When I die, please spread my ashes at Trophy Brewing.
This is the kind of place I could rest easy. Laidback vibe. But nice staff. Delicious and daring pizza options. And beer that makes me question how I could have ever once disliked the stuff. I ordered the flight, and was incredibly impressed with the milk stout (oh-so-milky!), but really REALLY enjoyed the citrus saison -- new favorite summer beer!
I take great enjoyment (too much enjoyment?) staring at their Facebook updates promoting new, featured pizzas, whilst drooling on my keyboard. I ate the Most Outgoing (with its mushrooms and caramelized onion) as well as The Daredevil (taunting the eater with ghost chili pepper salami, fire roasted tomato sauce, jalapenos, and sriracha sauce). We opted to get the sriracha on the side... mostly because I didn't want it to interfere with the taste of the fire-roasted tomato sauce; I think that was a wise choice. The flavors on the pizza where great... and it was certainly spicy enough without the use of sriracha!
The only thing I don't completely love about Trophy is the space itself. The bar extends up against the windowed side of the building, making a small walkway for folks moving between the entrance, the bathrooms, and the seating. There are only a few tables to be had indoors; the rest is in a covered patio area. Pizza and beer menus are posted to chalkboards, so you also have to do a little craning to see what's what.
The only thing Trophy lacks is enough space to fit all of their fans in there at once. Â Tucked away in a building off Morgan Street in downtown Raleigh, Trophy Brewing Company brews some of the tastiest beers that Raleigh has to offer. Â There is ample parking around the building and on the street, which is a bonus for DTR. Â Trophy brews their own beer in house, and they don't have a large enough building to make enough beer to sell locally (YET!).
Now about their beer... OMG. Â YUM! Â Their saison is the most tastiest in all the land, and they always have several of their brews to sample. Â I think they're around $5 for a 10-12oz pour, and you can refill your 32oz growler for $9. Â Too bad they don't sell pitchers! :( Â
When you walk in on a Saturday night, you can't hear any music because it's quite noisy in there, but hey.. who goes to a brewery to have a quiet drink & pizza? Â Speaking of pizza, they have 6-8 different kinds of pizza that rotate each night, and they're all made from organic and fresh ingredients. Â The servers are great and the brewmasters are even better... do yourself a favor & stop by Trophy sometime soon! :)
The beer is great. Â The pizza is alright, but the worst part about it is the size. Â If you like eating dinner shoulder to shoulder with tools who think they're better than you, and somewhere cramped/loud, than this place might be for you. Otherwise, go to Boylan Brewpub. Â I'll come to trophy to buy a growler, that's it. Â if it were a bigger place, I might could enjoy my time there.
I'll be fair, it would be one thing if there was a waiting list. Hey, Trophy staff, you need a waiting list. Â The way it is now, people will literally push you out of the way to get a seat. Â God forbid you interrupt their night. Â A waiting list would solve their problems. Â
Bottom line: If Trophy wants to be respected as a restaurant, they need to act like a restaurant. Â They currently have a major identity problem.
I'll start with a disclaimer: beer is wholly subjective. It's very difficult to put an "I don't like it" stamp on a brewery simply because they don't brew the types of beer that you typically like (although that's exactly what my husband did). Buuutttt....the truth is, Trophy was brewing the types of beer I like, and other than the Saison, I was not so impressed with the brews. So, I'd give them a 2-3 for the beer alone.
However, their pizza (and their salads, strangely enough) are solid 5's. It might be the best pizza in Raleigh, which is unexpected considering it's their second hobby. And as long as that Saison is on tap and ready to enjoy beside my delicious, crusty, plenty of veggies slice of pizza, we will keep coming back.
The pizza I ordered was the local celebrity: soppresata, thinly sliced summer squash, kale, asparagus, and cheese covering it all. The "sauce" was a light olive oil pesto. It was truly one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. I'm trying to think of one that tops it and I can't, even from Mellow Mushroom. If you have more than 2 people (or 2 really hungry people) and you can all agree on one, it's a terrific value to order the larger size pizza: it's about 1.5 times the price for about 3 times the pizza.
And we loved sitting in the open air space on a surprisingly comfortable June night.
We will definitely come back for the pizza, and continue to try the brewery offerings.
I was a Raleighite during my NC State years, and recently had the good fortune to return. Â It's been awesome to find experiences like Trophy Brewing. Â Moving from Hillsborough where my addiction to craft beer was fed by Mystery Brewing, this is filling a void and making me quite happy.
Love the saison, the Top Gun DIPA, the farmer's market pizza, and the patio. Â Will be back lots during my summer vacation for sure!
