May 13, 2012
Everything about this place was decent - yes I am glad there was a brewpub here rather than no brewpub at all, but I had the feeling that most of the patrons were there not for the micro-brews, but instead for the beachy island vibe, and would be just as happy drinking Bud light and Coronas (as many of them were). The IPAs on tap were decent, but there are so many other breweries in California making far superior beer, that I cant help but feel that this was a hobby someone got bored with. Again, I hate to be too critical, and I always feel the more brewpubs the better, but a true beer person would do themselves much better going to Crow Burger Kitchen a couple blocks away, serving a huge taplist of vastly better and more varied beers with a great staff.

February 23, 2012
Had dinner and beers here on a weekday night. Dark, wood, kind of dirty interior with a couple of bar areas as well as table seating. Service was about average. Selection was good which included some barrel aged offerings and guest taps. Food was ok, typical brew pub fare. Value was good for the area, samplers were a really good deal. This place was an average brew pub, worth checking out but not sure I’d go out of my way to go back.

August 1, 2011
Visited here on a recent work trip to the OC. The bartender was exceptionally cool and was eager to let me try everything they had on tap, especially after seeing how into beer I am. We chatted Newport and other local brews and Dan really knew his stuff. He even gave me a 2 for 1 card for my next visit. The food was pretty good - I had the ribs which were fall off the bone tender. Their brews weren’t mind blowing but a couple of them were tasty.

June 1, 2011
(Visited 08/2010): Newport Beach Brewing is located on Newport Boulevard not too far from the PCH. There is street parking as well as a lot behind the building, and there are entrances on both sides. The inside is very open with a lot of wood and the bar is on one side with brewing tanks right behind it (along with an inexplicably placed Cincinnati Bengals sign). We sat outside on the ground level patio, and there was an upstairs one too. NBB’s beer selection consists of 6 beers including a couple rotators/seasonals. The beers are also available in a sampler tray for $9. They included on my visit a Pils, APA, ESB, IIPA, Barley Wine and Barrel Aged Imperial Dunkelweizen. Half the beers were average and the other half were above average. Service was decent on a late afternoon. The place was not overly busy to begin with, and our server didn’t need to check on us often anyway as we only had the beer sampler. We did not try any food on this visit. All in all this brewpub was a nice stop a coastal-type trip we took that day. Hard to complain while having a decent brew on a patio near the ocean on a beautiful sunny day in CA.

November 29, 2010
Nice beach brewpub/sports bar atmosphere. Some of the beers where not very good, but others were excellent, they had BA imperial stout and stout/barleywine blends, aged in angels share barrels, quite good. Also the bouncer was cool, he enjoyed talking about the beer, the owner even came over and talked for a little while about the barrel aged beers. Very cool. I didn’t try any of the food, but I would recommended this place if you are in the area.

October 27, 2010
Pretty cool brewpub in Newport Beach. Very laid back and chill but has big screen TV’s to watch the game. Only 6 house beers on tap and 2 guest beers. Had four beers and all very good except the ESB which was average at best. BBA Imperial Weizenbock was exceptional. Fried sampler platter was average, but some of the other food coming out was pretty good. Definitely worth a stop.

August 7, 2010
Pretty cool seaside brewery located in what appears to be an old renovated home. Brewing equipment is blended in with the old bar decor. Includes some nice patio seating, and a great menu. 6 of their own beers on tap in generous pourings when we visited. Wait staff was friendly, but a little slow during the busy dinner rush.

April 22, 2010 [ Updated June 5, 2011 ]
Gotta take back everything nice I said about them earlier....Bad beer, bad food, indifferent service. Nice place. Lots of room and a whole bunch of Big Screen TVs. Plenty of parking available. The food was good, the service was quick and excellent. It does have that So Cal beach vibe, but it works well here. 4-9-12-8-8-16

January 7, 2010
Another geat spot on our trip. Nice patio seating outside which is important coming from Ohio in January. Beers were really good they had a barleywine and imperial stout when i was there. Bunch of college fans watching bowl games on the flat screens outside. Didn’t have any food. Overall a great experience and right off the coast.

September 17, 2009
Stop by here every time i’m in Orange County. Lots of dark wood decor with a rustic tavern feel to the place. There is an outside seating area, but you need a sweater to stay comfortable out there most of the year. The year round brews are decent enough, but they always seem to have at least one crazy barrel aged or sour ale on tap. Usually 8 or so house beers on tap with a couple guest handles. Highly recommended.