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What do you think distinguishes TAPS beer from other breweries?

The great thing about TAPS is we have complete creative control over the entire brewery. I’ve never been tol no to any malt, hop yeast or equipment request. We are using more than 10 different yeast strains, beautiful Czech, German and British hops, some West Coast hops for Cali Gold XPA and IPA. Crisp Maris Otter, Weyermann Pils malt, and Belgian specialty malts. We do over 40 different styles and we complement them with really amazing food. You can have a Doppelbock and pair it with a beautiful filet or ribeye. Or have a Cream Ale with lobster tail and great salmon. Our burgers are fantastic as well.

What sort of impact will your GABF showing make?

It’s certainly a nice pat on the back. We went the past two years without winning any medals at the GABF. We did well in ’05, ’06, ’07. If anything it puts us a little bit more on the map. Craftsman has been making great beer for years, and The Bruery opened up a couple of years ago and has gotten a lot of well-deserve recognition. We’ve been here for 11 years making some really nice beers. A lot of places in California are making some great beers. Southern California has great brewers and breweries, Tustin Brewing, Main Street in Corona, Alcatraz, Newport Beach Brewing, they’re just a bit harder to get to. It just gives people more of a reason to come to Orange County and Southern California.

Who are some other brewers you respect and how come?

Obviously Sierra Nevada because they’re such a pioneer and have inspired so many home brewers to become professionals. Tomme Arthur and Jeff Bagby. San Diego has a rep for only making hoppy beers, but when you look at the range of styles they do and win for at GABF, it’s astounding. I love breweries that do ales, lagers, session beer and some extreme beers.

What are some beers that you typically enjoy drinking?

Usually when I’m out, it depends on the location. I still love Hoegaarden, because it was created by Pierre Celis, who’s one of my heroes, though his Celis White was much better. I also love Saison Dupont and Delirium Tremens. Locally, I love Firestone Pale 31. At its freshest, it’s just absolutely amazing. I love The Bruery guys’ beers, like Oude Tart. As a sour beer, it’s absolutely perfect, got a nice body, and the oak adds cherry pit fruitiness. The balance is amazing. When I go to brewpubs, I look for lagers. I’m not an extreme beer guy. A lot of what we do is Vienna Country Lager, Helles, Belgian White and Schwarzbier…balanced, more sessionable beers, though we do the big stuff as well.

What’s the latest beer you’ve been developing and what’s your approach been?

One of the latest beers we did was Remy, which won silver at GABF, an Imperial Russian Stout aged in bourbon barrels. It’s got beautiful vanilla and coconut notes. We’re now considering playing with our Biere de Garde. I went to La Choulette last year, a classic biere de garde producer. Horndain, northeastern France. Their beers are very lager like, but just a little corky, and a touch Belgian. I was considering aging ours in a Pinot barrel.

If you could only drink one more glass of beer, what would be in it?

Augustiner Dunkel at the brewery in Munich. Beautiful, malty, toasty, rich and balanced. I don’t know if it’s my holy grail beer, but it’s just beautiful.

Would you eat anything with it?

Without question, I would order their schweinshaxe, basically a pork knuckle. It’s got an almost perfect chicharron-like skin on the outside. They put a liqueur on it, flame it so it’s crispy, and on the inside, it’s the most succulent pork. It comes with potatoes and it’s basically a heart attack on a plate. So if that’s the way to go, I’d be pretty happy.