Since beginning the I Like Beer journey, the quest for independent craft beer has taken me far and wide. This winter, I jumped on the Catalina Express to spend a weekend checking out the craft beer scene on the island.
I had been forewarned that finding a pint of anything locally brewed would be tricky, but not impossible. Thinking I’d done my due diligence in the research and outreach department, I thought it would be easier than I had been told.
My first stop seemed promising: Catalina Island Brew House. In hopes of hearing a little about the island’s only operating brewery, I had sent several messages from the mainland ahead of the visit, but sadly received no reply. Still, I found a pleasant beerkeep/coffee barista happy to set me up with a taster flight.
Catalina Island Brew House is the definition of a nano-brewery, producing only a barrel or two a week. The flight included their signature Garibaldi Blonde Ale, Lover’s Cove Wheat, Dancing Goat Harbor Porter and Island Hop IPA.
The blonde ale and IPA were fine representatives of their respective styles. No surprises, for better or worse, and quite drinkable.
The Lover’s Cove Wheat, made with the indigenous black sage peppers, was a nice surprise. It was hoppier than I expected for a wheat ale, but the Cascade hop gave it a floral, slightly piney flavor that complemented the light wheat ale perfectly.
My favorite of the four was the Dancing Goat Harbor Porter made with roasted coffee from that end of the brew house. It’s a medium-bodied, malty, biscuity porter with mild coffee notes.
In addition to their house beers, Catalina Island Brew House serves four taps from across the water: two from Paperback Brewing (blonde and IPA), one from Smog City (Winter Ale) and a Rancho West lager.
Under the illusion that the rest of the quest would be as easy as step one, I spent the better part of two days in and out of many local eateries, with standard macrobrew fare. Ubiquitous Bud Light and Mango Cart offerings did little to tempt me. (Full disclosure: I had a Blue Moon Belgian White — a Molson Coors product — at Luau Larry’s. It was delicious.)
Dinner at NDMK Fish House included a perfectly poured Cali Creamin from Vista’s Mother Earth and a Merrick Lager (a collaboration between Ventura’s Rincon Brewing and Channel Islands Surfboards). Both were served expertly with clear attention to clean tap lines and freshness.
On the second day, after an unexpected drizzle, the sun came out and guided me to FLX Biergarten. Before the rest of the island’s visitors realized the sun was back out, I had the chance to chat with Michael Sterling, manager of FLX, to hear about his excellent beer selection and the property itself.
ILB: How does a German biergarten spring up in Avalon?
Sterling: This was a golf cart rental place for a decade. William Wrigley’s great-great-grandson opened up this property almost three years ago. We get our name from that 1952 Flexible bus parked right over there. It’s a family heirloom for the Wrigleys.
ILB: There’s not a lot of craft beer on the island. What are some of the challenges of serving good beer here?
Sterling: Cost. You’re looking at about a 25% surcharge just to get the beer here. Obviously, craft beer is already expensive. So we focus on service, having games to play, and family things to do here. We have to make it as fun as possible, because it is pricey.
ILB: What type of considerations are you making when picking out your tap list?
Sterling: National award winners, regional award winners, and what’s the best beer I can get my hands on?
ILB: I see quite a few San Diego beers represented — that’s exciting to see.
Sterling: We’ve brought in a lot of San Diego beer. That’s especially thanks to the OG: Karl Strauss. They allowed us not just to bring in beers from across the coast, but also to get a consistent supply of great beers from San Diego.
It seemed astonishing to see Mother Earth, Karl Strauss and other San Diego beers on the island. Even though it was a quick and easy trip over from Dana Point, in some ways it seemed a world away. Island time, I suppose.
Back at home, ILB attended the 9th annual Burgeon Anniversary Invitational Beer Fest. Quickly becoming known as the beer festival in North County, Burgeon hosted 50 breweries from across the country. Time and space prevent an entire rundown, but I can say confidently that of 55 exceptional beer tastings, the absolute hands-down favorite was Cherry Riot from Casa Agria in Oxnard. Heading there soon!
Jeff Spanier is the co-host of I Like Beer the Podcast. Follow Spanier’s adventures on Instagram @ilikebeerthepodcast and @ilikebeerthepodcast2757 on YouTube.
