O'Shea Brewing

O'Shea BrewingO'Shea Brewing
O'Shea BrewingO'Shea Brewing
Homebrew, Beer-to-go

28142 Camino Capistrano
Laguna Niguel, California, 92677
United States

(949) 364-4440 | map
osheabrewing.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.22
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
20
pDev:
10.66%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by Abrahammer:
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Reviewed by Abrahammer from California

4.55/5  rDev +7.8%
they have a shelf about 15 ft long of bottled beer and two refrigerators. doesn't seem like much, but when you look at what they have, its some interesting stuff--Fuller's vintage 06 to 08, Abyss, Black Butte XX, Firestone XII ($25.99), a decent selection of sours that you don't see most anywhere else, Old Guardian 06, 07, 09, and other stuff i've never seen anywhere else.

it seems like their beers are about a buck or two more expensive than elsewhere, but i wouldn't mind paying it for the rarities they seem to have on a consistent basis, according to other posts. older vintages tend to go up $2 with every year of aging.
Feb 26, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Since no one has reviewed this in a few years, I'd like to put in a good word for the place. It is the only beer-centric store I've found in south Orange County. They sell singles from the usual four packs, and many single bottles of various sizes. Beers are mostly in coolers sorted by West Coast IPAs, hazies, Fest and Pilsner styles, and fruity stuff. And another cooler for big stouts and shelves for the wild stuff like de Garde and Bottle Logic. All in all, a diverse and remarkable assortment of interesting brews.

The place does handle a lot of kegs, and sells homebrewing supplies for beer, wine, and cider. And they have a tap room, currently 16 beers on tap, in pint or 5 oz servings. Plus they're open every day lots of hours. I didn't look at prices on the rarer stuff, but the 16 oz cans are in the $3.50 to $4.50 range generally.
Dec 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4.38 by mmarino from California

Nov 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by SimcoeKid from California

Jun 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by AlexM from California

Sep 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by porbastipa from California

Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Melman from California

Jan 02, 2014
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Reviewed by GPGURU from Louisiana

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
There are not many places in south OC to go to. Drove by this palce a million times before I knew they had beer fridges. It is small, but there are a wide variety of beers to choose from. Ask for help, tell them what kind of beer you like, & they will gladly point you right to something you never heard of. I thought they were very helpful. Of course there are plenty of home brew supplies in there, but my primary goal was to get some new beers to try. Had my first one tongight, the 1809 wiesse. 4/5.
Great Place to stop.
Jul 13, 2012
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Reviewed by OCBeerBaron from California

3.66/5  rDev -13.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4
So I was looking into home brewing and stumbled upon this place while searching on google. To check them out I looked them up on Yelp. There was a deal for their 'deluxe homebrew kit' for $99 which usually goes for almost $200. I took the bait and do not regret it one bit. Drove down from Newport that day and the dude was pretty cool but not exactly willing to give me some first time pointers. As for the kit I got for half price.... It's awesome and has gotten me hooked on brewing. So far my first brew is turning out good and I used the $40 credit towards ingredients that came with my kit to buy a $60 pack that came with liquid yeast. I won't be driving down here too often though since there are better priced joints that don't pre-mill.
Aug 10, 2011
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Reviewed by PeprSprYoFace from California

2.8/5  rDev -33.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5
I have been in here several times. Usually looking for beer and once me and a buddy were looking for das boot. Most of the guys I have come into contact with working there are not very personable. Their usually on the computer and not helping anyone. And when we were looking for the boot it seemed like the guy would rather not help us and had no suggestions where to find one. Not because he didn't have any but because he would rather just get us out of the store so he could go back on facebook or something.

Any way I have never been there for homebrew stuff (I hear their a little pricy) but I have been there for beer becuse they usually get some limited release stuff. And at reasonable prices.

Edit: 4/24/11

I have sense moved to the area sense my last review of this place. I have used them for homebrew supplies a couple times. I will only use them if I absolutely have to. Would rather go to Addison Homebrew Provisions for a couple reasons.

1: O'Shea's pre crushes their malt. Who the fuck does that? Who knows how old the bags are. Also they pre bag everything into 1lb, 3lb and 5lb bags. What a waste of bags and what if I just need half a lb? Just let me crush it and I'll waste less bags and your employees time.

2: Their prices compared to Addison and More Beer where I use to go are outrageous. $45 for a better bottle? Are you fucking kidding me? Their $25 every where else. And their yeast is $2 more, grain is 20cents more a lb. And their equipment is way out of hand.

3: They close at 6pm. Who does that? How do you expect people to get in an out of your store before you close when most people work till 5?

