The Beer

Like the best books, this pale ale is transporting and hard to put down. Resinous pine, balsam, and pineapple on the nose lead, like a perfect first sentence, into green tropical fruits, candied lemon peel, and more pine. An optimistic story, lovingly told, Book Club will have you savoring every sip and telling your friends so they can experience it too.

This mixed fermentation wheat beer, made from locally grown unmalted wheat and locally malted pilsner malt, was fermented and aged in a Windy Oaks pinot barrel for two years. Complex aromas and flavors of vanilla, pear, peach, and melon are supported by rich oak tannins.

This beer supports the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters.

Exuberant hop energy amps up Young Rick’s forthright malt personality. The uninhibited hop aromas and flavors, each with something true to express (tangerine, grapefruit, lime, tropical fruit, pine), fling themselves gleefully around. The result is a spirited beer with power and attitude.

This dazzling attention- grabber glows with the clean character and pleasing bitterness of your favorite German- style Pilsner. Its shimmer is amplified, yielding a golden, noble beer with richness and depth. Let Neon Shine illuminate your situation.

Brewed with local sage honey from Jeff Walls’ Family Honey just up the road in Soquel, this saison’s aroma bursts with fragrant, floral spice.
A pear-like fruitiness enhances the grain character, and there is a hint of black pepper on the palate. A very dry finish offers a suggestion of honey. Its lively fizziness says, “Celebrate!”

This Belgian-style pale ale was brewed in order to feed some barrels. Its long-term life goal is to hang out with Brett in wood for awhile and
then make its debut in your glass as something fantastically other. Enjoy a glass of it now, before its evolution! Light caramel color and flavor, gentle hop character, and yeast-derived fruitiness and mild spice make for a lovely beer.

Why celebrate just one day when you can stretch it out for awhile? Drink a toast to birthdays or to any new beginning with this golden, full-bodied IPA in which piney hop resin parties with rounded maltiness. Hop aromas of pine and citrus lead into notes of orange peel and a sweet touch of stone fruit.

Here’s a new way to enjoy afternoon tea. Darjeeling tea adds delicate woodsy notes to this malty amber lager. A gently tannic tea finish enhances the clean lager character.

Our Contemplate beers showcase unique ingredients on a canvas of Belgian blonde ale aged for a year with Brettanomyces in American oak barrels.

Contemplate Grapes stars local, organic Chardonnay grapes. They give a vinous quality to the aroma, with notes of pear, mango, and citrus. Fermentation on the grape skins created moderate tannins which add heft and dryness. The grapes’ acidity lends balance and maintains the refreshing finish. With time, this variation may evolve more complex fermentation characteristics due to native yeasts on the grapes themselves.

Our Contemplate beers showcase unique ingredients on a canvas of Belgian blonde ale aged for a year with Brettanomyces in American oak barrels.

Contemplate Hops displays Jarrylo and Waimea hops. Jarrylo adds its own notes of banana and pear to those same fruit notes contributed by Brettanomyces. Waimea lends bright citrus and pine components that play well with the mild acidity. Together, the hop flavors mingled with Brett’s fruit esters present ripe stone fruit and a tropical touch of pineapple.

Orange zest and cinnamon add unforgettable sparkle to each tart cranberry sip of this sunset-hued beer.

Raspberries and hibiscus bring happy pink flavors and fruity aromas to this tart and refreshing beer. It tastes like a smile.

Field Song serenades us with notes of honeydew melon accompanied by backup harmonies of fresh citrus zest. Here is a beer that sings of hops
and barley and of wheat berries cultivated in the fields of Coke Farm in San Juan Bautista.

What would you drink if you lived in a Ruby Palace?  Our Barrel-aged Imperial Red’s lavish aromas of fruity hops (think pomegranate) and
hints of whiskey and vanilla invite you into your first sip. Facets of malt and hop flavor surround you with the splendor of honey, caramel, and a candy-like sweetness supported by a hop character that’s tropical and slightly resinous.

Without a doubt, this beer is barrel-aged!  It is the cream that we call into question. There is no cream in our double cream ale nor in cream ales in general.  But the smooth strength, rich mouthfeel, and malty sweetness of Barrel-aged Allegedly are well-proven. Time in a whiskey barrel added notes of vanilla and whiskey. Lively carbonation lifts aromas of pear and accentuates the dry, slightly tart finish. One sip will confirm its deliciousness.

