It's all about the Summer Salt and the Foxies Cherry Gose. Love this spot! It's super clean, modern, and the beers are delicious. I would say this is more of mellow beer lovers spot as they only have three IPAs on the menu. My last time around I sipped the Summer Salt and the Foxies Cherry Gose. The Summer Salt is great for a long hang and a laid back afternoon. This would be a great beach beer if they canned it. The Foxies Cherry Gose is a sour, which normally I'm not a fan of, but this was delicious. The cherry flavor is there, but faint. Truly a great mix of the cherry and sour flavors. This would be great with some fresh fruit or something sweet. There's no kitchen at the brewery, but you are allowed to order food from the surrounding food at The Camp. The Camp is an attached mall and food court area with pizza, tacos, and sandwiches spots. Last time I was here, Taco Asylum was actually taking orders at Salty Bear and bringing you the food. A wise man once said, "which bear is best?" WelI my friends the answer is, Salty Bear. read more

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The Salty Bear brewing company is a brand new brewery to me! I didn't even know they were around until my friend posted a pint of beer with a logo I didn't recognize. They're located on the same street as Gunwhale ales and Barley Forge. Leaning more along the lines of ales. The atmosphere is chill with an island vibe music (Friday about 7pm). Place was packed with patrons inside and outside on the patio outside. Beers are mainly ales, but also vary from Gose's to I've seen one porter so far. I tend to lean towards the stronger ABV and Belgian Styles and Salty Bear has a great Belgian strong ale. Unfortunately there is no food cooked here, but fortunately food can be brought in or ordered since they are right behind the CAMP, Costa Mesa. Check this place out! read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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The newest addition to the street is giving the other breweries a real run for their money! The tasting room has an open concept and is beautiful. Let's talk beers. The coconut pale ale is very tasty and made me feel like I was somewhere tropical. It's light and has a clean finish but the subtle toasted coconut flavor definitely comes through. Just wonderful! The space is very modern with seating and tables indoors and outdoors. The outside has a cool tepee that makes for some cool pics. Also they have a super cool large dream catcher painted on wall. Hang out and have a beer close by, maybe it's catch all bad dreams for you. They have loads of parking, although when I came it was very busy. Overall, I had a great time here. Tasty beers and cool space to chill with friends. Definitely check it out. read more

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Used to frequent Barley Forge but it's usually too crowded now and Gunwhale Ales has yet to impress my husband so we decided to check out Salty Bear (since it's also right next to Bootleggers). Can't go wrong with $6 beers, friendly beertenders and an amazing open plan layout! The beers were delicious and we loved that they all cost the same. The outside seating area was quite popular that evening due to the nice weather outside and it looked like it was dog-friendly. We were there about a week after opening and there were enough customers to make the place lively without being crowded. I suspect after their Grand Opening (6/8), it will get a lot busier! Can't wait to stop by again and perhaps go on a walking brewery tour (Salty Bear to Bootleggers to Gunwhale Ales to Barley Forge). My favorite: Half Full Porter His favorite: Big Guy Double IPA (best bang for his buck he says ..) read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Wish I was in town this weekend so I could go to this! - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Hood beers and a fun space, however I came here on a rainy and cold night so it wasn't probably the typical vibe. They clearly have garage doors that could be open and I'm sure is fun during your typical California weather. A little cold for these weird cold days but I can see this being a fun spot to hang on warmer nights. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Super cool, hipster location near a few other breweries in Costa Mesa. It was packed when I got there but I was lucky enough to snag a spot at the bar. The beer is great I had the Oso and my friend got the Havafu Strawberry blonde which was super tasty with just a tiny hint of strawberry. This establishment lets you order food from The Camp which is cool. The outside was packed as well, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. I might come in next time and try a flight to see what they have going on. My gripe about this place was that the bartenders were gossiping literally within earshot of customers and I noticed there was half eaten personal food behind the counter which kind of irked me a bit. I would hope that they aren't eating while pouring. read more

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Got a hat Hat was super nice Beer was great Sometimes they have tacos and live music outside Ppl like bringing their dogs here. Very dog friendly place Also perfect place to wait while you're in line for Folks Pizza Mmhmm 10/10 would recommend this spot read more

It's within a block of both Barley Forge and Gunwhale, so brewery-hopping is super easy. Salty Bear is tucked away in the back of a building, but worth finding. There's a large outdoor area with a teepee! There are a few TVs inside, but not many. You can also order food from the camp, which is right next door. Several parties ordered from a pizza restaurant there and it was delivered to them. You have to wait in line at the front to order your first drink (at least as of June 2019). If you leave a tab open, you can just lean over the bar and order your next round, rather than having to go wait in line again. Not sure why that is - never seen that anywhere else - not being able to just order from anywhere along the bar. Pints are $6 regardless of the beer and the alcohol content ranges from 4-8%. Great deals! Tasters are also available for a lesser cost. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Narwhal Blonde Ale - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

