A Trip to The Bruery Provisions

After a long day at work that included some unscheduled furniture moving due to a small amount of unexplained flooding in the office, Robert and I were more than ready to make the short trek to downtown Orange and visit The Bruery Provisions store. As you may recall, Robert and I enjoyed our trip to the tasting room at the brewery itself in nearby Placentia a few weeks ago. That trip and my endless beer geek babbling has spurred Robert, normally a wine drinker, to seek out bottles from The Bruery to sample at his leisure at home. It is reported that a bottle of the Orchard White disappeared quite quickly around the table at Thanksgiving. Needless to say, a further exploration of what The Bruery has to offer was in order.

After a quick stroll around quaint downtown Orange and lamenting that the record store was closed, we settled on some Mexican fare for drinking fuel (what mere mortals refer to as dinner). While we had wandered somewhat aimlessly previous to eating, once our burritos and tacos were deployed to absorb the alcohol, we made a beeline to the Provisions shop.

Instantly making my ubiquitous “can you hear those angels singing too?” joke as we approached the cooler, the beautiful sight inside was truly awe inspiring: easily 400+ facings of bottled beer from around the world and a surprising amount of labels I had never seen before, making my earlier quip not much of a stretch. Overwhelmed for the time being, I wandered amongst the other offerings at the store including brewing books, Bruery merchandise, wine and all of its paraphernalia, and finally, lots of cheese.

While I stood gawking at the shelves of bottled beer on the wall opposite the coolers, one of the employees approached Robert and I to ask if we’d been in before and to explain how things work. Further prompting was not required and we all made our way to the area in the back of the store that is cordoned off as the tasting room.

Because of restrictions on the liquor license, they cannot pour full glasses of any one beer, but they do offer three different flights of beer (two Bruery-centric, the other celebrating seasonal offerings from a plethora of breweries), as well as flights of wine or cheese that, honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to. All of the flights were incredibly reasonable in price, so we chose the one with the most beers I hadn’t tried yet.

Choosing a seat in the tasting room was going to prove difficult for anyone entering after we did, seeing as how we took the last two chairs in a crowd that was gathering quickly. Our flights arrived and we began sipping contemplatively. As we shared our ruminations between us, I was delighted in the sophistication of Robert’s palate, although some translation to beer-speak was required at times.

The Humulus Lager had a wonderful hop aroma but was light and balanced on the tongue. The mash up (pun intended) that was the 7 Grain Saison did not allow for any of the distinct grain flavors to shine through, but maybe that was the point and either way; it was very enjoyable. I had the Loakal Red out of a bottle just two nights previous and was surprised at its subdued showing on tap, which I will attribute to a masking effect brought on by the previous two beers and my meal choice. The rye in the Rugbrød adds a wonderful nuance and was perfect for a winter night in Orange. The Workman’s Friend was a great way to round out the flight; the warm, roasty flavors of this imperial porter easily cut through the lingering effects of the first four beers and left me with a sizable grin beneath my beer moustache.

The evening was not over however, as I had yet to try the Orchard White and with it coming on such high recommendations, I would be remiss if I let the opportunity pass. I ordered a full flight of the Orchard White (rules) for Robert and a small flight for myself of the Mischief, a hoppy Belgian golden strong ale I remember being my favorite from our trip to the brewery proper. We then swapped out a glass each so I could sample the Orchard White. Not nearly as tangy as some witbiers that I have had, but wonderfully subtle notes of lavender and an amazing mouthfeel easily endear themselves much more than one-note puckering sourness would. I am sad to report I did not give the Mischief its due and the two glasses I had left disappeared quite quickly, with little time to contemplate the flavor. I will trust my previous evaluation that it is quite splendid.

Perusing the coolers after imbibing was probably not the wisest choice, but I restrained myself to three bottles, knowing that I would have to store them at Robert’s until I return to the OC in January. After much fussing over which beers to choose, I loaded up and snagged a Bruery goblet for good measure. Thankfully, Robert curtailed his intake much sooner than myself (and had generally lower alcohol beers than I) and was fine to drive us home after our reveries.

Downtown Orange has retained a feeling of small town community in an area of the world completely over run by strip malls and box stores and with the level of sophistication without snobbery that the Bruery have effortlessly employed in their beers and branding since their inception just a short three years ago, the Provisions store is a wonderful fit.

The Bruery and Cismontane Brewing Co.

There are few better ways to shed the worries of a long work day than heading to your local brewery’s tasting room to enjoy a pint or two and get a meal from the food truck parked outside. While I am far away from the Pacific Northwest working in Orange County, California, my definition of local brewery has to be a bit malleable, but the point is still valid. After putting in a full day at the office, my friend Robert and I headed over to Placentia to experience The Bruery firsthand.

I have only been able to find Hottenroth and Orchard White in bottles in Spokane, but I was happily impressed with each sample. When the opportunity arose to visit the location from which these great beers emanated whilst putting my lips to a pint (this case, goblet) of some of their rarer, tasting room-only selections, I jumped at the chance.

