Event - Valiant Brewing Preview Day

They're officially opening in less than a week! Put February 9th on your calendar for Valiant Brewing's Grand Opening from noon to 9pm (2294 N. Batavia, Unit C, Orange, CA 92865). I was fortunate to get an invitation to their Preview Day yesterday and check out their brand-spankin'-new facility. If you know me, you know that I'm a fan of craft beers. In fact, this is from even when I first started drinking - none of that macro stuff for me! It's been such an exciting time with all these microbreweries popping up in Southern California so you can only imagine how awesome it was to hear about Valiant Brewing Company and how they got started.


A husband-wife team, the creators of Valiant Brewing are seeking to serve Southern California with a line of spectacular beers. Brian and Kelly Schroepfer shifted their interests from race car racing to brewing in late 2007 when a wildfire destroyed everything in their garage including the cars. This hobby of brewing started with a Mr. Beer Kit that was gifted to Brian (also an avid cook - the couple use organic and sustainable when possible!) who soon realized that the batch made was terrible beer. A mechanical engineer, he examined and dissected the science of brewing to perfect ideas in his mind of what good beer should be. When one thinks of a homebrewer, they think of 5-10 gallon tanks but how serious Brian was showed in the 90 gallons in tanks he kept and engineered himself. Then he went to school and graduated in 2010 from the Master Brewers program; since then, the couple has been working to get Valiant Brewing off the ground. Want to know where some of that engineering came into play at the new brewery itself? Brian designed almost everything inside from the pipes to the distribution and brewing systems. Talk about building something from the ground up. It's so efficient that Brian told us a single person could brew by themselves in here. Maybe I'll have to see that in action one day!


Aside from the surprising background of how Valiant came to be and the impressive skills by which the brew method and brewery itself were built, this company shows another gem of a character trait: being family-run. Just about every person I met there yesterday was related to Brian or Kelly in some way or was a very close friend. Kelly's brother, Jack, is the Assistant Brewer. We were served at the taps by Kelly's sister, Emily. Brian's mom was walking around taking care of the guests. Kelly's dad was doing the set-up. Their main photographer, Rick, from day one is a close friend of Brian's. I could list the relations on and on. That keg that I signed at the start was probably full of family names! I love that aspect of it all - the strong support (and skillsets!) of family and friends.


So you might be wondering about their logo and name and perhaps how that all affects what they brew. As you can see from the above pictures, there are definitely bourbon whiskey barrels for aging beers down the line (Kelly gave us an inside scoop that their 1st Anniversary beer will probably be aged in those - we're excited!). Since you know that there are bourbon whiskey barrels for aging, you can probably take a guess that the beers will be valiant! I didn't get to ask Brian or Kelly about the story of the name and logo but I did gain some insight from Jack who, as he said, was just going to tell me what he personally thought about the name choice and logo. I might have to ask the others sometime to see what their side of the story is! The fleur de lis was what had caught my attention; I had wondered if they were from New Orleans or had a strong French tie. Emily explained that it was mainly a homage to their strong Catholic heritage. According to Jack, it is also a symbol of the strength (and valiance) of the French and a good tie-in to their planned staple beer which will be a French ale. All of the beers will be and are quite strong and bold in flavor too as their name suggests.


We had to put the beers to the test, our tongues' test. We wanted to try everything so ordered a sample of each that was currently on tap which gave us the bonus sampler of their English barley wine. Awesome - bring on the good stuff! Our treats for the day were the Maverick's Mighty Ale (3.6% Premium Bitter), 31 Kings (6.5% IPA), and Veranda (8.5% French ale); see? Valiant names. As for the English barley wine, it was a sweet and tasty drink, perfect for sipping gently and just enjoying. All of the beers were fantastic, and we were happily surprised to know we were going through just first batch brews. Brian really has nailed down his recipes, even with needing to scale it up into commercial brewing tanks. Their marketing manager, Elisabeth, who had invited us, had explained to me that Brian really focuses on the bouquet of his beers and making sure that it was an experience in itself. I couldn't agree more as I was able to get a sense of what I was about to drink before it even touched my lips. The aroma was a playful tease in each cup as I caught scents of hops, malt, and passion. Duc and I both agreed that the Veranda was our favorite but we're eager to see more of their line-up. The tasting room is slated to have a full run of 24 taps but with only 10 recipes completed so far, it's going to be a fun challenge for Valiant to compile 14 new and perfect brews. What a rush that is going to be!


Overall, the Preview Day was full of a fun crowd of people. Aside from family and friends, there are media people and beer aficionados aplenty. After all, why would you miss out on checking out the latest Southern California microbrewery? We had gotten there right at the beginning but the party went on from noon to 9pm. Too bad we missed the start of the food from the sushi truck outside! If you're interested, I know there is more up their sleeve for the Grand Opening happening February 9th from noon to 9pm as well.


Duc and I want to thank Brian, Kelly, Elisabeth, and the rest of the Valiant Brewing Company team for having us, and we want to congratulate everyone on the opening. It takes a lot of hard work to turn a passion into a career but hey, that's the dream so cheers on making it!


For you dear readers, I've got something special courtesy of the good people at Valiant. You all have the opportunity to win a Valiant Brewing Company snifter and 1/2 growler (pictured above)! Isn't that nifty? I'll be picking the winner at random Thursday afternoon (3pm) and announcing it on here and Facebook. Just follow the instructions below on how to win:

• "Like" Much Ado About Fooding & Valiant Brewing Company on Facebook if you haven't already
• Leave a comment on this post with your full name, your favorite style of beer, and why it is your favorite
• Get the glassware from me on Grand Opening day if you're the winner! (come anyway even if you don't win!)

Good luck! I hope to have a beer with you all on the 9th!

*UPDATE* Congratulations to Katie Sanborn for being the winner of the giveaway. The Grand Opening was a huge success for Valiant, and we both hope that you enjoy your sexy new snifter and 1/2 growler!

L-R: Minerva Thai of Much Ado About Fooding, Brian Schroepfer of Valiant Brewing, & winner Katie Sanborn

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook.