Vice Beer taproom opening proves the dream of the 80’s and 90’s is still alive
The 80’s and 90’s inspired new pop culture brewery Vice Beer has joined the growing southwest Washington beer scene. Vice Beer is founded by New School Beer contributor Michael Perozzo, his wife Bria Perozzo, brewer Cameron Johnson and his wife Erica Johnson. The brewery and their first collaboration beers began launching last June, but pending licensing and a fresh build-out of a taproom in east Vancouver delayed the big opening and full lineup of beers until this Friday, August 12th.
Located in the back of a business park at Mill Plane Blvd. and Park Crest Drive, Vice Beer occupies the former Barlow’s Brew Pub which permanently closed in April. Vice Beer shares the former Barlow’s brewer Cameron Johnson, now a co-owner in the project, and former taproom manager Bria Perozzo who returns to the bar after working the past year running The Juice Box in Centralia.
“It has been surreal coming back to the place where I had my first job behind the bar. I’ve already seen a couple of my favorite customers form Barlow’s days, and it has been awesome! I love being here now as an owner in a place I’m so proud of,” says Bria.
Though the general layout of the taproom is the same as when it was Barlow’s, the new team has done a lot of work re-conceptualizing it with the retro pop culture vibes of their brand, and opening up previously unused areas for expanded seating. Much of the buildout was done by general contractor Brady Manning of Caliber Multicraft, and family and friends of the Vice team. The front patio area has been partially enclosed with tent covers for the hot days, and green turf grass laid out as a contrast to the parking lot black top. The vibe is more Miami Vice than Stranger Things.
“I think Vice is having a lot of fun with our 80’s & 90’s influences, so that makes us unique,” adds Bria. “Also, our plans to play in the extremes with double hazies and smoothie beers will be fun.”
Cameron Johnson was the last of 3 brewers at Barlow’s Brew Pub, and he joined late in the game in a transitional and then winding down phase under the former ownership. His signature beers and taste in brewing were just beginning to take form before they shut down. As a co-owner in Vice Beer with a year working on the system already in the bag, he will be playing on his strong suits and trying out new things. The opening taplist at Vice Beer has 10 beers on draft and 2 beers from slushee machines, with an emphasis on DDH Hazy IPA’s and fruited sours as their primary points of focus. But you can expect clear IPA’s, Pales, Lagers, and some darker styles of beer in the lineup to compliment the fruit forward mainstays.
After releasing their first beer as collaborations brewed with friends at Fortside Brewing, Trap Door, Threshold Brewing, and Stemma Brewing, the first Vice Beer’s brewed on their own system are ‘Batteries Not Included ddh hazy, ‘Arguing with Stranters on the Internet’ a ddh double hazy, their year-round Breakfast Club Mimosa Sour, and ‘Cut my Lime into Pieces’ a Mexican Lager infused with lime. In the pipeline is ‘Jurassic Times Call for Jurassic Measures’ DDH Double Hazy, ‘Fwhgwgds DDH Hazy,’ and ‘My Name is Humpty’ a West Coast IPA.
Controversial smoothie sours will be in the regular rotation, and are represented in the opening taplist by ‘Movin’ To The Country Peach Cobbler Smoothie Sour’ on draft, and served frozen from a slushee machine. Co-owner Michael Perozzo is a big smoothie sour proponent, but he says the beers he is currently looking forward to the most are two very clean and clear lagers.
“They are our Millie Czech Pilsner (Named for my great grandmother born just outside of Pilsen in what was then Czechoslovakia) and our Vizzini Sicilian-Style Pilsner (a collab with Headless Mumby in Olympia)! Both pillies will be poured off our LUKR Side-Pull Faucets and I can’t freakin’ wait!,” says Michael, who is oddly as much a proponent of side-pull faucet poured lagers as he is chonky puree bombs.
One of the central features of the Vice Beer taproom is a back alcove with sliding glass doors into the brewery production space. The open side room is nicknamed the “90’s Den” for it’s living room/basement game room theme that they have packed full of 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. There is an old boxy Zenith CRT TV that you can play Intellivision games on, or choose a VHS tape from the shelf of classics like Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Batman, Beverly Hills Ninja, Jurassic Park, Top Gun, and more. There is a selection of retro board games too, and a rotary handset telephone that can receive incoming calls so friends can drop a line in to see who is around. Vice will be releasing that dedicated phone number on a can label soon, for folks to call random guests at the taproom with a crank call.
There is one big unfinished piece of the puzzle, another back room behind the bar for a retro arcade room. The space is ready to-go, but the games have not yet arrived. If you hit the coin machines back in the day, these may have been some of your side scrolling and action favorites; The Simpsons 4-player, Street Fighter II, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Supplemented by some pinball machines as well.
Food is provided by on-site food truck El Viejon Mariscos y Taqueria from acclaimed Vancouver chef Eldy Prado. Coming off of high-end steakhouse and seafood restaurants, Prado has invested in his own truck and in Vice Beer itself to be the permanent food provider for the taproom and the neighborhood. His menu is meat and seafood heavy Mexican street food classics from carne asada tacos to birria. He plans to be open regularly for both lunch and dinner hours, conveniently parked with a window out to the Vice Beer patio.
Bria Perozzo will behind the bar atleast 3-days a week working alongside Kristi Kaneshi and Andrew Cooper, she will also be managing the taproom experience with plans for music, trivia and some arts and craft classes.
“My favorite thing about beertending is helping people discover new styles and flavors of beer that they didn’t even know they would like, so I’m stoked for that. Also, I’m looking forward to just talking to people and making new friends. I want people to come for the great beer and fun new decor and come back for the camaraderie and the great beer,” adds Bria.
Vice Beer officially opens this Friday, August 12th and then continues on their soft opening schedule Tues-Thurs 4-9pm, Friday 4-11pm and Saturday Noon-11pm. Sundays will be 2-8pm. Currently they are testing the waters in the community for what they are looking for, and they hope that will be a place open past 9 or 10’s on the weekends that’s not a karaoke or dive bar. As the taplist gets filled in along with the retro games, it may take awhile for Vice Beer to settle into a synth-heavy rhythm.
But Bria says, “The future is full of possibilities! Right now, I’m just excited to watch all the old VHS movies we’ve found.”
VICE BEER, 705 SE Park Crest Ave D430, Vancouver, WA 98683
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