So those are the reasons I will only buy shit from them in a pinch. It sucks that Addison is closed on Tuesday's and Wednesday's because my day off is Wednesday and that's when I brew so if I need something I have to go to this shitty place. But I will always try to be prepared and get my stuff early from Addison.

They do however have a decent beer selection and get some nice rareities but their homebrew shop sucks. Maybe I'm spoiled to have places that have compare-able prices to online guys because I hear slot of people have shitty LHBS's that charge too much. But since I do this place gets a bad review.
Apr 25, 2011
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Reviewed by abc3 from California

4.85/5  rDev +14.9%
I've been a customer of O'Shea Brewing for a few years now, and finally decided to post a review.

In a word, visit this place.

First of all, because we're all getting tired of big-box retail. Yes, bevmo has a selection of bottles. Big deal. O'Shea also has service, an unmatched keg selection, an excellent home-brew section, and staff knowledge. And yes, they have lots of bottled beer too.

Have you heard the story of how someone returned an auto tire to Nordstrom? Here is the beer industry equivalent:

Once I special-ordered a keg of "Grimburgen" from, well, a different establishment. When the order came in, I noticed the odd keg shape would not fit in my keggerator. When I explained this to the clerk of said nameless store, the clerk's body language made it clear this was my problem.

What did I do? I drove the wierd keg to O'Shea Brewing! Help! Jeff, the owner, looked a little hurt when he learned of my betrayal, but then he did the unexpected. He did the unthinkable. He took the keg-purchased-elsewhere, and transferred the contents into a normal keg so I could fit it into my keggerator. It wasn't even his beer!!

But that's how they are there. They will teach you how to brew. They will troubleshoot your batch when it goes bad. They will educate you on beer's finer points, help you convert your fridge to keggerator, give you advice on how to justify your purchase to your wife, and special order whatever they have available to them.

Best service you will ever find in retail. Period. Nordstrom has nothing on O'Shea.

Are they a couple of bucks more? I don't know. After my Grimbergan experience, I stopped comparing. And why are we pinching pennies on beer anyway? This is a chosen hobby after all! I say show some love to a local business and come visit these guys for a unique beer experience!
Jan 03, 2011
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Reviewed by AWolfAtTheDoor from Washington

4.05/5  rDev -4%
90% of what this place does is sell kegs on Friday nights. The place is full of kegs, and there are even more kegs spilling out onto the side walk. That's obviously their main focus.

The homebrew prices are quite expensive, and the grain comes pre-milled. So who knows how fresh it is. Very little specialty grain at that. They were out of the yeast that we wanted, and they didn't even have Star San when we were there.. Hops are RETARDEDLY expensive. Hopsdirect.com, buy in bulk and freeze them. I'd completely skip this place for home brewing stuff unless it's an "oh shit I'm brewing today and I need <this item> now" type of situation.

Beer selection is OK, but again very expensive. Can find about 90% of what they offer at BevMo for a LOT cheaper.

If you want to spin the roulette wheel hoping to score a random exotic beer, this place is worth a stop. They do have a decent glassware selection, which I'm sure is over priced. Their lack of Star San and the yeast we wanted was kind of a put off. I guess this is the place to come for kegs though.
Nov 19, 2010
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Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
After reading some of the other reviews I was expecting the worse but as it is the closest supply store to where I live I tried it anyway.
I found the service wonderful and both people working very helpful and will to stop what they were doing to answer my questions and direct me to what I was looking for.
I found the beer selection impressive with many vintages of different ales available (3 years of old ale, 6 years of Fuller's Vintage ale, etc.).
I didn't find the prices high so much as just in line with other beer stores that carry a nice selection.
Pretty much average in pricing with a nice selection of beers, supplies, and equipment.
Aug 24, 2010
Photo of WOTO97
Reviewed by WOTO97 from California

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
Overall a great spot to find rare and exciting beers in orange county. Obviously not as big a selection as a BevMo, but O'Shea has a solid number of beers that are really hard to find in south county. Whenever one of the bigger guys runs out of a beer I really want to get my hands on, this is the place to go. The staff is really helpful and great to talk shop with.

Also, a great spot to pick up supplies for home brewing. They have all the basics and a little more; however, if you are just starting out and plan to buy a kit I would recommend Austin Home Brew. My gf's brother brewed his first batch and picked up a scotch ale kit, but the directions were vague and too general. That said, still a solid place to pick up supplies if you have a few batches under your belt.