Fresh hop beers can only be made during the hop harvest season.  Ours was brewed the same day the hops were harvested in Arroyo Seco.  This hazy pale ale exhibits fresh grassy hop notes, juicy citrus, and a slight herbal zestiness.  It’s an ultra-fresh and delicious seasonal treat!

Her Majesty’s Suitcase is a beer fit for royalty. Packed with rich aromas of coconut, vanilla, and chocolate, the sweet nose belies the beer’s strength. One sip reveals a velvety smoothness with notes of graham cracker and molasses.  Meticulous blending of choice beers from our barrel-aging program created an Imperial Porter elegant and powerful enough to please both the queen and her porter.

Available in 750ml Bottles for $20

We have work to do.

We are learning and taking actions in solidarity with all who call for justice and equality.

We’ve brewed a Free Day IPA for the past seven years to celebrate Independence Day.  This year calls for more than festivities.  2020 has slapped us with the awareness, long overdue, that we’re not free till we’re all free.

Brewed to support the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

This hazy double IPA leads with mandarin rind on the nose, along with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a little bit of pine and green papaya.
The soft, round body supports juicy flavors of mango and a pleasing suggestion of green pine and grass.

RELEASED THURSDAY 7/2.

When hops and yeast play together under the right conditions, hop components are transformed, and previously hidden aromas are unlocked.
On a resinous background, this full-bodied IPA reveals delectable aromas and flavors of lemon, tropical fruits, and green melon with a squeeze of lime.

Peachy Please pour me a pint of IPA kissed by organic peaches and basil. This juicy beer suggests summertime strolls in orchards and gardens, with hints of sweet peach and the subtle green spiciness of basil balancing generous dry-hopping with Mosaic and Idaho 7.

Your splendid tropical fruit and floral aromas lead us eagerly into the opulence of you. Your golden hue promises a wealth of treasures, and you deliver such an abundance of bright and candy-like fruitiness. You whisper of green and resinous secrets, keeping us enthralled.

The Biere de Garde style originated as a farmhouse “beer to keep” in Northern France. Ours has been aged for nine months in bourbon barrels. It delivers notes of caramel, Rainier cherries, Marcona almonds, and a hint of peppery spice. Soft oak tannins give way to a crisp, dry finish.

Our locally-raised Brewmaster has been wanting to name a porter after the Soquel freeway offramp since day one. Here it is, finally!
(Must’ve been stuck in traffic…) Aromas of deeply roasted chocolate mingle with notes of toasted black bread. Smooth caramel on the tongue transitions to bittersweet chocolate and roasted malt flavors with a pleasingly bitter finish.

There is no cream in our double cream ale nor in cream ales in general. But the smooth strength, rich mouthfeel, and luscious malty sweetness of Allegedly are well-proven. One sip will confirm its deliciousness.

Hi Motueka! Come on in! We hope you had a nice journey from New Zealand. Your layers of fragrance and flavor express zingy lime, tropical fruits still on the tree, and the leafiness of forests both flowering and evergreen. You are deliciously complex and sweetly generous. We’re so glad you’re here.

Hi Citra! We will never get tired of hanging out with you. Your exceptional aromas and flavors of orange, guava, melon, and green pine are so alluring. You make such a sweet first impression, and then you continue to entice and refresh us. You can come over any time.

The beautiful copper hue of this easy-drinking lager reminds us of the Sequoia redwoods that surround us in Santa Cruz. Secuoya Roja balances crisp lager character with light cereal sweetness tinged with organic maize. The comfortingly familiar flavor of whole grain bread is supported by a creamy mouthfeel that leads to bright refreshment.

Here gose our rendition of this 1000-year-old style, which originated in Goslar, Germany and used the area’s mineral-rich water and open
fermentation to deliver its characteristic tart and salt-tinged tang. Ours is kettle-soured and sea-salted, with the addition of the traditional coriander and some nontraditional lemon, orange, and grapefruit zest. This is one of the only beer types that has its own toast: when drinking gose, instead of “cheers,” say “goseanna!”

Intriguing pepper and rye spice aromas are enhanced by notes of flowers and tropical fruits in this festive pale ale. Dry- hopping brought citrus and stone fruit to the party, backed up by mellow maltiness with a hint of pineapple. The finish is subtly spicy and warming. Happy sixth anniversary to us!

