Trail Stop Brewery

This brewery, located southwest of downtown Columbia, has an interesting business model. Located in a new, commercial structure with an industrial vibe, it is both a brewery and pizzaria, and offers pickle ball courts, as well. The venue is bright and airy and our server was attentive, which is important since it is table-service only. I prefer to be able to order at the bar myself and ask questions. We didn’t try the pizza. The beer is okay and hopefully will improve with time. It will be interesting to see whether this business model succeeds or evolves into more of a pure restaurant.

This place opened in the past month. After 3 visits, it's time for a review. Large open space with a bar that seats 10 or so. Love the railroad theme. The beer is pretty good. The pale ale is overly malty and the porter is more like a brown. Tincture IPA is very good and so is Daily Dose. The service is wildly different from moment to moment. The lead bartender is great and knows what she's doing. Some others...not so much. Table servers are kids that seem lost. The food is fine. I feel like the pizza oven needs more "seasoning". They could simplify by making every beer one price. They range in 50 cent increments from $6.50 to $8.50. It seems to slow down the servers when entering them into the register. Also, I'm worried the price point will drive people away considering long established breweries in town are $6 a pour.