Pub Review: TAPS Fish House and Brewery – Brea, California
Our roving Cigar Group met at TAPS Fish House and Brewery in Brea this week to take advantage of their cigar-friendly patio while watching the Lakers tank another game. (Note to TAPS: Put a second screen out on the patio.) I’ve been to TAPS on a couple of occasions, but had not yet sampled their beers. Here are some quick impressions from the sampler I ordered.
Creme Ale – Good, but I won’t be ordering a pint any time soon.
Oscura – Best beer of the bunch. Supposedly uses a recipe by Austrian brewers who immigrated to Mexico during the 19th century, giving it a Mexican flare. It is a dark brown lager, with a very nice toasty flavor.
Biere de Garde – Meaning, “beer to keep or to store,” or so they say. By that, maybe they mean you’ll keep it in the fridge because you won’t want to drink it. Not a good beer for my tastes.
Belgian White – A tasty unfiltered wheat beer, with strong citrus and a slight banana taste. Quite good.
Hefeweizen – A good Hefeweizen, but not as good as what Oggi’s offers, and not in the league of In Heat Wheat from Flying Dog Brewery, one of my favorites.
Schwarzbier – A German-style dark lager. Better than the Dale Bros. California Black Beer I recently reviewed, but still too thin and watery for me. Someone must like it though, because TAPS says it received an award this year.
Irish Red – My second favorite of the bunch, but again not as good as the red offered by Oggi’s.
California Gold XPA – Not crazy with hops like an IPA, but if you are a hop head you should still be pleased. I’m not, and I wasn’t.
Posted on June 6th, 2010 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Beer, Cigar Lounge, Micro-Breweries, Reviews
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