Last time I was on Vashon Island, I stopped a block short from seeing this brewery. I knew I had to correct that mistake on my return trip!
Located in the heart of Vashon Island, just a quarter-mile from Vashon Brewing Community Pub is Camp Colvos Brewing. They just opened in January, but already have plans for 2020 to open a second taproom in Tacoma. After our visit, we can see why, as they served up a great variety of beer and delicious food, while maintaining a cozy, small-town feel.
The inside is a few rows of long tables, with a few smaller tables by the bar, which also has stool seating. There was outdoor seating too, which I bet in the summer is a treat under the palm trees (yes, Washington has palm trees!). There was a selection of merch next to the take-home cooler that had bottles and crowlers to-go. It looks like they change their taplist pretty frequently, with me hearing some locals inquiring as to the status of some they’ve had previously.
We got a sampler, as there were just too many styles for me to possibly pick just one. The Moonrise Double IPA had the most subtle hint of tropical fruit. I like a fruity IPA that packs a punch, but I found myself also appreciating the subtleness of the Moonrise. Second up was the Buckhorn IPA (complete with it’s own special taphandle), the most piney of the three IPAs. Last was their Red Headed Stranger IPA, a tasty malty red IPA that left stunning lacework on the glass, which ended up being the boyfriendo’s favorite. Next up was the Doppelbock, which ended up being my favorite of the sampler, a tasty caramely malty ale, with their Campfire wheat rounding out the sampler.
Despite not touching our hiking snacks while at Shinglemill Creek Preserve, all of the sudden the sandwich menu at Camp Colvos was making us feel like we were starving. I got the fennel butter and salami sandwich, which as an added bonus was on a pretzel bun, the greatest of all the buns. The boyfriendo enjoyed his roast beef sandwich as well. With it being Black Friday and us having no further plans, it was an easy decision to stay at the brewery for another round, which gave us a chance to appreciate the place even more as visitors streamed in and out. The boyfriendo got a schooner of more Red Headed Stranger, with me giving the Saison du Vashon a try (it was good, but the Doppelbock still emerged victorious for me).
All in all, I consider the beer-drinkers and hikers of Vashon Island lucky to have trails and ales about. I’d gladly return to Camp Colvos Brewing in a heartbeat!
In summary (to the best of my knowledge)…
- Full kitchen: I’m not sure just how ‘full’ the kitchen is, but tasty hot food is available
- All-ages: Yes
- Dog friendly: Dogs welcome on the patio
- Merch: T-shirts, hats, stickers
- Coasters: No
- Outdoor seating: A large patio out front (uncovered when we visited)