Three New Bottles

Building upon the success of our first bottles, the dry hopped Bravo variations, we have bottled three additional beers. As with the Bravo release, these beers are conditioned in the bottle. Because we referment in the bottle, the release date is currently unknown - the best I can do is "April."

In April we plan to release three new bottled beers. Here's the story on the upcoming releases:

Saison Viejo was the first beer we brewed in our new brewery. It's an amber farmhouse ale that is based on a recipe I had homebrewed many times in the years leading up to our opening. This beer was aged in used red wine barrels with wild yeast and bacteria. This bone dry saison has a subtle acidity up front and finishes with rich malt. We had it on tap in the tasting room and it was well received. We have a few more barrels of this beer that are still evolving - we'll release them as they finish up. For now, we have about 150 bottles (750mL) of Viejo.

It's no secret that we like the flavor and aromas that Brettanomyces creates in a pure culture fermentation. Our house blend of Brett throws off a lot of peach, strawberry and melon esters. Saison Vivo is an all-Brett farmhouse ale that we aged in wine barrels for about three months. The resulting beer is dry, crisp and refreshing. We have about 220 bottles (750mL) of Vivo.

This was a recipe that we developed with homebrewer Charles Rapadas, a saison with spelt malt fermented in oak barrels. Charles propagated the yeast for this batch, with each barrel receiving a unique culture, and this barrel's microbes stood out. This beer has far less barrel character than the aforementioned Viejo and Vivo, thanks to the barrel fermentation, but it is no less crisp and dry. There's a nice funk factor and this beer has a subtle tartness to it. We have about 180 bottles of Roble 34.


Follow us on the interwebs. We'll publish availability online.

A year in review: 2014

Welcome to the year two thousand and fifteen!

It will be a big year for Good Beer. We are already starting to expand our distribution and bottled barrel aged beers are not far off. But the purpose of this blog post is not to talk about what's coming up, even though the future is incredibly exciting. The purpose is to look back to all that was accomplished in 2014.

In early 2014, we received the final approvals on our architectural and engineering plans, and pulled the permits to start construction. A project that seemed simple on paper took about 6 months to build out. The construction crew that helped build the brewery cannot be thanked enough. Jon is a great friend and spectacular contractor - he has the ability to think through the most complex of construction projects and build out simple and elegant designs with top-of-the-line materials. Wilson is a beast - he put all of his energy into this project, whether he was hauling 100-pound concrete blocks or working on delicate finishes. My brother Bryce is an absolute animal - he helped me build the glycol plumbing without any prior experience, install the kettle vents through the roof, and everything in between. I dropped a piece of conduit on my dad's face - it was one of the few moments that blood was shed during the project. He endured, and was a driving force behind putting together the glycol plumbing system. And everyone else that helped out along the way - Jill, Robyn, David, Crandall's Plumbing crew, and Skelly Electric, could not be thanked enough for making the dream come to life.

David, my brother and I started making beer in August, with our first batch, a recipe that I had brewed many times as a homebrewer. Saison Primero was borne on a commercial scale. A few years ago, David showed up at my house with a used wine barrel. We filled the barrel up with a sessionable saison that was a simple two row and wheat malt bill with a dash of Special B malt. That beer aged for months, receiving doses of wild yeast and bacteria from time to time. By the time the next So Cal Homebrew fest came around, we had pulled off a bit of aged beer and successfully blended it with other saisons and brett-beers. At my wedding in 2013 I had several versions of the house saison, featuring tertiary treatments with blackberries, raspberries, peaches, and dry hops. And that's just a taste of things to come.

Since then we've brewed up a huge variety of beers: three saisons, two all-brett beers, two pale Belgian-style beers, three india pale ales, two flavorful session beers, and a breakfast stout. Those batches served as the bases for numerous variations, too: DTSA Citra, Citra Wheat and Stout de Olla being a few of the most popular. We put a lot of beer away in wine barrels for aging, secondary and tertiary treatments, and yeast and bacteria additions. Those beers will likely be the highlights of 2015.