The first time my husband and I went to Trophy, it was clearly only because my husband loves local brews and wanted to try the newest in Raleigh. Â I'm not a huge beer drinker and wasn't a fan of anything he ordered. Â The place was small and crowded. Â There was talk of them extending the space with a patio and adding pizza to the menu. Â
Fast forward a few months, when my husband wanted me to go back because the patio and pizza kitchen was open. Â Still not too excited about it, I reluctantly went. Â To my surprise, they now have a full bar and wine, and the pizza is fantastic. Â Although it's still an often crowded, small place, the patio nicely adds some room. Â It's one of those small, local hot spots that it's hard not to enjoy. Â My husband was really impressed by the beer. Â We'll be back soon!
For beers, we tried the IPA and the Citra Saison. Â We ended up taking home a growler of the Saison. Â For food, we order a large pizza with kale, sqaush, and pesto. Â We took the bartender's suggestion and added mozzarella. Â Everything was delicious. Â We came on a Saturday afternoon and the bar was crowded. Â Bartender was unfriendly, but in a cool hipster kind of way. Â I'm looking forward to my next visit.
Review Source:I recently went to Trophy on a Friday evening. We got there around 5 and almost all the tables were already taken. The place is seat yourself so we managed to grab the last available table on the patio. It took 9 minutes for a server to even acknowledge us. The place might have been packed, but it is also very small so it shouldn't take that long to get a menu. I think part of the issue is that the tables are so cramped together. We actually saw a server come towards us with menus and then return to her station because she couldn't get past the chairs and tables to get to us and the hipsters are oblivious and don't offer to move their chair in for people to get by. Apart from the initial slow service, the rest of the evening went well. The beer is delicious. I had a couple and my favorite is definitely the Quiz Wiz. We also split a pizza...can't remember the name of it but it was pretty good. The dough is definitely top notch. The pizzas are a little on the pricey side, but comparable to other places around (e.g., Moonlight, etc.). Anyway, I'll probably be back but I would like to give it some time for the novelty to wear off and it would also be nice if they expanded the seating a little.
Review Source:First time trying Trophy and it did not disappoint.
1. Brew, had a flight for $9- good sampling of 4. Â 5 stars
2. Salad, had mixed greens $6- excellent, dressing to die for 6 stars
3. Pizza, can't remember name (mushrooms were best part) $9- Â 3 stars. Nothing to rave about.
Great service, reasonable prices, and a good atmosphere!
I'm pretty picky when it comes to beer, and rarely do I like all of a brewery's beers. But Trophy's offerings (at least the ones I've tried) are all first rate. Distinctive brews without being either too mainstream or too far out. Their new patio is very nice and we just had their pizza tonight and it was fantastic. This is one of the little gems that downtown Raleigh has to offer.
Being a nano-brewery, there is significant rotation in their offerings, so if you see something you think you might want to try, I would suggest you don't put it off for next time.
After visiting Raleigh Brewing Company, we headed over to the other new guy on the block, Trophy Brewing. I found this to be more of a bar atmosphere. They do serve pizza but I thought it was a liitle overpriced for the size. I had a flight of 4 beers: a wit, saison, Belgium IPA and a Doulbel IPA. The saison was probaly the best as I thought the wit was a bit weak.
Review Source:I recently went to Trophy for dinner. I'd been a few times before, when Trophy was operating exclusively as a bar, and I had been impressed by the beer and the ambiance.
The beer is good. It's not the best beer that I've ever had but it's well above average, especially for a new brewery. There are six beers on tap and they frequently introduce new beers to the mix. This is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you get to try a lot of new beers. On the other hand, if you enjoy a particular beer there is no guarantee that you'll ever be able to try it again. It also introduces a bit of uncertainty in the beer selection process because there is no vetting process through which the best beers remain on the menu and less popular beers are removed.
My table ordered two large pizzas (18 inches), a spicy pizza with jalapenos and ghost-pepper salami called The Daredevil ($19), and a pesto based pizza with honey and roasted chicken, The Most Loyal ($16). Both pizzas were well received by the table. I had asked for the Daredevil without the salami and I was told that if I wanted to make modifications I would have to use the "Build Your Own" Option at a substantially higher price. The glory of the pizza is that it is so easy to modify and it seems silly that Trophy won't accept modifications, especially when I am literally trying to offer them the same amount of money for fewer ingredients. The pizzas took a long time to come out (probably 40 minutes). They weren't thick enough to need that long in the oven so I am guessing that the delay was because of a backlog in the kitchen.
Overall, it was a good meal although slightly overpriced. Both the bar and the patio have a good vibe. I expect good things from Trophy after they iron all the kinks out.
