitters, tons of fruit, lots of lingering aftertaste. |
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Uptown Brown Trap Door Brewing • Brown Ale • IBU: 34 • ABV: 5.8% • SRM: 30 Appearance: Dark brown/black, solid small bubbly tan head with great retention and lots of large lacing clumps. Smell/Aroma: Toffee, roasted coffee, some hints of ash, burned sugars. Taste: Flavors are sweet and lighter for the style. The roasted grains really shine, almost like a schwartzbier. Minimal ash and burned flavors, minor bitterness and low aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Thin bodied, lots of creamy head and presence on the tongue. Overall: This is a great brown, shows off the complexity of the grainbuild, and has enough sweet to counter the burned grain vibe. |
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Tiger Trap Coffee Stout Trap Door Brewing • Stout • IBU: 45 • ABV: 6.3% • SRM: 40 Appearance: Jet black, reddish hues on the edges. Little to no head, minimal retention. Smell/Aroma: Old wet coffee grounds, acidic, dry. Taste: Super coffee, ashy, roasted grains, and lots of solid earthiness on the back. Mouthfeel: Thin to medium bodied, low carbonation and little alcohol on the front. Overall: Super duper coffee stout, if you love espresso, you’ll love this. |
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El Sobrante Trap Door Brewing • Stout – Imperial Milk / Sweet • IBU: ?? • ABV: 8% • SRM: 40 ADDITIONS: Cacao nibs, Vanilla beans, and Toasted coconut Appearance: Dark black opaic draft with minimal head and some large bubbly lacing. Smell/Aroma: Sweet cocoa, charred bread crust with soft back florals. Taste: Sweet cocoa and bitter coffee grounds on the front, some great roasted and charring on the mid to balance the sweet. The vanilla and cocoanut don’t really show up much on the back. Mouthfeel: Chewy but thin on the back, plenty of carbonation and prickly on the tongue. Overall: Great Imperial stout with lots of great flavors that mix into a savory dance on the tongue. |
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Bourbon Barrel Brown Trap Door Brewing • American Strong Ale • IBU: 34 • ABV: 7% • SRM: 40 Appearance: Dark black/brown with light red hues against the light. Minor off-white head with delicate small lacing. Smell/Aroma: Sweet molasses and crusty bread, alcohol (whisky) and slight hints of dried fruits. Taste: Strong alcohol forward, sweet brown sugars, hints of wood (oak) and some rounded floral from the vanilla. Finnishes dry and with some alcoholic hits. Mouthfeel: Thin, shallow carbonation, leaves a sweetness and dry finish on the back. Overall: Solid imperial brown, lots of alcohol on this one, great if you like whisky. |
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IPA Trap Door Brewing • India Pale Ale (IPA) • IBU: 71 • ABV: 7.1% • SRM: 10 Appearance: Orange/copper hued draft, bright white foamy head, decent lacing, minor retention. Smell/Aroma: Fruits ranging from pineapple to grapefruit zest, some hints of sharp pine needles and earthiness. Taste: Citrus and pine bitters, bright flavors, resins coat the tongue. Mild sweetness helps hold the bitters back, but the overall vibe is more citrus than not. Mouthfeel: Great amount of carbonation makes the mid-bodied draft pleasing. Overall: Classic NW style IPA, plenty of bitters and citrus vibes. |
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Dry Hop Pilsener Trap Door Brewing • Pilsener • IBU: 37 • ABV: 5.4% • SRM: 10 Appearance: Lighter yellow/straw hues, bright white foamy head, minor retention and spidery lacing. Smell/Aroma: Pine and yeasty notes followed by peppercorns and melon sweetness. Taste: This is a thin and hop forward pilsener. Pine, hits of dried leafs, cracker malts are hidden on the back. Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, lighter bodied, some coating on the tongue. Overall: Nice bitterness lets this pils shine. Great session beer. |
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El Sobrante (nitro) Trap Door Brewing • Stout – Imperial Milk / Sweet • IBU: ?? • ABV: 8% • SRM: 40 ADDITIONS: Cacao nibs, Vanilla beans, and Toasted coconut Appearance: Dark black opaic draft with minimal head and some large bubbly lacing. Smell/Aroma: Sweet cocoa, charred bread crust with soft back florals. Taste: Stronger cocoa hints on the nitro draft, sweet and savory with lots of bitters on the back. Mouthfeel: Chewy but thin on the back, plenty of carbonation and prickly on the tongue. Overall: Great Imperial stout on nitro with lots of great flavors that mix into a savory dance on the tongue. |
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Blood Orange Elemental • Cider • IBU: ?? • ABV: 6.5% • SRM: 2 Appearance: Bright orange/red, clear and zero head. Smell/Aroma: Sweet orange peels. Taste: Sweet sugars, bright orange peels, zesty acidic notes. Mouthfeel: Bubbly on the tongue, thin bodied, some minor driness on the back. Overall: Great cider for those that aren’t beer fans. |