I cannot forget our loyal and local fan base. We thank you for following our story, and for supporting this mission - to craft world class beer for a good cause. We want to make a difference, and you're the reason we will be able to do just that. Those of you that have joined us in the tasting room know that we are dedicated to providing a craft beer experience. Our brewery and tasting room is more than a space where you can buy beer - it's a place where you can gather with friends and family to share experiences. We have a beautiful building with history and charm. Throughout every aspect of our business, we want you to know that we are committed to quality and community.

And then there's the folks that have provided support from within the industry. We've had the pleasure to meet Orange County's greatest brewers. Whether we're picking brains, sharing ingredients, or just plain sharing a beer - the craft brewers in this County are unreal. Our buds over at Bottle Logic threw us a bag of rice hulls when we planned and ordered ingredients for our Rye IPA. Our Class of 2014 brethren over at Barley Forge helped us out when a yeast pitch would not take off. Our buddy and world class homebrewer Charles Rapadas grew up some yeast for a special barrel project we are working on. Those are just a few of the stories behind how tight-knit this community is.

And our accounts - State law prohibits me from mentioning the folks that buy our beer. Cross promoting is seen as providing something of value to our accounts and that's a no-no. So I'll just say that we love Jarred, Jon, Jeff, Ryan, Casey and Ron. Thanks for helping us grow!

The fermenters are full. The barrels are full. The tasting room is full. And Good Beer is full-steam-ahead into 2015.

Happy New Beers! (Happy New Years!)

It has been a pleasure to have an open tasting room over the last month or two. We've had the opportunity to share our building, equipment, and brewing process with so many great people. And we want to celebrate our first couple months of success with a New Years Eve beer release - strike that, a couple New Years Eve beer releases.

We won't have bottles available just yet, but you can join us on New Years Eve to get the first taste of our barrel aged creations. The draft list is being finalized over the next couple weeks, but we have some cool ideas in the works.

Healthy Holiday Food Drive and Blanket/Jacket Collection!

Good Black Friday to you!

Today is an exciting day! We are kicking off two great events:

Today marks the beginning of our partnership with the OC Food Access Coalition. We've teamed up with the Coalition to collect health canned foods for Orange County's less fortunate.  And in exchange for your efforts, collecting canned foods for us, we're offering one dollar off of growler fills (bring in any number of cans and receive $1 off your growler fill), and you'll be entered to win a t-shirt at the end of the food drive (one can becomes one chance to win - the more cans you bring in, the more likely you are to win!). We're specifically looking for low sodium, low sugar, high fiber, and high protein canned goods or non-perishable food donations. Here's the flier!

Our second event occurs tonight from 6 to 10pm. A local group of craft beer enthusiasts have teamed up to collect used blankets and jackets. The collected items will be distributed to the local homeless population.

Growlers, growlers, and growlers, oh my!

With approval of our growler labels by the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control this week, we can finally start filling growlers. There are, of course, a few stipulations:

• The Good Beer Company does not have any growlers in stock for purchase at this time. We will get a shipment of growlers in November and begin to sell blank growlers consistent with the following requirements. Until we start carrying blank growlers, you are welcome to bring in your own blank or growler with adequately obscured labels (please use tape). We also don't stock caps or lids - your growler should have a lid or flip top when you bring it into the tasting room.
• Blank growlers - we fill only blank growlers. Your growler can be covered in tape such that any other labels are adequately obscured. If we see any evidence of any other brewery, we will not fill the growler. Use thick opaque tape that is water resistant so that any labels are properly obscured after a water rinse and condensation.
• Glass growlers - this should go without saying. Everyone uses glass. Don't bring us a plastic or wood growlers. We will accept stainless steel or ceramic growlers as long as they meet the other requirements on this list.
• 2 Liters - at this time we are only authorized by the ABC to fill growlers that are 2 Liters in volume. 
• Clean - last, but certainly not least, bring us a clean growler to fill. We aren't going to scrub the grime out of the bottom of your growler. In order to avoid gnarly growlers, you should rinse your growler with hot water immediately after you drain it. We will sanitize your growler before filling, but we will not scrub it clean.

