Bootlegger's Brewery's New Tasting Room

This past Friday, Bootlegger's Brewery was once again pouring craft beer for their loyal customers.  Now located at 130 South Highland Avenue in Fullerton, the new tasting room has the friendly feel of the old tasting room along with many new additions.  

                                                                                                                                                                                   

40 tap handles!

There are now forty tap handles, which will allow for the expansion of even more wonderful craft beers.  There is also space for a pilot brewing system inside the tasting room.  

Area for the pilot system.

The bar tops are covered with pennies!

View from inside the tasting room to the outside patio.

While there is ample seating inside the building, the patio also has an expansive area of both covered and uncovered seating.  

The long communal tables give a feeling of being in a German beer garden.  The tables also encourage people to get to know their fellow beer drinkers.  

Covered and uncovered seating areas on the patio.

The patio area also has enough room for food trucks to easily park so customers are able to have food while they drink their beers.  

Menu board.

The Viking Truck serving lunch.

Along with the expansion of the tasting room itself, the hours of the tasting room have also expanded.  The tasting room at Bootlegger's Brewery will now be open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m..  Fridays and Saturdays, the tasting room will be open from 11:00 a.m. until midnight.  The Grand Opening party is on Saturday, March 16th.

Plenty of parking at the new tasting room for cars and bikes!

Bootlegger's Brewery Last Hurrah...Saying Goodbye to the Original Tasting Room

On Saturday, February 23rd a chapter in Bootlegger's Brewery came to an end.  The last beers in the original tasting room located at 401 South Richman were poured to many eager customers.  This was a bittersweet day.  It was nice to see many old familiar faces as well as many new ones!

The line was out the door.

It was also "Sport Your Stein Night" which is a favorite event for regulars.  For a set price per ounce, you are able to fill any container you bring to the brewery with your favorite beer!

Aaron Barkenhagen, owner of Bootlegger's Brewery.

Blake and Grant sporting their steins.

The overflow crowd was seated in the area where the brewing ingredients, kegs, and bottles of beer used to be stored.

Overflow crowd.

 Nothing beats listening to live music while drinking your favorite beers!  There were two bands for the night. One playing Rock n' Roll while the second band of the night played Death Metal.  This was to pay homage to the note on the tasting board menu board which states Death Metal will be played at closing time.

First band of the night.

San Francisco bound this weekend!

San Francisco is by far one of my most favorite towns.  I love the drive from Southern California up north, the scenery is gorgeous.  I almost enjoy the drive more than the destination!  This next weekend, I'll be venturing to San Francisco for a few days and am debating what to do while there.  I've visited a few breweries and craft beer bars on past visits, but I always like to try something new with each trip.

No traffic driving through Los Angeles is always a nice treat.

Beer at Bear Republic, so yummy!

Breweries I have visited on the way and/or in the area of San Francisco include:
Hollister Brewing Company, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, Firestone Walker Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Bear Republic Brewery, and Russian River Brewing Company.
I'm looking for suggestions for craft beer bars or breweries to visit on my next trip.  Which ones are your favorites?

Valiant Brewing Grand Opening

First customers in line to try some tasty beer!

Today I had the privilege of visiting Valiant Brewing in Orange, California for their Grand Opening.  It's not every day that you are able to enter a brand new brewery on their first official day of business.  I arrived at the brewery thirty minutes prior to their opening, not sure what to expect.  After a few minutes, I noticed other people were gathering at the entrance to the brewery and decided to wait in the small group.  At noon we were welcomed inside the brewery.

Pretty beer making equipment!

When you first enter the brewery, you are able to view all of the new shiny brewing equipment.  Being able to see where a brewery makes there beer is always fun for a beer drinker, especially if you don't have to go on an actual tour.  It also helps to make you appreciate even more all of the hard work that is involved in making a delicious beer.

Endless possibilities of beer!

First customers ordering beer.

After looking around and admiring the beauty of a brand new brewery, I decided it might be a good idea to sample some of the beer on tap.  There were three official beers on tap as well as a fourth beer that was available if you ordered a tasting flight.  Maverick's Mighty Ale, a 3.6 % abv Premium Bitter, 31 Kings, a 6.5% abv IPA, Veranda, a 8.5% abv French Ale, and Stentorian, a 13.5% abv Barley Wine.

31 Kings IPA, my favorite of the day!

While I enjoyed sampling all of the beers I sampled, 31 Kings was my favorite of the day.  Stentorian was a bit sneaky, in that it smelled far stronger than it tasted, but being 13.5% abv it is definitely a strong beer.






I am glad that I arrived when the brewery first opened their doors for the day, because many other craft beer fans had the same idea to visit today!  While many people helped make a continuous stream of customers, the lines moved in a timely manner.  All of the employees were friendly and helpful.  I loved seeing members of the brewery owners family helping out while we were there.  After finishing my beer, I decided to get a growler to take home, so that I would be able to share my new favorite beer with my friends.  I look forward to sampling more beers by Valiant Brewing Company and am excited to see what other beers they make in the future!

View of the many thirsty craft beer drinkers at the entrance.

More photos I took of the Grand Opening!