| The Bruery 717 Dunn Way | Placentia, CA 92870 714-996-MALT www.thebruery.com |
The Bruery, located in Orange County, California, was founded by Patrick Rue in 2008. The craft brewery specializes in barrel aged and experimental ales. Located just off Orange Freeway, The Bruery owns the entire industrial complex where the tasting room is located. Well, all except for the Jazzercise place.
Founder Patrick Rue started homebrewing while in law school, and the hobby quickly became an obsession. After winning numerous awards for his homebrews, he drew up a business plan for a brewery.
As soon as you enter the tasting room, head left and locate the beer list and create your own sampler. Flights include 2 ounce pours of 5 beers. The flight sheets have beers listed from less intense to more intense. Grab a pencil and choose the beers you’d like to sample (I know this can be a hard decision), and head to the bar.
The beers available during our visit included…
- Hottenroth – 3.1% ABV Tart Berliner Weisse
- Mojito Hottenroth – 3.5% ABV Tart Berliner Weisse with Lime and Mint
- Jardinier – 4.9% ABV Belgian-style Pale Ale
- Culture Club – 5.6% ABV Sour Ale with Peaches and Cherries
- Sour in the Rye 2013 – 7.6% ABV Oak Aged Sour Rye Ale
- Oude Tart with Cherries – 8.4% ABV Flemish Style Red Sour Ale with Cherries
- Loakal Red – 6.9% ABV Oak Aged Hoppy Red Ale
- Mischief – 8.5% ABV Hoppy Belgian Golden Strong
- Trade Winds Tripel – 8.6% ABV Belgian-style Tripel with Thai Basil
- Beret – 9% ABV Sour Wit with Raspberries
- Couverteur – 8% ABV Dubbel with Cacao and Vanilla
- Saison Rue 2014 – 9.5% ABV Farmhouse-style Saison
- L’Deracola – 7.1% ABV Cola-inspired Dark Ale with Lime and Spices
- Ride That Pony – 8.1% ABV Hoppy Imperial Brown Ale
- White Oak – 11.5% ABV BBA Wheat Wine, Belgian Golden Blend
- So Happens It’s Tuesday – 13.6% ABV BBA Stout
- BBA Smoking Wood – 13.3% ABV BBA Imperial Rye Smoked Porter
- Blueberry Smoking Wood – 12.8% ABV BBA Smoked Imperial Porter with Blueberry, Cacao, and Maple Syrup
- Coffee Smoking Wood – 13.5% ABV BBA Smoked Imperial Porter with Coffee and Vanilla
- Mole Smoking Wood – 13% ABV BBA Smoked Imperial Porter with Traditional Mexican Spices and Chiles
To choose a favorite beer from The Bruery is an impossibility. A flight of beers is a taste adventure. That being said, Mole Smoking Wood was one of the best beers I’ve ever had. The mild heat from the chiles paired with the Bourbon and smoke notes made for a taste explosion!
Tall wooden tables offer a place to share beers, hang out, and watch the local sports team. The wooden sampler trays include convenient (yet attractive) handles making it easy to navigate through the busy tasting room as you locate your party.
The tasting room is open from noon to 10 PM everyday. Tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays. Sign up at the bar for the free tour, which includes a beer sample! During the tour I learned that The Bruery owns more barrels than any other U.S. brewery!
Visitors can purchase Bruery swag including T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, books, coolers, and of course, a large selection of bottles.
For true Bruery enthusiasts, the company offers memberships to special “societies”. Preservation Society members receive three unique beers each quarter, hand selected by The Bruery. Reserve Society members receive a selection of beers throughout the year as well as the opportunity to purchase a myriad of other small batch beers throughout the year at a discounted rate.
Reserve Society members could enjoy Filmishmish (Sour Blonde Ale Aged in Oak with Apricots), Sans Pagaie 2015 (Sour Blonde Ale Aged in Oak with Cherries), Tart of Darkness with Cherries and Vanilla (Sour Stout Aged in Oak Barrels with Cherries and Vanilla Beans), Chronology #12 (Old Ale Aged in Bourbon Barrels for 1 Year), Melange #12 (BBA Blend with Cacao, Vanilla, and Hazelnuts), and Grey Monday 2015 (BBA Imperial Stout with Hazelnuts) during our visit.
The invitation-only Hoarders Society is an exclusive club where members are guaranteed extra allocations, exclusive Hoarders Society beers, larger discounts and other exclusive privileges. The Hoarders Society exclusives during our visit included The Flanders Giant (BBA Flemish Style Red) and Melange #10 (Ale 40% Aged in Bourbon Barrels with Chiles, Chocolate, and Cinnamon).
The latest addition to The Bruery’s empire is Bruery Terreux. Opening in late 2015, Bruery Terreux, which loosely translates to “Earthy Bruery,” will focus solely on farmhouse-style ales fermented with wild yeasts as well as oak-aged sour ales. The second location will house an additional tasting room.
