Bootleggers

There was something very "hipster-ish" drinking out of a mason jar.

 

Customer service seems to have improved slightly, but yeah, it was just awful in the past. A few very rude servers that just didn't seem like they wanted to be there or deal with anyone.

 

Personally, that giant Jenga game annoys the shit out of me. Every 10 minutes a loud crashing sound startling you just doesn't make for a good drinking environment. In the old location at least it was in the smaller room and the noise wasn't so obstructive.

 

Fair enough. I only went there once (and I'm probably not going back any time soon) so I could have just had a bad visit, but this is what I experienced...

I went on a Sunday and got there maybe 20 minutes after they opened. Parked on the street and had to step over last night's puke on the sidewalk just outside their place. There was only one guy working and it was obvious he was a little late to work--he was still getting set up and cleaning up from last night and not quite ready to serve (he was super cool, though--the only redeeming quality of the place on this visit). The place smelled like stale beer. Everything was sticky. My buddy and I each got a flight and were shockingly underwhelmed. Only the Black Phoenix (a shelf beer) was any good. A couple beers were downright nasty (this is probably the only place where I've left unfinished tasters). None of them had decent head which I guessed was due to dirty glassware. About two tasters in, the music turned on--heavy metal at 11:30am on a Sunday. If that's not a frat house vibe, what is? The only thing missing was a couple bros tailgating & grilling before the big game.

Right after that, we hit up The Bruery, then Bottle Logic--two places with beautiful taprooms at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Bootlegger's--then Noble, a place that does "hole in the wall" tasting room right (cozy dumpy as opposed to Bootlegger's just plain dumpy).

 

to me the times i've been there the crowd has been not so much frat but wannabe OC tough-guy types. tats, dickies pants, tank tops, chain wallets. lots of soul patches. basically, a Social Distortion concert.


i've been to Bottle Logic twice now (including yesterday) and have to say I'm underwhelmed, with the beers and the tasting room. the tasting room is definitely "nice," in the sense that everything is brand new and they put a lot of work into it, but to me it feels like a chain restaurant or something - not an independent brewery. i feel like i'm in a Baja Fresh going there.

i like the no frills style of places like Noble, Smog City, Strand etc..


yes, i'm overly critical

 

Ugh, that sounds awful. It's not been like that when I've been there. It's always been clean enough, and not overcrowded. There has been some doom metal played at times, however, but I like that stuff and doubt that any fratboys actually listen to that kind of music.

 

In their old tap room, they would put death metal music after 9 to sort of usher people out/discourage people from staying too late, I guess.

Looks like they're just trying to usher out anyone from the new tap room who isn't bro'ing it up.

 

Bootlegger's Black Phoenix is what got me into craft beer. I love their Knuckle Sandwich but I haven't been back in a while. Their beers are all underwhelming. I remember having their Missile Crisis imperial stout and loved it. Haven't seen it back since. They really need to step it up because all of the other new breweries in the area have so much more to offer.

Imperial Black Phoenix should be a year round beer. No one cares about Old World Hefeweizen and Palomino Pale Ale.

 

You might not care for their Old World or their Palomino (and quite frankly, I don't either), but I'd be willing to bet that those beers are among their best sellers. Keep in mind that the majority of their customer base doesn't "geek out" as much as we do here on BA.

 

Been going to Boot since year one at the old location and now new. Few good beers like Far Out and Lupulin Thrill. Only go when I can fill my 2 growlers and if bottles are available. Hell, its close to Bottle Logic and Noble so I'll make the trip worthwhile. Other than that they really haven't been doing much lately. Maybe a good stop for all the newbies. KS is history. Maybe one bottle a year just to see if it went back to it's original recipe.

 

Didn't know they changed the recipe, granted I haven't had it in a long time.

 

I can't imagine those two beers selling better than other, better examples of the style. Now if they were retooled and improved...

 

i used to like to get KS for people as an extra to blow their minds, but lately it's not something i'd send out. if i knew it was going to taste like it's supposed to taste i would

 

Hey Guys,
First of all, I'd like to thank you all for those who said kind words and for those with the honest feedback. We fully understand there are many options for craft beer, even in our back yard of Orange County.

