Mike Hess Brewing - Walnut Creek

This brewery is located in an exterior shopping mall area. There is parking in a lot to the front of the building, plus a parking garage is located at the end of the mall. My wife and I stopped here to try the beers at this pub location that is part of a 'chain' brewery. The interior has a good amount of seating, including at the bar, plus there is a nice beer garden under a large tree to the side of the brewery. Service is at the bar. There are a couple TVs around the taproom. I liked this vibe.

There are 22 taps but the menu had 17 beers, 2 ciders, 2 seltzers and a craft root beer. It was a good selection of beer styles. Wine is also available. We ordered a sampler flight of 5 beers to try to arrive at an overall evaluation of their offerings. Each was brewed very well to style, and the Good To Go West Coast IPA and the White Peach Sour were notable. Our overall rating for them was 4.12. (I noticed the the full-pour beers are served in chilled glasses.)

No food is served here, but they carry a line of packaged snacks. Beers are available to go in cans, growlers and crowlers. This is a good place to stop for beers if you're in the area.

I enjoyed my time here. Certainly seems more "corporate" than other "breweries" (not sure if they actually brew here or not). Lots of outdoor areas to convene and imbibe. The interior is kind of small but the weather in WC is usually accommodating. The selection wasnt overly complex or varied, but there were at least one or two beers in about five different styles, IPA heavy of course. They have live music which is a bonus but outside of that, nothing spectacular here.

After a long wait, Mike Hess arrived in Walnut Creek. Personally, I had been watching the proposed spot for nearly a year and after a few delays due to the city, the establishment was finally open for business. While I wasn't able to attend the first day opening, I had the chance recently to finally stop by and see what was "brewing" with Hess in NoCal.

This is not a brewery, it's a tasting/tap room, located in one of the newer plazas in Walnut Creek, easy to get to, lots of parking. The tasting room wasn't crowded when I rolled up on a Tuesday afternoon about 2PM. The bar was full when I arrived, but could only seat 6-7 patrons, but there were plenty of empty metal tables inside, along with stool and couches outside to kick back and down a few pints or a flight.

Being a big fan of Hess, as I feel they are one of the best breweries in San Diego, I knew what to expect on tap, but was still overwhelmed when it was my time to order. Mike, the barkeep made it easy, recommended "a flight of five" that came with a Mike Hess poker chip that was redeemable for a $4 pint. The flight cost $15, if memory serves me correct and included in that was a Mike Hess pint glass (not sure if this will be an ongoing promotion on not, but thought it was awesome) when I redeemed my poker chip.

The quality of the beer was top notch! It was great to have fresh Hess on tap, as opposed to some aging cans I was finding at local stores. After I finished the flight, I moved to the bar and finished up with a Vienna Cream. Sitting in front of the refrigerator, I noticed a few Hess beers I had never had, including the Hessfest 7. There were some limited releases on the tap menus I had never had as well. Before walking out I picked up a four pack of the Hessfest 7 and my favorite, the Grapefruit Solis, best grapefruit beer in San Diego.

Overall this is a great place to kick back and enjoy some beer. Best part, it's on my way home from work. Friendly, clean with a good atmosphere and friendly people. Mike Hess, welcome to Walnut Creek!