Chuckalek Independent Brewers - Ramona

Cool brewery in Ramona! You can order food next door from the Thai place eat it inside while you sip on their delicious beers. Nice bartender. Great selection of beer. also, an awesome pit stop if you are on your way to Julian. Flycaster (Helles Lager): Easy to drink! Pumpkin Oatmeal Stout: Strong pumpkin flavor delicious.

This review wraps up my three brewery tour of Ramona and Julian, after Smoking Cannon Brewery and Nickel Beer Co. Located in the same strip mall as the best Thai restaurant in Ramona (really, it is a good Thai restaurant , the ChuckAlek main brewery is a lot smaller than the ChuckAlek Biergarten in North Park. In contrast to how beautiful the North Park location is, this spot seemed cramped, dark and ugly but to be fair it is just a typical brewery tasting room in a commercial space. There were ten beers on tap. Since I had had several ChuckAlek beers before and this was the end of a long day, I limited myself to three tasters on this occasion. From my memory of my experience at the North Park location, I had expected more. Something that bugs me at breweries is when I let the staff know that something is wrong with a beer and they just defend the beer. That 's what happened on this visit, when I pointed out that the altbier tasted oniony and peppery definitely not part of the altbier style. The bartender tasted it himself and said, Yeah, I see what you mean. I 've never thought about it that way before, but that 's just what this beer tastes like. Then your beer is bad! Don 't look like a fool, just say, Thank you for the feedback, I 'll talk to the brewer, even if you disagree with the customer 's critique. Automatically comping a beer that the customer thinks is off should be a no brainer, too, even if the customer is wrong, but that didn 't happen in this case either. The $2 wouldn 't have mattered to me, but I bet the gesture would have changed the tone of this review.... About 1000 people per day read my reviews on Yelp, so I 'm guessing the net effect for ChuckAlek will be a lot more than $2. (That 's not a threat or a brag, just pointing out that you never know what kind of ripple effect less than stellar service is going to have, so always go above and beyond. Anyway, despite the service lapse (I don 't even mind that that beer wasn 't right, that happens even at the best places, like the last time I was at Mikkeller in Miramar , this is a spot worth checking out if you are nearby. The North Park location is a lot better, though, so you can probably save yourself the trip to Ramona.

LOVE this place! Great assortment of interesting beers (not just IPAs which are too hoppy for me). The best testament to how fresh the beer is was that I didn't have my normal headache that I get after only one beer. I had a porter that was outstanding and the prices were very reasonable as well. This is a small town gem, don't miss it!

ChuckAlek delightfully tasting beers that will be appreciated by any beer enthusiast! I had the honor to visit this brewery in Ramona. I appreciate the small town warmness this brewery has to offer. I quickly made friends with fellow patrons. Most great breweries have humble beginnings and if they don't what is really gained from over night success? I like Other Local Breweries like GreenFlash, Saint Archer, Ballast Point, just to name a few. ChuckAlek possesses something that sets them apart, personality and a story for every beer, along with great taste. If you have a broad palette this is the place for you. I look at the beer as an adventure. I can go after an IPA almost anywhere. Why not travel some of the roads that haven't been traveled in some time? [hidden link]

Last night was the Summer Reserve Party and 4 course beer pairing dinner at ChuckAlek. Good attendance, with fantastic pairings chosen by Cicerone Erik and Chef Adrian Moor. First course was a four ounce taster of the new summer reserve Bavarian hefeweisen, all yeasty and yummy, paired with a shrimp escabeche, a ceviche style cold salad of shrimp cured in citrus served on a corn tortilla tostada style with fresh avocado crema and chipotle aioli to compliment. Each was absolutely delicious on their own and in the combination. Then, while waiting for course #2, time for a pint of Oaked India Porter on cask. I should have shot a video of the gorgeous pour expertly performed by Marta. Makes Guinness look lame. Such beautiful pinpoint foam with no added gas of any kind. Delicious! Get some before its gone! Next was Pork belly steam bun. Chef Moor did a great job on this delight. Basically a blini filled with juicy, tender pulled pork belly, topped with a coarse cut slaw and cucumber strip with a dash of hoisin to give it a little more flavor texture. The blini was perhaps a bit doughy, but in all and given the challenging pop up kitchen situation, well executed. This was paired with the brewery 's Breton porter and the malty goodness complimented the pork and slaw. The third course was a slice from an absolutely beautiful cut of Black angus Tenderloin. It was as picturesque as it was tender and delicious. This was served over cooked carrots and summer veg, orrichette pasta and feta, all topped by a fesh chimichurri sauce. A killer combo. The supporting veg was every bit as tasty as the meat. How often does that happen? Paired was ChuckAlek 's La Cappellana, a classic ale, which was light and didn 't overpower the delicate flavors of the dish. Last course was the true experiment of the evening. Beer A Misu , a play on a classic tiramisu, but bolder and tastier made with the brewer 's beer and, get this, essence of brewers malt in the whipped cream topping. Sounds odd, but was an earthy delicious taste that truly befit the evening without being over the top. This was paired with their 'Conductor ', a delicious Baltic Porter. Strong and stout to complement the sweet dessert. A dessert offering truly worthy of a four star eclectic food establishment on the coast. And then, like a Ronco ad, wait there 's more: two quart bottles of the Summer Reserve Hefeweisen hand bottled, signed and numbered by founder and brewmaster Grant himself to take home as parting gifts from the show. Can 't wait to get one out of the fridge during the heat on Sunday or Monday. Fantastic meal, great beer and good company. Great eclectic folks all enjoying the tastes and magic of the evening. I hope this becomes a recurring activity! Well done Grant, Erik, Marta and Chef Moor. Only missing celebrity was the infamous Buttermilk!