Barley Forge Brewing

Awesome brewery. They are super friendly, provide quick service, serve good food and have a ton of beers. Love the crazy variety of games and they have lots of space if you show up with 30 loud Indian people. Can’t recommend highly enough. A huge thank you to the staff working from 6pm to close on Saturday, February 6. Thanks for making my husband’s birthday so great :)

I came to meet a friend and I actually really liked it. The parking lot is small, but there is ample street parking.
I loveeeee that they have a popcorn machine and you just help yourself to all the popcorn your little heart desires!
I was bummed they didn’t have fries because it seems to be the one thing I love to pick at when I’m drinking beer.
I started with a hug me stout 3.5÷5
I also got a flight and I extremely enjoyed the patsy ⁴⁄₅ and fugue ⁵⁄₅. Nom nom ³⁄₅ and one other one dahlia or something had a very metallicky after taste which was nasty. I even took a bottle of the fugue home.
Employees were are really polite. Will return soon!

Great place!!! My friend introduced me to this place since her and her co workers usually come here every Thursday night, so one evening I met them. Such a fun atmosphere– great beers and good too. They have a HUGE selection of games, cards, etc for you to pick from and play with! It can get a little loud with the loud music, but it’s a really fun place! They also have popcorn! We celebrated another one of my friends bday ambers and it was perfect– drinks and games! We will be back!

This place is fun! Found this place while walking towards the Saloon bar. This brewery beats that tiny bar any day. Great atmosphere (hipster vibe x100). It gets really crowded at peak hours (6−9pm) to the point where you’ll probably have to stand (and sometimes in odd spots, like next to the bathroom lol) and be a vulture ready to pounce on seats when they become available.
This brewery provides really light, smooth brews – definitely a plus for anyone who can’t take those IPA’s or dark ales. There’s also snacks as well!

Pretty great place to grab a beer. I came here on a Thursday night and it was pretty busy. They have self serve popcorn. I tried the Rye Coconut Stout and liked it. It was pretty smooth and had a good amount of coconut flavor. They were sold out of the Mango Der Biersal… if I ever come back I’ll try that! They also had live music, which I thought was really cool.
They have their own parking lot, but it can get full. There is street parking, but that can also get pretty hectic since this place is right by Commissary Lounge.

What a fantastic brewery! By far one of the greatest I’ve been to in OC. The beer is great, the employees are personable and awesome, and the whole atmosphere promotes socializing and having a good time like few others places do. They have a diverse selection of games and a good variety of food to go with the beers they offer. They even offer free popcorn! The area is very spacious and while the parking lot is limited, there is plenty of street parking around.
Now let’s get to the good stuff. The beers are fresh from the tap and flow like liquid gold! My absolute favorite is the Don Perfecto. I’m not a major beer person but I could drink this all day long. The Patsy is also awesome, and you can get it either nitro or regular (but I prefer the regular a little more).
With the friendly atmosphere and unforgettable beer, this is definitely a sweet spot to have a great time with friends.

Is it just me, or are Barley Forge’s beers less flavorful and lighter than ever before?
While it’s nice to have a brewery so close to home, I really wish BF would step up their craft beer game. It seems like they are trying to attract the masses who are more into the idea of craft beers than the actual beers themselves. On my last visit, my husband and I shared tasters of Glog Glog Glog and Fusty Puckett. Both were so light-​bodied that they tasted watery. We then went for what should be their most full-​bodied and robust beer, Fugue State. It was okay but again lacked body and mouthfeel — very surprising for such a strong beer. We even tried the rye barrel aged Fugue State. This one was better but still left me wanting more.
I think the beer styles they are best at are ones that are naturally light in flavor and body. Orange Curtain is a good choice on a hot day, but being smack in the middle of the cool days of winter, I left Barley Forge wanting more. If you are a craft beer enthusiast like me, I recommend going elsewhere for full-​bodied, flavorful craft beers. But if you are new to craft beer or prefer things light, you’ll probably enjoy this brewery.

A small brewery tucked away from the chaotic streets. But it’s cute and it has everything you need. Food, beers, games (they have a giant connect four!), & free popcorn.
They have lots of different beers on tap & you can also grab yourself a growler. But we got there late Sunday night and they were out of a lot of beers. None the less I still enjoyed what they had left.
As for the food we had the tuna melt & the grilled cheese with tomato soup. Both were good!
I’ll be back to try other beers.