That's it. That's all you have to do to get a growler fill at The Good Beer Company. We will list growler fills on our tap list in the brewery (and occasionally via social media) and the beers will rotate frequently based on what's available. You can contact us via social media or email at any time with questions about what growler fills are available.

For additional information, the California Craft Brewers Association released this statement regarding the recent growler law clarification, allowing the filling of blank or properly obscured growlers.

Bring in your blank, clean, 2-liter, glass (or stainless steel) growler for a fill of Good Beer! Don't forget it's our Grand Opening Weekend Extravaganza!!!

Grand Opening November 1

We have been in "soft opening" mode for a couple weeks now as we release new beers and iron out the kinks in our tasting room. And we can finally announce that we are going to have a Grand Opening! Here are the details:

THE GOOD BEER COMPANY GRAND OPENING!

Twelve different craft beers brewed in Downtown Santa Ana

Open to the public

Thursday, October 30 through Sunday, November 2, 2014

Regular Hours:
Wed/Thu 5 to 9pm
Fri 5 to 10pm
Sat 12 noon to 10pm
Sun 12 noon to 8pm

309 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana, California

We expect to have 12 different craft beers on tap for our Grand Opening. This will include the beers we've released so far, including Saison Uno, Pale Wheat, Beer Salvaje, and DTSA IPA (to be released this upcoming weekend) and at least two of the beers we are currently fermenting! We'll also have several unique brewery-only variations on these beers, too. Last weekend, for example, we released a mouthwatering version of Saison Uno dry hopped with Citra hops. With our amazing base beers and some fun variations, we'll have all twelve of our taps flowing!

The festivities begin on Thursday and Friday, so that our supporters, friends and family that work Monday-Friday in Downtown can share in the fun. You can wear your Halloween costume on Friday October 31 for bonus points.

Saturday is one of Downtown's biggest events of the year - Day of the Dead, an event that takes place right outside our front door on 4th Street. They are expecting enormous crowds on Saturday November 1, so plan accordingly. Plan on parking in a nearby parking structure on 3rd or 5th street. And don't forget the parking structures usually have special event parking during events like Day of the Dead.

While we know that it will be a blast to celebrate Dia de los Muertos on November 1, we want our supporters to also have the opportunity to come in on Sunday and try our unique variations. We can't promise that all the variations will last through the weekend but we can promise that at least 6 of our base beers will be on tap, and we'll do everything we can to make sure there are some cool variations to try. I would also add that there is generally free parking on Sundays in Downtown Santa Ana.

Good Beer Opens Tomorrow

This weekend, the tasting room will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9pm. We will have our first two beers on tap - a hoppy American pale wheat and a malty sessionable saison. I wanted to open with more beer but we are working on some experimental beers and as we brewers like to say, the yeast will tell us when the beer is ready.

With that, I want to welcome our loyal blog and social media followers into our tasting room. Many of you have been following our story since the beginning and we want to make sure you're the first to see our amazing space and sample our beers.

We tried to do something different here - the tasting room is a big focus of our brewery. I want the tasting room to be a place where you want to spend time, with family or friends, or making new friends. It was important to me that you are immersed into a space that has character and a story (ask me about the history of this building some time). It's all about a place that you want to be in. "Places" mean a lot of me. A place is not just a box with beer in it, it's a space where you want to share experiences and build relationships. It's all about feeling natural, authentic and genuine. And we put a great deal of work into embracing the 130-year old bones with new modern detail.

I also wanted to make sure that the tasting room introduces patrons to the process, equipment and people behind the beer. You are literally steps from the brewery and there's nothing separating you from the aromas of fermentation or the mash. Stop the brewmaster when you see him and feel free to ask about anything. What's that blue thing? What's in these barrels? What are you working on?

I hope that what you're looking for in a tasting room is the same as what I'm looking for. Please join us this weekend from noon to nine, Saturday and Sunday.

Thank you all for your dedication and interest in our brewery, and welcome to Good Beer.