Where to find craft beer in Orange County?
Alright, so I have wanted to do this for a while, but it is a highly debated topic among my fellow Beer Soaked bloggers. On one hand we want to share our secret spots so they don’t go the way of Farmer’s Harvest. On the other hand, we want to get our hands on the good stuff before it gets sold out. For the greater good of craft beer lovers in Orange County, California, here’s a brief list of places where we go to buy our craft beer in Orange County. We realize there are tons of other places, but these are ones that we’ve actually been to, and keep going back. Feel free to comment and add any place that you like to shop for craft beer in Orange County. We’ll stop by and add them to the list.
Aliso Viejo
Pacific Park Market
Pacific-Park-Market on Facebook
27792 Aliso Creek Road, Suite B100,Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 – (949) 831-0330
Friendly staff, good variety, tasting events, craft beer delivery.
BREA
Hacienda Beverage
Hacienda Beverage on Facebook
or www.haciendabeverage.com
670 South Brea Blvd., Brea, CA – (714) 529-1593
Corona Del MAr
Korker Liquor
Korker on Facebook
2229 E Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625 – (949) 673-0916
Great place for craft beer, convenient location right on PCH, “like” their FB page for updates on when they get new stuff in. Say hello to Garen!
Costa Mesa
Baycrest Wine & Spirits
Baycrest on Facebook
or
www.baycrestwines.com – (site not online yet)
333 E. 17th St · Costa Mesa CA 92627 – (949) 646-8262
Nice selection of craft beer, friendly staff, hidden gems in the back, just ask
Hi-Time Wine
www.hitimewine.net
250 Ogle Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 – (949) 650-8463
Walk in beer fridge, excellent variety of craft and import beers. Beer and wine tasting events
cypress
Icon Beverages & Cigars
5721 Lincoln Ave., Cypress, CA 90630 – (714) 229-8904
Fullerton
G&D LIQUOR
338 N. Euclid St., Fullerton, CA 92832 – (714) 525-0085
Huntington Beach
Bev Mo
www.bevmo.com
16672 Beach Blvd., Suite K, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 – (714) 842-5117
Hilltop LiquorHuge variety, knowledgeable staff, tasting events
815 Indianapolis Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92648 – (714) 536-6275
Nice variety of craft beer. Not organized very well, so just ask at the counter and they’ll hook you up. They keep some rare items in the back.
Landmark Liquor
Liquor Landmark on Facebook
8491 Atlanta Ave Huntington Beach, CA 92646 – (714) 536-1177
Walk-in craft beer fridge with all kinds of great beer (up at the register they keep some of the 1 bottle limit good stuff.) Staff is friendly, periodic in-store beer tastings.
Mr. Kegs
www.mrkegs.com
5914 Warner Ave Huntington Beach, CA 92649 – (714) 861-7270
Liquor Warehouse
Liquor Warehouse HB on Facebook
9092 Adams Ave, Huntington Beach, CA – (714) 965-6000
Huge refrigerated beer wall with tons of great beer (as well as a small walk-in area with the good stuff.) Staff is friendly and knows their craft beer.
Surf City Liquor
20972 Brookhurst St, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 – (714) 962-5543
Total Wine and More
www.totalwine.com
16272 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 – (714) 861-4047
Laguna Niguel
O’Sheas Brewing
www.osheabrewing.com
28142 Camino Capistrano # 107 Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 – (949) 364-4440
Homebrew supplies, kegs, and bottles of craft beer. Located right off the freeway in Laguna Niguel. Knowledgeable staff, homebrewing club, and more.
Bev Mo
www.bevmo.com
28011 Greenfield Drive, Suites A-D, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 – (949) 643-3020
Whole Foods Laguna Niguel
Whole Foods Laguna Niguel on Facebook
or
www.wholefoods.com/lagunaniguel
23932 Aliso Creek Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 – (949) 900-5830
Rock-It Bar features 12 craft beers on tap, and wood-fired pizza. Also has tons of craft beer in the refrigerated beer aisle at the back of the store.
Lake Forest
Dimension Liquor
Dimension Liquor on Facebook
20761 Lake Forest Dr. Suite J, Lake Forest, CA – (949) 380-8786
Newport Beach
Whole Foods Market Newport Beach
Whole Foods Newport on Facebook
or
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/newport
401 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach, CA 92660 – (949) 999-8572
Orange
The Bruery Provisions
www.brueryprovisions.com
143 N Glassell St Orange, CA 92866 – (714) 997-2337
Hollingshead Delicatessen
www.hollingsheadsdeli.com
368 S Main St Orange, CA 92868 – (714) 978-9467
Over 500 bottled beers, 22 beers on tap, great sandwiches, beer tasting events
Placentia
Mr. K’s Mini Mart
Mr. K’s Placentia on Facebook
615 W. Orangethorpe Ave, Placentia, CA 92870 – (714) 524-1270
Tustin
Bradley’s Fine Wine & Spirits
Bradley’s on Facebook
12932 Newport Ave, Ste 1, Tustin, CA – (714) 544-1444
Total Wine & More
www.totalwine.com
The Market Place – 2952 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92782 – (714) 665-4257
Westminster
Sweet’s Liquor
15553 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683
Mr. K’s liquor
615 w. Orangethrope ave, placentia, CA 92870 (714) 524-1270
Wholefoods Market Newport Beach
401 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach C 92660
949-999-8572
Total wine in Laguna hills. Bradley’s in Tustin. Hacienda in brea
Leo Liquor!!!!
They have more fine craft beer then anyone around!
18880 brookhurst st. fountain valley ca 92708
tel: 714 378 5371
Thanks for the suggestion, Alex. We’ll stop by this weekend and check it out. Cheers!
