READ ARTICLE

BJ’s Handcrafted Beer was first introduced when our Brea, CA restaurant opened in 1996 and we continue to take great pride in the unique, award-winning craft beers that we create for our guests.

The story of bj's handcrafted beer

If you frequent BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse around the holiday season, you’re probably already familiar with BJ’s Annual Grand Cru and likely looking forward to its return this season. While you wait, here’s the story behind this sensational Belgian-style Pale Strong Ale that we have all come to crave, savor and love.

24th Annual Grand Cru 

We are very excited and honored to have received several awards at the 2015 North American Beer Awards!

2015 North American Beer Awards

Around 100-150 years ago, finding a craft beer in the United States was relatively easy – with thousands of thriving breweries, it was a simple matter to head to your local and have a pint or two, then head home.  The downside?  Finding a great craft beer could be a little harder. 

Beer Logistics – Getting It To The Glass! 

We are very honored to have received a Silver medal in the Kolsch category  for BJ's Brewhouse Blonde® at the 2016 Can Can Awards. The Can Can Awards are a beer competition focusing exclusively on canned craft beers from across the U.S. and Canada. 

BJ’s Brewhouse Blonde® Wins Silver At The 2016 Can Awards

I sure enjoyed sharing several BJ’s beers with the Beer Guys, Tim and Brian. 

Have You Checked Out Beer Guys Radio? 

There is no better beer to feature during American Craft Beer Week than our American-Style Pale Ale: Piranha® Pale Ale. This acclaimed ale has won 8 medals in the category of American-Style Pale Ales at multiple award competitions and festivals. Piranha is always on tap as one of our Signature Beers.

Piranha® Pale Ale - American Craft Beer Week

We are thrilled to have tapped a seasonal favorite that has been away for a little while; welcome the return of NitWit®! This refreshing seasonal beer is a traditional Belgian-style Witbier that literally means “White Beer”, and it is phenomenal.

Nitwit® Belgian-Style Witbier

The new BJ’s Brewhouse Beer Club has been on my mind a lot lately, even in my dreams. Of course I’ve been thinking (and dreaming) about the beers, both upcoming releases and what we might add for next year and beyond.

Introducing BJ’s Brewhouse Beer Club 

As the winter fades and spring draws near, the time to brew one of our favorite seasonal beers is upon us. Prickly Pear Honey Wheat Ale is back! This seasonal is an American style Wheat Ale that is dry-hopped with Loral hops and infused with the fruit of a prickly pear cactus.

The Making Of Prickly Pear Honey Wheat Ale 

In the past couple of years, IPAs have taken America by storm. Everywhere you look, there are more and more IPAs popping up. As IPAs continue to gain popularity, Hop Heads all over the country are experimenting with recipes that take IPAs to new levels of intensity--higher IBUs and ABVs. 

Committed™ Double IPA

For this year’s annual collaboration, the BJ's Brewing Team had the opportunity to work with one of the pioneers in craft beer, Sierra Nevada. When I was first told about this possibility, I was excited to say the least. 

Our Newest Seasonal Beer: Mountain Hop Ale™

Pint Class Videos

As American Craft Beer Week continues, we have to feature a definite BJ’s Fan Favorite: Nutty Brewnette®. Nutty Brewnette is an American Brown Ale that we are quite proud of. 

Nutty Brewnette® - American Craft Beer Week 

Collaborations are often a great opportunity to explore new ideas in brewing and open a world of possibilities. I say “world” because BJ’s Brewhouse recently had an amazing opportunity to participate in a unique collaboration on both sides of the Atlantic with Bryggeri Helsinki in Finland.

Collaborations Open A World Of Possibilites, Cheers! And Kippis! 

In collaboration with Colorado Malting Company, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse in Boulder is proud to announce the release of Wild & Crazy Rye. Colorado Malting Co-Owner, Josh Cody, and BJ's Head Brewer, Aaron Stueck, have set out to make history by brewing the most authentic Sahti ever brewed in America. 

Wild & Crazy Rye: Authentic Finnish-Style Sahti

We couldn’t have it be American Craft Beer Week and not feature one of our fans absolute favorite beers: Jeremiah Red®. This 

Jeremiah Red® - American Craft Beer Week

All you beer fans will be happy to know that we are currently serving our late winter seasonal brew Oasis Amber in our restaurants. This wonderful American Amber Ale was introduced in 2010 and is already proving to be a favorite among our guests.

The right beer at the right time! 

Great news for fans of great beer—our newest Gold Medal Winner, BJ's A&M Honey Bock, is officially on tap! This beer was a particular labor of love for me. In 2018, I visited Northern Bavaria. 

Our Newest Gold Medal Winner 

BJ’s Silver Bock™ is the beer our brewing team chose to celebrate a very special anniversary—25 years of brewing! It sure doesn’t feel like that long ago that we brewed our first batches of beer in Brea, California. Have I really been brewing beer for BJ’s for a quarter century? This must be proof that time flies when you’re having fun.

Celebrating 25 Years Of Brewing With Bj’s Silver Bock

The North American Beer Awards (NABA) were held this past Saturday June 6th, 2014. This was the 18th year for the awards, hosted by the North American Brewers Association. 

2014 North American Beer Awards

The Great American Beer Festival was bigger than ever last week, including hundreds of new craft breweries. Throughout the course of the three-day festival in Denver, there were 750 breweries in the festival hall serving more than 3,800 beers to more than 60,000 attendees. 

Two Gold Medals For BJ’s At The 2015 Great American Beer Festival! 

In celebration of American Craft Beer Week; a truly great week indeed, we are featuring some of the craft beers that we serve at every BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. 

BJ’s Brewhouse Blonde® - American Craft Beer Week 

Our Newest Seasonal Beer: BJ’s Enchantress Golden Pilsner

While many associate Wheat Beers with Germany, the Belgians put their own spin on a beer incorporating wheat over 400 years ago—Witbier! This now traditional ale of moderate gravity and strength gained its defining characteristics not only from the copious use of wheat and Pilsner malts, but also from the additions of bitter orange peel and coriander. 

BJ’s Nit Wit 

It’s always interesting to see how new beer styles evolve from their infancy, and the New England-style IPA is no exception. At BJ’s it culminated in BJ’s Zany Zitrus® IPA.

2022 Zany Zitrus 

The Great American Beer Festival, like the name suggests, is the biggest beer festival in the United States. Not only do thousands of people come to sample all sorts of beer, but hundreds of breweries enter their beers into the competition that awards medals in 92 different beer-style categories. 

Gold And Bronze Medals For BJ’s At The 2016 Great American Beer Festival! 

Another year in the books, and another successful Great American Beer Festival for BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse!
The Great American Beer Festival grows larger year by year, with new brewers and beer enthusiasts from all over. The BJ’s Brewery team could not have been more excited to pour our craft beers for so many new craft beer lovers, as well as for old friends.


BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse’s A&M Honey Bock Earns Gold At The Great American Beer Festival   

BJ’s Beer Club

BREWHOUSE AMBASSADOR BEER BLOG

Beer is a big part of who we are at BJ’s, and each month our talented team of brewers will share their thoughts and insights into the wonderful world of beer in What’s Brewing at BJ’s.&nbsp;

Beer Blog