"Steve Jackson" > wrote in message news:<32b3c.26220$h23.3856@fed1read06>...
> "Lauren-n-n-n-n" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> > i'm going to orange county california the end of the month. although it
> seems
> > rather devoid of culture, i'm hoping there'll be a few good places to
> drink
> > (and eat). any recommendations would be appreciated (including
> interesting
> > things to do, if you have time to list some).
>
> I've lived in OC for two years, and the perception that it's devoid of
> culture is only partially accurate. It just happens to be really, really
> buried and you have to dig for it a bit.
>
> There are some good beer stops. Among the chains, the Rock Bottom in Irvine
> is actually one of the best ones in the chain. Ditto the Gordon Biersch in
> Laguna Hills. There are a couple Yard Houses (Costa Mesa and Irvine) that
> have huge beer selections, although at times oddly unadventurous for having
> 100-plus taps. BJ's is in several locations as well. Beer's OK, food's
> somewhere south of there.
>
> For independents: Ocean Avenue Brewing Co. in Laguna Beach is excellent.
> Small selection, but great beer. Run away from the other Laguna Beach
> brewpub. Newport Beach Brewing Co. can be a bit inconsistent, but does have
> some good stuff. Goat Hill Tavern is across the street from the Costa Mesa
> Yard House, and couldn't be more opposite in atmosphere. Beer can be of
> variable quality, but there's lots of it (it's another mega-tap place). The
> Abbey in Seal Beach is one of my absolute favorite places (and was one of
> Mark McGwire's too, for what that's worth). Small place with a moderate yet
> well-executed beer selection, focusing largely on Europeans. Good food, too.
>
> The one place I would say is pretty much required is Pizza Port Brewing in
> San Clemente. This is the third brewpub for the guys who started out down
> near San Diego, and they have an excellent reputation that is well-deserved.
> Especially if you like hops. Also worth checking out is another San Diego
> string of brewpubs called Oggi's (formerly Stuft Pizza). Fortunately, their
> incompetence in coming up with names does not carry through into their
> beer.They have an outstanding export-style stout, and the IPA is quite good
> as well. Atmosphere of the place sucks, and can be overly family-intensive
> sometimes. Their Orange County location is in Mission Viejo.
>
> Another place worth checking out is Old World Village in Huntington Beach.
> It's a cheesy replica of a Bavarian village, but there are a few
> restauarants and pubs there that have a wide variety of fresh draught German
> beers.
>
> That should give you a start, certainly. As far as interesting things to do,
> that all depends on what you consider interesting. Most of the beach towns
> have cool, quirky characters, with Laguna Beach, Seal Beach and San Clemente
> being the most unique and worthwhile (in that order).
>
> -Steve

In addition to what Steve has mentioned, Taps in Brea is a brewpub
with good food & beer. If you're near UC Irvine, the Anthill pub on
campus has a nice selection of micros. Here's a pointer to their
current drink menu
http://www.ags.uci.edu/anthill/modul...enu/&width=90%

Also, here's a beer guide to Orange County
http://www.ratebeer.com/ShowTour.asp?TourID=3

John