Anaheim Brewery

[brahn]

After winning our hockey league's championship game a few of us in the mood to celebrate headed down two blocks to try out the beers at Anaheim Brewery. We got the tasting flight which consisted of Anaheim Gold, Hefeweizen, 1888, Red, and one other beer that I don't remember the name of.

The Gold was pretty "meh", a good blonde ale but nothing special. The Hefeweizen was in the German style with pronounced banana and clove aroma/flavor. It was way too sweet for any of us though, we all gave our tasters to the guy who lost his wallet (No ID == No beer) after one or two sips.

The 1888 and Red were the standouts here. The 1888 is copper colored, with a lovely caramel-y, hoppy aroma and flavor and a nice dry finish. Very tasty, this was my favorite beer of the bunch. The Red was also very good. It has a slightly darker color than the 1888 and the hops have been dialed way down to just balance out the malt, which is definitely the star of this beer. The other guys on the hockey team liked this beer best, but all agreed that 1888 and the Red were the best of the bunch.

The final beer was slightly darker still than the Red and had a fruity/chocolatey taste to it. The flavor was definitely interesting and tasty and it had a nice dry finish. There was just something about it that didn't seem to fit, and none of us liked it as much as the previous two beers.

So ... if you find yourself at Anaheim Brewery: Avoid the Hefeweizen. Try any of the other beers, but make sure you taste the 1888 and Red before you leave.

[nico soze]

I concur, with reservation. While i agree the 1888 is a standout, I thought the problem with the hefe and brown or whatever was they tasted too similar to it. I came to the conclusion they have a strong house flavor that only works well for the steam beer. Very nutty and sweet.

[nico soze]

But.. in the last 12 months the local area has welcomed 3 new breweries. It'll be exciting to watch them grow.

[Marotte Brewery]

3 new breweries? What is the 3rd?
Noble
Anaheim
...

[nico soze]

Old orange brewing company

[nico soze]

AAnd I feel the same about all of them. Give em a year or two, let em get to the point of 10 or 12 on tap at a time, and they'll be great. There have been days I walked into both the bruery and bootleggers and not wanted anything they were currently serving. Got to let these new guys brew up more styles.

[ScottK]

Working right next door to the Anaheim Brewery, I've had some opportunities to walk through during construction, talk with the owners during plan check, etc. They are very in tune with the Anaheim Colony and with the previous Anaheim Brewery which closed as a result of prohibition. While they are brewers, they are also business people who are trying to provide a product that will appeal to most people, and be a cornerstone of revitalization in downtown Anaheim. I doubt we'll see any hop bombs or bourbon barrel aged RIS from them anytime soon. They are going for a classic feel and style of the turn of the (last) century beers. I think this will be the sort of brewery that will cater to the masses and not gear their profiles towards the connoisseurs. I agree with Brent, the 1888 and Red are their best beers.

[Brew30]

Per FB they are putting out a new beer this weekend....

Anaheim Brewery
Chocolate Stout goes on tap Friday. Mmm, chocolate.