Session # 97 – Up & Coming

What are the up-and-coming beer locations that you see as the next major players in the beer scene? That is the topic from Our Tasty Travels.

“For this month’s session, I’m asking you all to share which locations you see as the beer destinations that everyone will be talking about in the next few years. Where are the beer scenes just emerging, or coming into their own? Some may be brand new locations. While others may be old-world destinations seeing a renaissance into the world of new craft beer styles. Some may even be locations where familiar names from around the world are planning on setting up shop to bring new styles to old palates.”

Born in Portland, so it would be easy to just be a homer and say Beervana – Munich on the Willamette. So many breweries, so many styles, beer and food pairings everywhere you turn. You could argue with me that they are a major player now or more in the past but I think they will be in the future too.

Reside in Los Angeles, so it would also be easy to nominate The City of Angels. We are growing fast but we are still catching up and though not openly hostile to breweries L.A., nonetheless, is a gauntlet of paperwork and meetings and hearings and more hearings and more paperwork with a couple more hearings tossed into the mix. It ain’t fun and it does discourage the rational from trying to open a brewery within city limits. But what that has encouraged are the cities surrounding city. That is why Torrance is home to five breweries. That is why there are another trio in Long Beach. Agoura Hills has a pair as well.

If I was a soothsayer, I could gamble and guess that if Los Angeles gets a NFL team (or two) that the cities of Carson or Inglewood might become tailgate destinations and boost the beer scene to major player status but the safe bet is that people will be heading south, but not to San Diego, my choice (after my long winded wind-up), is Orange County.

The breweries are opening fast, there is a solid tradition already there, there are gastropubs, bars and restaurants serving and you can get your whales to if your favorite day of the week is Tuesday.

You want a listicle?
Well, here you go, Orange County has:
The two-time L.A. IPA Festival winner in Noble Ale Works.
Golden Road is building a whole new brewery near the Honda Center under the esteemed Victor Novak.
The Bruery will soon split into two when Terreux opens and probably be twice as full in both tasting rooms.
Bottle Logic has barely been open and already has struck gold at the Great American Beer Festival.
One of the few cask festivals in SoCal, FirkFest calls Anaheim home. (Coming March 21st, be there)

Two other additional benefits position Orange County at a beer destination tipping point. There is a certain theme park in the area that means tourists are already heading this way and there will be hotels to stay at when you arrive. Secondly, you can get a representative sampling of both San Diego and Los Angeles beers while you are there, killing three beer birds with one proverbial stone.
Oh and you have the ace in the hole. The blue skies and warm weather of Southern California. That is quite a draw for people who have to endure snow and ice or grey and gloom.

If I may torture an analogy, San Diego may be the big beer brother and L.A. the youngest but Orange County is that quirky middle child. And I believe that more people will be drawn to the beer scenes that are dotting Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Fullerton.