Newport Beach Chronicles - Volume 3

Logo used with permission

We drove out along the Balboa Peninsula to Commonwealth Lounge & Grill and parked our behinds on the second floor balcony overlooking all the beautiful boats we couldn't afford but dreamed of owning.  The restaurant had three boats docked out back and all of them had the square footage of my house.  It's moments like that where you can feel luxurious rocking out in your Old Navy flip flops and Las Vegas t-shirt.

Commonwealth offers only craft beers on the menu.  You cannot order Miller or Budweiser in this bar.  The rotating stock of beers is a good mix of foreign and domestic craft beers offering a good selection with or without hops.  The night before, I had the pleasure of meeting co-owner Dennis Gaughan and when he discovered my affinity for beer variety he recommended Liefman Cuvee Brut, a big seller at Commonwealth.  Naturally that was the first beer I ordered.  Much like the barrel aged beer from Newport Beach Brewing Company, this beer had a distinct sour start, however it was very sweet and reminiscent of cherry soda without too much carbonation.  The red hue was overpowering and I am even hesitant to refer to this as beer.  I hear "brut" and I think champagne.  So maybe this was sparkling red wine!

After downing the Cuvee Brut I went to something more in my wheel house, the Stone Smoked Porter.  Brewed by the Stone Brewing Company in San Diego, CA, the description of this beer has the same ostentatious aura as the description of all their other beers.  They think they are the best.  After tasting this porter, I can believe it.  The beautiful, dark beer was teasing me all the way from the bar to my table and the smoky aroma that was present in the glass was very inviting.  I must digress here for one second.  The decor of Commonwealth could easily cause one to think they are in a downtown Chicago martini bar.  It is a very classic design with some modern elements.  To me, a smoked porter deserved to be served here, and not some hoppy IPA or anything with the word pale near it.  The new quest is to find Stone brews closer to home.

At this point Dennis actually joined us on the balcony and I was treated to a nice history lesson of the restaurant and Newport itself.  It was a wonderful experience, regardless of the fact that the Todd and Dennis determined to break my Hoosier spirit down and convince me to uproot myself and Michelle for the sweet, sweet life of southern California.  After a few pints not much convincing is needed and you can well imagine the grandiose plans you devise with liquid encouragement.

My final beer of the afternoon was Dr. Tongue, a hop heavy brew from Bootlegger's Brewery in Fullerton, CA.  Unfortunately they don't distribute beer outside of southern California so don't bother looking for it.  As the Todd explained to me several times West Coast hops are unlike Midwest or East Coast hops.  He's been into craft beers for much longer than me so I trust his judgment.  The Dr. Tongue was so intensely bitter and it should have because it was advertised at over 100 IBUs.  Now, the palate doesn't really distinguish anything above 50, so imagine biting into a head of arugula and you'll get the taste of Dr. Tongue.  Ok, that's not entirely true.  What I can tell you is there is a distinct hop difference in California.  Hops locally remind me of grapefruit; hops in California remind me of pineapple.

For those of you who read this and find yourself around Newport Beach California I implore you to visit Commonwealth.  I was heart broken to discover that I was going to miss the big beer dinner they were having in conjunction with Firestone Walker Brewing Company.  Marvelous idea so I'm sure it was a smashing success.