This has been my new favorite place to go since the week they opened. It was hard to get in at first, but since they expanded it's so much better! They always have FANTASTIC beer- seriously, I've never had one that wasn't great. It's nice to know that the beer is brewed right behind the bar, and that the people who work there are involved in the process. They also started serving food this week, which I was really excited about trying. Even on the first night, the food was so great. Pizza was a bold move with all the places in the neighborhood (Moonlight is a local place right up the street, and Trophy blew that away, not to mention Mellow and Lilly's). The menu is small- just salads and pizza right- but seems really good. We had a small salad (pretty good size) and small pizza to share and I was very impressed, especially considering it was the first night they had food. Since this place is right up the street, I know it'll be somewhere I end up eating at once a week. The new patio is awesome, too. My only complaint is that the beer is a little pricey ($5-6), but it's well worth it and hasn't deterred me from going so far!
Review Source:Trophy is one of those places that it's hard to dislike. It's a small, local brewery with friendly bar staff and a unique location. However the building itself can be it's own worst enemy. Since Trophy is still in its brand new business phase everyone wants to check it out meaning a small space fills up fast. It took me three tries before I was able to get in and enjoy a beer without what looked like a wait and even then the place was packed two rows deep at the bar. I'd estimate there was roughly 35 patrons. See the problem?
The good news is as the 'newest' wears off there should be more room. There is also more space is in the works in the form of a patio. Once this happens Trophy should be quite nice!
Wow what great beer. We are blessed with a plethora of delicious local breweries in our area, and just when I was wondering if it could really get any better, enter Trophy Brewing.
I can put my finger on what sets them apart from other craft beers but there beers seem fresh, and crisp. I especially enjoyed their Rose Gose. It was my first beer of the evening and I was thoroughly impressed. I wasn't sure if I was giving it special attention because I never had a gose before, so I twisted my own arm and tried others. The Brown Ale was just as good, so light, crisp and refreshing.
A small yet dangerously wonderful Brewery, I could post up there for hours endlessly enjoying their delicious beverages!
Trophy Brewing Co. is a great neighborhood bar and another fine option in Raleigh's already terrific beer scene. That being said, I'll give my biggest complaint right up front: they aren't in my neighborhood! Cameron Court residents consider yourselves blessed. The place isn't big, although they are expanding later this year to increase the size as well as offer some food options. The beer is great. The atmosphere relaxed and low key. Can't wait to enjoy another good beer at Trophy (and pretend I'm still in my own neighborhood).
Review Source:This is one of the places I really want to re-rate when they finish expanding...
This is a nice little tiny brewery with some interesting beer options. They offer flights and have some interesting options (six of their own on tap). Unlike a lot of breweries starting out, they've started with a few beer styles that are less common and commercially accepted, so you get a really interesting mix when you go there.
My main issue is the lack of space there. I know that they are expanding, and I want to keep going back and experience this place more as it grows. But it's tiny and there is insufficient seating. This, in turn, makes it loud and crowded, so it's not terribly relaxing.
Don't get me wrong - this has great potential, and I'd happily move my rating upwards, depending on how it grows. But as is, great beer, not a great place to chill.
I have to say after a short trip to Trophy I was very impressed with what I drank. My fiancee had the Citra Saison (uses citra hops that produce grapefruit notes) and I opted for the Baltic Porter (dark, not noticeably sweet, with true to style flavor). The bartender also let us try the Belgian IPA which was delightful and a far cry from your more common American IPA. It's not hard to see Trophy doing big things in the future. Les has been homebrewing for a long time and its clear he has mastered the craft. Lucky for us he's decided to allow anyone who visits Trophy the opportunity to try his brews.
I'm a fan of how they took advantage of a location within close proximity to Downtown that could use something like this to expand the awesomeness of where Raleigh food and drink is headed. The inside is not real large but an expansion including outdoor porch is clearly in the works.
It's a one time $1 fee for a membership (since they don't yet serve food) so just make sure you have cash for that. Â One of the guys working told us they are planning to serve pizzas and salads when they do start serving food.
There is one large TV on the wall and trophys adorning the taps and also the upper shelving lining the walls. Â It's fairly humble on the inside but the bar has more than enough seating in such a small space for around 12 or so.
Good luck to Trophy! I'm looking forward to visiting again and often.
Trophy is a nano-brewery just outside Raleigh's downtown district. Fortunately for me, it's two blocks away from my home.
With six beers on tap, there is enough variety for everyone--from pilsners to stouts. They also are equipped with a full bar if beer isn't your thing and you've landed here. Beers run $5-6 a pour, and they also have a flight available for the first-timers. My favorites are "The King" (belgian dubbel, peanut butter and banana!), "Limbo Champ" (American brown), and the Slingshot coffee stout. They rotate beers rather frequently, so I am always trying new ones.
The actual bar is a bit small, but you can drink outside if it's a nice night. They are working on a patio, which should open up later this spring. Once that happens, they will also offer food (pizza!).