*Pink peppercorns are related to cashews and may produce an allergic response in people with allergies to tree nuts (source: https://www.savoryspiceshop.com/pink-peppercorns-tree-nut-allergen)

Is there anyone better to sit around a campfire with, telling stories, IPAs in hand? We think not. Cheers, Uncle Dave! Our Rye IPA has fruity/herbal hop aromas with a substantial supporting maltiness. The rye contributes a hint of peppery spice to this full bodied, complex IPA.

Available in 12oz cans 6/7/19!

Put away the flashlights. The darkness is friendly and brings into focus the night’s scents and sounds. Night Walk, dry-hopped again after a year in a whiskey barrel, layers notes of vanilla and cocoa with the snap of citrus and pine.

Available in 22oz bottles

Barrel-aged Scenic Stout starts off with sweet boubon on the nose, leading to caramelized molasses and dark chocolate with vanilla and a
hint of licorice.  Lingering bittersweet chocolate is the last impression.

Our Trip Trap Trip Trap Bock aged over 7 months in Elijah Craig barrels.

This delicious strong ale balances sweet toffee and dried fruit oaky bourbon and vanilla notes gained from the barrels.

Released Friday, December 27th, 2o19.

We’re making a case for pillowy with this scrumptiously soft, double dry-hopped IPA. Fluffed up with pineapple and pine aromas, it relaxes
on the palate in gentle clouds of tangerine and grapefruit.

Aged for over 15 months in French oak barrels, this old ale’s brettanomyces character expresses itself as fruity funk on the nose, with flavors of dried cherry leading to a dry finish.

Azacca hops, named after the Haitian spirit of agriculture, are exciting because of their intense fruity aromas. In this refreshing IPA, meet ripe mango, pineapple, papaya, pear, and citrus, along with a touch of spicy pine. Hi Azacca!

Idaho 7 hops star in this SMaSH IPA, singing a juicy solo about honeydew, nectarines, citrus, and sticky pine. Gallagher’s Best malt from Admiral Maltings supports the hops with notes of lightly honeyed multigrain crackers. Take a sip and sing along.

Our brewer Tyler’s big pup, Bruce, has learned to be kind and gentle so he can patronize the beer garden. Good dog, Bruce! A pint of Bruce is
juicy with New Zealand hops, which contribute sweet, tropical notes of kiwi, mango rind, honeydew melon, and mandarin orange on a background of grass and pine.

What a treat, that a prickly cactus hides sweet fruit beneath its spines! Our (Prickly) Pear Necessities is kettle-soured and then fermented with organic prickly pears, which lend it a neon pink glow. The exotic aroma is both fruity and earthy, while the subtle tartness hints of watermelon rind and sour bubblegum.

A beach made new by waves and wind is a sweet discovery. Refresh yourself with New Beach, a golden IPA with nuanced aromas and flavors of tropical and citrus fruits with a hint of pine.

In this Red IPA aromas of sweet citrus mingle with wisps of pine. The fruity interplay between hops and caramel malt creates a beer that is
bracingly otherworldly.

Woodland Critters No.6 is a Red aged on second use tart cherries from Woodland Critters 3. The aroma is rich with notes of cherry cordial, cinnamon, and ginger snaps. Brett contributes a subtle funk with hints of tobacco and a cherry-like fruitiness. The flavor starts off sweet and fruity with a slight tartness, but transitions to peppery/woody mid-palate. The finish is spicy and almond-like, with hints of dried cherry.

The Woodland Critters series supports the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters.

Woodland Critters No.5 is a tart Saison w/ Meyer lemon zest, aged on second use peaches and nectarines from Woodland Critters 4. This Woodland Critters offering has a bright citrus nose with subtle brettanomyces funk. The flavor starts off tart with refreshing notes of lemon, then opens up to reveal a complex fruit character w/ hints of stone fruit and pineapple. The finish is dry and bready with a peppery bite.

The Woodland Critters series supports the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters.

Cat and Cloud coffee supplies the roasty notes in this twist on the traditional stout. Graham cracker-like maltiness and warm notes of vanilla coming from both vanilla and and the bourbon barrels are enhanced by the coffee’s rich, chocolatey character. Served on nitro, the creamy mouthfeel leads into smooth, dark flavors surprising in so golden a beer.

“Brut” means “dry,” and this emerging beer style, born in San Francisco, brings dryness and sparkle back to the IPA genre. Our version is
bright with gooseberry, melon rind, and hints of tropical fruit, finishing clean and dry. The bitterness is low but balanced, letting the hops shine.

