11.11.2010

The Bruery in Orange

"Drink us..."

Snobs and yuppies have wine tasting. We get beer: another win for the geeks.
Very recently The Bruery opened in the circle in Orange. The sign has been up for months – teasing me. I finally got to visit last night.
First up, you’ll notice that “brewery” is spelled wrong. The Bruery is a play on a family name “Rue.” Mr. Rue started brewing beers in his garage during his fist year of med school (understandably) and changed his profession shortly there-after (understandably).
The Bruery is a small, Orange County based brewery, focusing on mostly Belgian and unusual styles of beer. This is their second store-front.
First impressions: The style of the shop is a little too elegant for what I expected from a small, unique, company. I wanted to see more of a man-cave and less of a Napa Wine Cellar. More fun and intrigue, please.
Wine barrels?
I felt a little confused when I walked in. I asked the guy at the front to tell me about the place and he did a great job. Then he directed me to the back of the shop to do tasting.
My face shuts off when tasting.

They have a bunch of different “tasting flights” and all of them are INCREDIBLY affordable: $3 - $8! They also offer several cheese plates to pair with the flights. I love doing tastes: It's like sending my mouth on a treasure hunt!
I wanted to try the Bruery beers more than anything else, so I asked for one of their flights.
SO GOOD!
I got 5 beers that ranged from almost clear to med-dark. I would have purchased 4 out of 5 of them. The last one, the darkest, was the most interesting. It was a holiday-flavored sweet brew. Nutmeg, Yams, cinnamon… Dang.
If you want to geek-out over some unique, independent, beers – visit The Bruery. Even if you’re not into supporting the little guy (what kind of monster are you?), they have a bunch of different, more main-stream options. I say, get there in the early evening with some fellow beer-lovers, spend $20 on 4 flights, and send your tasters on an adventure.

7 comments:

  1. This is a really great blog. Shiznite.

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  2. Love it :) Something that everyone should try at least once, even if you're not a beer fan.

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  3. hhaah a treasure hunt for your mouth!

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  4. What do they have in the jukebox? Any David Allan Coe?

    BTW...good read. I love the circle..time to kick O's to the curb.

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  5. No music whatsoever. Really unsettling. Like I said, the shop didn't match the product.

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  6. You look like you're listening for something in the picture. Do the beers make different noises?

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  7. What if they did, Steebs? What if they did?

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