Sunday, April 27, 2014

Bootlegger's Brewery 6th Anniversary Celebration


I'll never forget the first time I had beer from Bootlegger's Brewery.  I was at a friend's birthday party and she told me she had some beer from a brewery that was just up the street from her house.  Of course, being at a party where the beer is free, I had to try some!  I may or may not have had more than my fair share of Old World Hefeweizen.  I was amazed at how flavorful the beer was and ended up liking it a lot more than my usual beer of choice.  My friend told me, in between my sips of all of her beer, that Bootlegger's was a small brewery that was located in what looked like somebody's garage.  I just kept thinking to myself, beer that's made in a small place like someone's garage?

Thanks to Bootlegger's Brewery, I had my first taste of craft beer all those years ago.  If it wasn't for Bootlegger's Brewery, I may never have found the light that is craft beer!  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the sixth anniversary celebration of Bootlegger's Brewery.  The event was located as it has the past two years at the lovely Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton.  The setting is beautiful, making you forget that you are in Orange County.  The event featured several local breweries as well as those from other parts of California and even some from out of state, like Ninkasi Brewing.  Besides glorious beer, there were a great selection of food trucks, games, live music, and of course a mechanical bull.  Cause, what beer event is complete without a chance to test your skills on a mechanical bull?

Since the Muckenthaler occupies such a large area, jockey boxes and beer pouring stations were spread out all over the vast lawns and garden areas.  Although over 1,100 tickets were sold, it never once felt crowded while mingling with fellow craft beer enthusiasts.  The lines at all of the various vendors were never more than a few moments long, which of course helped the day to run smoothly.  Bootlegger's brought 61 beers to share with their loyal fans.  Among them were variations of their standard beers as well as beers that were only available at the anniversary.  My favorite beer of the day was the 2011 Imperial Black Phoenix.  I've had this beer before and it definitely keeps improving with age.

Thanks to Bootlegger's Brewery for putting together another amazing event, I can't wait to see what the future has in store and to celebrate again next year!


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