For those who have stuck with us from day one, until now, thank you very much. For those of you that might have steered away, we'd like to ask that you please stay tuned for some great things to come for our brewery and tasting room.

We have recently hired on help for our marketing and social media efforts. Running an around the clock brewery operation doesn't lend much time for keeping up with our fans online. With that said, we understand this is very important and something we are doing more of moving forward.

We've identified some tweaks to make your visit to our tasting room more enjoyable, and while we don't have a magic wand to make these changes instantly, you will see in the near future that we've heard feedback in regards to our tasting room.

In regards to our beer, we brew the beer we love to drink, and we brew beer that appeals to a wide variety of beer drinkers. The old guy who used to drink industrial lager, the folks that usually only drink wine, the brand new craft drinker who enjoys the high gravity bold flavored beers, and of course, you, the highly educated beer enthusiast who likes dry West Coast Style IPAs etc. We would never assume that the passionate group on this site would like the every one of the two dozen beers we have on at our tap room. We understand our Hef might be boring to some of you, and we really respect that. You guys are as important to us as all of our other customers, and we look forward to ramping up production on the beers you love as well as bringing new exciting products to the market.

Again, we understand there are plenty of choices in this wonderful genre of adult beverages, and I thank you for sticking with us through the thick and thin.

Sincerely,
Aaron Barkenhagen - Founder/Head Brewer
Bootleggers Brewery

 

Please fix the wobbly chair (or replace) for the giant Jenga. Although it adds an element of excitement to the game we cannot truely declare a winner/loser when the chair itself causes the game to collapse.

 

Well said. I have not given up on Bootleggers. Just have my few IPA's I like from the Boot and when I'm in the area I'll stop in for some pours and growler fills/bottles. You guys always have several choices up on the board of different styles for different peeps. Maybe the tasting room needs a change. But I think the people who are visiting your brewery/tasting room is getting younger and younger these days. I was talking to Derek from BCB who was at the Brew Hee Haw this past weekend and he did not enjoy working it because most of the kids these days are asking for higher ABV's. And I think he's right. It's not about the higher ABV's, it's about the aroma, taste and what you think after finishing that glass of craft beer. Maybe the craft beer world is overwhelmed with newbies that dont get it. And they just want the newest and best beer thats out there. Maybe the most $$'s. It has gotten a lot crazier when it comes to new releases and the newest and "hippest" brewery. Not my style. Just give me a great tasting beer that I can enjoy. And I think Bootleggers is still putting out some great IPA's and others. But we are seeing a lot more new and "maybe" better brewery's coming into the LA/OC area. Some will do great. Some will do okay. And some will fail. Bootleggers was one of the first here in the OC and it will still be here for many many years. Not sure what happened to KS. Not sure if the recipe changed or just my palate change to other styles but I am not all that crazy about KS like when it first came out. But I do like your Lupulin Thrill and Far Out.

 

I am pretty much a six pack only drinker these days, there's so much good beer in six packs there's little reason for me to spend the money on bombers anymore. I definitely appreciate the fact that you guys are one of the only LA area breweries to put your beers in six packs.

There's still one reason why I haven't even tried a Bootleggers six pack... no bottle dates, has this changed recently or do you have any plans to start bottle dating so that customers can be sure they're getting fresh beer?

 

I'm not trying to single you out, but you were contributing heavily to the hype of every new Noble Showers beer that came out for a while and talking up how quickly they would sell out, not to mention new Beachwood beers. There's nothing wrong with that, both in that you enjoy the beers and passion for the hobby is great. However, blaming newbies for hyping new releases would be incredibly myopic, not to mention hypocritical, since the beer geek cognoscenti are the ones who are far more guilty of hyping and hoarding than newbies.

All of us miss the days of Pliny being easier to get, or Cantillon and BCS sitting on shelves, or whatever it is, but even if you were to say that "newbies" are to blame, what makes a newbie? Someone who just got into craft beer in the last year? Last three years? Unless you're Fritz Maytag, Jack McAuliffe, or Ken Grossman, you're a newbie in someone's eyes.

 

I don't see how you can pin the blame on Bootlegger's for the crowds they gather, considering they are in a college city with Downtown Fullerton right nearby.

 

I must say- I really like they're ad on the radio before and during Angel baseball games - that's awesome