Make sure to take a look at all the trophies that line the ceiling while you sip your tasty beverage.
Over on a lonely stretch of Morgan Street lies the latest entry in the Triangle micro-brew renaissance, Trophy Brewing. Â Located in an old Burger Hut, Trophy Brewing is a members-only spot, small and dense with hipsters. Inside you'll find an L-shaped bar with a small strip of space around it for standing. Â Crowd is pre-dominantly plaids and beards, it feels like a little bit of Durham in Raleigh. Â
Beers are about $5/each for I believe a 10 oz pour. Â They had a nice selection of beers on a chalkboard by the front door, service was quick and attentive. Â The two beers I tried (coffee porter, saison) were both solid, a good start for Trophy. Â I'm going with 3.5 stars for Trophy and rounding up for this new biz. Â I've heard they are expanding into the space next door so I'm expecting bigger and better things from Trophy Brewing.
My brother, father & I tried to get into this place last Saturday, but the line was out the door. Â Still interested, we came back earlier on Sunday and made it inside. Â We even got a seat! Â It was so worth it!
The beer selection is great for a brewery of this size. Â They have 6 revolving taps of all types of brew. Â I loved their coffee stout. Â A popular choice was "The King" (peanut butter & banana), but I opted out. Â Beers run $6-7 & growlers are $9-10 ($5 charge for the growler, but it can be refilled)
The staff is pleasant and truly seems to be excited about this new business. Â It appears that these guys are very knowledgable in their craft and if I had to guess they have some good backing & business experience.
Since this place is new it's not large. Â Only a few seats at the bar and no food service yet. Â However, it's obviously in the works. Â
I'll be, back and look forward to try their other beers and food (when they start serving).
Trophy is my new favorite micro-, actually nano-brewery. Â The beer is simply fabulous. Â Fresh, awesome flavors and a nice selection from light to dark. Â Something for everyone.
Another reviewer thought the prices were a bit high, but to me, the quality of the brew makes it worth every penny.
One of the owners, Chris Powers, was milling around making sure everyone was having a good time. Â In fact, when he saw me and my wife staring through the window of the actual brewroom, he offered us an impromptu tour. Â They are planning a patio with retractable roof and windows, and adding a kitchen. Â
If you like good, flavorful, nanobrew, you simply must go here.
Due to my lack of preparation, I managed to show up almost a full hour before they opened. That would be 5PM, 7 days a week.
** Edit: They're now open at 3PM Fri-Sat-Sun. Bravo! **
However, the trip wasn't wasted. They gladly sold me a couple of 32ox growlers. They have a pretty sweet growler setup where they're able to pour in some sort of pressure controlled system to mimic a bottled beer to preserve freshness?
Anyways the bar is pretty small in terms of seating, so get there early on busy nights. There's no food yet, so you'll need to buy a $1 membership to satisfy our antiquated state liquor laws. Parking COULD be an issue, but it's not a crazy busy part of town so you'll probably manage.
It's a nano-brewery - their tanks are small and so are their growlers, but from what I can tell their beers are not 'small.'
Looking forward to going back when they're open, and maybe even after they've opened their kitchen and expanded outdoor seating area.
Went to the opening last night. Great place, great beer. The place is small but I think that adds to the allure. Loved the peanut butter/ banana beer. Beers are about $5 which is a little steep for a brewery, however the beer was good, so I'm willing to pay.
With that said...(and i know this was opening night so I wasn't expecting perfection), but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE fill up your customers glasses. One of my beers was half foam/ half beer. I don't mind paying the $5 but please take your time with your pours. The guy next to me got a flight, paid $9 for for little shot glasses that were half full and was not pleased. And there was a lot of chatter around the bar about glasses not being filled.
Anyways, don't let that last part scare you away. This place is good little spot and worth trying out! Just ask them to fill you up and I'm sure you'll be happy with space and the quality product that Trophy Brewing Co. produces.
Great new brewery of Raleigh! Â
Trophy was started by a home brewer and has great potential. While it's small now(capacity is apparently only 14) they are already in the process to expand including a kitchen and a patio. The brewing room is small which accommodates their specialty brews. The bar covers the theme of trophies with the pulls on the taps being trophies as well as trophies all along the walls.
The beer itself is really good. They have a peanut butter banana double which I wasn't sure of at first but turned out to be pretty good. It has just a hint of peanut butter. They also have a coffee stout which definitely had a strong coffee taste. I don't normally like dark beers but I could see myself drinking both of these. The cezan with a hint of apricot was my favorite out if all that I tried.
It was definitely worth the wait outside in the cold to try this place out. I will hopefully make it back soon and can't wait to see what it's like after the expansion.
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