Being sandwiched between the craft beer cities of San Diego and Los Angeles could be intimidating, but if Orange County brewers feel that way, they sure don’t let it show.
Anaheim is one of the fastest-growing beer destinations in the state, with 15 breweries and counting. Three of the city’s notable offerings are Bottle Logic Brewing and, both just a few blocks away, Asylum Brewing (try their Lobotomy light lager) and Unsung Brewing Co., both with tasting rooms.
Elsewhere, the options are numerous and varied. San Clemente has been a beer lover’s go-to for years, with its Left Coast Brewing Company, the largest craft brewery in the county by volume, and relative newcomers Artifex Brewing Company and Docent Brewing—where the food menu features such enticing items as a Korean reuben and crispy grilled tacos—are standouts as well.
In Placentia, try The Bruery’s award-winning ales and wheat beers. The brewery is run by the Rue family, hence the name; fans of high-ABV stouts and porters in particular will love their beer menu, as they have more than a dozen of them to select from. In the hills of Rancho Santa Margarita sits the simply named (and simply loved by locals since 2014) Laguna Beer.
Others to try: Tustin Brewing Company, one of the pioneers of the scene, brewing since 1996, in Tustin, Hopscotch Craft Beer & Whiskey, housed in the Mission Revival–style former Pacific Electric Depot, in Fullerton, and the city of Orange’s Green Cheek Beer Co., with more than a dozen beers in its taproom, including Salty Message, a German-style sour with pink salt.