Clandestine Brewing
Eleven taps carry a rauchbier, an English best bitter and a 4% Irish stout at once, poured by the homebrewers who built the place.
Why go
Smoke & Mirrors is a rauchbier at 5.6%, Boycott is a best bitter at the same strength, Irish Goodbye is a dry stout at 4.0%, and Strong Arm is a Belgian golden strong at 10.2%.1 Nobody builds that list by accident.
Adrian grew up around Avery, Odell's and Left Hand in Colorado and took the hobby seriously after moving out here. His wife Christine watched it consume the garage and then become a business.1 Colin writes software by day and likes piecing the equipment together as much as the beer. dWiGhT Mulcahy, born in Texas and raised in Germany, counts over 200 homebrew ribbons and more than a dozen Best of Shows across California and Texas, all of it won as a homebrewer before this brewery existed.1
There is no kitchen. Food trucks turn up, and the house tells you to bring your own if none is there.
Order this / avoid
- Order: Smoke & Mirrors. A smoked lager on a South Bay tap list is worth the glass on its own.1
- Order: Boycott if you want the session end, Strong Arm if you do not.1
- Avoid: Tuesday. Closed.1
- Avoid: counting on a food truck. Check the events page first, or carry dinner in.1
Good to know
- Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 4pm to 9pm. Friday 4pm to 10pm. Saturday noon to 10pm. Sunday noon to 8pm. Tuesday closed.1
- Food: none made here. Trucks partner in and outside food is welcome.1
Verdict
could-visit — Nobody outside the taproom has judged this beer, so a tap list is standing in for a review. A tap list is weak evidence of quality and decent evidence of taste, and this one shows people choosing hard, unfashionable styles they cannot hide behind. The competition record belongs to one brewer personally and predates the company, so it is a hint about him and not a credential for the beer. Go and find out for yourself.