And now there are two, going to El Segundo will now require making a beer choice. Rob Ruben’s Distilling and Brewing and their taproom is now open.
Beer Buddy, Rich and I went through everything on tap on a recent Saturday to gauge where RRD&B stands.
I started with two versions of their cream ale, Gunpowder. One had grapefruit added to it. Better there than IPA I say. Both were pleasant but both lacked a certain softness that I associate with cream ale.
There was also two versions of their Hitman Altbier and again a little creativity was nicely shown with one being Espresso infused. Cold Brew coffee was added to it after the brewing was done and it worked well. Adding a boost to an Altbier that was a bit on the thin side.
On the IPA side, their version 2.0 of Head over Heels was so-so but their very clear NE inspired IPA had some good fruit flavors to it that melded with a light bitterness.
Past that, the Saisons were a mixed bag and their special release Mocha and Pumpkin beers were both very muted in flavor to me.
We were there when the full Halloween decorations were up so the speakeasy vibe was full throttle. But even without that, the furniture and dark wood of the bar make for a cool vibe. No TV’s added to that feel.
You can’t miss the stills. The gleaming copper grabs your attention as you walk through the building to the taproom. Their display case held a vodka and gin. The whiskey and aged spirits are probably much time from being sold and there was no tasting going while we were there, (return visit reason).
Overall, the beers were solid. Except for a Saison that took a turn partway through the sip, the beers performed well. They have started at a good baseline to improve on for the future.