Native Son Alehouse

Fuck this place stupid ass security guard power trip way to much stupid asshole pushed me an fractured my clavicle I wasn’t even try to fight with him or anything I don’t think people need to be beating there customers up

Stopped by with some friends during the afternoon. They have a good sized patio which is dog friendly. The day that we were there they had a limited food menu due to short staffed. They suggested that we can go to the 4^th street market (just a half block over) to pick up food and bring it back. So we ended up doing that. We’ve been to other places that wouldn’t allow you to bring any outside food. They also gave us a little water bowl for our dog. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about all the beers they were serving. Good vibe and would be a good spot during the summer. It’s upstairs so you have a nice view of DTSA.

Great place to grap a beer in DT Santa Ana. I like the vibe, a little less hipster than the rest of DTSA. Also the fact you can get craft beers by the pitcher is a big plus. Patio is old school and awesome!

The owner told me that they do not tolerate the Irish. I was called «the ‘poorest’ of potato farmers», as if I’ve eaten a potato before… or have been to Ireland… or farmed.
Nevertheless, fantastic selection of craft! Wonderful staff. Beside the blatant intolerance of the Irish; a fine establishment. Recommend any day of the week.
⁵⁄₅ potatoes.

Loving this revitalized DTSA area. Great vibe and pretty decent selection of beer. I found that they have a pretty decent sour selection and most of their beers were a little sour. I’m pretty sure selections change often so don’t know if it’ll stay that way. I love the upstairs patio.

I love you guys. I love your beer selection (which changes to follow the season of beers). I love that you’re upstairs with both indoor and outdoor seating.
I love the nights you have a DJ playing R&B/Soul/Funk music on Funky Fridays. THAT truly fits your image and style. My friends and I always come here for drinks. We live around the area and this is our go-​to spot.

So this place is located on top of the Taqueria place, and to reach it you will need to access the stairs from the side of the restaurant. It has a nice patio that lets you see a good view of Downtown Santa and the beer is pretty good too.
I’m not a major beer fan, however I did enjoy the two beers I tried here. The first was a Sangrioro, which was a more sour beer but it was overall pretty pleasant and not too bad. The other was a Passionfruit one, I forgot the exact name, but it had a very sweet aroma, and had the pleasant smell of what I guess is passionfruit. I enjoyed that one the most and it tasted great overall.

dope place to try a huge list of craft beers.
when wanting to catch up with a friend we couldn’t decide where to go so i decided lets go find this place where all my friends have been hitting up lately. i didn’t realize it was next to the playground so we stupidly parked super far and walked at around 10pm to this spot. dtsa was a ghost town on a monday night but this was one of the few places open. walked up the super dark side stairs and low and behold this really cute outdoor area for lounging overlooking the streets of dtsa and a clean interior with a nice big bar.
now initially i walked and almost walked out because i didn’t realize it would ONLY be beer. well, i decided today was the day id drink some beer (since usually I’m into my cocktails). i hate going to places to drink beer because i always feel like a noob asking the bartender what its their best recommendation for someone who doesn’t really like beer… they’re probably thinking why is this girl here?! but the woman working was a really nice and with the long list of craft beers i of course had to ask. she was chill but took her job seriously and knew what she was talking about. she asked what kind of flavors i liked and gave me a few samples. i settled on «winter abbey spice» ($ 6.95) for those who are into fruity type flavors that aren’t too into beer i recommend this. still has the beer taste but low key.
for $ 6.95 i received a good amount of beer which i appreciate. lots of bars over charge for drinks and give you small portions but this was perfect. shoutout to the dope bartender who helped me out. will return when i wanna show friends the hidden gems in dtsa!

Great location that overlooks 4^th street. You can get a nice view if you find a seat on the patio. Beer selection is great for the area but when comparing it to other spots in O.C., Native Son Alehouse falls a bit short. The Menu can be hard to follow even during the day but this could easily be remedied with color coding the price with beer or drawing lines to section them off. Don’t even bother if you come at night. It can get quite busy after work hours and almost impossible to find a seat. Food selection is lacking with it mainly being finger food like chicken wings or fried apps. They have lives bands that play on the patio and even though welcomed, expect to hear a little ring in your ear when you leave. Highlight of my visits? Saw Christopher McDonald, Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore, hanging out on the patio one Friday night.

Beer is great and the patio is a cool place to hang out but the girl last night just seemed awful she was a bartender a bit short not sure her name but I would not come back there was no friendly customer service. Bartenders are suppose to smile be friendly and welcome people especially if you want the bar to make money. It’s not like it was busy I don’t see myself coming back here again although I loved the place and location.
A recommendation for her would be smile a bit ask your customers what we would like to try and don’t just stand there when there’s people waiting to be helped.

This is always the first stop my group of friends and I make when we go out to DTSA on a weekend. Great beer selection and throwback hip hop music. Doesn’t get too packed, and there’s usually room to move around.
Pros:
++ Variety of beers from sours to reds to IPAs. They also have seasonal varieties like pumpkin and habanero.
+ They have a bunch of tables inside and out so you can sit down and chill with your group of friends.
+ There’s usually some live music.
Cons:
+/​-​Not really a place to dance.
— Half of the alehouse is a patio so it gets pretty cold if you’re not near a patio heater.
Overall, Native Son Alehouse is a great place to relax and try an new beer if you’re in the DTSA area.