“Follow the Creek” is always good advice, whether you’re seeking adventure upstream or finding your way home. This IPA will refresh you wherever you end up. Aromas of pine and citrus lead to lemon drops on the palate, enhanced by the sweet, grassy character of California grown and malted pilsner malt.

Coconut Telegram doesn’t shout about coconut, but it clearly signals the news. Organic toasted Sri Lankan coconut adds tropical depth to this
sunny IPA, while bright citrus and pineapple hop character enhances the message.

Our Free Day IPA, different every year, is brewed to celebrate Independence Day. This year, tropical aromas of pineapple and guava, rounded out by apricot, lead into grassy, biscuity notes supplied by California-grown malts from Alameda’s Admiral Maltings. Subtle malt, sweetness balances with hop-driven fruitiness, yielding a juicy, delightful beer.

Dry-hopping brings a piney earthiness to the rich, toasty-caramel malt in this amber lager originally brewed to celebrate Discretion Brewing’s
fourth anniversary. The balanced marriage of malt and hops yields a session beer with gratifying character and depth of flavor.

Three Fawns is a Belgian-style tripel aged in American bourbon barrels. A boozy warmth redolent of vanilla, black pepper, and honey, along with soft berry notes, leads into a dry peppery finish influenced by oak.

Available in 500ml bottles

Brewers who sing are a wonderful thing. This IPA celebrates song-sharing as well as hops and malt. It’s loaded with tropical and stone fruit aromas along with accents of citrus and pine. Soft carbonation and a little malty sweetness provide backup harmony.

Pogonip Pale is named in honor of the meadows, forests, and creeks of one of Santa Cruz’s greenbelts. Fresh grapefruit zest enhances the
citrus character of cascade and chinook hops. Just as a hike in Pogonip refreshes the soul, Pogonip Pale refreshes the palate with zings of lemon and grapefruit on a delicate malt background.

Every Santa Cruzan knows that summer days are about watching that line between the fog and the blue sky. When the Fog Lifts will make you feel like the sun just came out. Stone, citrus, and tropical fruits mingle with resinous and woody hints, along with the suggestion of geranium.

A zwickel is a spigot that allows beer to flow from tank to glass. Hopzwickel, our modern American twist on a traditional zwickelbeer, is a pale, hazy, unfiltered lager that we have generously dry-hopped. Aromas of citrus and tropical fruit lead in to pilsner malt flavor and a mildly bitter finish. There’s nothing like a Hopzwickel on a warm afternoon!

Tens of millions of flowers were visited by local bees to make the honey that gives a taste of place and a dry finish to our Kolsch-style ale. Vinous esters mingle with a wisp of honey in the nose. The delicate malt flavor is gently accented with a touch of orange zest in this refreshing, food friendly beer.

Our delicious Oh Black Lager aged 10 months in 4 Roses & Waterford Reserve. Restrained bourbon, vanilla and oak tannin enhance the aroma and flavor of this complex brew. A small amount of Scenic Stout was blended in to round out the palette.

Take a Short Stroll through cedar and citrus, with some soft grass underfoot. Green grape and pineapple notes refresh the senses, grounded by spicy breadiness. This hazy session IPA will adjust your attitude and entice you to have another.

Play your part. Scan the code and use your voice.

A diversity of American hops all get involved in this IPA, contributing tropical and citrus fruitiness along with a piney, earthy hint of dank.

Tart you glad our kettle-soured brown ale features raspberries? The aroma greets you with prominent raspberry character, and rich malt with notes of raisin, prune, and a hint of chocolate complement and soften the tart raspberry. The finish is full-bodied yet so refreshing!

Available 2/10/18!

A barrel-aged version of our flagship lager Shimmer Pils, fermented with 100 % Brett funk and released in celebration of San Francisco Beer Week 2018.

Brett Blonde is a slightly fruity, subtly funky Blonde. Notes of bread, pineapple, melon, and Brett funk in both nose and flavor are accented by the zing of cloves. Rounded by pilsner malt sweetness, the finish is dry and refreshing.

Available 2/10/18!

A barrel-aged version of our flagship Uncle Dave’s Rye IPA, fermented with 100 % Brett funk and released in celebration of San Francisco Beer Week 2018.

