I had my first visit to HopSaint over the weekend and I came away impressed by the beer and by the price of the food.
There were three beers on tap as they ramp up from soft opening to full and regular hours. I loathe the Bubble Butt blonde name but the beer itself is really good. Crisp and clean with a lovely grain taste to it. Most blonde ales are boring but this one is not. The Eleven-Eight is a lovely not quite a barleywine ale that again has a great crisp quality and loads of malt character. At this point, I thought that I was due a clinker. Any new brewery and many established ones have growing recipe pains.
But the Cacophony IPA was the best of the bunch. A light hued brew that packed a clear bitter punch with loads of fruit tinged hop character. I really liked it and would have gotten more but I was off to test a nearby oceanside tasting room…
The food was all on the high-side price wise but looked quality. I am not wowed by salads but the ingredients for each looked great and I will try the tri-tip sandwich on the next visit.
I would plan a visit to Torrance (or is this Redondo Beach?) to check out the beers before the secret is out.
