Cismontane Brewing Company

Cismontane Brewing CompanyCismontane Brewing Company
Cismontane Brewing CompanyCismontane Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Beer-to-go

29851 Aventura Ste D
Rancho Santa Margarita, California, 92688-2014
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.69
Beers:
54
Ratings:
1,166
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.92
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
27
pDev:
17.6%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by shanrath:
Photo of shanrath
Rated by shanrath from California

4.45/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75

Jun 04, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of TrojanRB
Reviewed by TrojanRB from Texas

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
15+ beers on tap plus a cask ale. Diverse beer options....even have some things aged in wine barrels and obscure styles like gruit. Bar seating, a few tables and chairs, with corn hole available to play. Bags of chips available for purchase. Friendly knowledgeable staff.
Jan 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by frasergrove from California

Dec 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by HippieDave56 from Arizona

May 30, 2016
Photo of Phil-Fresh
Reviewed by Phil-Fresh from California

3.97/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Cismontane operates a pretty chill tasting room in south OC. The tasting room has a rotating tap list of in-house offerings, as well as a few bottles to take home. The list isn’t extensive, but rotates regularly and there’s always at least one tempting beer on tap.
Jun 09, 2015
Photo of KHanz
Rated by KHanz from California

4.64/5  rDev +18.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
These are cool guys. Great beers. One of my favorite lagers.
Mar 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by togarmah from California

Oct 20, 2014
Photo of sillyhed8
Reviewed by sillyhed8 from California

4/5  rDev +2%
Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, had a good time there. Bought a beer to take home. Nice ending to a 4 brewery trip from San Diego back up to LA. A little in the boonies though.
Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Skunkdrool from California

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by aoampm from Hawaii

Sep 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jeff1973 from California

Aug 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by AleHunter805 from California

Jul 17, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4 by g_jenkins from California

May 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DotBier from California

Apr 05, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BryanCDM from California

Mar 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Gobzilla from California

Mar 02, 2014
Photo of JMM0414
Reviewed by JMM0414 from California

5/5  rDev +27.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
A little hidden gem in Rancho Santa Margartia. Very SO-Cal vibe with the relaxed atmosphere, I love the tap handles refurbished wood from California wildfires, that's great! The beer tenders are very helpful and knowledgeable with choosing the right beer for you. I had a great time and I will be back. Cheers!
Jan 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Buick222 from California

Jan 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Lucnifter from California

Jan 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Smarty_Pints from California

Oct 22, 2013
Photo of AlexM
Reviewed by AlexM from California

4.36/5  rDev +11.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Finally had a chance to visit my neighborhood brewery … Cismontane … only 5 minutes away, WOOT.

Located in a typical OC-style strip mall … tough to locate, so pay close attention as you drive through the parking lot.

Small facility … which is perfect as it adds to the ambiance … the bar area seats about 5 patrons and there are two tables available as well.

Tasters are $1.50 each and they had 5 beers to try at the time. My faves where their Double Coulter IPS (aka Dos Cone Es) and Coulter IPA … and surprisingly, their California Common offering, The Citizen, was most excellent.

Growler glass is $15 with a weak label … it’s pretty much a laminated computer print-out stuck on the glass … would love it if they had a nice painted-on type label to dress up their growlers.

Totally recommend this place … solid brew, good vibe … all good!
Jul 13, 2011
Photo of blackball87
Reviewed by blackball87 from California

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
I live about 5 minutes from here. I've been going here since right before their grand opening. My wife and i stumbled across it while looking for a place to eat one night. Living in a family friendly area, I'd been waiting a long time for someplace like this.

The tasting room is not that big but i've always found it to be comfortable to enjoy a drink in. There are 4 or 5 barstools along with 3 tables to sit at. The artwork is usually from a local artist and is frequently changing. It's a nice touch to see them supporting local artists.

You'll usually find one of the two owners, Evan or Ross, behind the bar serving. Both are good guys to talk to. If it's not too busy they'll always take the time to chat with you.

They tend to have 4 main beers on tap: a coffee stout, a double IPA, a CA common, and a pale. You'll also find 1 or 2 small pilot batches on tap that they rotate out. I've found the beer to be very enjoyable. With The Citizen (CA common) to be the big surprise. I would have never guessed i'd enjoy a beer of this style so much. I have yet to find a friend who disliked this beer.

