Mostly Southern California Beer Tasting

If you find yourself hard pressed to get to the local brewery because it may not be so local to you, see if any local eating establishments are beer enthusiasts.  That is what today's blog is, a taste of  (mostly) Southern California.

Bootlegger's Brewery out of Fullerton, CA, offers a wide variety of beers.  I have visited the brewery itself and found the experience very enjoyable.

Old World Hefe 5.0% ABV - A German style Hefeweizen, this beer presents a nice golden color, low carbonation, with a wheaty, citrusy aroma.  The taste is very smooth with a  hint of banana and clove.  Tasted without a fruit garnish

Rustic Rye IPA 6.2% ABV - Slight dark golden color, good clarity and good head retention.  The aroma is a mix of hops, rye, and some floral notes, very hop forward with hint of rye towards the end.  My companion/ IPA enthusiast adds, that the beer seems fairly sweet for a rye and is a fairly thick beer.

Golden Chaos 8.5% ABV - Notes on the beer: Belgian Style Golden, Bottle conditioned for 2-3 weeks and brewed with American Rock Candy - This beer presents with a cloudy golden color, good head and a slight malt aroma.  The beer tastes very sweet and kind of bananay.

Black Phoenix 6.7% ABV Chipotle Coffee Stout - dark color with tan head, good head retention.  This beer has a strong coffee aroma and is spicy sweet, pretty confusing on the tongue, with a roasted coffee to finish.

Our next brewery is one, I have mentioned before, The Bruery.  The Bruery offers two locations to taste their Belgian Style beers, at the Breury Provisions in Downtown Orange, or at the brewery itself in Placentia.  Both places are great places to go to try their beers.

Orchard White 5.7% ABV - This beer presents a light golden color with good head retention, with a clove/coriander/lavender aroma, it is very spice forward in taste and very well balanced.

Rugbrod 8.0% ABV Dark Rye Ale - This beer has a nice dark amber color with limited head.  It has a slight rye aroma, with a roasted malt forward with a nutty finish.

Mischief 8.5% ABV Hoppy Belgian Style Golden Strong Ale - This beer has a dark golden color, good head retention and a floral hoppy aroma.  This beer is very hop forward and finishes with a slight malt flavor and a citrus tartness.  As I have mentioned before this is my favorite beer the Bruery has to offer.

We move next to Rubicon Brewing Company which is actually in Sacramento, I have not had the chance to visit yet.

Capricorn Black Ale 6.5% ABV Black IPA - This beer is dark in color, with good head retention with a slight hop/ malt aroma.  The beer is actually malt forward with a strong hop finish with a hint of roasted flavor overall.

Our tour ends at Kern River Brewing Company in Kernville, CA another brewery I have yet to visit.

Class V Stout 8.5% ABV - This beer is dark, with a nice tan head, a nice cascade and excellent head retention.  This beer has a sweet malty aroma with a sweet malty/ coffee forward and slight bitter finish, as you continue to drink this beer, a hint of chocolate starts to present itself.  This was another favorite of the overall tasting and was a nice way to finish it off.

So there you have it.  If you are in your local beer store and find any of the above intriguing, grab yourself a bottle and share with a friend or two, or if you are one of those "does not share well with others" types, that's OK too.