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As I approach 20 years in the business of serving craft beer and fresh fish, once upon a time in Berlin, Germany in 1990 with Sigma Nu brother Jay Poplowski from Arizona State it was born. Who knew??!
And on the wall of the new TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room wall is a story:
Upon graduation from Arizona State I commonly frequented breweries and enjoyed the food, beers, and ambiance they offered. But I always thought they could be better and more refined. On a trip to Berlin in 1990 with some college buddies, I had a life-changing moment that synced my future to the world of beer. On a German sidewalk café, I had my first true Bavarian Hefeweizen. The notes of banana, clove and bubble gum hit my palate; it was a revelation on what beer could be, and I was forever hooked.
Once back home in SoCal, I began researching local craft breweries. Simultaneously, I began moving away from the corporate world to follow my dream of pursuing hospitality. When my family agreed to back me in a full-service restaurant, the concept started as a high quality, refined brewpub. That would later morph into a fish house and oyster bar, but would always be anchored by beer. The first TAPS Fish House & Brewery opened in Brea in 1999.
Eighteen years and almost 100 medals later, TAPS was at a fork in the road. Our talented brewing team was creating world-class ales and lagers, but we had hit a brick wall in terms of production from two overworked breweries (TAPS Brea, TAPS Corona) and the ability to supply TAPS beers to outside distributors. So the concept of a dedicated brewery and tasting room evolved and the process of finding the right real estate began. After viewing 4 locations over a period of 3 years, we hit pay dirt when we discovered the perfect site here in the city of Tustin.
Our new venture with a facility of this magnitude allows us to centralize all of our brewing operations, and team, in a self-contained environment, completely devoted to further perfecting our craft beer. Brewing, bottling, kegging, cold storage, wood barrel aging, online sales, and distribution are now under one roof and will greatly enhance productivity and quality control.
We want to share this new TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room with our loyal guests and followers and have created a relaxed tasting room experience with vintage pinball, billiards, video games, and an inviting patio featuring Kornhole and a large fire pit. The TAPS commitment to quality food is delivered from our custom-fabricated food truck with a limited, but eclectic and creative menu written by Executive Chef Roman Jimenez.
Prost!
– Joe Manzella
Founder & Proprietor
TAPS Fishhouse & Brewery
TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room
The Catch
View the full menu.