What a great local spot to enjoy libations all kinds. What I mean by that is beer! We came here on a Sunday and though there was a lot of people that served very quickly. It's really cool as they share the space on the backside of some restaurants that allow you to go in and buy food. Very convenient. Love the design the cleanliness and the surroundings of this brewery. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Beautiful California Decor - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Three of us stopped here for the first time. My buddy got the Jedi hazy and loved it. I got the light lager to mix it up. Great beer. Oh, the service was great and the vibe was just right. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Light lager. - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Have been to salty bear several times now and am disappointed almost every time. The service is not there. Felt as if we were annoying the beertender by coming in for a beer 40 minutes before closing time. They also served our beer in plastic cups, which is a huge bummer when you're paying to enjoy a nice craft beer in a glass. (They resort to plastic cups because they don't feel like washing the beer glasses, even when it's a slow night) it's not ethical and it's unnecessary waste. read more

It's mostly outdoor with a food truck or a bbq set up. Parking is tough but the entertainment is always great! Worth it!

Do you miss dining/drinking indoors? Well, this brewery may be for you. Finally a location that actually allows you to, not only order indoors, but remain indoors to enjoy your drinks. If outdoors is more your thing, they do have a very relaxing, spacious area as well. Staff is friendly, beers are not spectacular but decent. Prices are very competitive. Food can be ordered and delivered, as there is no kitchen on site. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Beer menu - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Our families favorite local brewery the staff is great the beers are awesome and the patio always has great food and entertainment

Overall a casual and good experience - decent selection of drinks and ample seating, but we wary of finding parking. I thought the ambiance was decent when we were here, lots of open air and outdoor seating, pretty good for accommodating midsize groups. Service was also pretty standard, they were busy but still remained friendly overall and were good about clearing empty glasses from all of the tables. The parking situation here was pretty poor, though this isn't the fault of the brewery - plan accordingly and carpool, walk, or take ride share! I'd recommend stopping here if you plan on doing a chain of tasting rooms, or even a casual afternoon bar crawl since they're good about space and pretty fast with their service. One bonus that was nice was that they seemed to be very dog/pet friendly, with many people having pets both inside and outside the building. This could be good or bad depending on your perspective but I think it's safe to assume that there will always a a four-legged friend or two regardless of when you go! They did have visiting vendors in their outdoor area, which I think was the real star of the show along with their inclusion of live music. My friends tried the food they had and though very highly of them, but they're technically a separate business so I won't include that aspect in rating this brewery experience specifically. Like I said before, this place is pretty solid overall and is worth considering if you're looking for a casual afternoon or evening of drinking! read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Strawberry Blonde - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Excited to try out this brewery after dinner! I was glad I did. I'm a sour or cider girl which they did not have. But they had a horchata beer that I thought was delicious. My date got the stout which wasn't too heavy in flavor like most stouts tend to be. The waiter who helped us was friendly. Although he did seem a little on tired side. I wished he would of gave more input when I asked him questions but nevertheless, he was a nice enough kid. They have limited seating inside but there is an outdoor dog friendly patio. That was the best part. Having a drink and just watching the dogs interact. It was an adult only dog park that served alcohol. We had an amazing time watching my dog play with his new pals read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Dog friendly patio seating - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I went back to visit this brewery, they still offer good quality of beers, good selection and at reasonable prices. I asked a couple o friends to meet up with me to catch up, but the music is so loud we couldn't hear our voices standing 2 feet from each other, we had to move outside which it was cold. Not sure why the music has to be so as loud as in a night club. We are going to take this brewery out of our rotation for a while. read more

Delicious IPAs! They're now open post QT and they're not doing much in terms of limiting the number of people or requiring masks but everyone is self policing to a moderate extent so it's not all bad. It's also not as crowded as usual so I didn't feel too alarmed tossing one back on a Friday night. Parking is almost always a nightmare that keeps me from coming back too often but parking is definitely not an issue these days. If you haven't been, come check it out! read more

This is an up and coming favorite brewery in the area. It has a very lowkey vibe and all my friends enjoying hanging out here with some great beers and tasty fried chicken. I feel comfortable here especially since the pandemic hit. read more

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Stumbled across this cute brewery by accident. Ava was an amazing bartender with suggestions on what to try. The patio is super cute and the vibe is very welcoming. We will definitely be back!! Pro tip: grab some food from Folks to go and eat while enjoying some brews. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Hazy ipa and raspberry lemonade seltzer - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Fun! The outdoor patio is great. You can even bring your pups and kids. They have pizza but you can also bring your own snacks to share. Vibe is casual and beer is great. read more

