It’s been close to a year since our last review of Bootlegger’s Brewery, so when word spread my way that the ‘infamous’ Kogi Truck would be pulling up to their doors last night, there was only one course of action- calls where made, a car was filled with beer lovers and the trip north to Fullerton was on!
As we approached, a line of people could be seen spilling from the brewery’s small parking lot and out into the street. The line was originating from a simple food truck with just the word Kogi on the back and more people where arriving every minute. So since everyone seemed to be caught up in getting food, we easily slipped into the tasting room and quickly grabbed some good OC craft beer. Since their expansion, the selections made available to week-end visitors has grown dramatically and with so much to choose from, we decided to kick off the night with some high-octane ales:
Cherry Chernobyl [11%abv]
This sour ale was aged for 12 months in second-use bourbon barrels, over a 50/50 blend of sweet & tart cherries giving it a nicely complex flavor and a lovely ruby hue. I am a sucker for a well-done cherry brew and this, my friends, is a VERY well-done beer!
Bourbon Chaos [11%abv]
Taking their popular Belgian-style beer Golden Chaos [8.5%abv], the brewers at BL aged the golden ale in Heaven Hill barrels for 20 months. This beer has aged very well since I first sampled it in ’09- it is smoother and has that nice sweet bourbon flavor that makes a person really love this type of beer w/o the burning sensation you seem get from many bourbon barrel releases that come out recently.
By the time we ventured back outside to sample the truck’s wares, there where 32 people in front of us and most (if not all) had intimate knowledge of what was in store for us… except us. As a matter of fact, I found that quite a few of those standing in the cold where from out of the area and had no idea they where at a brewery. When the couple in front of us found out what was inside, the boyfriend promptly said ‘I’ll be right back’ and, leaving his girlfriend behind, made a beeline into the taproom- not to be seen again till it was almost time for him to place his order. Most here in SoCal, including myself, have seen the Kogi truck on their local news getting rave reviews, but since their travels bring them to Orange County less frequently than areas of LA, few have had the opportunity we had on our visit to Bootlegger’s. Between the group of us we sampled a pretty good selection of what they had on the menu and NONE of us came away disappointed, but over all the favorite of the night was their Short-rib Tacos! OH SO GOOD.
Here is what Kogi has to say about their unique approach:
Born from late-night hunger by founders Mark Manguera, Caroline Shin-Manguera and Chef Roy Choi, the Kogi truck is a traveling Los Angeles landmark that serves up Korean Mexican tacos, day and night.
Spicy Pork Tacos, Kimchi Quesadillas and Short Rib Sliders satiate the hungry mouths of Angelenos who crave excellent food on a dime budget. Quality Korean barbecue meets traditional, homemade tortillas and fresh veggies to create a taste that carries the rhythms of LA street culture and exudes the warmth of all that California sun. Under the direction of Chef Roy Choi, Kogi has developed a menu that delivers high-end food at street level prices.
Twitter is used to communicate truck locations and Chef Roy Choi’s daily specials to well over 50,000 loyal followers. Add some wheels to the mix and you’ve got yourself a restaurant that geographically responds to the flavor of the crowd – from Silver Lake to Eagle Rock to all the way down to Orange. Currently Kogi operates 4 trucks – Azul, Verde, Naranja and Roja – and fresh out of the kitchen at the Alibi Room in Culver City.
Our stomachs filled with Korean BBQ, we moseyed back up to the bar to see what else we could find… this round we stuck to the standard ABV:
Silence of the Yams [6.8%abv]
A Belgian spiced ale brewed with yams… yes I said yams, but don’t let that turn you off to this great beer. And don’t think that this is something new to the brewing world- with Purple Yam Porter from Trade Route Brewing Co. and The Bruery’s Autumn Maple on the scene, Silence is joining some real nice company.
Lambic #4 [5.5%abv]
Aged in Hungarian Oak Zinfandel barrels, #4 is a pleasantly tart sour ale with light apple notes and not overpowering. While the ladies in our group are not partial to this style, the rest of us gave it the ‘thumbs up’ and went back for more.
It Shall Remain Nameless [6.5%abv]
When I asked about this beer I was told ‘it’s just a light Belgian ale’ but that is an understatement. This beer sits on the verge of being too rich and just right- to be honest, my pallet could not decide which so I just kept tasting… and tasting… and then my glass was empty and all I could think was ‘Damn that was a yummy, easy drinker’, then I kicked myself in the ass for using the word yummy.
’76 Old Ale [7.6%abv]
This delicious ale is very true it’s roots with light coffee & chocolate flavors in both flavor and aroma. I drank this one quite fast as we where leaving for the night, so that is all I have one it. Guess you’ll have trot down to Fullerton and try it yourself- before the tap runs out.
The Bootlegger’s taproom is open to the public Thursdays from 4PM to 9PM, Fridays from 4PM to 9PM and Saturdays 2PM to 9PM- Closed Sunday through Wednesday. In addition to specialties like those we sampled, they also have year-round and seasonal offerings that can be found at your local bottleshop. Since we covered them already, I’ll point you to the breweries website, so you can check out the details.
