The Bruery Provisions

After checking out the Tustin Brewing Company, I was able to spend some time hanging out with my wife and friends Brian and Jenn and checked out The Bruery Provisions.  The Bruery is located in Placentia, California, which is in Orange County.  The Bruery has a store in historic Old Town Orange (the largest historic district west of the Mississippi) called The Bruery Provisions which is a "specialty market and tasting room."  Basically, they sell craft beer, wine, specialty goods (olive oil, tea, chocolate, marmalade, etc.), and cheese.  If you go and check out The Bruery Provisions, it's worth while to explore the Orange "Circle," which is a big traffic circle surrounded by historic buildings containing shops and restaurants.  On a side note, I previously reviewed The Bruery's Orchard White. 

 

Street view

Huge selection of high-end beers, not just from The Bruery

Logo with bottle caps and corks surrounded by Bruery labels in frames

Taps with logo made of bottle caps

Bathroom wall wallpapered with Bruery labels

$11 is a lot for a small cheese plate, but it paired really well with their beers

Flights are normally $5 (but Brian and I each had a coupon for $3 flights), which is a pretty good deal considering most places will charge $8 to $10 for a flight of the same size, plus The Bruery's beers are stronger than most, and The Bruery's beers are more expensive than most.

The Bruery Classic Flight

Saison Rue -- 8.5% ABV -- Golden color.  Very Belgian tasting, which to me is yeast-y and light.  It's a Belgian/French-style farmhouse ale.  Overall, its light but complex.  The Bruery says this beer will dry out and get more complex as it ages.

Humulus Wet -- 4.6% ABV -- Copper color.  Brewed with "60 lbs of Chinook and 60 lbs of Citra wet hops makes for a blast of piney, floral and citrusy goodness."  Smooth and light.  Pine-y-and citrus-y taste.

Bruery Gremlin -- 7% ABV -- Straw color.  Light Belgian-style beer, but I thought it was a little too light.  A little bit of a floral flavor.

Rub-A-Dub-Dubbel -- 7.4% ABV -- Dark brown-red color.  The Bruery calls it a Belgian-style brown ale, that has a "nutty, coffelike malt back bone and a dry roasty finish."  Brian described it as a, "Sweet brown ale."  It has a creamy-chocolaty-brown flavor.  Its fairly light body for a dark.  It has a short linger.

Loakal Red -- 6.9% ABV -- Red color obviously.  It smells really hoppy but tastes balanced.  Its lighter body than most reds.  Its smooth on the front, but has a hoppier aftertaste.  This is a blend of two versions of the same red ale.  One version is aged for a month in new oak barrels, and the other version is dry-hopped.  This beer is only sold in Orange County.

The Bruery Special Flight

Citracado -- 5% ABV -- see my previous entry.

Bruery Gourd -- 6.66% ABV -- Black-brown color.  The Bruery says its a "milk stout brewed using fresh pumpkins from the Cal Poly Farm Store, seasonal spices, aged on cedar chips."  "Milk stout" = creamy stout.  Some spiciness.

4 Calling Birds -- 11% ABV -- This is the "fourth verse" of The Bruery's Twelve Beers of Christmas beers.  Dark brown color.  Its a spicy dark ale.  Pairs really well with the fig on our cheese plate.  Good holiday beer. 

Autumn Maple -- 10% ABV -- Orange-yam color.  Brewed with yams (17 pounds actually), and has a yam-my flavor so its a little different than a pumpkin beer, but its a good fall beer.  Its brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup.

Oude Tart 7.5% ABV -- Red color.  This is a sour beer and tastes really fruity.  Brian says, "Smells and tastes like wine...[it's a] kick in the face."  The Bruery describes it as a "Flemish-Style Red Ale aged in red wine barrels for 18 months.  Pleasantly sour with hints of leather, dark fruit and toasty oak."


Overall, most of The Bruery's beers are on the sweeter side, except for the few that are sour.  At anywhere from $9 to $12 for a bottle the size of a wine bottle, their beer is pricey, but its also a lot stronger than most beers and the flavors are more complex.  The nice thing about The Bruery's beers is you always know its going to be quality.