D.wight L.
Yelp
I totally didn't even know Libertine had an outlet out here in Morro Bay, until I literally stumbled upon it, whilst perusing the strip. I knew they had a spot in San Luis Obispo, but a pub right on the water? Score.
They have 2 spots to drink here. The "bar" which looks like a dark dive bar that has dollar bills on the walls and ceiling as the décor. This is what you'll see first from the street.
They also have a "pub" towards the back, which has a view of the bay, and this spot has tables for food service. Because it had natural light coming through and a view of the water, I chose to do a beer sampling here.
I see Libertine's bottles often at Whole Foods and BevMo, so they distribute well, I just never tried it. It is mostly because they are always "Sours", which I think, I was a little slow getting into them.
Until Now.
I didn't really care for Sours because I don't think California has quite mastered it yet, since it is so new. Sure Europe has their versions but they've been making it for centuries. California has been making it for maybe a...decade at best. But Libertine has passion, and that passion can come around pretty quickly.
I tried a flight of four, I chose one and had the bartender set the rest up, since I am a newbie at this. 2 were just alright, they were just sour for the most part, but one (Double Fantasy) was more fruity and balanced.
But another (Llama Shades) tasted of stone fruits like nectarines, peach and apricot. Sure it was sour as well, but to have something else going on really sold me and started to turn my opinion.
Then I tried a redish hued sour (Possibly Ornamental) which was a Saison style with some wine grapes integrated into it. OMG was this special. It was like how I want all my Rose wines to taste, tart backed by a fruit element with a slight tannin for backbone. Game changer.
I wanted to take with me a growler, but they were out of growlers, womp womp. I noticed they had many bottles behind the bar and asked if any of those closely resembled what I had just tried. Sure enough, at $22 a bottle we were able to find something similar, something that had Zinfandel grapes in the mix. Can't wait to try it!
The place is divey though, even the pub. There's a ping pong table, lots of vintage/thrift store décor like old TV/stereo consoles, that it gave it a Frat house vibe. When I first walked in, I walked back out to see if I was in the right place.
The pub bar also has other taps outside of their sours, so there is a choice. Actually sitting in their bar and tasting for about 40 minutes, 95% of the orders that came in were "guest" beers like IPAs. People literally have no clue on what they do here, and I just feel they can do a better job at getting that message across. Either with a sign or some marketing pointers to get the consumer to turn their head into a specific direction.
Despite the weird layout, I am still glad that I found this place. So now when I pass one of their bottles at a store, I will definitely look at it in a different light.