Pub crawl: In honor of National Beer Day, we toured a few breweries in Orange County
National Beer Day on April 7 marks the anniversary of the beginning of the end to prohibition in the United States, when the Cullen–Harrison Act came into force. Congress enacted the act in March 1933, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it shortly thereafter, allowing for the production of mild beer, defined as up to 3.2% alcohol by weight.
Beer lovers famously gathered outside breweries the night before the law went into effect, making April 6 “New Beer’s Eve.†Thanks to this 90-year-old legislation, we can visit a brewery anytime, and in honor of National Beer Day, TimesOC toured a number of taprooms in Orange County. There are many to choose from, and here are just a few of our favorites:
Chapman Crafted Beer
123 N. Cypress St., Orange, (844) 855-2337
Co-founded by Wil Dee and Randy Nelson, Chapman Crafted is a family-owned community-focused brewery committed to craft beer. Located in Old Towne Orange within walking distance of Orange Plaza, Chapman University and Dee’s other concepts, Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar and Provisions Deli & Bottleshop, Chapman Crafted brews a wide variety of beers. From German pilsner and IPA to hard seltzer and oatmeal stout, there is a brew for everybody. The Zodiac Series highlights IPAs, and for Aries season, the taproom is pouring Aries Hazy IPA with Galaxy and Mosaic hops and notes of pineapple. Food trucks park outside the brewery weekly, and Chapman Crafted is also in the coffee business with Chapman Crafted Coffee, a small batch handcrafted coffee roaster. Pick up a bag of beans to go in the taproom.
Green Cheek Beer Co.
16685 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Sunset Beach, (562) 296-5435
Green Cheek Beer Co. has taprooms in Costa Mesa and Orange, but the Sunset Beach location is close enough to the water to feel like a parakeet paradise. Founded in 2017, Green Cheek is known for hoppy beers, crispy lagers, big stouts and hard seltzers. The team brews interesting beers that might take inspiration from one single hop variety, like double dry hopped (dry hopped twice during the fermentation process), to create a brew like DDH the Other Brian Hazy, a DIPA with Citra, notes of ripe mango and fresh orange juice, or Lavender Lemonade sparkling hard seltzer, which gets a natural purple hue from lavender pods used to brew a lavender tea blended with the brewer’s lemonade-style seltzer. The kitchen serves brewery staples, like a smash burger and German soft pretzel, but you can also enjoy breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room
15501 Red Hill Ave., Tustin, (657) 247-3920
Taps Brewery in Tustin prides itself on brewing classic, old-world-style ales and lagers like Call Me Blonde Ale and Damenspitz Lager. But Taps brew masters also create special editions, like Trace of Remy bourbon barrel-aged imperial Russian stout. Patio seating with a fire pit and backyard games and indoor seating with arcade games and pool tables make the taproom perfect for any season. Rather than a rotating schedule of food trucks, Taps parks its own truck outside to serve chicken wings, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, beef fat fries and more.
Unsung Brewing Co.
500 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 844-2300
Anaheim is home to a collection of fantastic breweries like Nobel Ale Works, Monkish Brewing, Bottle Logic Brewery and Radiant Beer Co., to name a few that dot the La Palma Beer Trail. But as its name suggests, consider Unsung the unsung hero of Anaheim breweries. Founded by comic book enthusiast Mike Crea, Unsung is a superhero-themed brewery at MAKE, across from the Packing House (although the beer is brewed at a top-secret location in Tustin.) Comic-book-style art graces the walls, and customer-curated collectibles decorate the taproom. Beers blend Midwest heritage with West Coast progression to create brews like “Buzz Man,†a crisp, refreshing, sessionable mutant ale or “Propeller-Head,†a nutty American Amber brewed with locally roasted coffee beans.
Brewery X
3191 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, (657) 999-1500
X marks the spot for this expansive taproom. Brewery X has large indoor and outdoors seating spaces with an extensive tap list to match. Slap & Tickle, a West Coast IPA with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe is a house favorite along with Dublin My Vision, a dry Irish stout on Nitro. Brewery X also has the distinction of pouring the Official Fan Beer of the Los Angeles Angels, Halo IPA, a West Coast IPA with Citra and Amarillo hops. Food is helmed by Brewery X Eats, with on-point pizza available as whole pies or by the slice, plus a selection of salads, sandwiches, appetizers, charcuterie and weekly specials.
Cerveza Cito Brewery
309 W. 4th St., Santa Ana, (714) 852-3528
Located in the heart of downtown Santa Ana, Cerveza Cito brings Mexican flavor to Orange County’s beer scene. The tap list includes beers like Mi Morena Amber Lager with notes of caramel, Let Chamango Hard Seltzer with mango chili flavor and a Tepache Sour, a play on the indigenous fermented pineapple drink with a hint of habanero. Any beer can be made into a michelada with the brewery’s selection of house mixes, and hard seltzer slushies are on the menu too. Loteria is hosted every Wednesday night from 7 to 9 p.m., and if you get hungry, SaborCito tacos often make an appearance.
Gunwhale Ales
2960 Randolph Ave. Unit A, Costa Mesa, (949) 239-9074
A gunwhale is the top ridge of a boat, and Gunwhale Ales takes its name from an old saying, “loaded to the gunwhales,†which meant overflowing and became slang for having a few drinks too many. The nautical taproom in Costa Mesa has outdoor space and full indoor seating. Beers are on the funkier side, with a focus on the yeast driven, like saisons, farm house ales, wilds and sours. Field Trip, for example is a Farmhouse ale with strawberries and notes of lemon and rustic loaf or Dance Hall, a dry-hopped saison with notes of jackfruit and pine. A food truck’s schedule is posted weekly, with outside food welcome too.
The Bruery
717 Dunn Way, Placentia
The Bruery tasting room in Placentia has been pouring beer for 14 years. Founded by Master Cicerone Patrick Rue in 2008, the Bruery is among Orange County’s first craft beer innovators. Known for esoteric beer-wine hybrids, barrel-aged stouts and true lagers and ales, the Bruery is a beer geek’s brewery, with a Reserve Society to prove it. Look for La Petite Provision, a Belgian-style table beer with Thai basil and lemongrass, or Viaje, a Mexican Baja-style lager from Offshoot Beer Co., the Bruery’s sister concept with more approachable beers.
Beachwood Brewing Co.
12900 S. Euclid St., Garden Grove, (714) 462-9710
Beachwood Brewing Co. has locations in Huntington Beach and Long Beach, but its Garden Grove taproom anchors a food court, SteelCraft Garden Grove. Founded in Seal Beach in 2006 by Chef Gabriel Gordon and his wife, Lena Perelman, Beachwood’s house beers include distinctive West Coast-style IPAs, seasonal favorites and limited releases. The brewery’s sister project, Beachwood Blendery, specializes in small batch Lambic-inspired beers. The current tap list has classics like Beachwood Blonde Ale, Beer of the Dragon IPA and Hops of Brixton, a British-style extra special bitter on Nitro.
Bearded Tang Brewery
12885 Beach Blvd. #23, Stanton
Bearded Tang is Stanton’s first brewery, making beer on site at Rodeo 39. Helmed by head brewer Jonathan Chiusano, Bearded Tang brews a variety of crafted ales and lagers. Try the award-winning Vlad the Barista, an imperial coffee stout with charred malts and notes of dark vanilla or a lighter option, like Tangy Prickly Pear, a fruited sour with cactus fruit. Roaming beer servers mean you can enjoy Bearded Tang anywhere in the Rodeo 39 marketplace.
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