The vibes in this place were sublime. Great place for friends and family to gather, great beer. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Strawberry creamsicle nitro, can't remember what my boyfriend got, tech-deck we found under the table. - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Cool spot. And amazing outdoor seating and heaters. Got the hazy ipa here and it was great customer service is amazing

Been going back and forth on writing this because I love this spot but can we please honor the hours of operation? Been turned down a handful of times because they did an early last call. I get it we all want to go home but I stop by for a quick good beer and the vibes and keep getting denied (30min+ before "closing"). I can drink a beer quick and tip well just tell people yes but you have x amount of time to finish it. read more

The drinks/beers here are very good. A good majority of the ipas can be very perfumey in flavor and after flavor. However the light beers are perfectly malty and dry. Definitely a great small and tight place to hang out and feel close to your group or partner. The bar top is long with plenty of seating. The service is quick and accurate as well as patient! This location is between many food locations AND food trucks! There was a hotdog truck there with his catering food service, he made AMAZING hotdogs that melted with a gentle bite. He operates the 909 market instagram. Look him up! The rice lager here is my recommendation. Tastes like nothing! Poundable beer. Almost dangerous. read more

I really liked the atmosphere and branding of this brewery. It was actually larger than I expected it to be, and they have a cute outdoor area too. There are a lot of beers on tap, but I tried the Summer Salt IPA, Blurry Bear Hazy IPA, and Leroy's Guava Kolsch. None of these were too heavy and had intricate flavor notes. I liked them all. Everyone in our group agreed that the Bear Paw Blackberry Hard Seltzer was nasty, so pass on that one. They do not offer flights, but do 4oz. pours for $3 if you do want to taste a variety. They don't have food but you can bring your own or get it delivered. It's right behind the Camp and across from the Lab so you have plenty of choices nearby. They close strictly at 11pm and do last call at 10:30 which they made very clear when our group arrived at 10:20. I felt like they were aggressive about it, instead of informing us in a friendly way. They were also aggressively doing a lot of cleanup and closing up before 11 when there were still a lot of patrons inside. I get that they have to clear our drinks at 11, but it was really off-putting. I really liked the beer so I would return, but only during the day. read more

Cute little brewery in Costa Mesa. Both my boyfriend and I loved our beers. You are able to sit inside or outside with your pup too! Great place! read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Beer maybe 4 stars. Service 1 star. Shame the bartender service is so terrible. They must not vet their bartenders very well when hiring. I'll just go to Green Cheek down the street from now on. read more

This Brewery is awesome. They have very reasonably priced beer and seltzer, very cozy seating inside, and a livery beer garden outside. The outside is very pet and family friendly and even has live music and food vendors on weekends. I highly recommend the huckleberry lemonade and the platinum blonde for drinks. The parking for the Salty Bear can be a little rough because of how popular the area is, but the street on Randolph side usually has parking. On the days/ nights where the Salty Bear does not have food vendors, I would suggest walking from the brewery to nearby restaurants at the camp which are amazing. Folks Pizzeria and the Taco Stand have some of the best food in O.C. Finally, if you are looking for nearby drinks I would suggest the Huddle (a dive bar with pool and other games) and the old vine (more classy bar/ restaurant with great wine and cocktails). read more

Ample seating, great service, and tasty beers! The location isn't ideal, but I'll swing by again when I'm in the area! read more

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Great vibe! We sat outside and El Brewjo was serving smash burgers and tots. It's probably the best burger I've ever had, sorry Bobby Flay. So well seasoned as well as the tots. Now the Beer, I started with the Pass it on Hazy IPA, very good with hints of citrus. Then, I moved onto their wheat beer. I would call it more of a witbier, than a so called Cali wheat beer. If they would serve with an orange, it would be bliss! My wife had the Huckleberry Seltzer, and thoroughly enjoyed it. A very close 2nd to the brewery across the street is what I was told. Highly recommend, and will definitely be back. read more

Love coming to this brewery when I visit Irvine! They had a coconut beer one time I was visiting, and I always am waiting for them to bring it back (it was so so good!). They have a nice courtyard in the back with a bunch of tables and shade. The inside is nice as well. I recommend coming here for a beer! read more

