
Trapp Family Lodge Brewery
More than a decade ago Johannes von Trapp started thinking about brewing his own beer, for guests of the resort. His dream was to produce an American version of the tasty Lager he has enjoyed over the years on his trips to the countryside near his ancestral Austrian home.
Johannes' dream became reality in the Spring of 2010, with the opening of the Trapp Family Brewery. The modest facility (60,000 or so gallons a year) is located in the lower level of the DeliBakery (formerly the Austrian Tea Room), where draughts of the heavenly concoction will be available year round.
Our Lagers
Golden Helles, Vienna Amber, Dunkel Lager and a rotating Seasonal Lager.
Golden Helles:
Golden in color, crisp, easy drinking beer for all occasions.. Emphasis on malt flavors with a touch of hop to finish. Moderate alcohol content of 4.8% ABV
Vienna Amber:
An amber lager style that has all but disappeared over the last century. This soft, delicate beer has a touch more of a sweet finish than Helles. With a slightly higher alcohol level of 5%, this lager is still very drinkable. A subtle hop finish rounds out this delicious lager.
Dunkel Lager:
Our darkest year round beer however, looks can be deceiving. Dunkel features notes of chocolate with a full malt back bone. Contrary to its dark color, this beer finishes crisp and clean with a round hop flavor. 5.4% ABV
Winter Lager - Seasonal:
Trosten Bier. Translates to "comfort beer" A black lager with notes of roast and smoke. Rich flavor up front that finishes smooth and clean. 5.4% ABV
Summer Lager - Seasonal:
Our Summer Lager is non-filtered with notes of wheat.Dry hopped, that finishes the lager for a clean refreshing taste. 4.5% ABV
Autumn Lager - Seasonal:
Oktoberfest - Deep Orange Color. Rich Malt Body balanced with Noble Hop Flavors and a Crisp Finish. 5.6% ABV
Enjoy Our Lagers Throughout Vermont
List of restaurants where you can find the Trapp Lagers
Bennington
Bennington Station
Depot Station
Bradford
Perfect Pear
Brattleboro
Flat Street Brew Pub
The Marina
The New England House
The Tavern
Burlington
156 Bistro
American Flatbread
Bluebird Tavern
Daily Planet
Farmhouse Tap & Grill
Flynn Theatre
Halverson's
Scuffer Steak House
The Skinny Pancake
Chester
Fullerton Inn
Maclaomainn's Pub
Stone Hearth
The Pizza Stone
Danville
Good Fella's
Dorset
Dorset Inn
Dover
The Hermitage
Essex Junction
Hornet's Nest Pub
Grafton
Old Tavern
Hardwick
Claire's Restaurant
Johnson
The Hub
Ludlow
Downtown Grocery
Manchester
Equinox Hotel
Manchester Bar & Grill
Mulligan's
Seasons Restaurant
Sirloin Saloon
The Perfect Wife Restaurant & Tavern
Middlebury
American Flatbread
Two Brothers Tavern
Middlesex
Nutty Steph's
Montpelier
Chef's Table/Main Street Grill
Hunger Mountain Coop
J Morgans Restaurant
The Black Door
The Skinny Pancake
Three Penny Taproom
Morrisville
Bee's Knees
Malarkey's Irish Pub
Plainfield
Positive Pie
River Run
Poultney
Back To Vermont
Plymouth
Hawk Inn & Mountain Resort
Quechee
Quechee Club
Reading
Keepers Country Cafe
Rutland
Table 24
Shelburne
Bistro Sauce
South Burlington
Archies Grill
Springfield
Elks
Stowe
Cactus Cafe
Frida's Taqueria and Grill
Green Mountain Inn
Lagniappe
Mr. Pickwick's Pub
Partridge Inn
Rim Rocks
Rusty Nail
Stowe Mountain Golf Cottage
Town and Country
Vergennes
Bar Antidote
Vernon
Nesbitt's Portside Tavern
Waitsfield
American Flatbread
Mad River Basebox
Waterbury
Black Bear Pub
Country Club of Vermont
Reservoir
West Dover
Matterhorn Inn
Mount Snow
West Glover
Parker Pie
Wilmington
Anchor Seafood
Haystack Gold Club
Old Red Mill
Windsor
Windsor Station
Winhall
Stratton Base Lodge
Winooski
Beverage Warehouse
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a Microbrewery?
