“Extreme,” “boutique,” and “elegant” are but a few of the ways to describe the fantastic tasting suds at The Bruery in Placentia as they wash across your palate and wake up senses you never knew existed. Since 2008, Patrick Rue and his crew have pushed the craft beer envelope—and hard. The award-winning Autumn Maple uses yams, nutmeg, allspice, molasses and maple syrup; Or Xata is a take on Horchata and uses rice, cinnamon and fresh vanilla beans. Mischief, which won Gold at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival, is a Belgian style golden ale dry hopped with ripe melon, pear and a peppery spice. And we still miss their collaboration with KCRW Good Food host—and queen of pie—Evan Kleiman.
The Bruery’s industrial park tasting room is as hopping as ever, and now features IPAs in cans for the first time. The beer world thought that their April Fool’s announcement was one giant joke, down to the name, Offshoot Beer Company. Fools on you if you didn’t sign up at www.offshootbeer.com, because that got you first dibs this past Thursday to purchase their latest creations: Fashionably Late (6.5% ABV) and Better Late Than Never (8.5% ABV). Alas, we were one of the fools—BRUH…
Join their societies to receive unique and limited beers not available to the general public. Everyone else should stick to the flights, then decide what you want to take home. My latest one went like this:
*Loakal Red (6.9% ABV): Hoppy American Red ale Aged with Oak. I love Reds—good ones are hard to find, and this one is exceptional. Hoppy and fresh, the malt is prominent and you get the oak at the back end. Beyond enjoyable.
*Bake This: Black Forest Cake (10% ABV): BBA Imperial Stout with chocolate, cherries & vanilla beans. Holy Wow! Mega Chocolate, rich, sweet, the combination of cherries and vanilla bean really make this taste like a German chocolate cake. Amazing!
*So Happens It’s Tuesday ’16 (14% ABV): BBA Imperial Stout. On the strong side, but fuck, man: bourbon and chocolate. Tastes a bit like Derby pie—BOOM.
*Humulus Terreux (5.7% ABV): Hoppy Brett Beer with Mosaic Hops. Slightly hoppy and very refreshing, Brett is short for Brettanomyces, a genus of yeast used in making American wild ales and sours.
*Tart of Darkness ’17 (6.6% ABV): Oak Aged Sour Stout, a prime example of Extreme, Boutique and Elegant. Pours dark, fruity, cherries, oak, the tart/sour complete the profile.
OC is getting better and better at the craft beer game, but the Bruery still rules over all. ALL HAIL OUR SUDSY OVERLORDS. And can someone get me their canned IPA?
The Bruery, 715 Dunn Way, Placentia, (714) 996-6258; www.bruery.com