Brett Dave’s has aromas of apricot and moderate funk. Hops contribute citrus and tropical fruit notes. The flavor mirrors the aroma, with an emphasis on stone fruit and more of that beautiful Brett funk, finishing with a warm touch of baking spice.

“What happened? It’s almost a triangle.”

“I don’t know. It was a circle when I got here.”

The frolicking hops in this hazy Belgian Pale might alter some geometry. Mango, melon, and pineapple aromas and fruity Belgian yeast esters play well together, gently pushing and pulling toward a well-rounded tropical fruit finish with a hint of spice and flowers.

Blenda is a legendary Swedish heroine renowned for her cleverness, courage, and leadership. Celebrate the strong women in your life while enjoying nuances of toasted honey wheat bread and graham cracker in this strong blonde ale.

Bees have five eyes but don’t see the color red. Too bad, they will bumble right by this red IPA, unless enticed by its aromas of candied
orange peel and pine leading to fruity citrus flavors rounded by caramel malt. Colorblind or not, you will be drawn in.

“What’s your favorite double album?”
“Hmmm, I can’t decide. London Calling? Goodbye Yellow Brick Road?”
“Really? Mine’s Blonde on Blonde. Or wait! Physical Graffiti! Bitches
Brew! All of them, sustained complexity, and refined potency that just
keeps on going.”
“Yeah, put something on. Cheers!”

5th Conversation made it’s Discretion debut in December of 2013. Now it’s back and better than ever for an encore performance! The beer is a deep copper-colored Belgian-style Dubbel with complex aromas of ripe fruit and spice.

Woodland Critters No.4 will be released on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 11:30am. This barrel-aged sour blonde ale with stone fruit will be available in the taproom in 500ml bottles and won’t be around for long!

Nectarines and peaches from Kashiwase Farms lend their luscious aroma and rich fruit character, mixed fermentation contributes subtle funk, and oak barrels add structure, body, and soft tannins. This living beer is delicious now and will continue to evolve with proper cellaring.

The Woodland Critters series supports the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters.

Let me be clear. I’m a juicy IPA, but you can (almost) see right through me. A nose of pineapple, kumquat, and lemon flower leads you into a delectable citrus punch, low in bitterness and redolent of fruity hops.

Early Journey is a SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beer featuring Organic Maiden Voyage malt from the newly opened Admiral Maltings in Alameda, CA. We pair this toasty, biscuity pale malt with experimental X-117 hops from The Oregon Hop House. This hop’s grassy, earthy notes pair beautifully with the malt and together make for an exceptional pale ale!

Breezy Season is a hybrid of the Saison and Biere de Garde brewing traditions. Aromatic and spicy, it has an enhanced caramel maltiness typical of the Biere de Garde style, while fermentation with a Saison yeast lends peppery, clove-like, and fruity characteristics. Three months in French oak barrels from Windy Oaks Winery adds soft vanilla notes as well as complimentary caramel and baking spice character. The result is this elegant farmhouse beer that balances the roles of malt, yeast, and barrel.

I am honest and charming, malt-forward with very little bitterness. I’ve been dry-hopped with Simcoe, which gives me a nuanced aroma that will win you over right from the start. Cheers!

Amber, the tree-sap-derived gemstone, can be distinguished from ambergris, a whale product, by the fact that it’s too dense to float.  Ponder this while sipping our amber ale, its malty body hinting at biscuit and toast before meandering towards toffee and dates. Hops lend a subdued and classic pine-focused balance, with a bright and fruity twist to finish.

Continuing our series exploring wild and sour fermentation, we are proud to release Woodland Critters No. 3.

This beer has a rich cherry aroma, moderate brett/lactic funk and subtle almond notes, and a dry finish with some oak-derived tannins.

$2 of every bottle sold will be donated to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters

We all live by the Submarine Canyon, a Grand-Canyon-sized marvel beneath our Monterey Bay. The canyon walls descend into cold darkness, but weird and wonderful life abounds.

In this IPA, fruity hop notes swim with whispers of Meyer lemon and sea salt. Every Submarine Canyon IPA sold supports the work of Save Our Shores.

The idea of hops and sour notes together may seem discordant at first, but one taste will set you on a harmonic journey to a resolution that feels like home. Fermentation lends the aroma notes of spice and earth. Dry-hopping adds tones of lime zest and apricot. The flavor is tart on the tongue, and then juicy nectarine floods the palate.