Oh time to get all native and belong to an all natural feeling at Native Son Ale House. Its clean décor, but savvy style, brings fresh and creative craft beers into super good time fun in Downtown Santa Ana.
The place is happening, especially on Saturday nights, with beer connoisseurs who know what they like, and then peeps like me, who go with whatever sounds good. The hubbster and our drinking pals, came in on a busy night where the place was out of control (in a good way of course) there was a line for beers, but it gives you time to decide what would be the best for your palate. Locals are all around, and because of the excessive outdoor lounging patio area, We all had an awesome time with 2 – 3 rounds and hanging out. There is plenty of space out in the balcony area to guzzle up and converse the night away. The beers we went with were superb in flavor, bite and uniqueness. Ranging from an IPA, to blonde, Hef, and a Sour. it was a tasty brew of a trip. A+ for tapping us out!
Perks: Great variety of local or popularly known brews. Outstanding patio/​balcony space for groups. Great space for live music for any local bands.
KNOW before you GO: All beers here are on Tap. Also, menu can change, so be sure to ask if the beer you had last week, is still around when you come back. The food dishes are not anything fancy like dinner entrees. Mostly sandwiches, speciality fries and app items like wings, but are delish!
OverALL: The primitive beer spirits are a calling. Head to this alehouse for a good quench and good times. We will be back!

This bar is right across the street from the yummy Playground. Came here on Thanksgiving eve with the best friend. We arrived around 7:30 pm and it was dead but by 9:30 if was popping even for a holiday week. They only serve beers here and like two or three appetizers. People were bringing their own food like pizza and burgers. I wish I had known that before because we could have brought our own food. But I like the concept of BYOF! Most of the seating is on the roof outside. The night I went, it was freezing! But it was really pretty sitting outside. Plus I think sitting inside would be hectic because the line to get beer is always so huge!
It’s a pay at the counter than sit typa place. I tried the New Belgium salted caramel brownie ale first. I liked it but it was way too sweet. Bestie got the Sierra Nevada and we ended up getting a pitcher of that soon after. Prices vary from beer to beer but it’s definitely cheaper to get a pitcher. Tipsy at this point, my friend and I both picked a beer for each other. My friend picked the Lagunitas for me. Yuck! It tasted really blah and it was a light beer and I hate light beers. I picked the Firestone walker for my friend and don’t think she liked hers either. Ah well, you live and learn ;) we were starving so we ordered the fried jalapeños. They weren’t spicy at all and I think they were bell peppers, not jalapeños. But we were hungry so scarfed them downnnn and they were only 6 bucks.
There was a variety of people entering, so that was fun! When we first arrived, we sat at the table on the roof near the balcony, but it got really cold so we moved to the bar. I prefer sitting at the bar at this place so you can order quickly instead of waiting in line. There’s a parking lot right behind the bar and I think it was $ 5. Not too bad since you get real close parking.
The bartenders were cool ESP the Asian dude. I didn’t like my Lagunitas so he let me change back to Sierra Nevada for free. Bathrooms were clean and the entire bar was clean. The vibe is super chill and totally OC. I’ll be back when I just want beer and next time, I’ll BMOF! :)

This bar is just so much fun! It has a great view of the downtown shops. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. On the weekends there is usually a pretty good band playing at night. I love that they have a good variety of beers here and that they are local beers too! Food is also offered here but I haven’t tried it yet… But it does look yummy. The crowd is mostly a mix of hipsters both young and old.
Definitely check this place out!

Went here on a beautiful Thursday night & had a great time!
They have a wide selection of beer & wasn’t too crowded. It was a good amount of people to have a beer & enjoy live music. The music wasn’t too loud nor was the crowd so it was easy to have a conversation with whomever you may be with. It’s a cute & cozy place.
The girl there was very sweet & recommended me to get the Saison & all I have to say was… DELICIOUS! My cousin got The Pumpkin Spice & I’m sorry but not my style beer :/​
This is a perfect spot to go with a group of friends or coworkers & lounge :)

No air conditioning! W0MP W0MP
Came here during a super hot weekend in hopes of getting my hands on a cold beer and escaping the heat– at least I got one of those LOL
With the patio seating, the doors and such were just left open. I sat at the bar and the worker was this super nice blonde girl who was really helpful! They have a great selection of beers and its where I discovered Saison beer which is a pale ale with fruity or spicy notes to it (they have one from Stone there), so if you like cider but want something a little stronger or with more of a bite I highly suggest, it was really refreshing :)

