Bootlegger's Brewery

Braz

Washington

3.74/5  rDev -9.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Heard some buzz about this place while at a bar in Fullerton. Has a very non pretentious vibe. Great selection. Knuckle sandwich is a great IPA. People mainly hang out outside sitting or playing homemade jenga. Had a sort of Portland, OR atmosphere which isn't bad, just very eccentric. Would have loved to have spent more time there.

05-08-2013 04:56:55 | More by Braz

BeerEngineer

California

3.07/5  rDev -25.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 1.25 | selection: 3.75 | $$

For those of you who don't know this brewery used to be located in the warehouse district of Fullerton. That location was very small and only had a half dozen tables or so but the atmosphere was great. I believe that they still have that but it's not open as a tap room anymore because of their new location and pilot brewery in downtown Fullerton.

The new location I was very impressed with but there are some huge issues. The first is parking, if you try and park in the front of the brewery there are only 4 or 5 parking spots. They are also very small parking spots so it's tough. There is parking located around the area and on their website is a list of locations that you can park. The second big issue that I found was the staff and cashier set up. I went there on a Saturday afternoon and found this place packed; a great sign for this company. Unfortunately, the line for the bar was out the front door of the building. When I finally got up to the bar I realized it's because they only had 2 cashiers open with 1 beer runner. This is a big issue because it took us 40 minutes to get our beers. I had a growler that I was planning on filling up after drinking our beers but there was no way that I was going to wait another 40 minutes! There still isn't any food made by the brewery but there was a food truck (kind of a food truck) in the back. It had really good food but I didn't want to rate it in my review because it can change too easily. The truck that was there when I was there was a BBQ trailer. Another issue that we encountered was that there were several tables in the back to sit at, unfortunately, there were glasses over 1/3 of the table. In total there were probably about 50 glasses left on the table from the last couple of groups that had been there. No one came around in the hour that we were there to clear any of the tables. It's kind of disgusting sitting next to that may glasses with old beer in them from earlier in the day. The area smelled like spoiled beer because of it. They need to get more staff working at this location or else they will have issues with returning customers. The last issue (not really an issue just a warning) is regarding the tables in the back area. This is discussed below in more detail but the short of it is if you sit on a table near the ends, the table flips over.

Other than the parking and staffing issue, the new facility is really nice. They don't have a large brewery area in this location, it's listed as a "pilot facility" for them to test recipes. The beers that they make are very good and I have been impressed with several. The new location has a big open air area in the back with a bunch of tables, but be warned, they will flip over if you don't sit right in the center. They actually went so far as to draw lines on the seats with instructions to sit within the lines if you are alone. They need to get these tables bolted down because it's a potential hazard and it's an easy fix!

Overall I won't be back any time soon to have a drink. If anything, I'll go there and buy growlers because their beer is pretty good, but the service was horrendous. They need to get familiar with the new location and staff it properly, after that I may be back but until then I'll drink their beer at my house.

04-07-2013 00:17:53 | More by BeerEngineer

Narfish

California

3.54/5  rDev -14.1%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $

The offerings at Bootlegger's spartan taproom far exceed the few that are distributed in L.A. There were about 12 I had never heard of before, and about 2/3 of those were dynamite (still dreaming about the Tropical Thunder). They offer cheap tasting flights, full pints and growler pours. If you're on your way to or from The Bruery in Placentia, stop by Bootlegger's - it's just 4 miles away. Even if you're not, stop by anyway. It's worth it. Just remember to bundle up if it's evening time - the taproom is basically a warehouse with a big open door, so it can get frosty!

01-06-2013 23:29:51 | More by Narfish

taxman714

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $

Great place, knowledgable staff that is always willing to help. Believe me; Bootleggers has way more to offer than what you can find at your local distributer. When going to the tasting room, there is always around ten exclusive brews with great flavor and balance.

Five tasters for $4.50 cannot be beat. The food experience was a 3 because I went once and had THE BEST LAMB BURGER, but returned and had sub-par food from the same truck (different cook though).

The atmosphere is excellent and the staff takes the extra step to explain the brews and recommend bast on personal preferences. My girlfriend went with me and loved the beer and had a great time. *Note, she is not a beer drinker either, the pourers gave her light brews and tastes based on her preferences.

Overall, a must visit for anyone in Southern California.

12-04-2012 02:09:22 | More by taxman714

karink

California

3.03/5  rDev -26.5%
vibe: 1 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $

Pros: Beer is good, service was good.
Cons: not a place i want to hang out at. This place is dirty! I'm ok with casual and kick back but this place needs to clean up the tasting room. Dog hair on the ground, cobwebs,, crust everywhere. I've been to over 30 breweries up and down the Cali coast and michigan, Illinois, Indiana and I have never felt like leaving beer until here. I'm a local from OC and I feel bad about writing this but they really should do something about the place. very dissappointed.
Sorry bootleggers :(

07-22-2012 00:33:52 | More by karink

UCLABrewN84

California

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I visited Bootlegger's yesterday since I was in the general area. Located in a small industrial park, the space inside is pretty small with the brewery, a counter for growlers/tasters/merch, and some tables in the rest of the open space. It seems like a pretty cramped set-up but it works overall. The service was good even though there was only one dude working and he even threw in some free tasters so I didn't have to buy another flight to try 2 more beers. The quality of the beers from the taps was good and they all seemed fresh. The selection was pretty great with around 10 of their beers on tap with some good brewery only selections in addition to the normal offerings. I am glad I checked this place out and would definitely come back again in the future if I was in the area.

