Adventuring in Orange

You know you're deep in Orange County when you're in the city of Orange, it's a self-explanatory statement, redundant even.  With that stupid line out of the way, Alison and I found ourselves out in Orange since she had a fitting for her wedding dress in said city.  Whenever we have to travel to an area we haven't really been before, we like to take the opportunity to check out the offerings of these places which are alien to us.  Fortunately for me, Orange and it's neighboring city, Placentia, had some great food and beer treats awaiting our visit.

Our first stop was in the downtown area of Orange near Chapman College.  Our main objective was to check out Provisions Market, known for it's multitude of awesome beers on tap, bottled beer selection and wide assortment of meats and cheeses.  As we walked from our parking spot through the rustic, old-town USA streets, we commented on how the place had a warm and welcoming vibe with a touch of the old, new and different.  Store fronts varied from antique shops, to unique toy stores, clothing shops, bars and more.  Not a single chain or big name establishment along the way.  It gave the area a charm and sense of independent identity that I liked, much like my obsession with beer that is created by individuals that have different styles and personalities brewed into their delicious beverages.

Provisions also provided this warm and independent sense with an awesome collection of artisan dishes from the delicious Cuban Sandwich to the Radishes with butter and sea salt that Alison and I shared to the delicious beers we enjoyed from their taps.

Cuban Sandwiches are delicious, this one was the form of which all Cubanos should follow.

Velocity by Kenetic Brewing Company (delicious imperial stout)

Supplication by Russian River (crisp and rich sour)

With full bellies and a wet whistle, we headed to nearby Placentia to investigate the tap room of a very cool brewery called The Bruery.  These guys know how to create flavor-packed beer that is not only delicious, but well-balanced and magical.  While there, we had a few beers fresh from their taps.  I tried the Windowsill, which is an oak-barrel aged homage to a freshly baked rhubarb and raspberry pie.  They got that one right, a very tasty treat indeed that maintained the aforementioned flavors in the most natural of ways.  Al had the Tout Mais le Coller, which was a cream ale with the flavor profile of an orange creamsicle.  To say they nailed it is an understatement.  It's exactly what it sounds like and even more sublime and heavenly than you could imagine.  We really wanted to get a growler fill of this, but unfortunately you had to have a membership to their Reserve Society, which is a paid membership that comes with a few very rare bottles of some of their top beers as well as access to growler fills of beers that the general public can't take home with them.  It would be greatly worth the fee if we weren't so far away.

The Bruery

Our treats from Orange and Placentia

Humulus Lager by the Bruery (We got a growler of this hoppy lager)

Tumescence (Check out that color and lack of transparency!)

There's no doubt that we'll be back to both of these fine establishments and next time I'll take my nice camera to capture some pictures with a little better clarity, detail and in more quantity.