The Good Beer Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty nice old spot in downtown Santa Ana. Old brick building, exposed, with a tasting area up front, brewing in the back, and an odd upstairs space that they share with a completely separate business.

Quality of the beers was quite good. I had a flight of six, all were tasty, with some being a bit better than others. It felt to me that this place is really close to being top notch, with just some little tweaks here and there to a few of their recipes.

Selection was great too, I don't recall the exact number of taps but I'm pretty sure it was 15+.

Service was a bit of a let down. The girl working was pretty indifferent and not overly friendly. At least she was fairly prompt...

Overall, a very nice spot that feels like will only get better over time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome spot in downtown Santa Ana with good sours and saisons! The space is pretty cool with a decent amount of seating. I haven't seen this place too busy yet so it's never been a problem. It seems like they release bottles something like once per month.

 

 

Went here for the first time last week. The location is in downtown Santa Ana which isn't as appealing as San Diego but you aren't likely to get shot if you wear neutral colors.

After passing it three times we finally put our phones together and backtracked until we found the entrance. The inside is completely awesome with tonnage of wood beams and an old brick wall that adds to the character.

I tried the Citra, Amarillo, and the other IPA as well as the mildly sour saison that they had on draft and in bottles. They all hit the spot on the 90 degree day. The Jinga game at each table made the passing time even more enjoyable. Really cool environment and definitely worth the trip.

 

In a region where so many breweries choose to set their camp in industrial complexes, The Good Beer Company chose to brew in the middle of Santa Ana, which may end up paying dividends, as it's a quick walk from other good beer focused places like Native Son and C4. The downside; parking. There are a few parking garages nearby as well as street parking, but you'll need to pay.

The tasting room is much bigger than one would suspect after walking in. Although it sits in an old building, Good Beer Company has cleaned up its real estate and turned it into a comfortable place for drinking. And with 11 house beers on-tap, options are not an issue. There were two different IPA's, three different saisons, a wild ale, stout, Belgian single, sold at more than reasonable prices ($3 ½pint, $5 pint for most). As for the quality of the beers, it was a mixed bag. I tasted four different beers in half-pints; the dark saison was an attractive alternative for the common pale ale flagship which other breweries often use. The golden ale was bland, Breki Stout was a roasty quaff, and the Beer Salvaje wild ale was too sharp with the citrus.

The Good Beer Company may eventually turn out to become just that. At this moment, the hit or miss theme tells me to proceed with caution.

(Update 9/24/15: their tart fruit beers are new to me and delcious, and their Costa West is a lovely hoppy saison. I'm bringing quality up one whole point. I'm looking forward to another visit).

Really cool refurbished space. Probably one of the coolest breweries in the OC. Great location to other spots on main. Great service. Couple of board games. The quality of beer is average.

New brewery with a great and unique line up. Space is beautiful and simple. Owner and brewer have been home brewing for decades with professional brewery credentials as well. Not your standard line up of the usual new breweries. Lots of Brett beers, a sour, and barrel aging should roll out soon as well, looking forward to that. Great to see Downtown Santa Ana doing well. Try the Stout de Olla and the DTSA IPA