calidrunky
02-19-2005, 03:19 AM
Looking through the local breweries I noticed one I've never been to. BayHawk Ales in Irvine featuring the Pilsner room! How could this have slipped by me? After a quick peek at their website ( http://www.bayhawkales.com/ ), I decided I needed to pay a visit and quickly recruited a couple of fellow drinkers to accompany me. It's kind of an odd location for a microbrew, sitting in the center of a circle of hotels and corporate offices. At first glance it’s a tiny corner pub with a small stage for the local struggling band (and by struggling I mean loud and shitty). But slowly you begin to realize it’s also a well decorated restaurant in the front with a banquet hall upstairs. All three sections are divided, each having their distinct personalities. I of course sat closest to the bar with the band struggling in my ear. When the waitress finally decided to pay us a visit, I asked what was on tap. She responded with "a blonde, a peach, pale ale, amber, and heff." Immediately disappointed, I inquired about the porter and stout which had received good reviews. "We don't have those anymore" she replied. I'm not sure if she meant they were tapped out, they were seasonal, or maybe they really just stopped making them..... So I ordered the sampler. I could barely hear her say the names over the screaming band as she placed them on the table, but I'm pretty sure I got them right. The blonde was your typical blonde. Clearly aimed at the general public. It did set the pace of their beer, nothing too aggressive. Next up the peach. I found myself really having to search for the peach flavor. It certainly looked like colored water, there was no head and no real aroma to it. I prepared for the worst and took a swig. It was actually a smooth light beer with a slight (and I do mean slight) peach after taste. There was no body to it, and it was kind of hard to pin point the flavor. Nothing at first, then after I thought it was over BAM it tasted like someone 10 feet away was eating a peach and some peach effervescence had found its way to my tongue. After sipping some water to make sure my pallet was clean (truely an unneeded precaution) I went for the heffenweizen. It looked slightly filtered rather then unfiltered. Sadly I don't remember the aroma and failed to note it. It was a mildly floral tasting beer but still too light of a body for my taste. None of these beers had any head or lacing of the glass. Quickly moving down the line, I reached for the IPA. Side note: I go to microbrews for the IPA. I like hops. To call me a hop head is an under statement. When I drink a microbrewed IPA, I want to feel like I just got smashed in the face with a fresh bag of hops. That being said...... I could already tell from feeling out the other beers that the Pale Ale would be a let down. I swished it around in its glass and noticed no lacing, no head, and again it looked like water damnit. Inhaled searching for any sign of aroma, took a sip, and slowly exhaled as I let my taste buds tare this brew apart. Alright, I'm being a little to rough on them. Their IPA was decent. Judging by the rest of the line up, they aren’t aiming to please someone like me. They aren't trying to be the next Rogue. They're making microbrew beer geared toward the general public. I think their IPA was exactly what they were going for, and exactly what I was expecting at this point. At least the coloring was much better for this beer. Finally came the amber. A nice color, still no head, of course no lacing, and both of which made the body look weak. I rolled my eyes as I put the glass to my lips but was pleasantly surprised. Still not much, if any, of an aroma, but the taste wasn't bad. Extremely smooth malted hops with a caramel finish. You still had to search for it, but it was the most enjoyable of the bunch. I finished off my taster, ordered a pint of the amber (after trying to wave down the waitress for 20 minutes) and was on my way. Final words: Extremely poor service (which I hope is subjectional), great atmosphere if the band would tone it down a notch, only 5 microbrews on tap (I think they also had miller and bud), the food looked good. As long as your going just to taste another local brewery, or to find a nice get together hang-out, you'll enjoy yourself. If you’re looking for exceptional beer or a wide selection, don't bother. I was surprised by the awards on the wall....maybe they're forged......
~CaliDrunky
~CaliDrunky