A: A microbrewery is a small operation (less than 480,000 gallons of beer a year) with emphasis on quality and diversity, and with much of the product consumed on or very near the brewery itself.
Q: Does a brewery need a lot of complicated equipment?
A: The Trapp microbrewery has been retrofitted into a small space on the lower level of the DeliBakery. The equipment is not very complicated. The vats were either imported from Europe or custom made in the U.S.. The skill of the brewer is as important as the ingredients and the equipment
Q: Do all microbreweries make lager?
A: Almost all of the American microbreweries produce ale, mainly because the process is at least twice as fast, and therefore the output more than double that of lager breweries. Lager requires lower temperatures, and longer fermentation.
Q: What is lager made from?
A: Most beer (the term includes both lagers and ales) is made of four essential ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast. The hops and barley for Trapp Lager are imported from Europe. An effort is underway to revive their cultivation in New England, with new strains adapted to the local climate.
Q: What's the difference between lager and ale?
A: Technically the difference is in the yeasts used for fermentation, speed and temperature of fermentation, aging, and strength of the hops. Lager is more difficult, time consuming and expensive to produce than ale. Generally speaking, most lager is lighter, in body and alcoholic content, than ale. Some find it crispier, cleaner and more angular.
Q: What makes Trapp Lager special?
A: The source of pure spring water for Trapp Lager is an artesian well on the near the brewery. That spring water has chemical qualities similar to Austrian spring water, and is considered perfect for the brewing of European style lager.
Q: What makes our process different from others?
A: There are many things we do differently. We use high quality German barley and whole flower German hops. Common brewing process is called infusion mashing, which is hydrating the malt at one temperature to convert starch to sugar. We employ a process called decoction. This is where the malt is hydrated at a certain temperature, then slowly raised during a series of temp rises and rests. We then transfer 3/4 of the mash to the Lauter tun and boil the remaining portion of mash. Then mix this boiled portion with the rest of the mash. This creates flavor compounds that are not able to be replicated in the single infusion method. This is very difficult, time consuming, and present a wide array of variables which most brewers would rather avoid.
Q: Will I be able to buy Trapp Lager in my local store?
A: Plans are to eventually sell bottled Trapp Lager in small quantities, at selected outlets in New England.
Meet our Brew Master
JP Williams
JP Williams grew up in New Jersey as the youngest son. He attended college in NH, while in college he took a trip to Dublin, Ireland and visited the Guinness Brewery, where he fell in love with Ales and Lagers. Upon his return to the states, he traded in some of his old textbooks for homebrew equipment and changed majors to bring in more of a chemistry background. Making test brews in college was easy because he always had test subjects (roommates) to try each of his concoctions. His love for alchemy quickly spread and he and his wife packed their cars and moved to the great beer state of Vermont. He began as a brewer for Magic Hat in South Burlington, four years later he became the GM of the 6th biggest craft brewery in America. He oversaw all operations from grain to glass for the next 4 years. The city life was a bore for the couple. They bought a house in Waterbury and moved out to the country. Ironically the year the bought the house Tropical Storm Irene decided to drop a couple feet of water in their living room. They patched up the house and moved on with life. During which, JP realized that the super giant mega brewery life was not for him. He missed the small artisan brewery life, which made him fall in love. That is when the love affair of lagers began. JP started the next chapter of his life in October at Trapp Lager Brewery, where it has been love at first sight. The quality of life is ten fold, the people are outstanding and the scenic views are breathtaking. Waking up everyday and seeing the Worcester Range while brewing the states best lagers is heaven.

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