I have a “dilemma” here…. one of the places I know which sells Pliny told me EXPLICITLY that he “will NOT sell me the beer” because he will only give it to his ‘regulars’. so, I know that he may lose his license to sell Russian River products, but he was a total a$$hole when he explained it to me. and now I know that there is no sense in going in there for it because he wont give it to me. but, at the same time, I realize if he loses his rights to sell it he (and his ‘regulars’) are going to be very upset with me. what does everyone think about this? it’s not my fault I live 6 miles from his store (and nowhere near another store which receives it). whe he asked me where I buy my beer, and I told him Total Wine because it’s much closer to me, he got very very upset and screamed at me to “go buy my beer THERE”. he really pissed me off but i’m trying to make a rational decision whether to report this to Russian River. what does everyone think?
Pablo, Pliny has a limited distribution and the few stores around me that are lucky enough to carry it only receive 1 case (12 bottles) at a time. So they limit sales to 1 bottle per customer. Most stores keep it in the back so you have to ask for it. One store keeps it in the beer fridge with the bottle limit clearly posted.
The guy who was a jerk to you about it doesn’t deserve your business. Shop somewhere else. But reporting him to Russian River won’t do anything. It’s the distributor, not the brewery who decides who gets what beers. And the distributor doesn’t care that you aren’t on the short list of Pliny recipients at that store.
I’ve always been in favor of supporting the local bottle shop. If your local shop is Total Wine then get to know the folks in that store. When they get good stuff in, they might put something aside for you, or give you a heads up if something good is coming in soon. I know that Total Wine does get Russian River beers in from time to time. Knowing when that shipment is arriving will help you to score the beers you’re after.
thank you for the response Erik. but actually, Total Wine in HB does NOT get any Russian River (or FiftyFifty) products in. it may receive some relatively less enamored brew like RR’s Damnation from its sister store in Tustin but they apparently are on the outside looking in on this subject.
I was told (from what I consider a trustworthy source) that this same kind of incident happened a little while back where a liquor store owner refused to sell to anyone but his ‘regulars’ and RR and Stone both agreed to stop his allowance of the coveted nectar. the guy that refused to sell to me was so arrogant, intimidating and patronizing that I had a hard time coming to grips with how and why I deserved that treatment. I had come in to purchase beer and water in his store several times in the past but since I live 6 miles away and only visit the gym next to him I cant possibly be a ‘regular’. you’re right- he does not deserve my business. I wont go back in there. but I do feel slighted to the point of wanting to retaliate in a diplomatic fashion. and that was why I posed the question: should I report the incident or was I over-reacting? which I suppose no one else could answer because only one other customer was in the store at the time.
I hate to be vindictive, but I think I will at least send an email. I still feel it was wrong.
yesterday I got up and drove 30 miles to O’shea’s to get a single Pliny and two Eclipses and a few others. on the way back I stopped in at Liquor Warehouse on Adams in HB and grabbed a couple more. I knew about O’shea’s, but I credit THIS BLOG for finding the other store and possibly others. what a great idea this blog was. I keep it on my favorites and check it every so often for other hidden gems lurking in my county.
as another side note, I have a friend in Temecula picking up a couple of bottles of Pliny from Liquor Depot on Jefferson Road. I have also visited TapHunter.com to find my favorites on tap around town although it doesn’t help if certain places will not update their lists and still others will not subscribe.
thank you again for responding and thank you again for creating this blog.
Pablo,
Whole Foods HB might be a good spot for you to hunt for Pliny. I’ve gotten a bottle or two at the Whole Foods in Laguna Niguel, but only when I happened to be there on delivery day and the guys I know at the store gave me a heads up that they had it in the back. See if you can befriend someone at the HB store. I have a suspicion that employees get first crack at Pliny when it comes in.
If I’m ever in Temecula I’ll have to check out Liquor Depot. Cheers!
O’Sheas is a great spot, but not very close to you. I get all my homebrew stuff there and quite a few hard to find beers as well. I saw quite a few bottles of 50/50 on the shelf last week; green, gold, and blue wax. Which did you get?
I took the last two gold ones. one is for a friend.
I had the blue one a couple of weeks ago and had no idea what I was in for. it was a great experience.
I visit Whole Foods HB every week. when i ask they say they do not have it. yesterday Finch- the beer and cheese guy- wasn’t in so I talked to a girl who really seemed to know her beer. she said the Pliny hadn’t come in but on a monthly basis anymore.
it’s not just the pliny. there are others i’d like to try. the hard part is knowing which ones. the Eclipse was a shot in the dark. I knew nothing of it and at $30 a bottle I figured I was going to be ripped off or thoroughly impressed.
I tried a “monk’s reserve” from Total Wine a few weeks ago. the sign said “last chance until December” and at $15 I figured it would be great. the stuff was so ugly I literally threw most of it away. it’s from some monastery in New Mexico and the red label has a monk with a hoodie covering his face. I still have the dubbel but am afraid to try it.
thanks again for the correspondence. I enjoy intelligent conversation on subjects i’m interested in. I want to try my hand at brewing; can you suggest a few links to get me started? thank you.
Hey guys love the site. My wife and I will be opening a craft beer bottle shop soon in Anaheim. Be on the look out!
Hey Jeff, I just checked out your blog and read up on the progress of opening up your bottle shop. https://lastdropbottleshop.wordpress.com/ You are doing a great job of documenting your process and it’s interesting to read all the stuff that goes into opening up a business. We look forward to your grand opening, keep us posted. Cheers!
Also Beachfront Liquor in San Clemente always has a great selection. 2320 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 492-691 Very nice people as well.
Cheers, and thanks for the tip. Will be sure to check them out next time I am in SC.
try HiLite Liquor on Beach Blvd in Westminster. they seem to get everything ‘late’, but some decent stuff