Ritual Brewing

Took a little time to find this new-ish Redlands brewery, but once the small sign saying “beer here” was spotted, I was sure that I had found Ritual Brewing for the first time.

I am accustomed to breweries wedged into industrial parks. Comes with the territory. But you walk into Ritual and feel dwarfed by the cavernous space. There is a tiny bar area and a few barrels upended to stand around but it mostly feels like an echo chamber. Not particularly a bad thing but it is a little off putting.

I got a sample tray of four beers that looked good despite the plastic cups and set forth to try a range of styles.

The wit looked good but boy did it taste of salt. A taste that I unsuccesfully attempted to rid my palate of. So, I set aside that offering and moved onto Hellion. Which was OK but was not super. Third in line was Extra Red. I had sampled it at Union Station as part of LA Beer Week and was impressed but this batch fell short of that one. I was left wondering where the water came from and what they did to it. The first three beers struggled to get the flavor through this salt water barricade. The stout at the end was the best of the day but not drive worthy like the samples at nearby Hangar 24.

I left most of the beer. That should tell you something.