Newport Beach Brewing Company
Day two of my adventure in California and I would not be returning to Los Angeles. I was hoping to have more time there to visit a few breweries I had researched, but my friend had other plans. I must preface this by saying, my friend doesn’t like beer. She won’t drink it and rarely goes anywhere where that’s the only option of alcohol beverage, so it was a good thing she had to work for a few hours that day so that I could complete my quest of visiting a brewery while in California.
But First, Coffee
I took a Lyft down to Newport Beach and had it drop me off near Newport Coffee Company where I could grab a caramel latte and people watch while the day warmed up. I took a walk down the pier, bathed in sunlight, and splashed around in the waves before deciding it was time for food.
I had a deluxe chili cheese omelet at Charlie’s Chili Restaurant, because apparently they were known for their chili, and although it was good, it was nothing like the chili I’d come to know and love in Texas. It was a mere 10-15 minute walk away from the brewery I had planned to try out, so when I finished, I packed up my things and headed that way.
The Brewery
Newport Beach Brewing Company looked more like just a bar than any brewery I‘d ever seen, but in any case, I was there and figured I would try whatever they had. To my great joy, it was a bar that was also a brewery! They had the fermentation silos strategically placed behind the bar and a few more displayed near the front of the bar. I grabbed at stool at the bar and read the chalkboard where the featured beers were displayed. The brews had funny names that I enjoyed saying when I tried the Village Idiot IPA and then the Dead Cowboy Imperial Stout. I had also asked the bartender if they had a coaster with the name or logo of the brewery on it. It would be a nice addition to the collection of brewery coasters I had acquired.
We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Beer Tasting for Shots
Minding my own business and attempting to drink through the entire list of craft beers brewed on site, a gentleman sitting next to me at the bar leaned over and asked if I would like to join him and his friend in a shot. My answer: Of course I would! The bartender poured three shots, we cheers’ed, and then I tasted the smoothest whiskey with a hint of spice that I had ever tried. It was called Hooligans Irish Whiskey and it had a blend of ginger in it giving it that sweet spice that cut the bite of the liquor. I quickly became acquainted with these guys and learned that he was actually there promoting this liquor and a tequila that he and a colleague came up with. Needless to say, we had a round of the Aga•Vie Tequila shots as well. This tequila rivaled the triple-distilled IXA Tequila from the day before. This guy really knew his alcohol.
Good Company, Great Burger
After a few more rounds of shots, we actually joined in with some friends of his that showed up. They had adopted me as one of their own and I relished every second of it; drinks and good conversation with total strangers when my only goal of this venture was to try a few good brews. A few of us walked down to this little dive bar called Cassidy’s Bar and Grill. He claimed they had the best burgers around and bought me one to prove it. It was a damn good burger.
As the sun was setting, I got a call from my friend who was coming to pick me up to go to a bonfire party on the beach. I rushed out to meet her, with only a wave goodbye to my companions for the day. To this day, I regret not getting the contact information of the man who was distributing some of the best liquor I ever tasted and had bought me an amazing burger. All I got was a first name and a hell of an experience.
Cheers!
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