LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Visited April ’07, this beautiful Pacific shore village is home to efficient restaurant-pub OCEAN AVENUE BREWERY. Across the street from the beach, this modest establishment had a small patio entrance, bright blue and maroon interior walls, terra cotte tile floors, eight wood tables, five booths, and a left side marble-topped bar with brass-metal tanks.
Though brewmaster Scott Breznock (on hand since 1998) only had two beers available as reggae played this sunny afternoon, both were precisely detailed. Big O’s Light Lager placed honeyed wheat and rolled oats atop serene hop-fizzed bruised orange sedation and distant juniper bittering. Libidinator Doppelbock layered Belgian-like candied yeast above gluey malts and overripe orange-cherry to honeyed Courvoisier finish.