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It has been some time since I had a beer from Fullerton’s Bootleggers Brewery. But I found a nice, big beer to break that bad streak on…
This beer comes across first and foremost as strong. Big pine and earthy bitterness dominate. When first opened, I did get an initial grapefruit nose but that faded off quickly. Getting a tiny touch of menthol here too. Quite a different DIPA than the current fruit forward styles but not really to my liking to be honest.
One of the old school Orange County breweries, Bootlegger’s is hitting the big 10 year mark and will be celebrating at a special location, The Fullerton Arboretum.
There will be flowers and foliage and also special releases, barrel aged, & archived beers from Bootlegger’s as well as guest brews from Bottle Logic, Barleyforge, Cismontane, Hoparazzi, Green Cheek Beer Co., Left Coast Brew Co, Stereo
and MORE..)
Food will come from two trucks Dos Chinos and Luna’s Catering
Tickets for the April 7th event can be purchased for $50 or at the door for $60 (while tickets last) and Designated Driver tickets will be available for $15.
Proceeds from this event will go towards The Orange County Brewer’s Guild
Let’s go with fruit this month but not fruited IPA’s. Beers where fruit is a + addition and not a marketing trick. In addition to these beers, don’t forget to buy a bottle of the Unity 2016 IPA too!
~LIGHT
Bootlegger’s/ Lemongrass Wit 5.5% ABV
“Our summer seasonal release, Lemongrass White, is the perfect beer to relax with during the long summer days. This refreshing beer is balanced with bright citrus notes from the lemongrass, bitter orange peel, and coriander.”
~MEDIUM
Boulevard/ Tropical Pale 5.9% ABV
“Inspired by our collaboration with Florida’s famed Cigar City Brewing, Tropical Pale Ale marries our passion for balanced pale ales with the bright refreshing flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit accented by juicy, citrusy hops. Pack your bags and bring your taste buds.”
~DARK
Telegraph/ Gypsy Ale 8.0% ABV
“Inspired by the exuberance of the Romani Gypsy culture. Telegraph Gypsy Ale celebrates the restless and adventurous spirit in all of us. We brewed it with rye, unmalted wheat, and locally grown plums. Then we fermented it with Brettanomyces while listening to traditional Gypsy tunes. It’s wild, it’s unique, it’s delicious. So go ahead, stray from that well-trodden ground you are following, grab a bottle, and dance along a crooked path.”
The first of two pumpkin beer reviews starts with a stripped down basic version from Bootlegger’s in Fullerton, California. The website description touts the ingredient list: “Brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, brown sugar and real pumpkin juice to create this special beer”
Now let’s see what it tastes like……
Bootlegger’s Brewery has closed down their Richman location after five years of brewing. And now the page turns to the….
NEW TASTING ROOM AND PILOT BREWERY
“Bootlegger’s is proud to finally announce the opening of our brand new tasting room and pilot brewery in Downtown Fullerton. After a long wait and many late nights of hard work, the tasting room will be open…
…. at 130 S. Highland, Fullerton , CA (on the corner of Santa Fe and Highland). It has 40 taps, improved restrooms, more seating, a large outdoor patio, and will be the home of our pilot brewery. Parking is just a short walk and is available at the Opus Bank parking lot at the other end of the alley, or at the large parking structure on Santa Fe. We are now open 7 days a week, and after this weekend our regular hours will be from 11a.m. to 10p.m. Sunday through Thursday and will stay open ’til midnight on Friday and Saturday.”
So take down the coming soon part of the banner!
So this month, not that I was in dire need of beer. I just received the Stone 16th Anniversary IPA. But the $20 was burning a hole in my pocket and I had just learned via Beer of Tomorrow that a liquor store near me stocked craft beer so I headed to Bill’s Liquor in Atwater Village and took my $20 to spend.
And this is what I got….
Now, I wish to explain the reasoning behind this choice. I could have picked up the Ommegang Biere de Hougomont. (spell check that beer lovers) but that would have shot the wad on one bottle. They had Golden Road’s Wolf Among Weeds but I had already tried that. Some nice foreign beers as well but I decided to stay semi-local and try an offering from IE that I had at last year’s Brew at the Zoo and the anniversary ale from Bootleggers. Risky? Yes. But that is what this monthly allotment is for. To buy the beers that you have walked past before. Reviews will be up on both Untappd and Ratebeer when I decide to crack them open.
Beer Belly hosts a One Night Stand with Bootlegger’s Brewery.
“For those of you who haven’t heard about our One Night Stands…
This year the Beer Belly family is going straight to the brewer and bringing back the stories and beers of local brewers to share with you and the Beer Belly community.
What this means for you:
-Throughout the month stay tuned-in to our Facebook and Twitter for news, stories, and specials…starting with this video from our visit to Bootleggers Brewery.
-Mark your calendars (see below) and join us for our One Night Stand community nights where we’ll feature a variety of beer styles from the featured brewery
-Meet and greet fellow craft beer lovers, brewers, and more
On Tap for the Evening: BOLDED beers are my suggestions to try
Galaxian Barley Wine, Mountain Meadow, Mint Chocolate Porter, Doggery Brown Ale, Golden Chaos Golden Ale, Old World Hefeweizen, Black Phoenix, Rustic Rye IPA, Palomino Pale Ale and Knuckle Sandwich.
Tomorrow night, you hop heads might wanna be at….Steingarten LA
Please join us for a special night featuring:
FIVE AMAZING Bootleggers Brwery BEERS:
• KNUCKLE SANDWICH DOUBLE IPA
• ELIMINATOR INDIA PALE ALE
• ROCCO RED
• GOLDEN CHAOS
• OLD WORLD HEFFEWEISEN
We will have a representative on hand from the brewery to talk about the beers. A special pairing menu will be available so come hungry.
7:00 PM Monday January 9th 2012
Steingarten LA
Yesterday, beer buddy Richard and I headed to Orange County ostensibly to pick up a bottle of the famed Black Tuesday that he had purchased but also to hit up Cismontane for some saisons. (Including a Nelson Sauvin version that was excellent).
But we also wanted to check out Bootlegger’s Brewery in Fullerton for the first time.
I was mightily impressed by the amount of offerings on their board. It was a hard decision to finally settle on the Eliminator IPA.
The space is industrial with a bunch of folding chairs and tables in amongst the brewing equipment and barrels.
I really like the canning jar as beer receptacle. It is a homey sort of touch. I just wish that my IPA was better. I like their Knuckle Sandwich brew but the Eliminator (even though it earned me another Untappd badge) was too harsh and and a bit metallic. And Richard wasn’t overly fond of the Mint Chocolate porter either.
I did pick up a bottle of Black Phoenix to use as a cellaring experiment. I want to see how the pepper and coffee flavors hold up after a year.