We arrived to a pretty full house, but a discussion with a local revealed that it was actually a tame night. A phenomenon unfamiliar to me but it is starting to catch on, even in Spokane: individual food trucks have a following. The Bruery never hurts for customers, but I was told that adding a first-rate food truck outside will get the place absolutely hopping. Robert and I shimmed our way through the queue while discussing the different styles on tap that evening and by the time we reached the bar, I had settled on the pilot batch of Iniquitous Belgian Golden Strong.

With nary a place to sit, we found a purchase of floor to stand on and I raised glass to mouth. Upon the heavenly liquid hitting my tongue, I was immediately overcome with euphoria and awe while being forced to admire this fine beverage at arm’s length. Being a few years into appreciating full and unique flavored craft beers, a reaction such as that is becoming exceedingly rare, so I am all the more appreciative when I am struck in such a way.

One aspect of the tasting room I really enjoyed was that it was situated essentially in the middle of the production floor of the brewery. Beer aging in barrels on one side and a full view of the brewing floor on the other made for an enjoyable evening. The Argentinean food truck with tofu tacos was fantastic as well, but in short order, I was in need of a second beer. I decided to compare oranges to oranges and tried the Mischief production run Belgian Golden Strong. Amazingly tasty, but the Iniquitous had stolen my heart. Just before 10pm (it is just a tasting room), the bartenders yelled out last call, so we decided to call it a night.

Saturday afternoon found me with a couple hours to kill, so I decided to head over to Cismontane Brewing just a couple of blocks from my sister’s house in Rancho Santa Margarita. Having just opened in April and being located in one of the countless strip malls in the OC, I had set my expectations slightly lower than The Bruery, but that cynical hedging of bets was not warranted. Although humble in their surroundings, Cismontane makes some solid brews. Highlights for me included Blacks Dawn, its little brother Small Palm Coconut Small Beer (brewed from the second runnings of the Blacks Dawn), the California Common brewed with German yeast and El Modena Mild, which I had to get a pint of after the flight of tasters.

Owner/brewer Ross was manning the taps behind the bar and with just a couple regulars on hand providing interspersed and only momentary distractions, we ended up having a lengthy, nerdy conversation about beer styles, trends, marketing, brewing techniques, etc. Ross was even kind enough to pour me tasters of a couple pilot batches and give me a short tour of the brew floor. Cismontane is utilizing open fermentation, so it was cool to climb the step ladder and lift the lid, even if it was empty.

After I finished the line of tasters, I needed a glass of water but all too soon I was heading back to my sister’s house and my Orange County beer adventures drew to a close. I purchased a shirt from both establishments and I will be excited to don them as I travel cross country to South Dakota over the next week. I have taken the time to write down every brewery between Spokane and South Dakota that we could possibly nip in for a pint, so my nation-wide local brewery exploration will continue soon.

Selma’s Tap Room

I work for a healthcare consulting company based in Orange County, California and while I mostly work from home, once a month I must travel down to the head offices. Although I dislike traveling that often, the situation does have some advantages; seeing my immediate family more often being chief among them. Another plus is the fact that Selma’s Tap Room is only a short walking distance away from either the office or my sister’s house.

Selma’s itself is a Chicago-style pizzeria, but the owners decided to open up a bar that focuses on craft beers next door just a few months ago and for that, I raise my glass and give thanks. With rustic brick work and tasteful décor, The Tap Room has a great ambiance and to top that, the owners have trained their staff to be knowledgeable and fun. The tap selection is quite fantastic as well, featuring California based beers with some imports and other favorites thrown in for good measure.

My friend from the office and I decided to meet up on Saturday night for a pint or two. Arriving around 7, we saddled up to the bar and were faced with a difficult decision: what to drink? As I tend to go for beers I have not tried before (and always looking to try local favorites), I decided on Orange County’s own The Bruery’s Rugbrød Brown Rye Ale which is loosely based on the traditional Scandinavian “Julebryg” holiday beers.

Pouring dark brown with a tan head that dissipated to a collar, the nose was filled with complex nutty and earthy scents accompanied by a hint of spices. The taste was definitely akin to a traditional brown ale, but with extra nuanced tones imparted by the grains and what I would describe as a subtle “salty sharpness” that I would associate with rye bread (highly scientific, I know). Nutty and bready with a hint of roasty goodness, Rugbrød goes down incredibly smooth and does not even hint at its high alcohol content. The hops only briefly make their presence known at the back end of the palate, but add another layer of character. The most impressive aspect of the beer was the mouthfeel; slippery and well rounded without lacking body. I know that Rugbrød will not necessarily appeal to all craft beer drinkers, but The Bruery should be proud of this offering.

Thirsty Zymurgist Score: 44/50 (8% ABV / 30 IBUs)

Can’t figure out how to pronounce Rugbrød? Neither can anyone else. Check out The Bruery’s video on the subject. http://www.vimeo.com/7504797