Welcome back to The Bar is Low! Next up, Helmsman Ale House

 Helmsman Ale House, Newport Beach, CA

Welcome back to The Bar is Low! We’re on week two of reviewing bars, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey. 

Let’s get into it! For my second review, I made my way to Helmsman Ale House in Newport Beach, California. Just a few blocks from the beach, it seemed like a prime spot to grab a drink and enjoy some of that fresh ocean air. Helmsman is known for being a local brewery, so naturally, I had to see how it stacks up!

NEWS: We’ve got a change in the grading criteria. I’ve swapped out bartenders for bathrooms! Honestly, bartenders don’t always make or break the experience, but a good (or bad) bathroom can say a lot. Let’s be real, no one wants to see a disaster of a restroom!

Here’s how Helmsman fared:

Drinks (4/5): Pretty solid! Not watered down and the ordering process was smooth. No bad vibes from the bartenders either. Prices were a bit high, but it’s Newport Beach—what can you expect?

Crowd (4/5): Definitely a 20s scene, with most people between 21-28, though there were some outliers. The vibe was very “Newport Beach,” but you can still find your spot and have a good time with friends.

Bathrooms (3/5): Let’s just say, the bathrooms here weren’t great. But hey, this is probably a funnier (and necessary) piece of criteria to include, right? The Helmsman was no exception to this stereotype, as the bathrooms were honestly rough. Just warning you all! 

Music (5/5): The music was a surprisingly good mix. They played Tame Impala, which isn’t necessarily what you always hear in a bar, but I loved it. They also played in Mr. Brightside, which is basic but again, I loved it! All in all, the music definitely added to the vibe!

Overall Vibe (4/5): All of these different pieces of criteria add up to mean something—at least to me. Honestly, the Helmsman had a pretty decent vibe! I enjoyed my time here, the crowd was chill and younger, music was good, drinks were good—a solid 4/5. 

Final Score

With all of that added up, the Helmsman comes out with an 80%, or a B! Honestly, not too bad, Helmsman! Next time, clean your bathrooms and maybe you’ll end up with a B+.

Fun Fact

The term “happy hour” originally came from the U.S. Navy! In the 1920s, sailors had scheduled times for onboard entertainment, like wrestling or boxing, to boost morale. These were called "happy hours." Bars later adopted the term to refer to discounted drinks and their own version of morale-boosting!

Thanks for stopping by The Bar is Low! This journey has been super fun so far, and I can’t wait to bring you more reviews. Drop a comment if you have any bar recommendations for me to check out next, and stay tuned for next week’s review!