Beer Review – A Bagby Beer Co. Duo

I mentioned last year that I made a stop in Oceanside at Bagby Beer Co. but I failed to mention that I brought a few of their beers back with me and it is now time to talk about them further. And for the last time! See today’s other Babgby blog post.

Starting with the cheekily named Corn Star an American Lager brewed with corn at a big 7.8% abv. Originally a collaboration with Sun King Brewing in Indiana. Pours a vividly clear darker yellow. Crisp and sweet aroma. First sip is very sweet on the palate. The corn taste is there for sure. Silky mouthfeel to it. Tastes pretty hefty too.

wEYEssbier was a gem that stood out in my taster tray so I bought a can of the hefeweizen to have again. There was a slight spice note but this was a banana dream. Almost into cream pie territory with a mouthfeel mix of bubbly and silky together. Better version of a pastry beer to me.

Bagby Beer to Green Cheek

In startling news, Bagby Beer Co. in Oceanside is transitioning into the southernmost Green Cheek location.

You can read the full adieu HERE but this is a big change. Oceanside is a well beer-ed city, Bagby has a large sprawling location which combined with a general craft beer downturn probably laid the groundwork for the change. A type of change that will be happening more often in 2024.

It is too bad as you will tell from today’s other post that I really liked their beers. Solid quality. On the good side of the ledger, Green Cheek is pretty solid too, can’t really quibble with them taking over.

Best Beers of December 2023

I believe this will be a first for my Best of… lists. No IPA or barrel-aged stout taking the top spot.

But first, the runners up:

Enegren Brewing’s Single Hop Pilsner with Talus hops which I have had twice now and both times it sparkled. Next is Five Point Five Brewing and their Nitro version of their Proud Mary Irish Red which just showcased the foam and cream. Finally, Fremont Brewing’s 2023 B-Bomb. An old-school throwback bourbon barrel-aged monster.

But the winner was a draft taster of Bagby Beer Co.’s collaboration with Bierstadt Lagerhaus on a Weissbier, wEYESsbier. So good that I grabbed the last single can in the cooler.

Brewbies 11

There are quite a number of beer related charities out there but one that I am glad has lasted into double digits is Brewbies and on Saturday, February 8th, its 11th annual festival will be held at Bagby Beer Co. in Oceanside.  The Keep A Breast Foundation, “an organization dedicated to empowering young people around the world with breast health education and support” will be receiving 100% of the net profits since the first fest way back in 2010, “Brewbies has raised more than $540,000 for Keep A Breast.”

Here are more of the details from the press release, “For the third consecutive year, Brewbies will host more than 50 breweries for its famous Pink Beer Competition, in which favorite brewers such as Pizza Port, Sierra Nevada and Eagle Rock Brewingcompete to create the best pink beer, made specifically for Brewbies.Tickets for Brewbies in Oceanside are now available for purchase, and start at an advanced sale price of $49.” 

BBF

Readers will know that I am suffering from Beer Fest Fatigue (BFF). So when I recommend heading to one and spending money on it. It means I think you will gain something from it. On January 19th, the third version of BagbyFest will be held in Oceanside.

Jeff Bagby, the brewmaster at his eponymous brewery, gathers together beer, wine, spirits, cocktails, food throughout their impressive two story space. With his curation, you are bound to get a great sampling of beer.

Zwanze 2016

Zwanze-Day-2016
Amongst the dedicated beer days on the calendar, Zwanze Day gets special marks for selecting breweries and bars to pour a special Cantillon beer each year. For us in L.A., driving will be involved because the two closest for the October 1st celebration of the 2016 Framboise are:
Bagby Beer — Oceanside, California
Beachwood BBQ — Seal Beach, California

You can of course celebrate at home with a bottle or find a bar with a good list of Belgians and create your own Zwanze.

Bagby beer

One of the hardest things to do in opening a brewery isn’t brewing the beer or designing the logo or hiring staff. Nope, one of the hardest things to do is find a suitable location. One that doesn’t require breaking through mile after mile of red tape and that can fit into your vision for now and the future.

And in California, what with prices still being higher than in other parts of the country that problem is exacerbated. Even for someone like Jeff Bagby who has Great American Beer Festival medals galore.

But now the good news. The Bagby Beer Company has taken that step and found a place to call home in Oceanside. They have taken over an old car dealership space. If all goes well, construction will begin in 2013 and maybe if the process goes according to plan beer will be made.

The San Diego scene shows no sign of flagging.