06-19-2012 05:00:54 | More by UCLABrewN84

jraras

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $

The stock picture here is accurate, but only shows one side of the brewery. The other side is really where all the fun is! As you park and walk toward the building you will likely see a food truck parked in their driveway. Check the website ahead of time to see what trucks will be there on what days. This provides some great food options to go along with some tasty brews. When we visited (Th 3/15) they had the Viking Truck there, who specialized in sausages, corn dogs and other awesomeness. The Berserker sausage went very well with the Knuckle Sandwich DIPA.

As you walk through the (open) garage door you find a lively party amidst fermenters, wood barrels and a small bar. There is a TV and music playing. When we were there others had brought their own pot luck dinner and even other beers in bottles (from other breweries) and were having a tasting. Very chill and friendly crowd.

They sell various sized pours, growlers and have a few things in bombers (not Knuckle when I was there). This is a gem and should definitely be a stop if you're in DTF (Downtown Fullerton) anytime soon. Particularly interesting as a counterpoint if you've just come from Commonwealth Lounge (who always has Pliny on tap) as we did. That (latter) place is weeeeiiirrd.

03-25-2012 20:29:53 | More by jraras

TheCrowsNest

California

5/5  rDev +21.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $

Buried deep in an industrial neighborhood in Fullerton you will find Bootlegger's Brewery. No frills beer tasting is what it's all about here. The beer does the talking, and it's pretty convincing stuff.

Their draft selection is great, a lot of seasonal brews and one-offs to go along with their year-round beers.

It's great to see a small operation like this making it work in Southern California, it just goes to show that you don't need a shiny new 50bbl system to make good beer. Just a brewer that knows what they're doing.

Can't wait to make it back here for some of their barrel-aged beers!

02-02-2012 22:02:35 | More by TheCrowsNest

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.69/5  rDev -10.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $

I've heard a lot about this brewery and finally got to visit during a recent trip to Orange County. It's basically a glorified garage/warehouse in a small industrial complex. Kind of tucked away off of the main street with nothing else around.

Inside there are some barrels and brewing equipment with a small counter for growlers, samples and glasses of beer. There is a small side room with a picnic table, the Joust arcade game and oversized jenga. Dark and industrial with a strong odor of old beer. My wife said it smelled like vomit. The weather is always nice so the doors are open making he place a bit more spacious.

There were only two people working there, serving beers and filling growlers at the counter. Both of them were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The place was pretty crowded but I never had to wait more than a minute or two for a beer.

I didn't notice many guest beers but they had a ton of their own beers on covering a wide range of styles. They offer pints, half pints or flights which is really nice if you are trying to sample as much as possible. Unfortunately, most if their beers were mediocre at best and really bland or gross at worst. It was great to drink Knuckle Sandwich at the source and they had a chocolate chili stout that was really good but I wasn't a big fan of the other beers I tried. They don't offer food but some cool trucks park in their lot in the evening.

Overall, I wasn't terribly impressed with the beers but it's a laid back place with good service that's worth checking out.

01-16-2012 08:41:46 | More by corby112

Popp24

California

4.18/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I just visited this brewery a few days ago for the 2nd time in search of Knuckle Sandwich. Unfortunately for me they had ran out of bottles of it and were not filling growlers. So I purchased a bottle of Black Phoenix Chipotle Stout and had a pint of Dr. Tongue on tap. Dr. Tongue was average at best and the stout was pretty good although I am not a fan of coffee stouts but still a good beer.

The atmosphere of this place needs to be changed in my opinion. I know they have only been around for a few years but it's time to upgrade the tasting room. There is barely anywhere to sit and I arrived only 15 minutes after they opened and had to stand and drink my beer. There are other local breweries that have only been around a few years (The Bruery) for example that seem to have the tasting room atmosphere down better. Hangar 24 also comes to mind as a brewery that understands that the ambiance of the brewery is very important.

Now the beer makes up for the atmosphere because Knuckle Sandwich is just so delicious. However getting your hands on some is the tough part but I managed to find some at a local bottle shop. I still need to try a lot of their beers but the Mint Chocolate Porter was good and the Rustic Rye IPA is a solid IPA as well.

The service is good and the line moves pretty quickly. They also have a good selection of beers on tap; I would say anywhere from 15 to 20.

Overall this brewery has really good beers and they will only get better. When you visit the brewery you won't be overwhelmed by any means but they are friendly there and make good brews so I recommend checking them out.

12-28-2011 22:03:12 | More by Popp24