Latest reviews from Orange

“A worthy stop among several must stops. Above average beer. A youngish crowd with knowledgeable veterans among them. Mostly hops but also a good cola,stouts. And wild one to be consumed “

Sammy 103 days ago

“A steady flow of take away customers late aft but earlier I had to wait to be spotted to be served as the 3rd in the house.good to take samples in proper glassware. Good west coast and the helles were highlights. Worth a stop.“

Sammy 103 days ago

“Nice spot in an industrial park by the Santa Ana “river”. Wish they opened earlier, ticking doesn’t start til 5 most days, just cans. Good selection of great beer.“

nickd717 464 days ago

“Visited for lunch on 2nd January 2023. Brewery named after the date of the building, which is a square, solid thing; used to be a high class European Furniture Antique Store before being converted two years ago. It's dark inside with brewing equipment all along the right hand side, behind the bar. Plenty of seating and it's pretty 'foodie' with huge portions. Own beers include an interesting choice of styles, the two flights and 16oz pour I had were all fine, as was the food. Sports TV screens seem to dominate the walls, but you can look away if you wish. We liked the place.“

BlackHaddock 502 days ago

“Holy crap. What a frickin place. This is probably the best bottle selection I've ever seen. They had Trillium somehow? Just everything you want, decent prices too. So much Russian River. Cool layout, relaxed. Would have appreciated half pints being available but whatever, this place still rules. Didn't try the food, bet it's phenomenal.“

ClarkVV 524 days ago

“Visited August 2022. Huge space not too far off of 5. I guess this used to be Gunwhale's Orange location. The feel is the typical modern and kinda minimalist vibe, at least inside. Large L-shaped bar where you can order and sit as well as plenty of tables inside and a patio area outside. A nice window behind the bar into the brewery. They had just opened like a week before I visited, so still building up the beer list, but they had about 10 things on tap that included a seltzer or two, some hazy and west coast IPA, and two pastry stouts. The beers I tried were generally very good. No flights or taster pours offered. They do halves, which is nice. But I've gotta say, the pricing here is a bit out of control. They were asking for $9 for a full pour and $5 for a half. That's more than even like Cellarmaker charges and that's in San Francisco. Cans were slightly more reasonable at like $16-20 for most beers. The beer here was good and I like the people who started the brewery, but I think it's hard to recommend going to a tasting room where the beers are that expensive, and prices don't usually go down, so I don't see it as just a temporary thing as they start up.“

brokensail 628 days ago

“Visited on a Wednesday evening. Located in a light industrial area just outside of old town Orange. L shaped building with an open seating area to the right, with ping pong, TVs and barrels in a rack. The bar is in the smaller room, with more TVs and additional table seating. A few tables were set up outside as well. 15 house beers and a seltzer on the draft, available as full or 5 oz pours along with cans and crowlers to go. There was a Salvadoran Food truck pulling in as I was leaving. Would be a good spot to watch a game. (Worth the visit, must for locals, and visitors with time) I only use the total score, not the component parts.“

theisti 747 days ago

“Have been here several times after my initial visit in September 2017. This used to be the Valiant Brewing facility, but Green Cheek took it over after Valiant went out of business. Warehouse brewing facility with a small bar where you order beers. A rail along the brewery area, plenty of picnic tables inside, and some tables and barrels outside as well. Variety of beers on tap here with a focus on lagers and hoppy beers. They also do some sour stuff and stouts. Flights, full pours, cans, growlers/crowlers available here. Good service and staff and the beers are excellent. Definitely worth a stop on the OC beer trail.“

brokensail 1000 days ago

“Typical location in a big industrial lot, with a modern feeling tasting room. Huge taplist, of almost 20 house beers, heavily skewed towards the hazy IIPAs. They have flights of (almost) any 4 beers for $8 (including tax), an incredibly great deal given the high quality of the beers we tried. They nailed the hazies, a west coast DIPA and a passionfruit imperial berliner -- wasn't too thrilled with the mega-imperial stout I had though. Good, quick service and a comfortable, intimate environment to taste beers. Definitely worth a trip when in Anaheim/Orange.“

mcberko 1058 days ago

“Lots of variety on tap, great selection in the cooler. Sandwiches are great and the staff are very friendly. A bit expensive, but well worth visiting.“