Such a great place for an afternoon hang. Good beer with a constantly rotating menu and nice outdoor atmosphere. They love dogs too which is a bonus. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Billy - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Salty Bear? More like Salty Bartenders. I walk up to the bar with my friend, and these bartenders are just standing there as if I'm invisible. After standing there for five minutes with no other customers asking for drinks, I waved my hand at them to get there attention and they just walked away without any acknowledgement that they'll be right with me, and tended to other customers who clearly had their glasses still full of beer. We figured it may be because they were busy, but as I looked around, to me there were hardly anyone lined up or ready to order more beer. So we shifted to the other side of the bar to see if we can get their attention. Again, one of the same bartenders that ignored us the first time walks passed us and serves these other people next to us that clearly arrived after us. So we asked this guy to help us who seemed to be working as a bartender too. But he told us he can't help us because he's just a brewer and walked away without even telling one of the bartenders that we were waiting. Funny thing is when we asked him, he literally just served two existing customers more beer. Confusing. 15 minutes later of literally sitting at the bar with hardly anyone at the bar asking for drinks, I get the bartender's attention and she finally asks what we wanted. She did not seem friendly at all towards us and no eye contact. Yes, you could have your bad days and things might get busy for you, but these days, a customer's first impression is everything. Since I told her that I'd like to close my tab, she put my credit card in the machine and handed it to me to sign, but the machine had issues because of network connections. I kept trying to call them over for help but I noticed all of them were in the back away from the bar and drinking out of water bottles. Eventually I figured it out after resetting the machine, so hopefully it went through. I was so confused and wondered if it was because me and my friend were one of the few Asians there. Because as I looked at all these non-Asians getting immediate requests and the nice friendly greeting or smiles, you can't help but think this was a racial discrimination thing. And I sure hope it isn't, because California/OC is a pretty diverse area. Regardless of how cool this place is and how much I really wanted to like it, I won't be back. I've lived in NYC before and been to breweries/bars way busier than this one and you get the cold bartenders from time to time.. that's understandable, you're dealing with a lot of people. But this was hardly the case that night for me that night. Eventually you should have the courtesy to acknowledge a customer's presence and say you'll get back to them. Work on your customer service and treat everyone with respect. We genuinely came to Salty Bear to support your new business and have a good time. Instead, we felt really unwelcome and "Salty". read more

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One of our favorite places to spend a chill evening! The beer selection is really good and the vibe with occasional live music is lively. They have a good backyard and inside is cute too. Friendly staff. The only complaint really is that there's no food, would be good to get at least some bites and snacks like fries etc. Sometimes there's a food stand from a vendor though. read more

These guys are really smart to plop their brewery smack dab right next to the camp. With a step and railing leading from one to the other.(there should be a pay parking garage in this neighborhood by now what's the deal??). So much to do around here. Cool deco and fun bright brewery. Well lit and designed. We liked the beers we had and the staff was friendly and helpful with the menu. No food here but it's a stones throw to 6+ places to eat. Cool massive dreamcatcher and teepee outside to give you an extended camp feel. Cool neon signs outside and alot of different types of places to sit inside and outside. This place is going into the normal rotation now! read more

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Been here a couple times, both times short stints, not nearly as long as I wanted to stay. Literally almost canceled my Sunday afternoon pilates class (late charge of $15) just so I can stick around for longer and watch the Angels game. I enjoyed the cherry gose and the guava kolsch. I am, by no means, a beer critic but I've liked what I've had so far. Combined with the relaxed atmosphere and the sports playing on the big screen, I could see myself just hanging out here all Sunday afternoon, possibly nursing a low, steady buzz and snacking on food from The Camp. (Recommend pizza from Folks, btw. Carbs to soak up the alcohol and keep you from falling over the edge into full wastage.) The people who work here are pretty mellow, too. Kinda goes with the theme! Not chatty Cathy's if you're looking to cure loneliness but friendly nonetheless. Good beers, great spot to hang out at. When it gets cooler, I want to chill in the teepee all afternoon, maybe take a nap in between beers. Ignore my snoring. read more

Always feels like the right place to be at. Just the right amount of people with beer that's just lil overpriced but no one gives a care. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I've had Salty Bear on my list since it first opened. Outside, the lights and signs are pretty cool. It really makes the brewery easy to find. Went into Salty Bear on a Saturday night. I will start by saying that was a huge mistake! This place is small and their line location makes ordering hectic! Everyone seems to get their beer and then just stand right by where you order. This creates mass confusion. Anyway, their specialty is more of English style beers. More malt, European hops, and more mild style beers. By mild, I don't mean weak. I mean they don't smack you in the face. Honestly, the only beer I liked a lot was their ESB. It had a decent malt profile and was something you could kick back and enjoy. Their other beers were fine. Nothing was life altering. Honestly, I would consider this a 3.5 star location. I marked down half a star due to their line structure and the fact that I didn't "love" their beer. I will go back during the day sometime so I don't feel like I'm drinking in a sardine tin. I want to try it again once they have been open a bit longer. read more

Salty Bear Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This is my FAVORITE brewery. They always have the best, most creative fruited beers. It is a must try!! The outside space is super cute and they have entertainment and food trucks on the weekends. read more