Waganupa Brewing in Chico

I recently mentioned that Chico only has one brewery despite being larger than Bend, Oregon which has approximately 460 (don’t Google that, just trust me). As of last week, we have more than one brewery! Waganupa Brewing has been making beers in nearby Chester, California for a couple years. Now they’ve shut down their Chester taproom for the Winter and tunneled through the snow to Chico.

Having a beer with Dane, brewer and lead glassware wrangler

We stopped in last week to check out the new location. They have a nice little taproom conveniently located near Chico’s best bottle shop, coffee shop, and gym. Here’s what they had on tap:

NorCal Common – If Waganupa has a flagship beer I suspect this is (or will be) it. Clean, smooth, and loaded with flavor. There aren’t too many California Commons out there, but this stands amongst the best.

Blueberry Saison – Subtle blueberry flavor gives way to a very well done Saison. I can’t decide if this needs more blueberry or is perfect the way it is.

Ginger Saison – The ginger is not subtle in this Saison. Lots of ginger flavor compliments the Saison flavors very well. They’re really nailing these Saisons.

10# Brown Stout – A very smooth stout. Well made and drinkable.

Rusty Squabbit Coffee Stout – Similar to the 10# Brown, but with lots of coffee flavor.

1325 Session IPA – I’m not usually big on Session IPAs. They tend to sacrifice any hint of balance, tasting like hopped up water. 1325 seems like a Session IPA in ABV (4.4%) only. It is one of the best Session IPAs I’ve had, surprisingly balanced and flavorful.