Overall if you're looking for a small, local watering hole i'd highly suggest this place. It's a great way to relax and enjoy some craft beer. Oh yes it can be hard to find but all you need to do is look for the pick up truck with the giant sign in the flatbed. Well that and the hops growing outside the front door.
Jun 09, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5
Stopped in quite awhile back while out in Cali for the Bruery Reserve Society Party and just now found my notes on it. Stopped in here after a night full of ticking with womencantsail, t0rin0, and fbm115 (RIP). As stated by the two people I was with, this location was pretty difficult to find as it was kind of tucked away. I remember us having to call to get turn-by-turn directions on how to get there. Upon arriving it was still kind of hard to see as the only sign was up on the glass and it was fairly hard to spot. Upon walking in, it was setup like any other brewery tasting room that I have been in before. A few high-top tables around with chairs to take a seat. No bar to sit at in this one though. Orders were taken through an opening in the wall where you could see the brewing equipment in the back. This reminded me of a restuarant style ordering setup where they cooks would receive the ticket and the waiters would pick it up. Not very crowded the night we were there as we got there JUST before closing. The beer here was actually pretty good. They only had 4 beers on-tap if I recall correctly, but they were all quite nice. This place is definitely worth seeking out to sample some of their brews even if you have to call to find it.
Feb 16, 2011
Photo of t0rin0
Reviewed by t0rin0 from California

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Visited three times now (twice successfully), once shortly after they opened and once recently the night before the 2011 Bruery RS party.

It's easy to miss this place as it's in a shopping center with a small sign out front. The give away is the row of hop vines out front. Inside you'll find a couple tables, some merchandise, and a bar that seperates the brewery from the tasting room. Lots of decorations around and some interesting stuff to read (magazines and such).

The beers range from strange and need some work (Modena Mild and Amber) to very good (Black's Dawn and Black's Dawn 3x Berry).

The people are very nice and helpful. They'll even give recomendations on where to eat or to bring food back from. The first time I was there they were racking a bunch of test batch beers and let me try some of them while telling me a little of the history of the place (used to be Saddleback Brewery, an extract brewery that went under).

Right now they only have a few things to pick from but they are getting better and continue to experiment. I'll be back again to see what they have.
Feb 01, 2011
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3
Cismontane Brewing occupies the space of the now defunct Saddleback Brewing Company. It can be a little difficult to find off the street, so don't be surprised if you need to drive around the shopping center to find it.

The tasting room is really small, but well polished. There's a small bar with room for 4 people, a couple small tables, books about beers stashed to a side to read, T-shirts and growlers for sale off to a side. I've run into Ross every visit working behind the bar, and he delievers great service each time, usually answering whatever questions/comments I have with the beer.

Usually there are four different beers being poured at one time, but that number could change as this brewery creates more styles. Usually the Coulter IPA and Blacks Dawn are available, but I've also run into their seasonal Oktoberfest and one time Small Beer (from the second runnings of Blacks Dawn). The beers are solid, nothing grabbing my attention by the horns, but again, I could be in for a pleasant surprised one of these days. Prices on pints are low, usually $4.

I'll keep coming back to see what's cooking; Cismontane's only been brewing commercially for less than a year.

Good to know: it's located in the same shopping center as Amazing Grapes (a beer/wine store).
Jan 18, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.14/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Stopped in here on Firday night with thagr81us, fbm115 (RIP), and t0rin0. It was one of our last stops for the night on the ticking tour.

Located in a random strip mall in Rancho Santa Margarita, right next to a Thai restaurant, in fact, this is a pretty small brewery. There is a surprising amount of stuff on the wall, and it definitely has the feel of a former restaurant/retail space.

There is a little window where the bar is and that is where you place your order and receive your beers. There are also several tables for seating in the small space.

We opted for a round of the four different beers they had on tap, all of which were enjoyable, some of which were very good. The cost was pretty reasonable, too.

The people were nice and had a good sense of humor (always good), and the service was certainly prompt. They were also more than happy to answer questions.

Sort of out of the way for most people, but these guys make some good beers and it's a cool little place to check out.
Jan 13, 2011
Cismontane Brewing Company in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Brewery rating: 3.69 out of 5 with 1166 ratings