One of Vancouver, Washington’s most popular breweries is nearing completion on their second location in downtown Washougal. The new Trap Door Brewing won’t just be a satellite taproom, but a major shift in beer production and hospitality.

Founded in 2015, Trap Door Brewing are well known makers of Hazy IPA’s like ‘Glowed Up’ and sessionable lagers and easy drinking beers such as ‘Porch Pale’ as well as eclectic fruited sours and stouts. Their taproom and small food truck pod in Vancouver’s uptown neighborhood helped revive the area when they opened in 2016. 

Trap Door’s new location may be familiar, it was previously the home of Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, and before that was Amnesia Brewing and Alex’s BBQ. Trap Door has purchased the 6,500 sq. ft. building and late this summer it will become Trap Door “Whistle Stop Pub” named after the neighboring Pendleton Wool Factory’s steam whistle they still use to announce work start at 7 am, lunch at 12pm, end of lunch at 12:30pm, and the end of the work shift at 3:30pm. Steam from the whistle is visible from the right windows of the upcoming pub, and its sound can be heard by the entire town, Trap Door will be incorporating it into marketing and food and drink specials. The project was previously announced as Trap Door’s “The Gateway” pub before settling on the new title.

Co-owner Michael Parsons says they are giving up the brewery in Vancouver in favor of the 15bbl brewhouse in Washougal and bringing their 30bbl fermenters and brite tanks from their first brewhouse over to the new location. But brewing operations will continue in both locations, Trap Door plans to replace the original with a 2 or 3 barrel pilot system for fun experiments and one-offs and leaving Washougal for the majority of the production. Trap Door’s current brewing capacity of about 1K barrels of beer annually will be able to quintuple over the next five years and will capitalize with statewide Washington distribution partners Kendall’s Pioneer and Browar Polska distributors.

Trap Door is currently working to overhaul the taproom in Washougal to give it their own flair but mostly cosmetic changes like an epoxy floor in the cellar space, new sign, lighting, paint, bar top, and doubling the previous tap selection from 12 to 25 including a pilsner side pour faucet. They have kept the 30’ wood bar but stripped it down and changed the color. They also removed the wall between the taproom and brewery to open the space up. The booths, and tables, as well as the hardwood floors and exposed rafters and beams have been left mostly as is with a splash of Trap Door’s vibrant colors

“This is such an awesome building and we are really excited to showcase the taproom/cellar.  2/3rds of the building was built around 1922,” says co-owner Michael Parsons. “We are taking a lot of pride in the building and want to showcase the history all while creating a new space. Considering there have been two other breweries in there we wanted to make sure folks knew ‘we are here to stay’. The goal is to create a similar comfort as we have in Uptown but different enough that you want to visit both spots.”

The Whistle Stop Pub marks Trap Door’s first foray into spirits, with a full bar and cocktail menu. 

“We are not going to be a “jack and coke” kind of place,” says Parsons. The cocktail menu will have 10+ specialty drinks made with favorite “middle shelf spirits” or the option to upgrade to more expensive local small batch distilleries spirits for a couple bucks more.  Trap Door is also excited about a special collaboration with Westward Whiskey coming out that uses the recipe and ingredients from their annual winter release Interiority Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. “It’s been sitting in barrels for over 3 years,” adds Parsons. “The hope is it will be bottled and ready for our grand opening.”

The biggest difference between Trap Door Washougal and Vancouver is the food situation. In Vancouver the brewery relies on excellent food trucks parked on their patio like Uptown Thai, and Taco City, but in Washougal they are changing things up.

“This is Trap Door’s first time with a kitchen and it’s been a great learning experience and we are super stoked about it,” says co-owner Bryan Shull. “The goal is to start off with 15 or so menu items and do them really well.” 

Their specialty will be pizza’s, complemented by salads, a charcuterie plate, plus various appetizers, and daily specials.  The goal is to start simple and satisfying and slowly grow into the space as they dial in operations and what they can handle. Hinting that they have big future plans with the food, but don’t want to get ahead of themselves. 

Trap Door is currently raising funds for the Washougal expansion and giving locals or regulars a chance to reinvest in the brand and get in on the ground floor. Their online square menu allows fans to sign up for a Washougal Founders Club at the $500, $1000, or $1500 level which gets you things like a lifetime beer club membership, crowler club membership, plenty of swag, a 10% lifetime discount, and private party invites. 

The interior changes are nearly complete in Washougal and the brewery is eyeing a late August or early September opening for the Whistle Stop Pub at 1834 Main Street in downtown Washougal.