Refuge Brewery

Microbrewery in Temecula, California, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: Refuge Brewery - Out of business

Established in 2012

Closed in 2023

Contact
43040 Rancho Way #200, Temecula, CA, 92590, United States
Description
We came up with the notion of opening a brewery while homebrewing one Saturday morning in Curt's garage. We had one simple idea we wanted to live by. Take the ideas and concepts of old world Belgian breweries and blend them with modern brewing techniques and styles. The result is a brewery full of unique beer, brewed without traditional rules, and often using fresh seasonal ingredients.

It took months of long nights and hard work to build the brewery, but in December 2012 we officially opened our doors. We had a stubbornness to build everything our self and this mindset went all the way to Curt Kucera designing his own brewing equipment. This would ultimately be the starting groundwork for what would become Ss Brewtech the following year.

In the coming years we signed on to distribution with Stone Brewing and began to distribute our beers throughout California. In 2015, we became the fastest growing production brewery in California. In 2016, Refuge became the largest brewery in Temecula and all of Riverside county. That same year we leased the suite next door (11,000 sqft total) to take the brewery to the next level.

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6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
20th Dec 2017, part of a Flight at the brewery. Was intrigued to see what the Cranberries would come out like, well they didn't come out at all (not on my uneducated pallet anyway). Looked fine, slight redness to the amber pour, wispy topping. Citrus fruits ruled the roost aroma and taste wise, no pine trees were harmed brewing this beer (or piney hops) as far as I could tell.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 14:34

7.1/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
20th Dec 2017, part of a Flight at the brewery. Amber/brown pour, wispy off-white head. Hoppy little bugger, fruity, piney in the nose. Taste is a pleasant balance between the malts and hop content. Nothing to get excited about, but a very nice beer all round.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 14:27

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Pint at the brewery on 20th Dec 2017. I love O'fest bier and this did not disappoint at all. Mahogany body, so a little darker than usual, off-white affair on top. Malty front in both the nose and taste, light floral, grassy hop notes below the surface aroma and flavour wise.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 14:11

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
Part of a Flight at the brewery on 20th Dec 2017. Deep amber body, wispy off-white head. I was hoping for a 'Gin and Tonic' flavour, when I read the brewery tasting notes, but that was not the case. What I got was a very pleasant beer, leaning towards malty sweetness yet tempered with some light spiciness and hop bitterness. Liked it.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 13:56

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
20th Dec 2017 at the brewery. My son had a pint of this and I helped him with it! Red hue to the copper/amber body, off-white crown on top. Malt content won the aroma stakes, caramel like esters oozing from the glass. Taste is also on the malty sweeter side the hops only coming into their own late in the mouth to give the finish a slightly bitter and dry feel.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 13:50

7.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 8
20th Dec 2017, part of a Flight at the brewery. Using Zythos hops and now sitting at 6% ABV and an IBU of 35. Golden pour, wispy white head. Malty molasses rule the nose and taste, some citrus esters from the hops in the undergrowth between the hairs of my nasal passages. My sweet tooth took to this as the sweet maltiness came through in the taste, again overpowering the hop content.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 13:36

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
On-tap at the brewery on 20th Dec 2017. Misty light orange body, white crown. Lightly spiced nose, wheat also coming through along with some citrus fruit esters.Taste also mildly spiced, wheaty and orangey in flavour. Nice and refreshing.
Tried from Draft on 27 Dec 2017 at 13:27

6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Pint at the brewery on 20th Dec 2017. Light golden pour, wispy white affair on top. Mild hoppy aroma with that Pilsen malt adding very little in the nose. The taste however does feature the malts, but only as a background to the hop content. Easy drinking unoffensive Bolnde.
Tried on 27 Dec 2017 at 13:19

5.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
Cask at GBBF'16, day three, 11/08/16. Golden orange with a moderate off white covering. Nose is bitter orange, mango, bread dough, straw. Taste comprises astringent bitter notes, toasted grains, orange peel, lemon. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, drying close. Not great.
Tried from Cask on 24 Sep 2017 at 04:29

6.2/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
(Tap) cloudy, pale orange colour with a small white head; aroma of lilies, hint of sourness; balanced flavour with a long, light tart and bitter finish
Tried from Draft on 13 Sep 2017 at 16:55