Gettin’ Fresh with Everywhere Beer Co
After hearing about Everywhere Beer Co’s grand opening on August 5th, the word “everywhere” got me thinking about terroir in beer. Historically, terroir is what carved out many of the world’s classic beer styles: Pilsner from Pilsen, the lightly hopped Munich Helles, and even the spectacular British Pale Ale, all born because of the local water, yeast, hops, and malting techniques.
Brewers of today, armed with solid hop contracts, a Brewer’s Supply Group account, and a super-rad reverse-osmosis system can seemingly dial in whatever global beer style is desired. Hell, even some Lambic-inspired beer made spontaneously in Southern California has rivaled some of the originals.
“When Keith [Pumilia] and I were just starting Bruery Terreux, we were very cognizant of the part of terroir in beer you can control…and that’s the feeling in the cellar, the feeling in the space, and having that harmony in who you work with,” notes Everywhere’s co-owner/co-founder, Jeremy Grinkey. “I’ve worked in wineries in the past where you don’t have that, and the end product always suffers,” he continued.
In this case, Everywhere Beer Co., which is specifically opening in the city of Orange, California, has me more excited than usual for a new brewery opening, mostly because I know the team behind it has over fifty years of experience combined at their previous employ at The Bruery and beyond.
But with all that experience and pedigree comes high expectations. “I think people are going to be very vocal if there’s something they don’t like,” says Jeremy Grinkey. “Yeah, but we worked at the Bruery, we have thick skin,” adds Daniel, welcoming any feedback, good or bad.
I think a lot of people hear the word Bruery and think of big adjunct 750’s getting dusty in every local beer geek’s closet. Yet Everywhere’s list of opening beers looks more down-to-earth. “One of the obvious things about opening Everywhere is we have our own voice…obviously, we are super proud of the beers we’ve made at the Bruery, almost 180 unique beers a year, but they were what someone else wanted to make, even though we put our own spin on them,” notes Daniel.
On day one, the tap list looks like a beer-style greatest hits playlist. Sure, there’s the ultra aromatic west coast IPA, a light and summery hazy, and a sessionable German-style Pils…all done flawlessly. What I didn’t expect to see was a bright violet Jamaica boozy lemonade seltzer, nor a 6.5% juiced-up Painkiller. Looking through the glass into the brewhouse, brewer Stefan Weber is hand juicing fruit from a neighbor’s tree to make a fresh-squeezed radler. “One of the things that drive us is freshness…28-day-old IPA is too old for us,” notes Jeremy.
The group flexed a little bit of their Bru-muscles with La Ventanita, a 10.5% pastry stout made with Moon Goat coffee and Tahitian vanilla beans, which happens to be named after Miami’s Versailles walk-up espresso windows. “Yeah, it’s got no barrel, but it’s just something I threw together for opening,” notes Stefan. This chewy, chocolatey dessert stout does a great job balancing ingredients as so not one thing pops out immediately. As you sip, you get a parfait of flavors that develop sip after sip.
What really shines is Eveywhere’s tasting room, where it looks like they read my article about tasting room gripes and did the opposite. There are comfortable bar chairs, purse hooks, and plugs at the bar. There are plants, cacti, and good lighting. There are comfortable booths, suitable for groups. There’s artwork and tile, which has a sort of Copenhagen-Californian vibe. It feels comfortable and fresh.
All in all, Everywhere is now a must-stop on your trip through OC. It’s less than a mile from Anaheim Stadium, and roughly five miles from Disneyland Resort.
Everywhere is at 1501 W Orangewood Ave Ste. 101, Orange, CA 92868 // everywherebeer.com