Cristobal37 1679 days ago

“We were looking forward to taste the sandwiches but we were 20 minutes late. They closed the deli side at 7pm on Monday. The bar side was open. Nice selection and most of the beers in cold. Some of the beers really expensive. Also singles available. The service wasn't that fast as there were some patrons sitting at the bar the bartender wanted to chat with. Maybe better luck next time.“

rosenbergh 2117 days ago

“As a beer store, this doesn't deserve to be in the 90s. Sorry. While it's true they have one wall devoted to an open cooler of beer, the beer itself is too conventional for the stellar rating. As a sandwich deli it looks OK but again, not 90s OK. Granted it may be a local institution and a nostalgic pick but if you're looking here for exotic ticks, (which you should with a 97 score) then let me save you a trip out to Orange.“

Mercutio 2138 days ago

“Visited a bit after lunch on a Wednesday. Tucked in the corner of a nondescript strip mall with somewhat limited parking. Food is ordered at the counter to your left as you enter, beer from the bar straight ahead, and packaged beer is located to the right. In the middle are tables and a couple of high tops near the window. Small outdoor sidewalk patio, though no alcohol allowed out there Efficient staff, which is good, because even midday on a Wednesday this place was buzzing. Great selection of 23 beers on. The bottle and can selection was pretty amazing as well, with most beers available as singles. This was a place I always wanted to hit from when I first joined the site, and it didn’t disappoint.

82 = ***½ (Solid place, near the top of the list for locals and visitors)

I only use the total score, not the component parts.“

theisti 2161 days ago

“Good range and knowledgable staff made this an enjoyable place to visit.“

eurosid 2301 days ago

“Wow... what a place ..“

Wirralbeerveg 2304 days ago

“Visited on Saturday 16th Dec 2017 and had two flights of four beers: twelve of their beers on tap to choose from. Clean, tidy and modern lay out, basic and minimalist in design. Brewing equipment to the rear, table tennis to one side with the bar and main seating area centre stage. I thought the beers both interesting and in good order. Nice vibe to the place, fairly cheap (for Old Town Orange).“

BlackHaddock 2345 days ago

“Great combination of awesome and rare drafts and bottles, which is so hard to do! Server was friendly, and beyond knowledgable in his recommendations. My only complaint is I wish they did flights. and I had enough to stay for lunch as the food looked amazing for a lunch. I’ll be back.“

chibuck 2562 days ago

“Revisited on Saturday 28th Jan 2017: still worth popping in and seeing the draft list: food lovely too. No score change, read on for original review. Late lunch on Saurday 30th April 2016. Bare brick walls, a few stools at the bar and plenty of tables and chairs, bar to the rear left before the hidden kitchen. Highly recommend the ’Burnt Ends’ for a started if eating, in fact all our food was top notch, if a little high price wise, but this is Old Town Orange and I doubt Business Rates are low. Beer Board easy to see high on a wall, interesting selection of breweries and styles, from Gose to Stout via a Sasion and Lager, twelve taps if I remember correctly. Service was attentive but not overly so and the beer quality excellent. A relaxed, pleasant place to eat and drink at, one of my Son in Laws favourite restaurants in Orange County and I can see why.“

BlackHaddock 2663 days ago

“Rushed visit on Saturday 28th Jan 2017: baby granddaughter in the car being a pain. Strolled in and took a look around: square shaped place with tables and chairs in the middle, very canteen like really. Deli sandwich counter to the left, bar straight in front and bottle fridges along the whole right hand wall. Place was busy and ’humming’ rather than ’loud’. Draft list looked lovely and i would have happily stayed until closing time, but 20 month old granddaughter comes first apparently according to the wife. I amble along the beer fridge wall two or three times, looking, caressing and checking various brews while noting the prices and wincing. Some of the costings are outrageous to me and I end up with a can of Canadian Stout as my only purchase. Would loved to have sat and tried the tap list, but maybe next time.“

BlackHaddock 2663 days ago

“Visited Monday, 6/27/2016 for lunch. It’s a deli, with about 25 or so beers on tap. Great draft selection. Food was decent, but not outstanding. It’s also a bottle shop - again the selection was impressive. Had my first Russian River here - Pliny the Elder on draft. Overall, the food, draft selection, and bottle selection make this a worthy stop.“

wombat23 2678 days ago

“New brewery in Old Town Orange, just a couple blocks from the Circle. This place is apparently started up by folks from Haven, so there is definitely a lot of money and industry experience behind the brewery.

