Kevin C.
Yelp
After seeing their success winning Gold at GABF in the hotly competitive Lambic/Sour category, I knew I had to come by and check it out for myself. Sadly I wasn't able to try their award-winning brew (El Sur), but they had plenty of tasty options available as well.
The ambiance is nice, the service was absolutely wonderful, and the location is somewhat easy enough to find and to get to. Not much traffic going out this way either, which personally helps.
They are the kind of brewery that seems to rapidly change their selection as the seasons, barrels, and whims of the head brewer change with it. This seems like if I still lived in Ventura County, a perfect place to frequent regularly and experience the full range of techniques and creativity they have to offer. My favorite kind of breweries are like this, they always seem to have some new trick or inspiring flavor.
I had the Buck Saison. Normally Saisons are a bit boring to me, they are the Sour Ale's dressed down cousin. But not so with this one, it's the best Saison I've ever had. The Buck is incredibly tart and exciting, fruity, but with a strong cutting buckwheat edge to it that balances out the finish very nicely. All of Casa Agria's beers take special care, from what I could tell, to give you a full experience; on the nose, the initial taste, the savor, the finish, and the aftertaste. A lot of beers are one or two note, but the Buck hits me with something different throughout every bit of it.
Next, I tried the Cherry Llorona, an amazing Gose which was again very tart (they have a theme going here) for its category, but herbaceous and complex. Easily the best Gose I've ever had. Such a great idea.
Finally, I had a little taste of the Can't Beat The Biz Triple IPA which was a collab with LIC Beer Project in Long Island City, NY. Triple IPA's are a hit or miss, this was... Not my style. Some combination of hops that are extreme just end up making them taste like I stuffed my mouth full of raw hops, and that's actually not a very pleasant experience, let me tell you. SoCal's over-obsession with raising IBU's at the expensive of taste is not something I'm a fan of. I love IPA's, but when they have properly matching malts or interesting combinations with things like citrus peels and spices. Still, it was an interesting IPA in many ways, just kind of one-note extreme hops for the most part.
Overall, an incredible experience I suggest to anyone in the area. Definitely go to Casa Agria!