After an ale filled week (well, lagers too), which ran the gamut with a multitude of events – all showcasing the OC beer scene’s cream of the crop – here are our top beer picks from OC Beer Week!
Plum Saison | ABV 6% | Unsung Brewing Company
Though the anticipation for Avengers Endgame has finally turned to dust, Unsung Brewing’s Plum Saison has snapped up our attention. This French-style saison, replete with esters, is highly aromatic and effervescent. Coupled with succulent plums, it transforms into a hybrid beer with delicate tartness. Even as that funk surrounds the palate, it leaves an unexpected silky and rich mouthfeel. Grab a crowler at the tasting room and pair this bright saison with a Marvel marathon binge over a long weekend with some friends.
Stop Asking Hazy IPA Inspired Mead | ABV 8.5% | Honeypot Meadery
Though Hazy IPA’s have become ubiquitous, Honeypot Meadery’s, latest take on a Hazy offers something that stands apart from the norm. The mead has a 60 minute boil with Idaho-7, followed by Orange Blossom Honey, Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines. Fermented with London Fog ale yeast, this mead is then dry hopped post fermentation with Citra to provide a genre bending treat.
AFK Pilsner | ABV 4.6% | GameCraft Brewing Company
While this pilsner’s base influences are nods to classic German styles, GameCraft has thrown its own spin on the style. This freshman brewery’s first canned pilsner release pours a beautiful straw pale color with a malty sweetness on the front. A bright perception of hop bitterness shows up mid-sip that bring vivid notes of floral spices with citrus and lemon. This pilsner truly refreshes, bringing nuanced complexity together with smooth drinkability. Grab a six pack, and find a pool – this beer is best enjoyed AFK.
OC Negative | ABV 8.5% | The Good Beer Company (In Collaboration with Artifex Brewing Company)
Have your mimosa and beer too with this sour milkshake double IPA – one of two unique brews resulting from a collaboration between Artifex and The Good Beer Company. Blood orange lends bright citrus notes – lime, grapefruit, and bright orange – coupled with the sweetness of mango, lychee, and gooseberry. Milk sugar provides for a smooth mouthfeel; somewhere between a mimosa and an orange julius. Regardless of personal tastes, this beer is worth your time to try – and, despite and preconceptions, is guaranteed to surprise.
OC Positive | ABV 8.5% | Artifex Brewing Company (In Collaboration with The Good Beer Company)
P-POG Party | ABV 5.8% | Tustin Brewing Company
Drift away to a Hawaiian paradise with Jerrod Larsen’s latest specialty beer offering. This uber-refreshing, fruit-forward IPA highlights lush notes of passionfruit, orange, and guava. After a few sips, you can imagine sitting on a beach with a ukulele playing in the background; the juicy, hoppy, tropical flavor setting you afloat on a sea without worry. Tiki addicts take notice, throw on your hawaiian shirts, skirts, and shorts – and let your taste buds set sail to an island of flavor amidst an ocean of substandard mass-produced beers.