They had eight beers on tap during our visit. A number of hoppy beers along with a couple lagers and some more interesting takes on the typical amber and brown ale. The beers were generally good quality, which is what I would expect. They aren’t necessarily hyped up styles/versions of popular styles, but you will get a good beer here.

Looking forward to coming back to see how they’re doing in the future.“

brokensail 2812 days ago

“Visited 30th April 2016. Square room with beer and wine along two sides, a coffee serving area at the front and a bar for beer and food towards the rear, where a corridor leads to a small outside area. Basic in every sense with functional furniture and minimalist decoration. Beers were good and I bought three cans to go. Prices seemed a little high, even for Old Town Orange, but the quality and choice equelled it out almost. Friendly barman and left alone to wander the shelves and fridges to select my beers for later. Neat, trendy and hip sort of place, fairly quiet on the Saturday afternoon we popped in.“

BlackHaddock 2936 days ago

“Food rather than beer takes centre stage. Not a bad selection, my Artifex Trigger Finger IPA was nice.“

b727trijet 2946 days ago

“Never knew there’d even be craft beer here, but hit it with some girlfriends to get our bbq on and found a gem. Great night.“

punkybrewster 3034 days ago

“Interesting place...kind of like the Subway/Quiznos of pizza restaurants in that they basically have a pizza assembly line that you walk through and tell them what you want.

Anyway, it’s in Old Town just up the street from Provisions Market. They also have a small bar where you order your beer from. Seems everything comes in a pint glass. Most offerings were in the $6-$7 range. I opted for a new St. Archer IPA I hadn’t tried, which was not bad.

Plenty of seating to enjoy your food and beverage. Service is okay but you’re basically just dealing with the person while they slap toppings on your pizza and then you seat yourself.“

brokensail 3119 days ago

“It’s an OK place, but nothing overly exiting on the tap list. Would be nice with a board showing what is currently being poured. The waiter had to look at this cheat sheet before he could name some. Pricey place too. $9 for a pint is a bit steep.“

Beergeek23322 3313 days ago

“Great neighborhood beer venue, with a very respectable wall of bottled beers to poke through. What was on tap was top shelf as well, with prices that will put a dent in your wallet. I went out of my way on a business trip to Orange County to find this place and hope to return in the future.“

voyageurmike 3369 days ago

“Deli with an exceptional beer selection. Can get a little crowded fighting your way around the tables while picking the bottles you want to buy. Overall a neat place.“

Beergeek23322 3383 days ago

“Nice selection of bottled beers in addition to the rotating taps. Food is good and service very nice.“

Beergeek23322 3384 days ago

“(Visited 11/2014): This was my first time here since the change from Bruery Provisions. The store is located in Orange near the Plaza Square roundabout on Glassell and Chapman. Street parking is available in all directions but could be tricky to find a spot at times.

The interior opens to the beer store, with shelves along the right wall and coolers on the left, and there are a couple floor displays, benches and barrel tables between. The walk-up counter is in the rear where draught beer and deli items can be ordered, and there is some additional seating back there too. There are more barrels mounted over the entrance at the front of the store. Behind the bar are placards listing the available beers.

Provisions Market has over 25 beers on tap, from breweries like Stone, Alesmith, Lagunitas, Alpine, St. Archer, Kinetic and Ska. The store carries a couple hundred bottled beers as well, from domestic craft brewers like Avery, Almanac, Bruery, Crooked Stave, Modern Times and Craftsman. They even had Rockmill from Ohio, and many imports as well.

