The Craft Beer Market
Rincon Brewery is a Southern California based craft brewery that brews Merrick Lager. The craft beer market has grown rapidly over the last 40 years after Congress legalized homebrewing in 1978. As a result, this inspired many beer enthusiasts to start their own small breweries. Today the overall beer market is flat and possibly in slight decline. Many small breweries are closing, but many are also starting up. The number of breweries in the United States continues to rise, albeit at a much slower rate. Many are predicting a “beerpocalypse” as once popular breweries, brewpubs and tasting rooms close.
Rincon Brewery
Rincon Brewery opened its doors in the fall of 2014 in the quiet beach town of Carpinteria, California, striving to provide delicious craft beers and quality food for the local community. They opened their second brewery and restaurant in December 2018 in Ventura and their third in July 2020 in the “Funk Zone” in Santa Barbara, near Topa Topa Brewing and Figueroa Mountain Brewing. The three brands are all walking distance from each other n Santa Barbara. Rincon brews and distributes a variety of beers, including lagers, IPAs, brown ale & more.
Rincon Brewery Merrick Lager
Rincon Brewery describes Merrick Lager as “the perfect beer to follow you on your next great adventure. Crisp and refreshing, light bodied and very easy drinking…carb and gluten reduced.” The beer is a collaboration with Channel Islands Surfboards.
Merrick Lager has a 4.2% ABV. There is no available information on IBU, calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates. We assume these are on the lower side. It has no rating on Beer Advocate but it does have a 3.4 out of 5 rating on Untappd.
Our Review of Rincon Brewery Merrick Lager
I had this beer on tap at Woodstock’s Pizza in Isla Vista, California near the UC Santa Barbara campus. This is the same place where I had the Enegren Brewing Valkyrie. Woodstock’s has a rotating list of beers on tap, drawing heavily from local Santa Barbara area breweries.
My reaction from the first taste was “Eh, tastes like beer, nothing special but not bad.” But it got better as I kept drinking. It had a clean taste with no bitter aftertaste. But as a very light lager with a 4.2% ABV, it was probably a bad choice to pair with a sausage pizza, which itself was excellent. I would have been better off choosing a more robust beer. Merrick Lager is probably best enjoyed by itself or with lighter fare.
See our reviews of Mexican lagers at Dos Topas Lager and El Sully.
For beer nutritional information of all beers we have reviewed see Beer Nutritional Information.