Surprisingly charming place with pretty decent beer. They do the industrial park feel with a bit of 1960s-​era American school room, and somehow has a bit of charm.
Packed after work on weeknights, free popcorn, and tasty stuff like The Orange Curtain (IPA) and some more average stuff as well such as the Don Perfecto (Horchata witbier– I thought it’d be awesome but was underwhelmed); to be fair I think that’s more of a subjective thing…
Food menu isn’t too bad, ditto for wine, but you clearly don’t come here for those things.
3.5 stars, but I’m feeling generous.

Such a fun place for group hang out or a date spot. They have a bunch of board games, but my favorite was the giant connect four/​six. Came here on Tuesday, which is trivia night and it was really fun. This place is hidden in a warehouse area. I got lost looking for it. Parking can be a problem. I parked behind a random building next Barley Forge. Most tasters are $ 2 each. I got two flights of tasters for under $ 20! They have free popcorn which is self served at the water table.

I love small breweries. As most of my friends know, I’m not a huge beer drinker (but learning to acquire it due to a beer loving bf). I especially like ones with clever names and flavors that are not traditional. Barley Forge is my 2^nd favorite behind Noble Ales.
We came on a Saturday and bellied up to the bar. We shared a taster where I got several delicious samples of beer. I tried two: The Patsy and The Orange Curtain. I really liked the Patsy due to the coconut flavor. But both were tasty.
There isn’t a huge board so it is easy to try them all in a night (provided you eat!). We ate elsewhere but the food looked tres gourmet!
I’d come back for sure. Our server was very nice and social and we even saw the head brewmaster there.

Beer is ok, perhaps too fruity. There is food and ample parking. Nice ambience, nice service.
Food is nothing to rave about either. Again, it is about the ambience (similar to other joints in the vicinity).
But their marketing department has done wonders. T-​shirts, food, an old army truck… Why they really want to enlist you! Drink their beer, not the Kool Aid.

Barely Forge Brewing definitely fits the area, and fills the gap of a quaint little beer hall that (to the best of my knowledge) Costa Mesa never got. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but hey, I moved away years ago, I think it’s ok.
THE GOOD.
+ Cute little place with ample seating
+ Tons of lesser known board games to pass the time
+ Legit in-​house music
THE BAD.
— ³⁄₈ of their in-​house brews were sold out on a Sunday evening
— Legit in-​house music that plays too loud for a space with nothing to absorb the sound, could barely hear anyone near me
We left soon after the band started due to the noise (good noise, but too much of it!).

I didn’t get to try the food but they have a hearty list of beers. I made the mistake of choosing a whole pint of the mango hefe which I didn’t enjoy, but they definitely have samplers (which I should have done but it’s quite easy to get carried away with that). Free popcorn and water sitting out, so you can help yourself whenever you like, but you have to order your beers up at the bar! The bathroom was also fairly clean.
One thing they should fix asap is the wobbly tables! It’s really disturbing when there are drinks on the table and it’s constantly wobbling back and forth. Not to mention if you play the games they have out for you, such as jenga, those tables are deadly.
Nice, chill vibe and diverse crowd. The parking lot is small though so prepare to look for street parking.

It’s funny when there’s this brewery right around the corner from your place and it takes you way too long to go, but when you do, you’re like… I’m going to have to add some minutes to my workout to compensate for this… That’s Barley Forge for me.
Hidden on Randolph Ave., right behind the frequently frequented, The Camp, is a small brewery taproom with an incredibly impressive, often changing, (mostly) farm-​to-​table menu. Featuring Dave’s (of Da-​La Ranch) version of a Slim Jim, a Fat Dave, free (perfectly oversalted) popcorn, spa water, a grilled cheese night, veggie pickles, lamb chili, veggie chili… and oh yeah: BEER. All with some pretty affordable pricing.
There’s a healthy selection of standbys and some that you’ll only see for a few days, or hours of days at a time. The Black Dahlia is my jam. Dark Belgian. Yes, please. Their mango heff was pretty refreshing as well. It seems to be a little less available.
There are also games to play because, you’re going to be there for a while.
This is definitely the type of place I don’t even want to review because, seriously, don’t fill this place up, or do, but they’re going to need to expand. It’s a lovely brewery in OC, a welcome addition, and more like an SD taproom than anything I’ve seen here (read: TINY SPACES).
Also, the parking lot is probably full, so you can practice your parallel parking. Good times.

Came here with a friend one Saturday night after visiting the OC Fair. While I still prefer the SD county breweries, Barley Forge is a great alternative if you live in OC and don’t feel like driving the distance. Surprisingly there is a good amount of parking and plenty of seating. The place was packed but that’s to be expected for a Saturday night. I had a beer flight and after finishing it, can definitely say I recommend the Patsy and Don Perfecto, their horchata wit. The bartender was very knowledgable and friendly, more so than in other breweries I’ve visited.
They also have free popcorn and plenty of games, so come with a group to make your visit extra fun!

I’m not a beer snob and I much prefer wine or cocktails. However, my date loves beer so we made it a point to go to Barley Forge to check it out on a Monday. Thanks to Walt M. for the suggestion. The place was busy when we entered but we quickly found a table. You order at the counter and get a number for your food. Beers are poured at the counter and handed to you.
I opted for a flight of beers because I didn’t know which one I would like and he got the horchata beer. I had the Der Biersal hef, Grandpa Tractor lager, Don Perfecto Horchata Witber, Black Dahlia Belgian dark ale, and the Patsy Coconut rye stout. Of the 5, I liked the Patsy coconut rye stout the best. It was thick, creamy, and tasted of coconut and chocolate.
I also ordered the tuna melt ($ 9) and he had the pulled pork sandwich ($ 11). The food was brought out by a very young member of the staff and we were a little confused because he was probably 12 or 13 years old and didn’t look like he should be working at a brewery. The food delicious. I thought my tuna sandwich was nice and crispy with melted cheese. It came with a small side salad. The pulled pork sandwich looked good as well. We had a great time at Barley Forge and can’t wait to return for some more beers.

Local breweries are popping up around Orange County and Barley Forge is definitely a good one.
I visited this past Sunday, expecting a small crowd, but it was pretty busy. People lined up all across the walls, but for some reason, the bar was open; being just a party of two, my boyfriend and I took our seats there and proceeded to have many samples… Many.
Tasters are from $ 2 – 3 each, so we had quite a few before we decided on a full pour. By far, my favorite was their Future Tripping, a delicious DIPA, aromatic, floral and surprisingly subtle with hops. If you’ve been to other SoCal microbreweries, they love to shove hops into everything; the trend may have started with Stone, but now it’s a competition. Having a palate for bitter hops, I don’t mind, but after a while, the intense hops become dull. The Future Tripping was refreshing and gave me a nice 9% buzz.
Piggy backing on that buzz was the El Tecnico and then their Grandpa Tractor and then their Orange Curtain… Tried a lot of their beers and really enjoyed each one. Microbreweries like to experiment with spices and different florals and teas, and Barley Forge does it well without going overboard.
Given the location and hours, Barley Forge is a great candidate for pregaming before hitting up Commissary right across the street to get silly. Their menu is priced well; next time, gotta try pairing their beer with the food menu.
Usually, when I visit a brewery, I stay up to 2 hours max, but here, we kept deciding to get pint… after pint; next thing we knew, we had been there almost 3 hours. We ended up going home with one of their logo pint glasses to add to our collection :3
Highly recommended! Great location and atmosphere, good parking and dangerously close to where I live…

This place is so fun, we came towards the end of the night, I think they were going to close in 1 hour. So we got the tasters and sat down. There was an area where the board games and other stuff was located. The free popcorn was nice to go with my Hef. I put some hot sauce in it for some flavoring, yummy. It was not too crowded at this time and so we were able to drink in peace and have a conversation. The place is simple and I like the usb plug stations against the walls. Smart, that means if people need to charge their phones they can and they might stay longer because of it.
The beers are good and we had two round of tasters so we can taste all their beers. That’s pretty much the way to do it. I definitely like their variety of beers. In SD it’s hop city, some breweries are changing it up, but usually there are more IPA options than any other types of beers. But here, there is beer for everyone.
Will return if in the area.

I was in the area waiting for a friend so, hell, why not wait at a brewery!
Barley Forge is just across the street from The Camp. Found in a quiet set of industrial units, they (currently) serve 10 beers and a few wines. Free popcorn. Free wifi. Free parking. A nice touch they have is that all of their outlets at the counters have USB ports.
It can get a little warm in there at summer time so try to get a table near the enterance.
Parking; they have their own lot but street parking is also available.