Service on a Sunday evening was good. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Food at Provisions is primarily deli items. We enjoyed our fresh bread and sundried tomato spread.

All in all this place seemed essentially the same as when it was run by Bruery and I would definitely visit again.“

Dogbrick 3429 days ago

“Like my friend t0rin0, I’m a bit lost as to why this is listed...perhaps it was different 5-6 years ago?

This is more of just a little cafe where you can eat breakfast or have a cup of coffee or get some gelato or something. They have some bottles, but nothing that you can’t really find anywhere else around. Seemed to be more imports with the US micro stuff being the big name brands.

A fine enough place on its own, but not for beer. Scroll past if that’s what you want.“

brokensail 3526 days ago

“Visited August 22, 2014.

I left early for a concert (Soundgarden) and got some dinner on the way. No, it’s not a coincidence that I chose a brewery that I haven’t rated yet as my stop. I just have so little business in this corner of OC so I thought I’d take the opportunity to get the place tick. It’s in a large shopping center at the end of the building. I got there during happy hour so the place was busy and the prices were good. I got the last seat all the way at the end of the bar under the TV so I couldn’t watch the game but that’s fine. My plate of loaded fries was half off and the glass of Drakes Denogginzer was $2 off. So for under $10 I got dinner and a beer (granted a large plate of fries may not qualify as dinner to some but sustenance is sustenance when you’re going to be crammed in with 20,000 sweaty stoners). They also provided a free taste of a seasonal IPA that I’m not sure I’d had before. There was no name given of the beer nor was there an ABV provided so I decided not to care and just ate my fries and drank my Denogginzer. My bartender was friendly but was easily distracted and forgot my glass of water twice.

Not much remarkable about this place aside from the happy hour prices. It’s a sports bar with average house beer. Over all kind of forgettable.“

t0rin0 3540 days ago

“Nice beer selection. Excellent sandwiches. Definitely an experience to not miss!“

bhensonb 3550 days ago

“This place is just about a block away from both Red Hill Liquor and only a few doors from Johnny Rebs. Pretty dumpy looking liquor store with a weird combination of billiards table company and a FedEx/Notary in the same building. Whatever works.

Inside is sort of what you’d expect from the outside...sort of a yellow haze from the lighting and windows. Smallish selection of beers, but it’s almost all cold (just about half a shelf in the back corner). Selection is fairly mediocre, though a bit scattered. Strand, Manzanita, Iron Fire, Brash, Mission, Bruery...wat? Nothing you can’t find at better stores. Plus, pricing seemed to be at least a buck or two more than elsewhere.

Decent enough selection, but nothing terribly enticing.“

brokensail 3552 days ago

“I’ve scrolled past this place for months for some reason even though I routinely go to the Chipotle that is in the same shopping center lot.

This is probably the brightest and cleanest liquor stores I’ve ever been in (other than maybe the state run stores in Sweden). Mostly liquor and wine in the main entry way and the beer is all kept cold in the back which has a bit of a horseshoe of cooler doors. A lot of Orange County stuff from the likes of Bootleggers, Bruery, Noble, Old Orange, and the likes. Beers from Boulevard, Logsdon, all the major San Diego players, and some stuff from Temecula like Wiens and Iron Fire.

Friendly staff and pretty competitive pricing, though maybe a touch higher on a few items that I’m familiar with. May have to stop in here every once in awhile.“

brokensail 3552 days ago

“Small location on Chapman, a little bit east of CA-55. Sort of tight in terms of parking. Kind of a weird entrance as their is sort of a picket fence, but you have to go around the side of the building to get in. They also have a patio area.

Mostly a BBQ restaurant, so the seating is primarily tables/booths, but a small maybe 6 seat bar. Maybe 8-10 beers on tap during my visit. Some Karl Struass, Bootleggers, Old Orange (meh), and a couple other things from local breweries on tap.

Service was fairly slow and the guy working the bar didn’t really seem to know what was going on. I guess it was lunch time on a Sunday so maybe that explains it?

Anyway, a decent place to grab some okay BBQ and maybe a quick beer, but better options available.“

brokensail 3552 days ago

“Little German market on E Chapman (that is, E of CA-55). I was sort of excited to come here mostly because I love me some German delicacies, and beer is cool too.

