ocbeerblog

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Neat Pours & Tall Tales: Nancy Garrison Slings Bourbon This OC Dinner

On Tuesday, March 11th, a little bit of Hye, Texas gets high on top of Orange Hill Restaurant, where the city lights flicker like fireflies; bourbon royalty is about to hold court. Nancy Garrison has rolled into town, silver-blue eyes flashing like lightning in a Texas storm, a bottle of Garrison Brothers Balmorhea in one hand and a whiskey-soaked tale in the other. Nancy Garrison peers into the…

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Firestone Walker International Beer Festival's 2025 First-Timers

…plus seven breweries that have been every year. Evan Price (Green Cheek) and Matt Brynildson (Firestone Brewmaster, Fest organizer) have a laugh at FWIBF 22. Photo Greg Nagel Beer culture in 2025 feels different from every other year. Hardcore beer lovers from a decade ago have been distilled into a tight-knit family of old souls who appreciate what beer still brings to the table—and those still…

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From French Lessons to Brunch Sessions: A Morning at Benny & Mary’s

Debuting on the new menu soon, Winter Briii’s. Spiced Remy, brandy, Averna, lemon – photo-Nagel After learning German, I switched to trying my hand at French, and I was shocked to see the words crème anglaise simply translate to English cream. While at brunch, a lightbulb went off in my 11am cocktail buzzed head…”Does hollandaise mean Dutch cream?” My daughter, who speaks French, shakes her head…

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OC Nabs Ten Medals at GABF 2024

Everywhere Grabs their first GABF Medal – image BA Livestream 250ish judges took nine days to judge 9200 entries (including 230 ciders for the first time) from 1,838 breweries at the 2024 GABF. Orange County brewers took home a tenner of medals overall, down a couple from 2023. At this year’s Alpha King hoppy beer challenge, Bearded Tang kept the coveted Yakima Chief hop helmet in OC, won last…

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Can Anaheim or Orange County Three-Peat Alpha King?

Every year at GABF, Yakima Chief Hops holds a little side competition to bestow the coveted “Alpha King” award to the brewer with the absolute best hoppy beer. “I’ve certainly had beers that have won Alpha King,” notes Andrew Bell of Radiant Beer Co. “I feel like most of the beers that win are in the 8-9% ABV range and are incredibly aromatic.” he continued in a video with Yakima Chief. Having…

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Radiant Adds Kitchen

photo – nagel Making pizza isn’t casual. Just like a job interview at the French Laundry being asked to make an omelet, there are a million ways it can go wrong. But this isn’t the French Laundry, and we’re outside of a brewery on Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim near the 5 freeway with cars buzzing by, and the pizza being made is from a food truck…Radiant’s first self-ran truck…well, tow a long thing…

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Firestone Walker is Back in da Club with Bottle Service

image courtesy Firestone Walker A long time ago, I went to my friend Tom’s thirtieth birthday party at some swanky club, where they had bottle service for something lame like Korbel and Titos. The bill was like $599 at a time in my life I was sort of on the thin-wallet side of things. I quickly learned to hate bottle service and clubs in general. A decade later, when beer clubs became a thing, I…

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Double Decoction With this Firkenstein Beer

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CHAAK Mexican Food & Wine Festival Features Local Chefs & Mexican Winemakers

20+ Wineries and 7 SoCal restaurants come together in O.C. for inaugural event photo credit Max Milla CHAAK Kitchen will host its inaugural Mexican Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, October 19 from 2—6 p.m., seven local restaurants and 29 wineries will come together to celebrate Mexico’s rich culinary and winemaking culture. Restaurateurs Ed & Gabbi Patrick, owners of CHAAK and Gabbi’s Mexican…

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Darkroom Exposes the Negative Space in OC Dining

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What Dad Wants: Puesto’s New Canned Beer (and Tacos)

What Dad Wants: Puesto’s New Canned Beer Puesto Clara Canned Beer Six-Packs Half-Off on Father’s Day photo – Puesto Just in time for Father’s Day, Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar has introduced its first canned beer, Puesto Clara, now available for retail purchase at all locations. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, Puesto will offer six-packs of the SoCal-brewed beer for half off to…

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Don’t Miss This Bucket List Bourbon Dinner

Sipping some small batch at the source. Photo by Greg Nagel After all these years, there’s one bourbon that has yet to be checked off of my whiskey bucket list. It’s cask strength, uncut at 140ish proof, and is blended from all of master distiller Donnis Todd’s best “honey barrels.” When it’s released, people fly into Central Texas and wait overnight in a long line of cars on a rural road just to…

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Watching the 2024 World Beer Cup in 1886

1886 Nachos, aka a Matterhorn of crispy chips. photo – Greg Nagel Why do some people call it “the Orange Circle,” when it’s actually called “the Plaza Square,” I ponder, while sipping a rare brown porter in the brick-walled 1886 Brewing, just north of the newly rebuilt central fountain. I pick at my heaping plate of nachos, looking for the perfect bite, then gasp as I see the countdown to the…

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Orange County Wins a Dozen at GABF 2023

Villains Brewing won their first GABF medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival Awards. Photo Greg Nagel 250 judges took nine days to judge 9300 entries from 2,033 breweries at the 2023 GABF. Orange County brewers took home a dozen medals overall, up one from last year. At this year’s Alpha King hoppy beer challenge, BreweryX kept the coveted Yakima Chief hop-helmet in OC, last year won by…

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Episode 2: Pfeiffer's Famous

Pfeiffer’s Famous, set to open in Anaheim before 2024 on the La Palma Beer Trail.

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Everywhere Turns One, Dunk Tanks, Patrick Spa Water

Details on Everywhere’s 1st Anniversary with Keith and Daniel.

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OC Brewers Take Home 20 Medals at the CA Brewers Cup 2023

riip beer co took home four medals in 2023. Photo by Greg Nagel It’s a cold and rainy night up in the state’s Capitol, and the California Brewer’s Cup is making it rain INDOORS, with medals for our Orange County brewers. Winners were announced at the historic Crest Theater during the California Craft Beer Summit, which is running from March 20-22. Big congrats to all the winners! Gold…