Micro Brewery Beer Review — Oggi’s Pizza | Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars -- Beer, Bikes and Butts

Micro Brewery Beer Review — Oggi’s Pizza

OGGI’S PIZZA & BREWING CO.

Oggi’s does brew its own beer, but not all of the locations, including Tustin, have a brewery on site. So while this may be a technical violation in a micro brewery competition, after determining that overlooking this violation would permit us to drink more beer, it was not an issue.

ST and I were both neophytes at Oggi’s. We’ve both eaten there before, but never properly focused on the beer selections. Oggi’s offers an impressive sampler, including all eight of the standard beer choices for just $8.95. The presentation was better than that at Tustin Brewery, because the samples ring a laminated card that identifies each of the beers you are drinking. The following are our fresh impressions of the beer at Oggi’s.

California Gold Blond Ale

This pale yellow ale has a pleasant nose, consisting of a sweet corn with a hint of malt. Flavor confirms the initial impression, with a light grain flavor. Nice dry aftertaste. Oggi’s California Gold Blonde Ale is a definite step up from Budweiser or Miller, but not by much.

AP – 6
ST – 5

McGarvey's Scottish Ale

A rich, malty Scottish-style Ale brewed with small amounts of dark grains for color and flavor. Just enough hops to keep down the bitterness. Nice taste of fruit and molasses, with an almost buttery finish. We really liked the smooth McGarvey’s Scottish Ale, so much so that I went on line to see if there was any buzz about this great beer. Our very positive impression was confirmed, with a 2008 Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup (out of 24 entries in the Scottish Ale category), and consistently high reviews elsewhere. Good job Oggi’s. A real find in our burb.

AP – 8.5
ST – 8.5

Duck Dive Hefeweizen

The Left Coast Duck Dive is a Hefeweizen, a cloudy wheat beer. As is customary, Oggi’s serves it with a lemon wedge that helps to cut some of the wheat flavor. Have few sips before you squeeze in the lemon, to enjoy the unadorned complexity. This is a nice wheat beer, with a good mouthfeel, finish and pleasant aftertaste.

AP – 7
ST – 7

Sunset Amber Ale

This red-colored ale was light on scent with only sweet citrus coming through. That perceived sweetness follows through upon tasting, but finishes with a nice, dry flavor of the hops. The uninitiated may find Oggi’s Sunset Amber Ale on the harsh side, but we enjoyed reveling in the well managed bitterness.

AP – 7
ST – 7

Paradise Pale Ale

Beer is closer to amber than the “pale” moniker would denote. The nose is light overall, with grain, citrus and a note of caramel. The taste was a controlled blend of sweet malt, finishing with a citrus flavor. Not bad, but the Paradise Pale Ale is not one of the better beers at Oggi’s.

AP – 6
ST – 6

Black Magic Stout

The Black Magic Stout is a dark, almost black beer. The nose has a very roast nut and malt tone, not unlike an espresso. The mouthfeel is very creamy, with a taste and finish of chocolate and coffee. If you have shied away from stouts because of their heaviness, give this one a try. This is what a good stout should be.

AP – 8
ST – 8

Torrey Pines IPA

The grapefruit and grass nose is pleasant, unlike the taste. You are greeted with a sour brew, with extreme mouthfeel and a bitter finish. The after taste is strong and unpleasant. Hopheads will proclaim, “wow, that was really bad; let’s have another!”

AP – 5
ST – 4

Hop Juice Double IPA

Oggi’s Hop Juice Double IPA is a novelty beer in our estimation, like bringing a six pack of malt liquor to a card game so everyone can see how bad it tastes. With enough hops to generate over nine percent alcohol, the mouthfeel is extreme, like someone packed your mouth with cotton. Very bitter.

AP – 4
ST – 4