Tiny, cramped little shop. The deli counter is the main attraction here. All sorts of cold cuts and sausages. Some prepared salads as well (potato salad, for instance). There isn’t much room and the store isn’t set up all that well, so it’s hard to move around and check out the canned/boxed/jarred items on the shelves, but they have some sauces and seasonings, confections, canned fruits and such.

Beer is mostly in two small coolers. I had a couple of rakes while I ate some Nuerenburg bratwurst. They also make some decent sandwiches here. You can sit at one of the cramped tables and enjoy the food and drink here. Prices are relatively decent...maybe higher than you’d pay at the grocery store but it’s a mom and pop shop.

Not really a beer destination, but more kind of a local treat for some decent German deli treats and maybe a beer or two to go with it. Don’t come here expecting another version of Hollingshead.“

brokensail 3552 days ago

“Great place with a pretty large selection of bottles. The food is good, but it’s pretty expensive. Service was great and had a really nice atmosphere, overall I liked it.“

beerguy00 3618 days ago

“Stopped in here yesterday, my first time visiting this place after hearing about it for years. Atmosphere was good. People eating at most of the tables, including some of the ones right in front of the beers I was trying to look at. Service was great. I was asked if I needed help twice and the woman who checked me out could not have been nicer. Quality was great. Food looked top notch, even though I didn’t partake this time, and the beers all were high quality offerings. Selection was great. They have a ton of beer packed into a small place. I was able to find two Almanac’s I had been searching for so that was a welcome surprise. No food this time but it looked awesome from what I saw. Prices were more than reasonable on most of the bottles I was interested in. Overall a really nice bottle shop that I would definitely return to in the future.“

orangesol 3749 days ago

“Oh look, another Lazy Dog. At least there weren’t any people feeding their dogs entrees when I stopped by. There were, however, the same rebadged "house" beers available and a pretty standard list of micros, too. Food isn’t bad and decently priced. Don’t really go too crazy for these places, but the ladyfriend seems to like them for some reason.“

brokensail 3828 days ago

“I stopped by here after The Bruery so I could grab some styro shippers to send back home to Florida. I did not expect to see any beer, but lo and behold $60 later I left with a Bois, Deliverance, and Curieux. Had my wife not been with me I would have grabbed one of the many Boulevard BBQs they had, or some regulars from Lost Abbey, Port, and Allagash Fluxus since I can't get them in Florida. They also had a wine tasting going on in the back area, and it looked like a nice bunch of pours for $20. Great service and styro shipper were cheap. Worth a stop.“

BMMillsy 3843 days ago

“Visited October 17, 2013.

Had to drive through Orange/Anaheim so I figured I’d get a quick place tick, and as it turns out a glass of their house beer, which was a honey blonde (that they claim is made at Firestone but I’m thinking it’s made at Bayhawk) and an order of baked brie covered in garlic. Even on a week night it was pretty busy but the service was able to keep up with everyone. Of the several dozen taps the best one (in my opinion) was the Hangar 24 DIPA. The food was quite good if you’re not too health conscious to eat a block of cheese and garlic for dinner. Also of note is that this is very close to the Pond so if you’re in town to see a Ducks game or possibly a UFC fight or a monster truck rally then you can add this to the list of better beer options in the immediate area (Noble Ale Works is just across the freeway). It’s also pretty close to Old Orange Brewing (practically walking distance) and Valiant Brewing (a mile up the way).

While this was a pleasant surprise I wouldn’t make it a destination on it’s own, but rather a place to have a pint if you’re with people that aren’t as much of a beer nerd as you are.“

t0rin0 3855 days ago

“VIsited October 13, 2013.

This is a little cafe just north of the circle in Orange, across the street from the shopping center where Provisions Market is. They have some outside seating and a few tables inside. They’re primarily a cafe but serve beer as well. They have a handful of taps and they advertise those beers very prominently outside. The beer list certainly isn’t bad for a little cafe but I’d rather walk over to Provisions or Haven if I’m not going to eat. Otherwise this will do.“

t0rin0 3867 days ago

“Visited October 13, 2013.

