Trade Route Brewing Co. – Pacific, Wa (#202)

The transition from Laughing Buddha to Trade Route Brewing is now complete with the move to a new home in Pacific, Wa.  Gone is the Asian inspired Tiki Bar. In is a retro-Americana theme.  We went on a Sunday afternoon and were happy to find a sizable crowd.   It was good to see that the locals were embracing their first brewery.

They are located in the back of a small industrial park just of  Hwy 167. The interior is a large open area with a bar and seating on one and, and the brewery on the other. Automotive signs posted throughout tie in with the big rigs parked out front.  Large wood carvings are on exhibit and bring a Northwest flavor.  New promotional materials including big posters for their Chieftain Amber and Jet Stream Lager were prominently displayed.  Fancy Trade Route Logo neon lights were glowing above the bar.  The good news is they now have a taproom that is open daily. There is ample room and multiple TV’s making it a good place to watch the game.  They have a limited simple pub menu.

Perhaps things will settle down now, giving them time to expand their beer list. Many of the beers from the Laughing Buddha days are present, however a few are getting new names.  Pandan Brown is now Midnight Ale and Dragon King Lager is now Jet Stream Lager.  Now, we really want to like their beer, but they don’t always work for us.  Their concepts are great but the results are not always to our taste. That said we really like the Midnight Ale.  We recommend that you head to Trade Route, sample their beers, and decide for yourself.

Beer Sampler:

Chieftain Amber – Nice amber color, floral aroma, hoppy, with a bitter and dry finish.

By E and Lush C