Docent Brewing — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

I was gifted a beer from Docent Brewing this week and enjoyed it. Wanting to support a local business near my own I went online to review their product line and place an order. When I clicked on the “ONLINE ORDER” page I was disappointed to get an error message that read: Menu not available at this time. Items cannot be added to cart. Well darn. So much for the website’s message directing me to “ORDER ONLINE HERE AND PICKUP AVAILABLE.” I decided to phone them thinking I would place an order for pick-up and try a variety of their beers. Seemed like a good way to surprise my Thanksgiving dinner guests with something special. But guess what? Docent Brewery do not answer their phone, they make you listen to an outgoing message that provides their physical address, hours and a request you DO NOT LEAVE A MESSAGE, go to their website or visit them on Instagram. Augghhh!

Okay fine…I’ll go down there, do a taste testing and buy the beers I like. I arrive on a Sunday evening near sunset and there’s no parking. Oh…there’s parking spaces with signs that read NO DOCENT PARKING alerting you to expect a towing if you park there. I left cuz this was aggravation I didn’t need. Decided midday on Monday would be a better time to try again. I returned today, parked and entered (passing a sign that referenced beer tastings) with plans to purchase six of their large cans and six of their smaller cans of whatever beers I liked. Nope. Docent won’t let you test taste an ounce of their 16 beers…you must order 4oz samplers. I said fine, Sell me one sampler of every beer, I’ll try em at home (cuz I don’t drink & drive) and then the young man explained they don’t come in 4oz containers, ya gotta drink em there. Now I have been drinking beer for 40 years and never have I ever been denied a taste of a new beer by any bartender. Docent has what? 16 different beers? If I wanna “test taste” them I must commit to buy 64 ounces of beer? Why not charge a 16 oz price and poor single ounce taste testers for new customers. Most breweries would comp these as a marketing deduction but not Docent…they just say no. At this point the effort to purchase their product had become an exercise in futility so for the second time I left empty handed.

All business is about relationships and making customers feel appreciated and their business valued. I own two local businesses that are decades old and thriving because we place consumer satisfaction first. Docent is not being run like a business, more like the hobby of a sophomore in college. I was prepared to drop $200-$300 on their large & small beers during my first purchase and they made it impossible. This easily could and should have been a five star review if they had simply allowed me to test taste their product and take some home for the holiday. Instead I am deducting one star for a website that doesn’t function properly, one star for refusing to answer your phone (might as well disconnect the thing since customer care isn’t in your interest), one star for inadequate parking and another for placing false signage offering test tasting when what you are really selling are flights of beer. That’s different than a taste test. I cannot believe how much time I wasted trying to buy Docent’s beer! For a company operating in one of the most competitive consumer markets there is (craft beers) Docent went out of their way to leave a bad taste in my mouth. If I ever try their product again it’ll be because it was gifted to me. I won’t patronize a business that doesn’t value customers. Docent sets the customer care bar so low you need a shovel to see it. I doubt this place...

Came to Docent Brewery for a special fundraising outing. The locality is off the beaten path and a bit of a maze to get to. It's towards the back of an industrial complex. As a first timer, GPS will surely help locate Docent Brewery/Public House. Inside there is the typical bar with barstool seating, but then there is the lounge with plush couch seating, booths, bench seating for bigger parties, and a foosball table leading into a small enclave in towards the back of the that ends in a singular Pinball table.

Upstairs, there is a nice rectangular sized loft that can be rented out. The loft is a good size and fit up to about 30+ adults with one park bench table, about 4 small round tables and along the walls are bar stool seating that overlooks the taproom, which I think is was a great design idea. There was also enough room to have a full size shuffle board table and Flat screen TV to keep everyone entertained.

Beers: The Stallion 7.5%, Extra Pale Ale 6.2%, The Peel Top 6%, Double Nickel 5.5%. All the beers were excellent; each with it's own unique taste. The Stallion was the darkest with a bit sweeter taste at the end, Extra Pale Ale a bit hoppier, The Peel Top a more citrus profile and the Double Nickel the lightest of the bunch I've tried here.

Food: There is food here. Unfortunately I didn't get to try any, but what I saw...

This brewery is a hidden gem. Very cool spot to grab some beer and food. This is the main Brewhouse for this company. They also have another satellite tasting room/brewpub. The atmosphere for this place is excellent, especially for being in a business park. They have a huge selection of beer on tap. Really a style of beer for everyone. There is plenty of comfortable seating to choose from. The staff was really helpful with choosing beer fro. Their massive list.

If you enjoy the brewery feel, this place is definitely for you. Bring a jacket if it's cold. There is upstairs seating, lounge seating, bar top seating, and outdoor seating. On the back side of the building parking can be tight and sparse. However there is plenty of parking on the front side of the building and on the street just a short walk away. There is really only this brewery in this industrial complex, so it's a good things that they have a good size menu of food to choose from.

It seems very family friendly, big picnic benches to accommodate large parties of people. They also do quarter poor, so if you are a tasting enthusiast, you can try all. Of their beers without spending a fortune. Restrooms for customers, spacious facility. Very well...