All-in-all, a really good spot.
Jan 28, 2010
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +0.7%
I was on my way to raiser's BA Gathering earlier tonight when I realized I forgot to bring a glass to drink my beer from. Well, they do have plenty of glassware to choose from, from tulips and snifters to big German mugs. While I was here, I thought I might as well do some beer shopping. The store is small, but you can find a number of good brews here. I cashed in on some St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, Alaskan Smoked Porter, Konig Pis, Stone/AleSmith/Mikkeller Collaboration Ale....there's a number of good finds here. Bonus points on being a destination for homebrewers (which I don't do...yet). Some of the bottles were dusty and one bottle I bought seemed past its prime. however, props to all the corked bottled displayed on their sides. The service was very warm and friendly, and that aspect of the store impressed me the most. This might be the best beer store in south Orange County.
Nov 02, 2008
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Reviewed by raiser from California

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
This is my first stop when looking for special releases. It doesn't hurt that I live about 1 mile away. If you homebrew you already know this place is great, but if you just like to drink beer, read on.

In addition to having kegs of almost everything you could want (check the website) they also sell their OWN brew, which I admittedly have not tried. And a quite extensive collection of smallish quantities of very difficult to find beers from all over the world.

Cons, it's pricey, it almost seems like they mark beer up 10-20%. However if you buy 6 singles you get 20% off which typically makes it the best deal around. And you can sign up for their "club" and they give you some money when you get to $250 spent (shouldn't be hard).

Here's a list of what I have purchased or seen in the last 6 months:
Firestone 10 and 11 (WOW) Union Jack, etc.
Ola Dubh all 3 versions
RR Blind Pig, you can bet they'll have Pliny too.
Deschutes HopHenge, Black Butte XX and 20th Wit
Stone 12th, and all other releases
Port/Lost Abbey, they get all of them.
Alaskan Smoked Porter
Dogfish Head 90min, Palo Santo Marron, others
Bruery Orchid White and Levad #1
Alesmith, Yulesmith and all other releases
Rogue, seems like all of them.
Avery Mephistopheles, etc.
Flying Dog Gonzo, Gnarly Wine, others
Bear Republic stuffs.

I could go on, but suffice it to say this is a good destination stop, it's right off I-5 @ Avery

Note another reviewer saw Westy 12 here, that doesn't surprise me, but don't expect that kind of obscurity as they tend to sell out of the good stuff quickly. Rare releases tend to be put on the shelf on Fridays (when the owner is in store) and often come from the owner's personal stash. Sometimes they are posted to the website, sometimes not.
Jul 24, 2008
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Reviewed by 0110x011 from California

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
Visited this gem of a store about a week ago. I came to look at starter homebrew supplies, and they definitely do well in this category, but what i found was an awesome all-around everything-beer paradise. Along with homebrew stuff, they have a killer selection of glassware, tap handles, and kegging supplies (including some amazing - if not pricey - prefab keggerators). And then there's the bottle selection. Not an enormous variety, but all were fantastic and hard to find brews. I brought home one each of: Unibroue 16, Black Butte XX and 20th Anniversary Wit (the first store in my area to have them in stock), Wild Dog Doppelbock, Carnevale, And Stone 12th (also the first to have this one). The entire staff was super friendly and informative; the kind of people you could talk to for hours about beer. I've found my new home away from home!
Jul 15, 2008
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Reviewed by SwillinBrew from California

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Revisited on 11/1 to get some supllies for a DIPA.

Wow, they expanded this place. They took over the suite that was next door to them and now that has the home brew supplies (while the right side has their brews and glassware pretty much) of which i found everything i needed. I looked around in general and was impressed with all the brewing items ie brewing kits, malt, extracts, wyeast/whitelabs, hops, bergamont, peet moss and all the spices, immersion chillers, brewing equipment, kegerators, etc...

What makes this supply even more cool is that they have a good selection of brew, kegs, glassware and tap handles. It's just more than just a supply shop. They also homebrew club meetings here and brew in the back. The staff is top notch and will assist you with anything and everything. Back to the kegs, they can get just about any 5 gal corny you want. I'm going to get some Pizza Port for my next special occaisson. Check this place out. You wont be disappointed.
Nov 13, 2005
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Reviewed by AtLagerHeads from Ohio

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
Super little store that is really mostly for homebrewers but carries a short selection of really great beers. Nice glassware selection and collectors tap handles. I could spend a fortune at this store on beeriana alone. The brewing supplies are cool with a whole cooler set aside for hops. Wow! Small parking lot, but good spots on Saturday afternoon.
Nov 02, 2003
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Reviewed by jcalabre from California

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
This is mainly a brewing supply store; however, I am rating this on the beers that they carry, since I don't homebrew. I'll let others rate that aspect of O'Shea's.

O'Shea's usually has a small selection of beers, but all of them are top of the line micros. In the last few months, I've found Westy 12, Alesmith Grand Cru & a few other notables there.
Jun 28, 2003
O'Shea Brewing in Laguna Niguel, CA
Place rating: 4.22 out of 5 with 20 ratings