This place is what summer is all about. A cool place with a great vibe where you can hang out with your friends and take advantage of warm days and nights. It took me a while to get here even though I know their tap list is always stellar, but when I went I was happy that I did.
Native Son is above a taqueria on 4^th street in Santa Ana. The entrance is weird and you might think it’s some sketch speakeasy or something. When you arrive you’ll quickly notice that the inside isn’t’ anything to rave about. It’s kinda dark and just some tables and chairs. Then you go outside and you see how cool this place is. Patio lights, communal benches, and an area that looks like a little living room make this such a cool place to hang out with friends.
The tap list is stellar. They don’t have the usuals (Sculpin, Stella, something from Stone). They have stuff that you’ve probably been looking for on tap and you find it and you wonder how some beer place in Santa Ana got their hands on a keg of some amazing beer.
The only thing I wish is that the staff was a little nicer. It seemed like I waited forever while the girl behind the bar was in a full conversation with some guy that probably was a regular. Oh, and I’d probably eat before I got here. The menu wasn’t all that great.

Located on the second floor above the Taqueria and across the street from Playground, I finally made my way into Native Son Alehouse. I had just finished up dinner at 4^th Street Market, so a beer sounded like a great choice on a Tuesday.
Weekdays are very slow. The patio is super spacious with seating around the perimeter, a communal table along the center resting on barrels and of course, seats inside and at the bar.
The selection of beer is pretty solid. I was in the mood for something sour and got to sample a couple on the list. I mentioned that I had visited Stone’s Sour Fest recently, so the conversation escalated, but in a good way. The guys at the bar really know their stuff!
In the end, I selected a Dogpatch Sour off their bottled list. The Almanac Farm to Barrel series is always stellar.
I will have to return again to see what else they’ve got on rotation.

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ESSENTIAL TIPS & EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
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# It’s right above Taqueria Guadalajara on the 2^nd floor of the building. The building is right across the from The Playground and to access the 2^nd floor, go up the black staircase with the metal gate on Spurgeon St.
# Native Son has a long, respectable list of craft beer on draft. The menu is easy on the eyes too since it’s written in colored chalk. I don’t know why, but something about writing in colored chalk pleasantly pets my eyeballs. Is that true? I don’t know. Is that weird, descriptive language I used? Yes. Come here to pet your eyeballs with color!
# I know that Native Son can’t carry all of the the craft beer selection that exists in today’s gigantic marketplace and as much as their list is respectable, it never carries very good to excellent craft beers on a consistent basis. They have good beer however I’ve never been able to find an incredible double IPA or delectable cream ale here. You will find double IPAs, cream ales, stouts, and whatever you like, but not the best in the market. I understand though because to get top-​notch beers, the establishment must have connections with the breweries.
# The outside patio/​balcony is inviting and relaxing. Electric lights are strung overhead and long wooden tables spread themselves in the middle for people to gather by. There are seats near the railing where you can watch the people below on the ground floor move to their respective destinations. You’re hanging out on vantage point towering over strangers with a beer glass in hand. It’s okay, you’re safe now. You can call them peasants from your tower, young prince.
# Live band plays rhythmic music on weekend evenings, which pairs well with the ambience. My only complaint though is that it’s really loud and can wash out your train of thought as you talk to your friends, desperately trying to convince them that you’re funny and you fit into the group so you can get invited to the next outing at Native Son. Just kidding. You’re better than that. You tower over peasants from your vantage point, remember?
# It can get busy here at night, which is an of course on weekends, but it’s never been uncomfortably filled with people where I’m rubbing elbows. There’s plenty of open space to move around, it’s just that you may not find a chair or table when it’s busy, that’s all.
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MY EXPERIENCE:
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My old high school friend introduced our group to this place. He said he came here all the time because he knew his other friend that works here. Although my friend is back in D.C. right now, I can’t help, but think of him every single time I climb up the stairs and stand around with a glass of beer.
There were times my friend came here earlier than me or the rest of the group so he would go gangster on me and text me some cute phrases such as «Where you be at?» and «I’m at Native Son, yo.», or «You best be here.» Sometimes I catch myself going through my glossary of grammar in my mind when I get his texts, asking myself does that make perfect grammatical sense?
I then overanalyze every single word in those texts up to the point they lose their collective English meaning (because that’s the way I am) because I’m breaking up the greater sum into its tinier lesser parts, then my eyes go out of focus, and I space out wondering if I’m even here right now. Am I even speaking English? How do I know if I’m even speaking English correctly? I’m either hyper-​aware of my world and myself or I’m Jaden Smith saying things like «how can mirrors be real if our eyes aren’t real» or «trees are never sad, look at them, every once in a while, they’re quite beautiful». At least I know I’m not Jaden Smith because I don’t go around showing up at weddings in a white batsuit. The fuck is wrong with that kid? Sorry, I mean batkid.
Le sigh… my problems are my problems while his problems are his. I can’t really do anything about it because in the end I can only ask you «Where you BE AT… I’m at Native Son, YO»

A cool craft ale house in Downtown Santa Ana. They have an extremely extensive beer menu. Most of the beers are OC & San Diego locals but they also have a few Torrance & LA beers.
Prices are also really cheap. You can get a pitcher of beer for about $ 18 which serves about 3 – 4 people.
If you like beer and you are in the area stop by.