Sour Cellars

Very cool little brewery with massive barrel program located in an industrial park. Interior decor had the look and feel of a 1890s saloon, down to the old piano. 20 plus beers on tap, mostly sours. Bartender is also the brewer, very personable and knowledgeable. A hidden gem.

I visited on a weekday evening while staying at a nearby hotel to fly out of Ontario Airport the next morning. The brewery is located in an anonymous-looking business park in a city that seems to be made up of anonymous business parks. Nevertheless, it was easy to find and get to. Once inside, the vibe definitely warmed up. The decor and feel were of a simple Victorian-era pub, with a Goth or Steam-punk edge, all dark wood and velvet and brass fittings, but still comfortable. There is a small production area off of the main pub, along with barrels of aging beers crammed in every available space--which was very appealing to me! The owner, Bryan, was holding down the fort himself that night, and he was friendly and happy to talk about the beers. There were only a handful of customers, and he was very generous with his time and truly seemed to enjoy talking to anyone who was interested in his beers.

There were about 15 sour beers on tap, about 6 or so non-sours, and a selection of premium sours available as bottle pours. I ordered a flight of great-sounding beers and got down to tasting. I was not disappointed. I have never found a selection of Belgian-style sours like this anywhere in the USA. The beers were made with a variety of innovative ingredients and were aiming for a variety of stylistic genres, but they were all excellent. The common thread running through them for me was a focus on wine-like character and careful aging that I have only ever encountered in the traditional Belgian Lambic producers. The beers here were truly world-class, and I do not say that lightly when I am talking about styles and techniques that originated in Belgium. I am an avowed Belgo-snob (Hmm, I need to trademark that term), and I am very accustomed to pointing out how US producers fail to capture the spirit of such styles. Sour Cellars truly "gets them" and creates amazing beers that strike out in new directions while paying homage to the Old World classics. Bravo!

I will definitely be back whenever possible, and I recommend you check out this place or their beers if you ever have a chance.

The sour beers are too notch. It is a very small brewery that brews almost on a homebrew scale. Don't let the smallness of this brewery throw you off. What they lack in production size they make up for in the quality of their sour beers. All their sours are different and not just with the fruit flavors they put in them. I feel like I am drinking a high quality wine with these sours. The service is friendly and the owner Bryan is happy to talk with you. A highly recommend destination in Los Angeles.

 

 

Sour Cellars is located in an industrial park in Rancho Cucamonga. From the outside, you would expect your standard tasting room. No! The interior was very nicely done. It's like you moved back in time and are visiting a parlor. Lighting was dark. Furniture and fabric were period pieces and velvety.

There was a bar and some seating area. It's not a large space. As their name suggests, they only brew and sell sours. They've only been open for about 6 months and their beers are aged for a year, so the beers I had today are probably their first batch. I ordered a flight (their flight #1) which came with 5 beers. I liked 4 of the 5.

Very cool place to visit and enjoy some sours. I'll be back again when in the area.