One of the most popular worldwide beer networks announced in March that Footbridge Brewery won an award in an inaugural, community-based beer competition. Untappd, a beer networking app that allows users to rate beers and share reviews, announced the brewery’s “Trappdoor” won the 2023 second-best Belgian Quadrupel in Maine in the Untappd Community Awards. 

Footbridge Brewery co-owner Dan Pangburn said he was surprised to receive the award and happy for the acknowledgement. “It’s one of the earliest beers we have brewed. It's always been a crowd-pleaser, and it's just nice to kind of get more recognition for that,” he said.  

Pangburn said Trappdoor is a play on the Belgian Quadrupel style beer with a nod to Trappist beers and the trap door in the Boothbay Harbor bridge house. He said the brew is a celebration beer with a high alcohol content that is light on the palate and finishes with a cordial cherry flavor.  

“It's a little niche,” he said. "It's more of a traditional-style beer. Being so high in ABV, it's not the beer you go for when you're mowing your lawn ... It's an absolutely lovely beer.” 

Allagash’s “The Cellars #4” won first place for Maine Belgian Quadrupel, but Pangburn was not disappointed. “It’s nice to know that we're in the same ballpark as them, even though we're a lot smaller and a lot newer,” he said.