This was my first trip back here since Haven took over. Sad to report that it’s not a positive improvement. They’ve cleaned up a bit and made the front area a bit more usable in that there aren’t random wine displays that you have to navigate through. Instead they’ve added some benches and tables, which would be nice provided you could drink beer in that area. Of course, the beer area stops at the end of the counter where the tables are. Not sure if you can carry food over to the bottle side or not. I’ve never actually eaten here so it might be time to buy a sandwich or something. The tap lineup is pretty decent. They have half a dozen Haven beers on and several dozen other beers as well. Not sure if they do flights of the house beers or the guest beers like the Bruery used to but if not there are still some good options on tap. The patio in the back is still open, though the place was fairly empty on the Sunday afternoon that I visited. Prices are a little high, just like they used to be when the Bruery was running the show.“

t0rin0 3867 days ago

“Visited October 13, 2013.

Not quite sure why this is even in the database but I guess they do have a few bottles to choose from. I saw St Bernardus 12 and a few other good imports. No locals and not even any nationally distributed stuff like Sierra Nevada. Just imports. Or maybe they do have things like Sierra Nevada but they were just out at the time. Who knows. The sandwiches looked OK and the ice cream looked really good. I could imagine hanging out with a cup of gelato and a bottle of St Bernardus 12. Probably wont happen though.“

t0rin0 3868 days ago

“Visited October 13, 2013.

I’ve driven by this maybe a hundred times and only recently had the inclination to go in. This is on Chapman right on the edge of the circle. It’s a small unassuming liquor store with a couple of parking spaces in front. Inside there is the usual selection of snacks, liquor, wine, and a couple of fridges of beer. I applaud the owner for carrying some interesting stuff like Russian River and Ballast Point but the selection isn’t all that large. One door has the usual malt liquor and macro selection. The other two have better beers, just not a lot of them. Prices were fairly reasonable for a liquor store. Maybe a bit higher than they should be but not out of control.

Who rated the food here? Did you rate the pork rinds and potato chips? Or did you rate the beef jerky?“

t0rin0 3868 days ago

“Visited October 13, 2013.

This is a block west of the circle which means you can park on the side streets a bit easier than you could at Provisions. It’s a very small place with a counter in the back right and a large chalk board on the left displaying the beers. Not a lot on tap but what they do have is pretty good quality. I saw several Green Flash taps as well as Ballast Point and Bootleggers. I was still recovering from a Chinese food-induced coma so I didn’t eat but the food looked good. Prices were a bit high on both food and beer but that’s what you get in Orange County. They have a tap list on the website too that isn’t very far out of date. Check it out.“

t0rin0 3868 days ago

“Visited October 13, 2013.

The BBQ smells really good, but then I guess all BBQ smells really good. I was there to check out the beer selection and not the food since I had just stuffed myself with Chinese food earlier. When you enter there is a divider of sorts separeating the restaurant from the entrance. Behind that on the left is the bar and on the right are some tables. They had a couple of Golden Road beers that I hadn’t tried before. They seem to focus on local beers which is nice. I’ll be checking back in here every time I’m near the circle, which isn’t that often these days. The service was friendly (didn’t check for beer knowledge but it’s unnecessary since they tell you exactly what’s on tap), the prices on beer are reasonable, and the place is quiet and cozy. As always driving and parking around that area can be a pain.“

t0rin0 3868 days ago

“Visited several times over the years and never stayed much longer than the time it took to finish one beer. The first trip was the worst and that waswith womencantsail. The place was packed and there was no where to even stand near the bar. After some time we just walked out. Since then I’ve been back a couple of times, usually when across the circle at Bruery Provisions picking up Reserve Society allocations (haven’t been back since they moved the pickups to the brewery) and for a quick half pint. They have a pretty good tap line up, albeit eclectic. Great for trying new beers if you don’t mind risking a pint of bad beer. Prices are high on beer and bordering on obnoxious for food, which I haven’t tried yet. Go at a slower time and you can actually get some service.“

t0rin0 3882 days ago