We've had the good fortune to find ourselves in Southern California relatively frequently over the past several years, and have discovered a few local favorites when we're in the area – Three Weavers, Karl Strauss and Noble Ale Works. We had the opportunity to get to Three Weavers earlier in the year, and, more recently, to Anaheim's Noble Ale Works. I'll (eventually) get around to writing about the most welcome and ever-increasing variety of beer options in and around the Disney Parks (beyond the temple of pure joy that is Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge), but if you're in the neighborhood and need a break from the Mouse and/or your children, Noble Ale Works is a great option.The taproom is only a few miles away from Disneyland, and reasonably accessible by bus, but we opted for a short Lyft ride. Although our driver had some trouble navigating the nondescript business park, once we saw the tanks outside, we knew we were in the right place. At present, it's a smallish brewhouse and taproom with bar seating and some chairs around barrels, but it's very welcoming and relaxed. There's no food on offer, but there are regular food trucks and any number of great Mexican spots deliver, and as any SoCal trip is an opportunity to binge on said great Mexican food – Seattle just doesn't cut it in this department – we opted for that.
Of course, we were primarily there for the break from the children beer, and Noble Ale Works delivers. I'd previously tried and really enjoyed (I know) Nose Candy, their award-winning session IPA, and it was fantastic fresh from the source. Man's Milk, a milk stout, was also excellent (and one has to assume that their distribution area is small enough that they don't need to have the TTB approve their beer names, though, that said, a lot of the names were real triumphs: I would *love* to get back to try their winter warmer, The Ghost of Jacob Barley, or Cinnamon Roast Crunch, another milk stout). They also had a standout IPA (NOT HAZY) in Big Whig IPA, and Nobility, the double IPA, was also top notch. All told, there was a nice range of styles and ABVs on offer, and in addition to tasting flights and pints, Noble Ale Works offers a 12-oz pour – something I wish more breweries were able to offer, especially for those times when you'd like to spend a little more time getting to enjoy a beer or two you discovered in the tasting flight, but don't want to go 4 pints in. The 12 oz size is a perfect compromise.
While Noble Ale Works does allow children, the (currently) smallish space would have bored our pre-schooler and cramped our teenager, but as they are in the process of building out a bigger brewhouse and brand new taproom space, so that could change down the line – though, again, for those in Anaheim with kids, some adult beverages among (mostly) adults and well-behaved babies was lovely, especially as the beer was very much worth the trip.
Hopefully, we will get back to check on their progress before we're in town for Star Wars Celebration 2020…