It Was A Long Hot Summer

What happens when three guys get together to smoke cigars, drink their favorite libations and shoot the shit? ADDs Brew Fest is born!

I have spent the last couple of years telling my smokin' buddies about the great local breweries in North Orange County but they needed something more to get them to visit. After listening to me rave about the locals for the umpteenth time, Aaron came up with a great idea; let's spend a Saturday touring the local breweries. Danny, more of a Scotch and wine connoisseur was in as well. Aaron volunteered his wife, Suzanne, to be the designated driver. ADDs Brew Fest was born!

Photo courtesy of Anaheim Brewing

I mapped out a route that would take us to Anaheim Brewery, J.T. Schmid's for lunch, Noble Ale Works, Old Orange Brewing Company, Bootlegger's Brewery, The Bruery and finally to the Lido Deck for a stogie to finish off the day. We even created our own commemorative shirt!

We arrived at Anaheim Brewery early and had Greg and Barbara to ourselves. They fascinated us with the story of their background, the history of and future plans for the brewery and great beer! Don't miss this place!

J.T. Schmid's, while not in the same genre as the other breweries on the list, has great food and good beer.

Noble Ale Works is famous for its IPA's, not a favorite of Aaron, but Danny and Dale enjoyed the samplers. The big screen TV in the brewery is great for Saturday or Sunday afternoon football! There is almost always a food truck on hand during the evenings when they're open. I went to their grand opening earlier in the year and enjoyed great beer, great food and great music!

Old Orange Brewing Company had only been open a few weeks and they were happy to welcome the ADDs Brew Fest crew. OOBC has a unique bar that was salvaged from an upscale LA bar with an interesting story behind it. They were gracious hosts and even sent us home with ADDs Brew Fest commemorative tasting glasses!

Bootlegger's Brewery has to be one of my favorites as it is the first OC brewery I visited over a year ago. True to the bootlegger's theme, they serve their beer in Mason jars. Bootlegger's seems to specialize is one-off batches that are always good. Nighttime will find food trucks here as well and the Dos Chinos truck is one of the regulars and very good!

Finally to the world famous Bruery. The Bruery specializes mainly in Belgian style brews. They helped start the recent barrel-aged craze which produces some great brews. The Bruery Provisions is a wonderful shop at the Orange Circle where you can wine taste, beer taste, pick up a bottle, and enjoy a cheese or charcuterie plate. In addition to their beers, The Bruery Provisions carries a variety of wonderful craft beers and refrigerate much of the beer so you can stop in before a party to pick up some cold craft brews. They also have other brands on tap. The Bruery also produces some batches that are only available in bottles at The Bruery Provisions.

Our last stop was the Lido Deck (Aaron's back yard) for a smoke and to discuss the... Zzzzzzzz.....

(c) Aaron, Dale, Danny, suzanne Brew Fest 2011