The Bruery Announcement

The Bruery made the following announcement today.

"We at The Bruery regret to announce that we will be closing our retail shop & tasting area in Old Towne Orange, The Bruery Provisions, on Sunday, January 13th.  Provisions has been an important part of our company, spawned by our passion for craft beer and the opportunity to introduce others to it.  Our decision to shut the doors did not come easy.  However, after examining our growing business, increased production capacity, barrel aging efforts, enhanced Tasting Room, and growing membership societies, it became apparent Provisions is not the best use of our limited resources.  We believe that this change will help us focus our efforts on brewing and distributing the best and most creative beer we can possibly brew and provide our customers with the best craft beer experience they can find.  We encourage you to read some words on the closing from The Bruery’s Founder & CEO, Patrick Rue at http://www.thebruery.com/farewellprovisions.

Between Thursday, 1/10, and Sunday, 1/13, our entire stock of craft beers, wines, cheeses, charcuterie and other artisanal products will be on sale for 30% off.  Beer from The Bruery will not be included in this sale and will continue to be available at our Tasting Room located next door to our production facility in Placentia as well as at many fine establishments around Southern California and beyond.  The tasting area and patio of Provisions will be closed starting Today.

Please visit http://www.thebruery.com, http://www.brueryprovisions.com for further details."

As sad as this announcement is, hopefully the move will meet their desired expectations and make an already great brewery even better.

The Brewery Project: Coronado Brewing Co. Knoxville facility

I always leave a brewery with an impression, whether it be positive or negative.  Most of the time it's positive, but there are times when my experience is less than stellar.  Then there are times, rare times, that I just can't keep a smile off my face when I leave the brewery.  Everything aligned, from the product to the people, to create an awesome experience.  My visit to the newly opened Coronado Brewing Co. Knoxville facility was just such a time.  I've been anxiously awaiting the opening since posting this last August.  The unadvertised opening of the large production facility was kept fairly quiet, and so was the brewery at the time of my visit.  With a spacious tasting area directly connected to the brewing floor, it's the perfect place to sip on your favorite brew while watching all the action take place.  There are also a couple of flat panels hanging above the bar to add further entertainment.  I treated myself to a couple new beers.  Holly-Daze, a 7.8% Holiday/Winter Ale was warming, spicy, and delicious.  Hibiscus IPA, their collaboration with Maui Brewing Co. benefiting Beer 4 Boobs, bears a beautiful pink hue in support of breast cancer awareness.  Floral from the addition of hibiscus flowers, yet hoppy from the Centennial, Chinook, and Nugget hops, this was a very drinkable, refreshing, and delightful brew.  With beers like these and this beautiful new space to enjoy them in, I can't imagine ever having a bad time hanging out here.  Word will spread, people will come, and good times will be had by all.

Blue Moon is craft beer, right?

Learn the facts about your brew!

Friday Beer Humor

Albertsons, redeemed!

I posted here about my frustrating attempt to purchase a single 12 ounce beer at Albertsons and being told I could only purchase the single beers they feature in mix-and-match six-pack form for $8.99.  My visit to the Chula Vista store tonight redeemed them in my eyes.  Scanning the 12 ounce singles I noticed Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA among the bottles.  They sell the standard four-pack of this great beer for $11.99.  I was able to fill up my own six-pack of the brew for $8.99, essentially getting it for half-price!  Getting this kind of deal, I can no longer find fault with their policies, and will be searching their selection much more often.  Redemption never tasted so good!

Kudos to SeaWorld, sort of

Imagine my enthusiasm walking into Seaport Marketplace at SeaWorld San Diego, the old home of the Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Center, and finding local favorites on tap from Karl Strauss, Stone, AleSmith, and even Julian Hard Cider!  Taps that once dispensed mass-produced macros such as Budweiser and Michelob now house offerings from some of San Diego's finest craft breweries.  So, what's the problem?  The cost!  I realize that amusement park prices are always going to be higher than the usual markup, but $9.99 for a local craft beer seems excessive even by those standards.  These beers are being produced just miles from the park, not imported from halfway around the world!  They still sell InBev products for $6.99, but hoist the price up another $3 for decent beer.  I find fault with this.  I love seeing local brews represented in the park, but the price has got to come down to a reasonable level.  They made a good move by bringing in local beer, now they just need to bring the price down where it belongs.

Hoppy New Beers!

What new breweries, beers, and events are you looking forward to in 2013?